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I I 1-1. I I'
'!i'
ALL THE WESTERN
AND
TERRITORIES,
FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE PACIFIC,
AND
FROM THE LAKES TO THE GULF,
CONTAINING
Their H-istory from the Earliest Times, ~with Local
History, Incidents of Pioneer Life, Jlilitary Events,
Biog)ralhical Sketches; combined with full Geographical Descriptions of the different States, Territories,
Cities, and Towns; the whole being illustrated by
40 ENGRAVINGS,
presenting views of the Cities and Printcipal Towns,
Public Buildings and JIonuments, Battle Fields, Historic Localities, ]2Vatural Curiosities, etc., principally
from drawings taken on the spot by the Authors.
JOHN WV ARBER,
AUTHOR OF HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF CONNECTICUT, MASSACHUSETTS, &C.,
HENRY HOWE,
AUTHOR OF HIST. COL S OF VIRGINIA, OHIO, THE GREAT WEST, tC.
CINCINNATI, 0.
No. 111 Main Street,
HOWE S SUBSCRIPTION BOOK CONCERN,
ESTABLISHED BY HENRY HOWE IN 1847.
F. A. HOWE, Proprietor. HENRY HOWE, Manager
I867.
STATES
I
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-seven,
By F. A. HOWE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of Ohio.
la
I,, i
INTRODUCTORY.
URING the sad, tragic years of the Rebellion, a large two volume work, by the authors of this, was published under the
title of "Our Whole Country." It was modeled on the same
general plan with the Historical Collections of Massachusetts and
of Connecticut, by John W. Barber, and the Historical Collections
of Virginia and of Ohio, by Henry Howe. That work was issued
at great expense, consequent upon years of labor, extensive
travel, and the drawing and engraving of many hundred original
views of objects of interest in all parts of our land. This expense was full fifteen thousand dollars before the first sheet of
paper was bought upon which it was printed, and was an undivided enterprise of our own.
The changed condition of a part of our country, united to the
double expense of book publishing, compels us to alter the plan,
and to issue the original work in two independent, separate
books, with such changes in the materials as are demanded by
the lapse of time and events. By this means a choice of either
will be given to such limited finances as can not grasp both.
The one book will comprise "The Atlantic States, North
and South;" the other is the present volume,'"The Whole
West." The first-named will be preceded by an introduction
giving the general history of the country, when will follow, in
order, all the sea-board States, originally British colonies, and
the old Spanish colony of Florida, the most ancient of them all,
but of feeble nursing and of trivial growth. The book you hold
comprises all of that immense territory comprehended under the
term "The Great West."
The six States of the South-west are herein grouped by themselves; and the articles upon them, and the views of places
(3)
W,4
INTI fL )UC'O P RY.
therein, are especially interesting, as showing their condition
and appearance at the outbreak of the late terrible struggle.
From chaos may new and more graceful forms arise, and that
unhappy people, whose valor and endurance have been so extraordinary, be soon lifted into clearer skies and to more pleasing
visions.
For obvious reasons, the events of the late intestine war have
no place here. Their introduction would swell the work to
too extensive proportions. Besides, it is to be expected that
every family will possess volumes solely devoted to that topic
which has entered so largely and thrillingly into the general
experience of us all.
Our frontispiece is a life-like portrait of Mr. John W. Barber.
He is the principal author of this work, our part having been
mainly to add to the materials collected by him through years
of labor and travel. The picture is faithful, photographed from
the original, and true to every article of costume, even to the
antique carpet-bag on the sward at his feet. le is represented
with pencil and portfolio in hand, in the act of sketching from
nature. For the information of those unfamiliar with book publishing, we here describe the process by which the pictures in
this work were produced.
1st. They were drawn on the spot by the eye, in outline with
pencil on paper, on a large scale.
2d. Reduced in outline on paper to the smaller scale of the
engraving.
3d. These outlines again traced on wood, and shaded by an
artist.
4th. Engraved; a labor of several years, had only one engraver
been employed.
5th. Stereotyped on the page with the type, ready for the
printer.
Owing to the position of many places, only a partial view
could be given. To recognize any scene, the reader must be
familiar with it from the point from whence the drawing was
taken. As a general thing, they have been rendered with that
care that any one with book in hand can readily place himself
within a yard or two of the precise spot on which Mr. Barber
stood. In our rapid growth and Aladdin-like changes, these
views will soon pass into history, and be of even higher value
than now as showing our country at the era of the great rebellion.
4
INTRODUCTOPY.
Mr. Barber, whom we have thus introduced to the reader,
deserves so to be. He is a plain, unobtrusive old cEntleman,
who began life with only the solid education Connecticut gives
all her sons-born at the close of the administration of George
Washington, in the century that is past-with no especial pride,
except in being a descendant of the Pilgrims, of whom he is a
genuine, honest, and most unmistakable offshoot. His life has
been one of untiring and useful industry, chiefly passed in compiling books, every page of which has been created with a view
to benefit the public. No man living in the Union has taken so
many views of places in it as he, in making drawings for this
and his various State works. His books have gratified,l; classes;
the learned and unlearned, tne old and young. A personal anecdote is proper here. On a time, in the years now gone, we were
rattled over the paving-stones of Broadway in an omnibus, and
holding the first bound volume of a State work, the result of the
joint labor of Mr. Barber and ourself. An elderly gentleman, in
neat, and, as we thought, somewhat humble attire, leaned over
to look at our book: then putting an inquiry, which we answered, he rejoined: "I have Mr. Barber's Connecticut and Massachusetts, and I shall want that." A moment later, the vehicle
stopped, and our questioner left us. "Do you know who that
old gentleman is that spoke to you?" asked a fellow-passenger,
also a stranger. "No sir." "That," added he, "is Chancellor
Kent!"
It is now thirty years since Mr. Barber published his first State
work, that on Connecticut. It was the model on which others
were formed, and a surprise to the public, for its plan was
original and quaint. The venerable Noalh Webtter, a townsman of M/r. Barber, was especially gratified. The venerable,
slender form of Webster, in the garb of a gentleman of the old
school, with broad-brimmed hat, shading a benignant, scholarly
face, with Quaker-like cut coat, short breeches, and buckle
shoes, was, at that period, a pleasant and daily object to be met
moving modestly along under the proudly arching elms of New
Haven.
We then knew them both "as a boy knows a man." Mrs.
Barber, as Mriss Ruth Greene, had, only a few years before,
pointed out to us the mysteries of A B C from Webster's spelling-book. It was in the printing-office at the time, or, perhaps,
a little later, owned by our father, Hlezekiah Howe, and attached
5
INTRODUCTORY.
to his book-store, that the first edition of Webster's great quarto
dictionary was printed. It was several years in going through
the press, for it was a day of slow coaches; when, as we recol lect, our geographies told us the American people had no
"particular character!" The nation was then too young.
The issue of this dictionary was a great event. When finished, Mr. Webster gave a generous supper at his house to the
compositors and pressmen-some twenty in number-who had
labored upon it. He took the occasion to bless the young
men in good, fatherly talk upon the practical matters of life.
Among the topics introduced was that of runaway horses. He
had for years kept a record of accidents. Almost all fatal
results to life and limb had arisen from parties endeavoring to
save themselves by springing from the whirling vehicle. His
advice was to those present, whenever placed in such peril,
to stick to the wagon. The word "stick," though in that connection, Webster did not probably use; for he, in common
with those Yale men generally, spoke English so "pure and
undefiled," that a slang word, or a coarse one, gave a greater
shock to his delicate sensibilities than a full, round, swelling
oath gives to common ears. This anecdote, living until now
only in memory, is fastened in here, as a pleasing reminiscence of the calm, wise man who caused us all to drop the
U from that brightest of words-Honor.
Many years-perhaps an entire generation-must elapse before
another book will be issued upon the West involving so much
of labor and expense as this. More of both were given before
the first sheet was printed than to most volumes of the same
size and price completed for the market. We design this as a
standard work upon the West, and, in successive editions, to
enhance its value by such modifications and additions as may
seem desirable. We trust it will become a Household book for
the Western people; and not only this, but to add to the evidence, if it were necessary, what a mighty empire, under the
influence of our good government, has grown up here on the
sunset side of the Alleghanies since many among us first looked
upon the beautiful things of life in the simple, trusting faith of
childhood.
CINCXNNATI, 111 IMain Street.
6
0
ENGRAVINGS.*
THE WESTERN STATES, PACIFIC STATES, AND
UNITED STATES TERRITORIES.
[ For List of Engravings in the STATES of the SOUTHWEST, see p. 12.1
Portrait of J. W. Barber, FRONTIS PIECE.
Map, All the West, March 4, 1803,
FRONTISPIECE.
Arms of Ohio..................... 85
Ancient Mound, Marietta,...... 90
Campus Mlartius, Marietta,...... 91
,A Pioneer Dwelling,............. 93
Gallipolis, in 1791............... 95
Outline View of Cincinnati,..... 98
First Church in Cincinnati,..... 100
Cincinnati in 1802............... 101
View in Fourth St., Cincinnati, 103
Pike's Building.................. 105
Longworth's Vineyard,.......... 107
Harrison House, North Bend,.. 109
Old Block House, near N. Bend, 110
Monument of J. C. Symmes,.... 110
Court House, Chillicothe,....... 111
Old State Capitol,................. 112
Portsmouth........................ 115
State Capitol, Columbus,........ 116
Ohio White Sulphur Springs,.. 117
Court House, Zanesville,........ 119
Market Street, Steubenville,.... 125
Superior Street, Cleveland,...... 127
Ancient Map, Cleveland,......... 128
Toledo,.............................. 130
Wayne's Battle-ground,......... 133
Public Square, Sandusky...... 138
Ancient Map, Sandusky,........ 138
Fort Sandusky,................. 139
Wyandot Mission Church...... 141
View in Dayton................. 142
Old Court House in Greene Co.. 143
Plan of St. Clair's Battlefield,.. 145
* The engravings original to this work can not be copied by other publishers withont infringement of copyright,
( vii )
OHIO.
WEST VIRGINIA.
Arms of IVest Virginia............ 33
Wheeling............................ 40
Tray Run 43
KENTUCKY.
Arm-s of Kentucky,...;............ 45
Frankfort............................ 48
State House, Frankfort............ 49
Military Monument,. 49
Grave of Daniel Boone............ 51
Louisville............................. 53
Medical and Law Colle-es....... 54
Green River Brid-,e................ 56
View in the Mammoth Cave,..... 56
United States Barracks and Sus pension Bridge, Newport,... 58
Public Square, Lexinoton,........ 64
Ashland, Seat of Henry Clay,... 65
Monument of Henry Clay........ 67
Old Fort at Boonesboro.......... 68
Landing at Paducah, 70
A Tobacco Plantation............. 71
A Religious Encampment, 77
Si-nature of Daniel Boone....... 78
Si,,nature of Geo. Ro-ers Clark, 79
Si-riature of Isaac Shelbv,........ 82
Signature of Henry Clay,......... 82
ENGRAVINGS.
Birth-place of T'ecumseh......... 148
Signature of Presid't Harrison, 149
Swiss Emigrant's Cottage...... 149
Grave of Simon Kenton....... 1 o r e Do.. 151
Brady's Pond...................... 152
Statue of Corn. Perry, Cleveland, 153
MIICHIIGAN.
Arms of 3Iichigan,................ 251
Detroit,............................. 257
Woodward Avenue, Detroit,... 259
State House, Lansing,............ 265
State Penitentiary, Jackson,..... 267
State University, Ann Arbor,... 268
Winchester's Hlead-q's, Monroe, 269
Site of Stockade on the Raisin, 272
Deaf and Dumb Assylum, Flint, 277
Monroe Street, Grand Rap i d s,.. 279
Lumiberman's Camp,............. 281
Mackinaw Island.................. 285
The Arched Rock,................ 286
Ruins of Old Fort Mackinaw,.. 287
Map of Mackinaw and Vicinity, 290
Falls of St. Mfary,.................. 292
Map of Copper & Iron Region, 294
The Minnesota Mine,............ 296
Arms of Indiana,................. 155
The Harrison Hlouse,Vincennes, 159
State Capitol, Indianapolis,..... 164
Union Depot...................... 165
View in Terre Haute.................... 168
Friends' Board. Sch., Riehm'd, 169
Evansville.......................... 171
Rapp's Church, New Harmiony, 172
Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne,... 175
Old Fort Wayne,................. 177
Lafayette,.......................... 1;S0
Tippecanoe Battle-ground,...... 181
Map of do..... 1O. 185
Madison,............................ 186
New Albany..................... 188
Military Monument,.............. 189
University of Indiana,........... 191
Old State Capitol. Corydon,.... 191
The Jug Rock.................... 192
The Mill Stream Cave,............ 192
Arms of Wisconsin,............... 305
Ilarbor of Milwaukie,............. 311
The Portage,....................... 321
Voyageurs' Camp,................. 322
Mladison,............................ 323
Map of the Four Lalkes,........... 327
Ft. Crawford, Prairie du Chien, 329
Racine............................... 334
The MIaiden's Rock.............. 338
Fort Winnebago, in 1831...... 341
ILLINOIS.
Arms of Illinois,...............
Chicago in 1831..................
Court House Square, Chicago,..
Block Raisin g, Chicago,.........
Grain Houses, etc., Chicago,...
State House Square, Springfi'd,
Lincoln Residence, Springfield,
Illinois Colleg,, Jacksonville,..
Bioomington,.....................
Peoria,..............................
Qaincy,.............................
Alton................................
Mlap of' Levee at Cairo,..........
Junc. Ohio and Mliss., Cairo,...
Galen.,-..............................
The Ie:id Reion,................
Rock Island City,.................
Fort Armstrong,, Rock Island,
Nauvoo,.............................
Mt. Joliet,.........................
Cave-in-the-Rock,................
MINNESOTA.
Arms of Minnesota,.............. 349
St. Paul............................ 354
Fort Snelling,..................... 356
Minne-hlia-ha Falls............... 357
Lake Itasca........................ 361
Da-cotah Dog Dance (mpusic),... 363
POjibway Scalp Dance (music),. 363
Arms of Iowa,.................... 367
Dubuque,........................... 372
Ruins of Camanche,.............. 379
DaTvenport,........................ 383
Attack on Bellevue Hotel,.....387
FotAusrn,R sad 37Burl ington,........................391
Judg,e Rorer's'louse,............ 392
Keokuk.,........................... 393
Prairie Scenery................... 395
viii
INDIANA.
WISCOIN'SIN.
195
200
202
204
205
211
213
218
221.
222
226
228
232
232
233
235
236
237
239
243
2ig -
IOWA.
ENGRAVINGS.
State Capitol, Des MNoines,...... 398
Muscatine......................... 399
State University, Iowa City,.... 401
MISSOURI.
Arms of Missouri................ 405
Levee at St. Louis............... 409
Court House, St. Louis......... 411
Biddle Monument,................ 417
Jefferson City..................... 418
Lexington Landing,.............. 423
Kansas City....................... 424
A Santa Fe Train................... 426
St. Joseph......................... 428
Hannibal.................... 429
Pilot Knob........................ 438
Washing Gold with Long Tom, 480
Hydraulic Mining,................ 482
]i'remont's Ranch,................. 483
Mammoth Tree Grove,............ 485
UTAH.
View in Salt Lake City,.......... 538
Mammon Harem,................. 540
KANSAS.
Arms of Kansas.................. 441
Fort Leavenworth............... 446
Leavenworth...............447....... 447
Lawrence,........................... 449
Lecompton........................ 451
Topeka Bridge..................... 453
Kansas Indian Village,............. 455
X NEW MEXICO.
Giant Cactus,.................... 551
Pueblo, or town of Zuni,......... 553
Ancient Pueblo,.................. 537
do. Plan,.............. 537
Canion of Chilly,.................. 559
do. Pueblo in...... 559
Inscription Rock................. 561
CALIFORNIA.
Arms of California,............... 459
Harbor of San Francisco,........ 469
Execution by Vigilance Corn... 474
Sutter's Mill...................... 479
STATES.
Kentucky,......... 45
Michigan,........ 271
Minnesota......... 349
3 Missouri......... 405
Nebraska,............... 509
U.S. TERRITORIES.
Idaho............... 529
Indian.............. 532
Montana............. 525
ix
OREGON.
Arms of Oregon................... 501
Valley of the Willamette........ 506
Giant Pines......................... 507
COLORADO.
View in Denver.................... 516
Street in Denver................... 517
ARIZONA.
Church at Tucson................. 565
Silver Mine 566
California.......... 459
195
.Indiana.............. 155
Iowa, 367
Kansas.............. 441
Nevada............. 489
Ohio................ 85
Oreon.............. 501
West Vir-inia,.... 33
Wisconsin.......... 305
A-rizona............. 563
Colorado, 515
Dacotah, 531
New Mexico....... 545
U tah................. 535
Washin,,ton........ 533
CITIES AND TOWNS.
Hamilton, 110
Hannibal, 429
Ilarrodsburg. 518
Hastings, 359
Henderson, 70
Hermann, 434
Hickman, 70
Hillsdale, 283
Hillsboro, 148
Hopkinsville, 70
Hudson, 338
Humboldt City,
488
Huntington, 193
Independence, 429
Indianapolis, 163
Iowa City, 401
Iron ton, 148, 433
Janesville, 335
Jackson, 267
Jacksonville, 217
'Jefferson City, 417
Jeffersonville, 190
Joliet, 243
Kalamazoo, 283
Kankakee City,
244
Kansas City, 424
Kaskaskia, 213
Kenosha, 334
Keokuk, 393
Keosaugua, 403
Klamath, 488
La Crosse, 337
La Fayette, 179
Lake City, 359
Laguana, 555
Lancaster, 148
Lansing, 265
La Pointe, 348
C La Porte, 190
La Salle, 344
Lawrence, 448
Lawrenceburg 190
Leavenworth
City, 447
Lebanon, 148
Lecomrnpton, 451
Le Sueur, 359
Louisburg. 42
Lewistown, 529
Lexington, 64, 422
(x)
Abin,,don, 245
Acoi"a, 55.3
Adrian, 268
Albtirquerque, 555
Alle,an, 284
Altyiont, 284
Acton, 227
8
7
Astoria, 508
Atch'son, 448
Aurora 7 193-495
Austin' 495
Bannock City, 526
Bardstown, 70
Batavia, 245
Battle Cree.1c, 283
Beloit, 335
Bellefbntaine, 147
Beilville, 245
Bellvue, 386, 559
Belvidere, 245
Benicia,, 488
Bloomington,
191, 221
Boonville, 433
Bowling Green, 68
Bucyrus, 147
Burlington, 390
Cairo, 231
Cambridge, 148
Cambridke City,
456
Cannelton, 148
Canton, 147
Carrolton, 70
Carson City, 492
Cedar Falls, 403
Cedar Rapids, 403
Cliarleston, 42
Cbicago, 199
Cliillicothe, Ill
Cincinnati, 99
Circleville, 104
Clarksburg, 43
Cleveland, 127
Coldwater, 283
Co] orado City, 5 t 8
Colonia, 478
Columbus,
70,116,193
Conneaut, 125
Connersville, 193
Corvdon, 191
Coulterville, 489
Council Bluffs, 399
Covington, 58
Crawfordsville,191
Crescent City, 488
Cyntlliana, 70
Daven port, 382
Danville, 69
Dayton, 141
Decatur, 245
Delaware, 147
Delphi, 193
Denver, 516
Des Moines, 398
Detroit, 257
Dixon, 244
Dubuque, 372
Dunleith, 244
Eaton, 148
Elgin, 245
Elvria, 147
Evansville, 170
Fillmore City, 544
Flint, 277
Fond du Lac, 339
Fort Dodge, 402
Fort Snelling, 356
Fort Wayne, 175
Fort Yuma, 488
Frankfort, 48
Franklin, 193
Fremont, 139
Freeport, 233
Galena, 233
Galesburg, 233
Gallipolls, 94
Georgetown, 70
Germantown, 148
Golden City, 518
Goshen, 193
Grand Haven, 284
Grand Rapids, 278
Grasshopper
Falls, 454
Green Bay,, 316
Greencastle, 191
Greenfield, 148
Greensburg, 193
Grinnell, 403
Guyandotte, 51
Lima, 147
Loga,n, 148
.Lo,ansport, 189
Los Angelos, 488
Louisville, 52
M'Connelsvillel48
Mackinaw, 284
Macombe, 245
Madison, 186, 323
Manliattan, 454
Manitowoc, 348
Alansfield, 147
Marietta, 89
Mariposa, 487
M arshall, 283
Marquette, 299
Marvsville, 483
Massillo;, 147
Maysville, 57
Mendota, 359
Michigan City, 190
Milwaukie, 311
Mineapolis, 358
Mii-ieral Point, 335
Mishawaka, 193
Moline, 245
Monroe, 268
Monterey, 488
Morgantown. 43
Mt. Clemens, 284
Mt. Pleasant, 403
Mt. Vernon,
147, 1.93
'Muncie, 193
Muscatine, 399
Napierville, 245
Nauvoo, 239
Nebraska City,511
Nemalia City, 511
New Albany, 189
Newark, 118
New Harn-ioiiv,172
New Lisbon, 148
New Madrid, 419
Newport, 58
Nicolet, 359
Niles, 283
Newark, 147
Oberlin, 147
Olympia, 535
Omaha City, 511
Ontonagon, 299
CITIES-TOWNS.
Oregon City, 508 Red Wing, 359
Oskaloosa, 403 Richmond, 169
Ossawatomie, 454 Ripley, 148
Ottawa, 245 Rising Sun, 193
Owensboro, 70 Rockford, 233
Ozaukee, 348 Rock Island
Paducah. 70 City, 286
Painesville, 147 Rockville, 193
Paris, 70 Romeo, 284
Parkersburg, 39 Russelville, 70
Pembina, 531 Sacram. City, 478
Peoria, 222 Saginaw, 282
Peru, 193 Salem, 508
Piqua, 147 St. Anne, 402
Plattesmouth, 511 St. Anthony, 357
Pomeroy, 148 St. Charles,245,432
Pontiac, 282 St. Genevieve, 434
Portage City, 340 St. Joseph,435,427
Portland, 588 St. Paul, 409
Port Huron, 282 Salt Lake City, 538
Portsmouth, 113 San Diego, 488
Potosi, 433 Sandoval, 245
Prairie du Chien, Sandusky, 137
328 San Francisco, 468
Prescott, 338, 563 San Jose, 488
Princeton, 193 Santa Barbara,488
Quincy, 226 Santa Fe, 552
Racine, 333 Sault de Ste.
Ravenna, 147 Marie, 291
0
xi
Shakopee, 359
Shebovgan, 348
Shelbyville,
70,193
Sidney, 147
Silver City, 491.
Sioux City, 403
Smithland, 70
Sonora, 484
South Bend, 190
Springfield,
142, 211
Sterling, 245
Steubenville, 124
Stillwater, 359
Stockton, 483
Superior City, 348
Sycamore, 245
Taos, 554
Tecumseh, 283
Terre Haute, 167
Tiffin, 147
Toledo, 130
Topeka, 452
Trinidad, 488
Troy, 147
Tubac, 565
Tucson, 565
Two Rivers, 348
Upper Sandusky,
139
Urbana, 147, 245
Vallejo, 488
Vandalia, 245
. Versailles, 70
Vevay, 191
Vincennes, 158
Virginia City, 491
Wabashaw, 359
Warren, 147
Watertown, 328
Waubonsee,'454
Wa ukegan, 245
Wellsburg, 41
Wellsville, 148
Weston, 43, 428
Wheeing,, 39
White Sulphur
Springs, 43
Wilrnington, 148
Winona, 350
Wooster, 147
Wyandot, 448
Xenia, 143
Youngstown, 147
ilanti...... 283
Zanesville. 119
Zuni. 555
STATES OF THE SOUTHWEST,
ENGRAVINGS.
Lafayette Square, New
Orleans, 605
Outline View of New
Orleans, 605
Battle-field, New Orleans,
607
French Cemetery, in
New Orleans, 613
Baton Rouge, 674
Gen. Taylor's Residence,
674
Gathering Sugar Cane,617
Arms of Alabama, 571
St. Louis Wharf, Mobile,
575
Fort Morgan, Mobile
Point, 576
Cenrtral View in Mont gomery, 576
Landing at Selma, 580
University of Alabama,
Tuscaloosa, 582
Public Square, Hunts ville, 583
Arms of Arkansas, 645
Little Rock, 648
Helena, 549
Napoleon, 649
Scene on the Arkansas,
650
TENNESSEE. I,
Arms of Tennessee, 623
Nashville, 627
State House, Nashville,
628
President Polk's Resi dence, 529
Memphlis, 630
Knoxville, 632
Signature of Andrew
Jackson, 635
Residence of Andrew
Jackson, 636
Tomb of Andrew Jack son, 638
David Crockett's Cabin,
640
Brainerd, MIissionary
Station, 642
Arms of Texas, 653
Gal veston, 661
View of the Main Plaza,
San An4onio, 662
Church of the Alamo,
663
Mission of San Jose, 666
The Alamo, 667
Plan of the Alamo, 669
Landing at Houston, 673
Ancient Capitol, Houston,
674
Ruins at Goliad, 675
State Capitol, Austin, 678
The Alamo'-donunment,
679
San Jacinto Battle ground, 685
Soldiers' Grave, San Ja cinto Battle-ground,687
A night Scene on the
Buffalo Bayou, 691
STATES.
571 Louisiana,
645 Mississippi,
CITIES-TOWNS.
Marion, 581
Marshall, 695
Matagorda, 695
M emphis, 630
Mobile, 575
Montgomery, 576
Murfreesboro, 632
Nacogdoches, 694
Napoleon, 649
Natchez, 587
Natchetoches, 621
Nashville, 627
New Braunfels, 680
New Orleans, 602
Opelousas, 621
Oxford. 593
Aberdeen, 593
Alexandria, 621
Arkansas Post, 649
Athens, 633
Austin, 678
Batesville, 648
Baton Rouge, 674
Brownsville, 691
Canton, 593
Castorville, 683
Clarksville, 633
Cl(eveland, 633
Columbia, 633
Columbus, 593
Chattanooga, 632
Fayetteville,633,65 1
Florence, 583
ARKANSAS.
ALABAMA.
TEXAS.
MISSISSIPPI.
Arms of Mississippi, 585
Central View of Jack son, 588
Natcliez, 588
Vicksburg, 593
Observatory of the State
Utiiversity, 594.
Ilarvesting Cotton, 597
LOUISIANA.
Arins of Louisiana, 599
Jackson Square, New
Orleans, 602
Levee in New Orleans,602
St. Cliarles street in
New Orleans, 603
Alabama,
Arkansas
599 Tennessee,
585 Texas,
523
653
Fort Smith,
Galveston,
Goliad,
Gallatin
Gonzales,
Greenville,
Helena,
Holly Sprin
Hot Springs
Houston,
Hun tsville,
Jackson,
Jonesboro,
Knoxville,
Lebanon,
Little Rock
mcminnvill
650
661
674
533
5.05
633
649
gs, 599
1 650
673
583
587, 633
632
631
633
1 648
e 633
Paris,
Pine Bluff,
Port Lavacca,
San Antonio,
San Augustine,
Selma,
Shelbyville,
Shreveport,
Tuscaloosa,
Tuscumbia,
Van Buren,
Vicksburg,
Victoria,
IVetumpka,
Winchester,
Ya7,oo City,
695
650
695
661
695
580
633
621
583
583
6.1,0
593
695
583
633
593
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
W E S T
TWENTY years after the great event occurred, which has immor talized the name of Christopher Columbus, Florida was discovered
by Juan Ponce de Leon, ex-governor of Porto Rico. Sailing from
that island in March, 1512, he discovered an unknown country,
which he named Florida, from the abundance of its flowers, the
trees being covered with blossoms, and its first being seen on
Easter Sunday, a day called by the Spaniards Pascua F2lorida;
the name imports the country of flowers. Other explorers soon
visited the same coast. In May, 1539, Ferdinand de Soto, the
Governor of Cuba, landed at Tampa Bay, with six hundred fol'lowers. He mnarched into the interior; and on the 1st of May,
1541, discovered the Mississippi; being the first European who
had ever beheld that mighty river.
Spain for many years claimed the whole of the country-bounded
by the Atlantic to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the north, all of
which bore the name of Florida. About twenty years after the
discovery of the Mississippi, some Catholic missionaries attempted
to form settlements at St. Augustine, and its vicinity; and a few
years later a colony of French Calvinists had been established on
the St. Mary's, near the coast. In 1565, this settlement was annihilated by an expedition tiom Spain, under Pedro Melendez de
Aviles; and about nine hundred French, men, women and children,
cruelly massacred. The bodies of many of the slain were hung
friom trees, with the inscrip)tion, "Xt)t as tenc/lcmen, bett as
herelis."' Having accomplished his bloody errand, Melendez
founded St. Augustine, the oldest town by half a century of any
now in the Union. Four years after, Dominic de Gourges, burning to avenge his countrymcn, fitted out an expedition at his own
expense, and surprised the Spanish colonists on the St. Mary's;
destroying the ports, burning the houses, and ravaging the settlements with fire and sword; finishing the work by also suspending
some of the corpses of his enemies from trees, with the inscription,
0
OUTLINE HISTORY.
" t as Spaniards, but as murderers." Unable to hold possession
of the country, de Gourges retired to his fleet. Florida, excepting
for a few years, remained under the Spanish crown, suffering much
in its early history, from the vicissitudes of war and piratical
incursions, until 1819, when, vastly diminished from its original
boundaries, it was ceded to the United States, and in 1845 became
a State.
In 1535, James Cartier, a distinguished French mariner, sailed
with an exploring expedition up the St. Lawrence, and taking possession of the country in the name of his king, called it "New
France." In 160S, the energetic Champlain created a nucleus for
the settlement of Canada, by founding Quebec. This was the
same year with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, and twelve
years previous to that on which the Puritans first stepped upon the
rocks of Plymouth.
To strengthen the establishment of French dominion, the genius
of Champlain saw that it was essential to establish missions among
the Indians. Up to this period "the far west" had been untrod
by the bfoot of the white man. In 1616, a French Franciscan,
named Le Caron, passed through the Iroquois and Wyandot
nations-to streams running into Lake Huron; and in 1634, two
Jesuits founded the first mission in that region. But just a century
elapsed from the discovery of the Mississippi, ere the first Canadian
envoys met the savage nations of the northwest at the falls of St.
Mary's, below the outlet of Lake Superior. It was not until 1659
that any of the adventurous tfur-traders wintered on the shores of
this vast lake, nor until 1660 that Rene Mesnard founded the first
missionary station upon its rocky and inhospitable coast. Perishing soon after in the forest, it was left to Father Claude Allouez,
five years subsequent, to build the first permanent habitation of
white men among the Northwestern Indians. In 1668, the mission
was founded at thie falls of St. Mary's, by Dablon and Marquette;
in 1670, Nicholas Perrot, agent for the intendant of Canada,
explored Lake Michigan to near its southern termination. Formal
ossession was taken of the northwest by the French in 1671, and
Marquette established a missionary station at Point St. Ignace, on
the mainland north of Mackinac, which was the first settlement in
Michigan.
Until late in this century, owing to the enmity of the Indians
bordering the Lakes Ontario and Erie, the adventurous missionaries, on their route west, on pain of death, were compelled to
pass far to the north, through " a region horrible with forests," by
the Ottawa and French Rivers of Canada.
As vet no Frenchman had advanced beyond Fox River, of
Winnebago Lake, in Wisconsin; but in May, 1673, the missionary
Marquette, with a few companions, left Mackinac in canoes;
passed up Green Bay, entered Fox River, crossed the country to
the Wisconsin, and, following its current, assed into and discovered the Mississippi; down which they sailed several hundred
14
OUTLINE HISTORY.
miles, and returned in the Autumn. The discovery of this great
river gave great joy to New France, it being "a pet idea" of that
age that some of its western tributaries would afford a direct route
to the South Sea, and thence to China. Monsieur La Salle, a man
of indefatigable enterprise, having been several years engaged in
the preparation, in 1682, explored the Mississippi to the sea, and
took tformal possession of the country in the namne of the King of
France, in honor of whom hlie called it Louisiana. In 1685, he
also took formal possession of Texas, and founded a colony on the
Colorado; but La Salle was assassinated, and the colony dispersed.
Tile descriptions of the beauty and magnificence of the Valley
of the Mississippi, given by these explorers, led many adventurers
from the cold climate of Canada to follow the sampe route, and
commence settlements. About the year 1680, Kaskaskia and
Cahokia, the oldest towns in the Mississippi Valley, were founded.
Kaskaskia became the capital of the Illinois country, and in 1721,
a Jesuit college and monastery were founded there.
A peace with the Iroquois, Ilurons and Ottawas, in 1700, gave
the French iacilities for settling the western part of Canada. In
June, 1701, De la Motte Cadillac, with a Jesuit missionary and a
hundred men, laid the foundation of Detroit. All of the extensive
region south of the lakes was now claimed by the French, under
the name of Canada, or New France. This excited the jealousy
of the English, and the New York legislature passed a law for
hanging every Popish priest that should come voluntarily into the
province. The French, chiefly through the mild and conciliating
course of their missionaries, had gained so much influence over
the western Indians, that, when a war broke out with England, in
1711, the most powerful of the tribes became their allies; and tilhe
latter unsuccessfully attempted to restrict their claims to the country
south of the lakes. The Fox nation, allies of the English, in 1713,
made an attack upon Detroit; but were defeated by the French
and their Indian allies. The treaty of Utrecht, this year, ended
this war.
By the vear 1720, a profitable trade had arisen in furs and agricultural p'oducts -between the French of Louisiana and those of
Illinois; and settlements had S)een made on the Mississippi, below
the junction of the Illinois. To confine the English to the Atlantic coast, the French adopted the plan of forming a line of military
posts, to extend from the great northern lakes to the Mexican Gulf,
and as one of the links of the chain, Fort Chartres was built on tilhe
Mississippi, near Kaskaskia; and in its vicinity soon flourished
the villages of Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher.
The Ohio at this time was but little known to the French, and
on their early maps was but an insignificant stream. Early in this
century their missionaries had penetrated to the sources of the Alleghany. In 1721, Joncaire, a French agent and trader, established himself among the Senecas at Lewistown, and Fort Niagara
was erected, near the falls, five years subsequent. In 1735, accord
15
OUTLINE HISTORY.
ing to some authorities, Post St. Vincent was erected on the
Wabash. Almost coeval with this, was the military post of Presque
Isle, on the site of Erie, Pennsylvania, and from thence a cordon
of posts extended on the Alleghany to Pittsburgh; and from thence
down the Ohio to the Wabash.
A map, published at London in 1755, gives the following list of
French posts, as then existing in the west: Two on French Creek,
in the vicinity of Erie, Pennsylvania; Duquesne, on the site of
?ittsburgh; Mliarnis, on the Maurnee, near the site of Toledo; Sandusky, on Sandusky Bay; St. Joseph's, on St. Joseph's River,
Michigan; Ponchliartrain, site of Detroit; Massillimacinac; one on
Fox River, Green Bay; Crevecceur, on the Illinois; Rockfort, or
Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois; Vincennes; Cahokia; Kaskaskia,
and one at each of the mouths of the Wabash, Ohio, and Missouri.
Other posts, not named, were built about that time. On the Ohio,
just below Portsmouth, are ruins, supposed to be those of a French
fort; as they had a post there during Braddock's war.
InI 1749, the French regularly explored the Ohio, and formed
alliances with the Indians in Western New York, Pennsylvania,
and Virginia. The English, who claimed the whole west to the
Pacific, but whose settlements were confined to the comparatively
narrow strip east of the mountains, were jealous of the rapidly
increasing power of the Frenclh in the west. Not content with
exciting the savages to hostilities against them, they stimulated
private enterprise by granting six hundred thousand acres of choice
land on the Ohio, to the "Ohio Comnpany."
By the year 1751, there were in thle Illinois country, the settlements of Cahokia, five miles below the site of St. Louis; St. Philip's,
forty-five miles fartl-her down the river; St. Genevieve, a little lower
still, and oln the east side of the Mississippi, Fort Chartres, Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher. The largest of these was Kaskaskia, which at one time contained nearly three thousand souls.
In 1748, the Ohio Company, composed mainly of wealthy Virginians, dispatched Christopher Gist to explore the country, gain
the good-will of the Indians, and ascertain thle plans of thle French.
Crossing overland to tile Ohio, he proceeded down it to the Great
Miami, up which he passed to the towns of tile MAliamies, about
fifty miles north of the site of Dayton. Tile next year thle compainy established a trading post in that vicinity, on Loramiies Creek,
the first point of English settlement in the western country; it was
soon after broken up by the French.
In the year 1753, Dinwiddie, Governor of Virginia, sent George
Washington, then twenty-one years of age, as commissioner, to
reii(oinsrate with the French colnmandalnt who was at Fort le
Bceut, near the site of Erie, Peinsyivania, againiist encroacllinents
of the French. The English claimed the country by virtue of her
first royal charters; the French by the stronger title of discovery
and possession. The result of the mission lroving unsatisfaetory,
the English, although it was a time of peace, raised a force to
16
OUJTLINE HISTORY.
expel the invaders fiom the Ohio and its tributaries. A detachmlent
under Lieut. Ward erected a foibrt on the site of tPittsl.urg,i; but it
was surrendered shortly after, in April, 1754, to a superior force
of French and Indians unrder ContrecceuLr,'ind its garrison peaceably perN itted to retire to the frontier post of Cuml)erland. Coiitreececur then erected a strong, fortification at " the fork," under the
name of Fort D)nquesne.
M,easures were now talken by bothi nations for the struggle that
wvas to eiisne. On the'S8th of May, a strong detachlinent of Vir(inia troops, under Washington, surprised a small body of Firench
from Fort Duquiesne, killed its commander, MI. Jutmonville, and
ten men, and took nearly all the rest prisoners. Hlie then fell back
and erected Fort Necessity, near the site of Uniontown. In July
lie was attacked by a large body of French and Indians, cominanded( by M. Villieis, and after a gallant resistance, compelled to
capitliate withl permission to retire unmolested, and under the express stil-)ulationi that fartlier settlements or forts should not be
toujidle( 1l thle Eni,lish, west of tlhe mountains, for one year.
On tit 9th of July, 1755, Gen. PBraddock was dleteated withili
ten iniles of Fort Duquesne. his army, composed mainly of veteran Er,lisit troops, passed into an ambuscade tormed b),y a tfr
interioi body of Frenchl and Indians, who, vlying concealed in twoi
deepl ravines, each side ot his line of march, poured in upon the
coli p)act hody of tlheir ernemy vollies of musketry, with almost perfeet satety to tlhemselves. The Virginia provincials, under Wasiiigii'tOn, ly thleir knowledg,e of border warifare and cool bravery,.
alozie saved the army trom complete rmim. Braddock was himself
mortally wounded by a provincial namedl Fausett. A brothl)er of
the latter had( disobeyed the silly orders of the general, that the
troops sliould not take positions be!lind the trees, when Braddock
rode np and stru,ck himr down. Fausett, who saw the whole transaction, imml,ediately dCrewv up his rifle and shot him Lhrouigh the
luingss; )artly frC)oti revenge, and partly as a mneasure of salvation
to the arniy whichi was being sacrificed to his headstrong obstinacy
and inexI;erience.
The result of this battle gave the French and Indians a complete
ascendancy on the Ohio, and put a check to the operations of the
Englist}, west of the mountains, for two or three years. In July,
175S, Gen. Forbes, with seven thousand men, left Carlisle, Penii.,
fobr the west. A corps in advance principally of Ilighlland Scotch,
under Maijor Grant, were on the 13th of Septemnber defeated in tlhe
vicinity of Fort Duquesne, oil the site of Pittsbuirgh. A short
ti'me alter, the Frenchl and Indians, under Col. Boquet, made an
unsuccesstul attack upon the advanced guard.
In Novelmber, tlhe commandant of Fort DL)uquesne, unable to
cope with the st)uperior toree app)roaching under Forbes, abandoned
the fortress,,and descended to Ne~ Orleans. On his route, h1e
erected Fort Massoc, so called in htnor of M. Massac, who superiiitended its coustiuction. It y —,s upon the Ohlio, within forty
2
li
OUTLINE HISTORY.
miles of its mouth-and within the limits of Illinois. Forbes repaired Fort LDuquesne, and changed its name to Fort Pitt, in honor
of the Englislh Prime Minister.
The English were now for the first time in possession of the
upper Ohio. In the spring,, they established several posts in that
region, prominent among which was Fort Burd, or Redstone Old
Fort, on the site of Brownsville.
Owing to thie treachery of Gov. Lyttleton, in 1760, by whlich,
twenty-two Cherokee chiefs on an embassy of peace were made
prisoners at Fort George, on the Savannah, that nation flew to
arms, and for a while desolated the frontiers of Virginia and the
Carolinas. Fort Loudon, in East Tennessee, having been besieged
by the Indians, the garrison capitulated on the 7thi of August, and
on the day afterward, lwhile on the route to Fort George, were
attacked, and the greater part massacred. In the sumnmer of 1761,
Col. Grant invaded their country, and compelled them to sue for
peace. On the north the most brilliant success had attended the
British arms. Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Fort Niagara, and
Quebec were taken in 1759, and the next year Montreal fell, and
with it all of Canada.
By the treaty of Paris, in 1763, France gave up her claim to
New France and Canada; emnbracing all tihe country east of the
Mississippi, from its source to the Bayou Iberville. The remainder
of her Mississippi possessions, embracing Louisiana west of the
Mississippi, and the Island of Orleans, she soon after secretly ceded
to Spain, which terminated the dominion of France on this continent, and her vast plans for empire.
At this period Lower Louisiana had become of considerable importance. The explorations of La Salle in the Lower Mississippi
country, were renewed in 1697, by Lemoine D'Iberville, a brave
French naval oficer. Sailing with two vessels, he entered the
Mississippi in Marci 1698, by the Bayou Iberville. He built forts
on the Bay of Biloxi, and at Mobile, bI)othl of whlich were deserted
for the Island of Dauphine. which for years was the headquarters
of the colony. Ile also erected Fort )alise, at the mouth of the
river, and fixed on the site of Fort Rosalie; which latter became
the scene of a bloody Indian war.
After his death, in 170(, Louisiana was but little more than a
wilderness, and a vain search for gold, and trading in furs, rather
than the substantial pursuits of agriculture, allured the colonists
and much time was lost in journeys of discovery, and in collecting
furs among distant tribes. Of the occupied lands, Biloxi was a
barren sand, and the soil of the Isle of Dauphine poor. Bienville,
the brother and successor of D'Iberville, was at the fort on the
Delta of the Mississippi, where he and his soldiers were liable to
inundations, and held joint possession withi mosquitoes, frogs,
snakes and alligators.
In 1712, Antoine de Crozat, an East India merchant, of vast
ealth, purchased a grant of the entire country, with the exclusive
is
OUTLINE HISTORY.
right of commerce for sixteen years. But in 1717, the speculation
having resulted in his ruin, and to the injury of the colonists, he
surrendered his privileges. Soon after, a number of other adventurers, under the name of the MIississippi Company, obtained from
the French government a charter, which gave them all the rights
of sovereignty, except the bare title, including a complete monopoly of the trade, and the mines. Their expectations were chiefly
from the mines; and on the strength of a former traveler, Nichlolas
Perrot, having discovered a copper mine in the valley of St. Peters,
the directors of the company assigned to the soil of Louisiana,
silver and gold; and to the mud of the Mississippi, diamonds and
pearls. The notorious Law, who then resided at Paris, was the
secret agent of the company. To form its capital, its shares were
sold at five hundred livres each; and such was the speculating
mania of tile times, that in a short time more than a hundred mil
lions were realized. Although this proved ruinous to individuals,
yet the colony was greatly benefited by the consequent emigration,
and agriculture and comnierce flourishled.
In 1719, Re,auqlt, an agent of the Mississippi Company, left
France with about two hundred miners and emigrants, to carry out
the mining schemes of the company. lie bought five hundred
slaves at St. Domuingo, to work the mines, which he conveyed to
Illinois in 1720. He established himself a few miles above Kaskasia, and founded there the village of St. Philips. Extravagant
expectations existed in France, of his probable success in obtaining
gold and silver. He sent out exploring parties in various sections of
Illinois and Missourli. His explorations extended to the banks of
the Ohlio and Kentucky rivers, and even to the Cumberland valley
in Tennessee, where at " French Lick," on the site of Nashville, the
French established a trading post. Although Renault was woefully dclisappointed in not discovering extensive mines of gold or
silver, yet he made various discoveries of lead; among which
were the mines north of Potosi, and those on the St. Francois.
He eventually turned his wliole attention to tile smelting of lead,
of which he made considerable quantities, and shipped to France.
Hle remained in the country until 1744. Nothing of consequence
was again done in mining, until after the American Revolution.
In 1718, Bienville laid out the town of New Orleans, on the
plan of Rochefort, France. Some four years after, the bankruptcy
of Law threw the colony into the greatest conflusion, and occasioned
wide-spread ruin in France, where speculation had been carried to
an extreme unknown before.
Tile expenditures bfor Louisiana, were consequently stopped, but
the colony had now gained strength to struggle for herself. Louisiana was then divided into nine cantons, of which Arkansas and
Illinois formed each one.
About this time, the colony had considerable difficulty with the
Indian tribes, and were involved in wars with the Chickasaws and
the Natchez. This ],tter named tribe were finally completely con
19
OUTLINE HISTORY.
quered. The remnant of themi dispersed among other Indians, so
that, that once powerful people, as a distinct race, was entirely
lost. Their nanie alone survives, as that of a flourishing city.
Tradition related singular stories of the Natchez. It was believed
that they emigrated fromn Mexico, and were kindred to the Incas
of Peru. The Natchez alone, of all the Indian tribes, had a consecrated temple, where a p)er)petual fire was maintained by appoinrted guardians. Near the temple, on an artificial mound,
stood the dwelling of their ctlief-called the Great Sun; who was
supposed to be descended fromnt that luminiary, and all around were
grouped the dwellings of the tribe. HIlis power was absolute; the
dignity was hereditary, and tratnsmitted exclusively through the
female line; and the race of nobles was so distinct, that usage had
moulded language into the forms of reverence.
In 1732, the Mississippi Company relinquished their charter to
the king, after holding possession fourteen years. At this period,
Louisiana had five thousand whites, and twenty-five hundred
blacks. Agriculture was improving in all the nine cantons, particularly in Illinois, which was considered the granary of the
colony. Louisiana continued to advance until the war broke out
with England in 1775, which resulted in the overthrow of French
dominion.
-Immediately after the peace of 1763, all the old French forts in
the west, as far as Green Bay, were repaired and garrisoned with
British troops. Agents and surveyors too, were making examinations of the finest lands east and northeast of the Olhio. Judging
from the past, the Indians were satisfied that the Britishl intended
to possess the whole country. The celebrated Ottowa chief: Pontiac, burning with hatred against the English, in that year formed
a general league with the western tribes, and by the middle of May
all the western posts had fallen-or were closely besieged by the
Indians, and the whole frontier, for almost a thousand miles, suffered from the merciless fury of savage warfare. Treaties of peace
were made with the different tribes of Indians, in the year following, at Niagara, by Sir William Johnson; at Detroit or vicinity
by General Bradstreet, and, in what is now Coshocton county,
Ohio, by Col. Boquet; at the German Flats, on thie Mohawk, with
the Six Nations and their confederates. By these treaties, extensive tracts were ceded by the Indians in New York and Pennsylvania, and south of Lake Erie.
Peace having been concluded, the excitable frontier population
began to cross the mountains. Small settlements were formed on
the main routes, extending north toward Fort Pitt, and south to
the head waters of the Holston and Clinch, in the vicinity of Southwestern Virginia. In 1766, a town was laid out in the vicinity of
Fort Pitt. Military land warrants had been issued in great numbers, and a perfect mania for western land had taken possession of
the people of the middle colonies. The treaty made by Sir William
.ohnson, at Fort Stanwix, on the site of Utica, New York, in
20
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0 ~~~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 - U)~~~~~~~~~~~~~G
_ UF.~U ~*
- 0-.~~~~ -* 0 _cr
GI j - -~U
-- - H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G
i
t,
III
U)
OUTLINE HISTORY.
hnnters entered Kentucky, and James HIarrod erected a dwellingthe first erected by whites in the country-on or near the site of
Hiarrodsburg, around which afterward arose "Ilarrod Station."'
In the year 1775, Col. Richard Henderson, a native of North Car.
olina, in behalf of himself and his associates, purchased of the Cherokees all the country lying, between ttle Cunhberland River and
Cumberland Aiountains and Kentuckylv River, and soutlh of thle
Ohio, which now comprises more than halt' of thle State of KeIntucky. The new country he named T'((-?asylvaiia. The first
legislature sat at ioonsboroughll, and formed an independent government, on liberal and rational principles. ltenderson was very
active in granting, lands to new settlers. The legislature of Viiginia subsequently crushed his shemies; tlhev claimed the sole
right to purchase lands from thle Indians, and declared his purchase
null and void. But as some comnpensationi tfor the services rendered in open ing the wilderness, the legislature gralnted to tlho proprietors a tract of land, twelve miles square, on the Ohio, below
the mouth of Green River.
Ini 1775, )Daniel Boone, in tlhe employinent of tIenderson, laid
out the town and tort tafterwar(l called Boonslorougl(i. From this
time BoonsborougTi and Harocldsburg becamne tlhe nucleus and support of emigration and settlement in Kentucky. In May, another
fort was also built, whiclh was under the commiand of Col. i)eIjamin Logan, and named Log,an's Fort. It stood on thelc site of Stanfordc, in Lincoln coulnty, ancl became an iul:)ortint post.
In 1776, the jurisdieticn of Viirginia was formally extended over
the colony of Triansvlvauia, whliclh was or,ganized into a county
named Kentuckly, and tlhe first court was held at Ilarroclsl)urg in
the slpring of 1787. At tis time the war of thle iRevolutio)n was
in fiull progress, anZld the early settlers of Kentucky were particularly exposed to the incursions of tihe Indian allies of Great Britain;
a detailed account of which is elsewlhere given in tlhis volume. The
early French settlements in thle Illinois country now being in possession of that p)ower, formed imli)ortanit points around whichll the
British assembled the Indians and instigated them to murderous
incursions agatinst the pioneer p)opulation.
The year 1779 wvas markiled in Keintucky by tlhe passage of the
Virginia Land Laws. At thlis time there existed claims of various
kinds to thle westerl lands. Commissioners were appointed to examine and give judgmenet up)on these various clailns, as tlhey might
be presented. These hlaving, beeni provided fobr, thle residue of thle
the rich lands of Kentuclky were in the market. As a consequence
of thle passage ot' tlhese laws, a vast number of emigrants crossed
the mountains into Kenttucky to locate land warrants: and in the
years 1779-'S0 and'81, tlhe great and absorbing topic in Kentucky
was to enter, survey and obtain patents for the richest lands,
and this, too, in the tfaice of all the horrors and dangers of an In dian war.
Although the main features of the Virginia land laws were just
22
OUTLINE HISTORY.
and liberal, yet a great detect existed in their not providing for a
general survey of the couintry by the parent State, and its subdivision into sections and parts of sections. Eachi warrant-hlolder
being required to make his own survey, and hlaving thle privilege
of locating according to his pleasure, interminable confuision arose
fromi wvant of precision in the boundaries. In unskillihul hands,
entries, surveys, and patents were piled upon each other, overlapping and crossing in inextricable confusion; hlence, when the
country became densely populated, arose vexatious lawsuits and
perplexities. Such men as lenlton and Boone, who had done so
much ibr the welfaire of Kentuckly in its early days of trial, found
their indefinite entries declared null and void, and were dis,possessed, in their old age, of any claim upon that soil tfor which they
had periled their all.
Tihe close of the revolutionary war, for a tiime only, suspended
Indian hostilitics, when the Indian war was again carried on with
renewed energy. This arose firoli the iailutre of l)othl countries in
fuill executing the termis of the treaty. By it, ELiigland was obligated to surrender the inorthwestern posts within tlhe boundaries
of the Union, and to return slaves talken iduring the war. The
Unitedl States, on their )arit had agreed to ofi'er no legal obstacles
to thie collection of' debts due firom her citizens to tlhose of Great
Britain. Virginia, indignaLnt at the removal of her slaves by tlhe
Brltish fleet, by law prohibited the collection of 13ritisii debts,
while Enigland, in consequence, refused to deliver up) the posts, so
that they were lield by lher inore tihaii ten years, until Jay's treaty
was concluded.
Settlements rapidly advanced. Sitmon IKenton having, in 17584,
erected a blockhouse on the site of AIaysville-tlien called Limestone-that became the point fron whlence tlhe stream of emtigration, fromn down its Nway on the Ohio, turned into the interior.
III the spring of 17S3, the first court in Ken-tuely was held at
Harrodsburg. At this period, the establishment of a government,
independent of Virginia, appeared to be of paramount necessity,
in consequence of trioubles with the Indians. For thlis object, the
first convention in iKentucky was held at Danville, in December,
1784; but it was not consummated until eihlit separate conventions
had been held, runnuin thiroutgh a term ol six years. The last was
assenmblced in July, 17v)O; on the 4thi of February, 1791, Congress
passed the act admitting Ientuckly into thle Union, and in the
Ap)ril following she adopted a State Constitution.
Prior to this, unlavorable impressions prevailed in Kentucky
against the Union, in consequence of the inability ot Congress to
compel a surrender of the northwest posts, and the apparent disposition of the northliern States to yield to Spain, for twenty years,
the sole right to navigate the Alississippi to the Gulf of Mexico,
the exclusive right to which was claimed by that power as being
within her dominions. KentuckIy was suffering, under the horrors
of Indian warfare, and having Io government of her own, she saw
23
OUTLINE HISTORY.
that that beyond tlhe mountains was unable to afford them protection. Wlhen, in the year 1786, several States in Congress showed
a disposition to yield the ri,ghlt of navigating the Mississippi to
Spaiin jor certain co)immercial advanta,ges, which would iilnre to
their benefit, but not in the least to that of Kentucky, there arose
a universal voice of dissatisfaction; and niany were in favor of del,daringi the- independlence of Kentucky and erecting an independent
govelrrileilt west of the mrountains.
Spain was then an imimenrse landholder in the West. She claimed
all east of the Mlississippi lying, south or the 31st degree of north
latitude, and all west of that river to the ocean.
In MAay, 1787, a convention was assembled at Danville to relmonstrate with Congress against the proposition of ed-ing the naviga Z-) ~ th prpstin dn ~ the nav
tion of the Mississippi to Spain; but it having( been ascertained(
that Congress, through thle influence of Virginia and thle oth.ier
Southern States, would not permiit this, the convention had no occasion to act upon the subject.
In the year 17S7, quite a se(nsati)on arose iin Kentuclky in coinsequtence of a profitable trade having l)been opened withl New Orleans
hv General Wilkinson, Twhlo descend(led thitlher in June, withl a boat
load of tobacco anid other productions of' Kentlucky. Pleviously,
all tlhose whlo venltured down the ri'ver wvtliiii tlle SIpanlisl settle:euts, lad tlheir )property seized. Tl,e lne was thel 1eld]( out by
thie Sl)arnish Minister, that it Kentuclky would (leelare her indepecndene of tlhe United States, tle navigation of tllie Mlississil)lppi should
0 ol)ened to her; but that, never would t;is privilege be extended
whlile sile was a part of the UInion, in eo)[lse'(lce ot' exiStiii)' conm mercial treaties between Sp)ain a-id otleLi ELropeai powers.
In the winter of 17S88-9, tlhe notorious I)Dr. Coniolly, a secret
B)ritish aent fiom Canada, arrived iii Keitulcky. EIis oblject appearecd to be to sound the temrper of ter people, and ascertain if
tliey were willing to unite with Bl'ritisli tioops I i'om Canada, and
seize upI)on and hold New Orleans and tlhe Spanislh settlements on
the Mississippi. lIe dwelt upon the adlvantag,es w 1tich it must be
to the people of the West to hold and possess the right of navigatiiing the Mississil)pi; but his overtures were not ateel)ted.
At this time settlements had been conmiienced within thle present
limits of Ohio. Before giving a sketch of these, we glance at the
western land claims.
Tile claim of the English monarch to the Northwestern Territory
was ceded to the United States by the treaty of peace signed at
l'aris, September 3, 1783. During the pendenleye of this negotiation, M-r. Oswald, the Britishl commissioner, proposed the Piver
Ohio as the western boundary of the United States, and but for the
inldomitable persevering opposition of Jolii Adanms, one of the
American comnmissioners, who insisted upI)On the Mississippi as the
boundary, this proposition would have probably been acceded to.
Ilhe States who owned western nUna1))ropr iated lands under their
origYinal charters from British monaichs, with a single exception
i
24
OUTLINE HISTORY.
ceded them to the United States. In Aiarch, 1784, Vii,oinia ceded
the soil and jurisdiction of her lands northwest of thle Ohio. In
Septeiilbei, 1786, Connecticut ceded her claimi to the sc)il and jiurisdiction of her western lands, exceltinO that par t of Ohlio knlown as
the "Western Reserve," and to that she ceded her jurisdlictiolnal
elaimis in 1800. Massaclhusetts and New Yolrk ceded all their
claimns. Beside these were the Indian claims asserted lby the riliht
of possession. These have been extinguished by various treaties,
fiom time to time, as the inroads of emigration rc(lenred lecessary.
The Indan title to a larg'e part of the territory of tOlhio liavin
become extinguished, Cong,ress, before settlemeniits Nwere colmmencedL, found it necessary to pass ordinances ior the sIIurvey and
sale of tile lands in the Northlwest Territory. In October, 1787,
:Manasseh Cutler and Winthlirop Sargeant, agenits of the New En,gland Ohio Company, made a large purchase of' land, botiidcl(-d south
by the Ohio, and west by the Seioto river. Its settlement was commenced at Marietta in the spring of 1788, wich was the first made
by the Americans witliin Ohio A settlemient had been attempted
within the limiits of Ohio, on the site of Portsmouthl, in April,
1785, by four lf-miies iiom P,edstone, Pennsylvania. but dciflicuIlties \Vitlh thle Indians (omlpelled its atbandonmient.
Alhout the time oft tlhe settlement of Marietta, Congress appointed
Geneial Artiiur St. Clair, Governor; Winthrop Sargeanlt, Secretary aiinI SIlamuel Holden Parsons, James M. ATairnuli and John
Cleves Svi.mes, F,Judges in and ovei the Territory. Tliey orgaiiized its governminent and passed laws, and tlhe goverlior erected the
county ofi Washington, emibracin c nearly the whole of the eastern
half (f tlhe present limits of Ohio.
In No\v embe, 1788, the second settleinclet wNitliin the limits of
Ohio w\as commiuenced at Coltuml)ia, on thle Ohtio, five miles above
the site of Cincinnati, and within tlhe l)urchase anld unlder the
aus)pices of John Cleves Symiimes and associates. Shoirtly after,
settle,mients were commenced at Cincinnati and at North Bend,
sixteen miles lbelow, bothl wvithin Syinimes' purchase. In 1790,
anotl-her settlement was miade at Galliopolis by a colony from
France-tlie name signifying Citv of the Freneh.
On thtle 9thi of January, 1789, a treaty was concluded at Fort
Ilarmier, at the mouth of' thie Aluskingum, opposite Marietta, by
Governor St. Clair, in whichl- the treaty which had been made four
years p)revious at Fort M'Intosli, on the site of Beaver, Peunsylvania, was renewed and confirmed. It did not, however, l)roduce
the fiavorable results anticipated. Thle Indians, the san)e )year,
commiitted rnumerous murders, which occasioned the alarmed settle7rs to eriect bloc-k-houses in each of thile new settlements. in
June, Majlor Doughty, with one hundred and forty men, commenced
the eiection of Fort Washington, on the site of Cinciinnati. Inl the
course of the summer, Gen. Ilarmer arrived at thie fort with three
hundred men.
Negotiations with the Indians proving unfavorable, Gen. Iarmer
25
OUTLINE HISTORY.
marched, in September, 1790, from Cincinnati with thirteen hundred
men, less than one-fourth of whom were regulars, to attack their
towns on the Maumnee. tIe succeeded in burning their towns; but
in an engagemient with the Indians, part.of his troops met with a
severe loss. The next year a larger army was assembled at Cincinnati, under Gen. St. Clair, composed of about three thousand
men. With this force hle commenced his marchll towald the Indian
towns on the Maumee. Early in the morning of the 4th of Nov.,
1791, his army, while in camnp on what is now the line of Darke
anld MIercer counties, within three miles of the Indiana line, and
about seventy north from Cincinnati, were surprised by a large
body of Indians, and defeated with terrible slaughter. A third
arimy, under Gen. Anthony Wayne, was organized. On the 20th
of August, 1794, they met and completely defeated the Indians,
on the Miaumee River, about twelve miles south of the site of
Toledo. The Indians at lengthl, becoming convinced of their
inability to resist thle Ainerlcan arms, sued for peace. On the 3d
of August, 1795, Gen. Wayne concluded a treaty at Greenville,
sixty liilcs north of Cincinnati, with eleven of the lilost powerful
nortlhwestern tribes in grand council. This gave l)eace to the
West of several years' durationt, dulring which thle settlements progressed with great rapidity. Jay's Treaty, concludedl November
19tl1, 1794, was a most important event to thle prosplerity) of the
West. It provided for the wTithldrawal of all the Britisli troops
fronom the nortlhwesterii posts. In 1796, the Nortlihwcsterm TerLritory
was divided into five counties. Marietta was the seat of j:stice
of Hamilton and Washing,ton counties; Vinicennes, of Knox
cotunty; Kaskasklia, of St. Clair coulnty; and Detroit, of Wayne
county. The settlers, out of tihe limits of Ohio, were Canadian or
Creole French. Thle lheadquarters of the northwest tariyv were
relloved to Detroit, at which point a fort had been built, by
DI la MIotte Cadillac, as early as 1701.
Originally Virginia claimed jurisdiction over a large part of
}Western Pennsylvania as being within her dominions, yet it was
not until after the close of the RIevolution that the boundary line
was p)ermanently established. Then this tract was divided into
tvo counties. The one, Westmoreland, extended frot the mlountains west of the Alleghanry River, including Pittsburgh and all
the country between the Kishlkeminitas and thle Yougliiogheny.
The other, Washington, comnprised all south and west of.'ittsburgh,
inclusive of all the country east and west of the Monongahl,ela
Itiver. At this period Fort Pitt was a frontier post, arollund whlich
had spirung up tlhe village of Pittsbuirgh, which was not re(ularly
laid out into a town until 1784. The settlement on the Monongahela at " Redstone Old Fort," or'" Fort lurd, as it originally
was called, hlaving become ail iml)ortantt point of embarklation for
western emi_grants, was thle next year laid ofF into a town under
the name of Brownsville. Rtegular forwarldin( houses were soon
established here, by whose lines goods were systematically wagoned
26
OUTLINE HISTORY.
over the nountains, thus superseding the slow and tedious nmode
of transportation by pack-horses, to which the emigrants had
previously been oblliged to resort.
In July, 1786, " The Pittsburgh Gazette," the first newspapcr
issued in the west, was published; the second being the " Kentucky Gazette," established at Lexington, in August of the next
year. As la'e as 1791, the Alleghany River was the i-frotier
limit of the settlements of Pennsylvania, the Indians holding
possession of the region around its northwestern tributaries, with
the exception of a few scattering settlements, whichl were all
simultaneously broken up and exterminated in one night, in
February of this year, by a band of one hundred and fifty 1ldians.
During the carmpaigns of Ilarmer, St. Clair and Wayne, Pittsburgh was the g,reat depot for the armies.
By this time aogriculture and mnanufacturles had begun to flourish
in Western Pennsylvania and Virgini;a, and an extensive trade
was carried on with the settlements on the Ohio and on thle Lower
Miississippi, withi New Orleans and the rich Spanish settlemnents in
its vicinity. Monongahela whisky, horses, cattle, and agricultural
and mechanical impl)lements of iron were the principal articles of
export. The Spanish government soon after mluch embarrassed
this trade by imposing heavy duties.
The first settlements in Tennessee were made in the vicinity of
Fort London, on the Little Tennessee, in what is now MAonroe
county, East Tennessee, about the year 1758. Forts Loudoil and
Ch-issel wer,3 built at that timne by Colonel Byrd, who marchled into
the Cherokee country with a regiment firom Virginia. The next
year war broke out with the Cherolkees. In 176)0, the Chleroklees
besieged Fort London, into which the settlers had gathered their
fahmilies, Luimbering nearly three hundred persons. The latter
wvere obliged to surrender for want of provisions, but agreeablly to
the terms of cal)pitulation were to retreat unmolested beyoiid the
Blue Ridge. AVWhien they had proceeded about twenty miles on
their route, the savages ifell upon them and massacred all but nine,
nrot even sp)aringc the women and children.
The only settlements were thus broken lup by this war. The
next year the celebrated Daniel 13Boone made an excursiol from
North Carolina to tile waters ot' the Holston. In 1766, Colonel
Jamnes Siiiithl, with five others, traversed a great portion of Middle
and West Tennessee. At the mouthl of the Tennessee, Smith's
companions left him to make farther explorations in Illinois. while
hlie, in company with a negro lad, returned home throiugh the
wvilderness, after an absence of eleven months, during wlich he
sawv "neither bread, money, woimeil, nor spirituous liquors."
Other explorations soon succeeded, and permanent settlements
first made in 1768 and "69, by emigrants from Virginia and North
Carolina, who were scattered along the branches of the Jlolston,
French Broad and Watauga. The jurisdiction of North Carolina
was, in 1777, extended over the Western District, which was
27
OUTLINE HISTORY.
organized as the county of Washington, and extending nomlinally
westward to the Mississippi. Soon after, some of tile more daring
pioneers made a settlement at Bledsoe's Station. in Middle Te'nnessee, in the heart of the Chickasaw nation, and sel)ai'ated several
hundred miles, by the usual traveled route, loirin tleirc kinsmen on
thl-e Holston. A number of French traders had I)rliviotnsly established a trading post and erected a few cabins at the "BlIiff" l l1:r
thle site of Nashville. To the same vicinity Colonel Jaiii,s
Robertson, in the fall of 1780, emigrated with iort) itllilics friom
North Carolina, who were driven firom their honses lyv tl-he inaranding incursions of Tarleton's cavalry, and establisle(l'lolbertsol's
Station," which formed the nucleus around which gathered t-he
settlements on the Cumberland. The Chcrkeies laviln coinmenced hostilities upon thte frontier inhabitants alhot tle cornmenceient of the year 17S1, Colonel Campbell, ot' iriginia, w,itt
seven hundred mounted riflemel, invaded their counntry, a,lId (lcdeated
them. At the close of the IRevolntion, settlers mnoveo in in large
numbers from Virginia, Nortlh and Soutlh Carolina, aind G-eorgia.
Nashville was la,id out in the summer of 17S4, an(dl iiamed froml
General Francis Naslh, who fell at Braiidy'wine.
The people of this district, in commonno witht tlhose of Keintuelky,
and on the upper Ohio, were deeply interested in tlhe lnavigation oft
the Mississippi, a(d under tlhe tepl)tirng oflfers of' tli. Sl)aiisll i overnor of' Louisiana, many were luredl to eiigorate to \\'t est Floricda
and become sulbjects of the Spanishl king.
North Carolina havu,ig ceded her claiims to!ter western lainds,
Congress, in May, 1790, erected this iiito a teiritory -undcer the
narme of the " Southwestern Ter:itorlv,' accoriclin- to thle provisions of the ordinance of 177, exceptiTn, tlhe article prohlibiting
slavery.
The territorial governmient was orgainized withl a le(,islature, a
leg,islative counciil, with William Bliont a.ts their first Governor.
Knoxville was made tle seat of g,overniiiient. A tfot was erected
to intimidate the Indians, by thle United(l States, in the Indian
country, on thle site of Kingstoii. Fion-i tlhis iirid until the final
overtlyrow of the northwestern Indianns b)y Wayne, thtis territory
sufielbred fr'om the liostilitics ot tl)e Creeks and( Cl}erckees, who were
secretly supplied with arms an(d ai-miiuinition by-) thle.Sanish agen(ts,
withl the ihopl)e that they would exterminate tlle Cum rl)crland settlements. In 1795 the territory contained a )pol)lation of seventyseven thousand two hundl'ed and sixty-tvo, of wlioom about ten
thousand were slaves. On the first oft June, 1796, it was admitted
into the Union as tlhe State of T(ennessee.
By the treaty of Octolber 27, 1'795, witti Spain, thle (old sore, the
ricght of navigating the Miississippi, was closed, that power ceding
to tlhe United States the right of fiee navigation.
Thle Territory of Mississippi was organized in 179S, and Winthlrop Sargeant appointed Governor. By the ordinance of 1787,
the people of the ~Northwest TerritoLv were entitled to elect R?epre
28i
0
OUTLINE HISTORY.
sentatives to a Territorial Legislature whenever it contained 5000
males of full age. Before the close of the year 1798 the Territory
had this number, and members to a Territorial Legislature wele
soon after chosen. Ill the year 1799, William I. Ilarrison was
chosen the first delegate to Congress friom the Northwest Territory.
In 1800, the Territory of Illndiana was formed, and the next year,
William H. Harrison appointed Governor. This Territory con —
prised the present States of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and
MIichigan, which vast country then had less than (6000 whites, and
those mainly of French origin. On the 30thl of April, 1809, Congress passed an act authorizing a convention to formu a constitution
lfor Ohio. This convention met at Chillicothe in tihe succeeding
Novenmber, and on the 29th of that month, a constitution of State
Government was ratified and signed, by which act Ohio became
one of the States of the Feder:il Union. In October, 1802, the
whole western country was thrown into a ferment by the suspe)lsion
of the American right of depositing goods and produce at New
Orleans, guaranteed by the treaty of 17'()5, with Spain. The whole
commerce of the West was struck at in a vital point, and the treaty
evidently violated. On the 25tlh of February, 1S03, the port wAas
opened to provisions, on paying a duty, and in Ap] il following, by
orders of the King of Spain, the right of deposit was restored.
After the treaty of 1763, Louisiana remained in possession of
Spain until 1S03, when it was again restored to France by the
terms of a secret article in the treaty of St. Ildefonso concluded
with Spain in 18S00. France held but brief possession; on the 30th
of April she sold her claim to the United States for the consideration of fifteen millions of dollars. On the 20th of the sueeding
December, General Wilklinson and Claiborne took possession of the
countrv for the United States, and entered New Orleans at the head
of tlhe American troops.
On the 11thi of January, 1805. Congress established the Territory of AIlichigan, and appointed Williaim Hull, Governor. This
same year Detroit was destroyed by fire. The town occupied only
about two acres, completely covered with buildings and cumbustible materials. excepting the narrow intervals of fourteen or fifteen
feet used as streets or lanes, and the whole was environed with a
very strong and secure defense of tall and solid pickets.
At this period the conspiracy of Aaron Burr began to agitate
the western country. In December, 1806, a fleet of boats with
arms, provisions, and amnmunitict, belonging to the confederates
of Burn, were seized upon the Muskingum, by agents of the United
States, which proved a fatal blow to the project. In 1809, the Ter ritory of Illinois was formed from the western part of the Indiana
Territory, and named from the powerful tribe which once had
occupied its soil.
The Indians, who, since the treaty of Greenville, had been at
peace, about the year 1810, began to commit aggressions upon the
inhabitants of the West, under the leader ship of Tecumseh. The
29
OUTLINE HISTORY.
next ycear they were defeated by General Harrison, at the battle of
Til)pecanoe, in Indiana. This year was also distinguished br the
vo ace from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, of the steamboat'S New
Orlenils," the first steamer ever launched upon the western waters.
lii June, 1812, the United States declared war against Great
Brit:in. Of this war, the West was the principal theater. Its
opeli,g, scenes were as gloomy and disastrous to the American
ai'-ftii s its close was brilliant and triumphant.
At tile close of the war, tlhe population of the Territories of Indiaa,la, Illinois, and Mic higan was less than 50,000. But from that
time onward, the ti de o' emigration again went forward with ilnprec(lednted rap)idity. On the 19th of April, 181C)6, Indiana was
admitted into tie Union, and Illinois on the 3dd.of December, 1818.
The remainder of the Northwest Territory, as then organized, was
includied in the Territory of Michigan, of which that section west
of Lake Michigan bore the name ot the Huron District. This part
of thile West increased so slowly that, by the census of 1830, the
Territory of Mich.'gan contained, exclusive of the H-utron District,
but 28,000 souls, while that had only a population of 3,(i40. Emigration began to set in more stronglv to the Territory of Michig,an
in consequence of steam navigation having been successfiully introduced upon the great lakes of the West. The first steamboat upon
these immense inland seas was the " Walk-in-the-Water," which,
in 1S19, went as far as Mackinaw; yet it was not until 1826 that a
steatmer rode the waters of Lake Michigan, and six years more had
elapsed ere one hadl penetrated as far as Chicago.
Thie year 1832 was signalized by three important events in the
history of the West, viz: the first appearance of the Asiatic
Cholera, the Great Flood in the Ohio, and the war with Black
lHawk.
ThIe West has suffered serious drawbacks, in its progress, from
inefficient systems of banking. One bank frequently was made
the bIasis of another, and that of a third, and so on throughout the
country. Some three or four shrewd agents or directors, in establishing a bank, would collect a few thousands in specie, that had
been honestly paid in, and then make up the remainder of the
capital with the bills or stock from some neighboring bank. Thus
so intimate was the connection of each bank with others, that
when one or two gave way, they all went down together in one
common ruin.
In 1804, the year preceding the purchase of Louisiana, Congress
formed, tfromn part of it, the "Territory of Orleans," which was
admitted into the Union, in 1812, as the State of Louisiana. In
1805, after the Territory of Orleans was erected, the remaining
part of thie purchase from the French was formed into the Territory
of Louisiana, of which the old French town of St. Louis was the
capital. This town, the oldest in the Territory, had been founded
in 1764, by AM. Laclede, agent for a trading association, to whom
had been given, by the French government of Louisiana, a mono
80
OUTLINE HISTORY.
poly of the commerce in filrs and peltries with the lldian tribes
of the Mlissonri and Uppl)er Mississi)ppi. Tile pol)ulation of the
Territory in 18S05 was trifling, and cursisted mainly of Frencll
Creoles and traders, who were scattered alongo the Iankls of the
Mississippi and the Arkansas. Upon the admission of Lonisialna
as a State, the name of the Territory of Louisiana was chianged to
that of MNlissouri. From the southern part of this, in 18S19, was
erected the Territory of Arkansas, wahich thlen contained but a f'ew
thousand inhabitants, who were mainly in detached settlements on
the Alississippi and on the Arkansas, in the vicinity of the "Post
of Arkansas." The first settlement in Arkansas was made on the
Arkansas River, about the year 1723, upon the grant of tlhe notorious John Law; but, being( unsuccessful, was soo51 after abandoned. In 1820, Missouri was admitted into the Union, and
Arkansas in 1S36.
Michiigan was admitted as a State in 183,. The Ituron District
was organized as the Wisconsin Territory in 18:t6, and was acinitted
into the Union as a State in 1IS4. The first settlemneit in Wisconsin was made in 1665, when Father Claude Allouez established
a mission at La Pointe, at the western end of Lake Superior.
Four years after, a mission was permanently established at Green
Bay; and, eventually, tile French also established themselves at
Prairie du Chien. In 1819, an expedition, under Governor Cass,
explored the Territory, and found it to be little more than the
abode of a few Indian traders, scattered here and there. About
this time, the Government established military posts at Green Bay
and Prairie du Chien. About the year 1S825, some farmers settled
in the vicinity of Galena, which had then become a noted mineral
reg(ion. Immiediatelv after the war with Black Hawk, emigrants
flowed in fiom New Yorkl, Ohio, and Michligan, and the flourishing
towns of AMilwaukie, Sheboygan, Racine, and Southport were laid
out on the borders of Lake Michigian. At the conclusion of the
same war, the lands west of the Mississippi were thrown open to
emigrtants, who commenced settlements in the vicinity of Fort
Madison and Burlington in 1833. Dubuque had long before been
a trading post, and was the first settlement in Iowa. It derived its
name fiom Julian Dubuque, an enterprising French Canadian,
who, in 178S, obtained a grant of one hundred and forty thousand
acres from the Indians, upon which he resided until his death in
1810, when he had accumulated immense wealth by lead-mining
and trading. In June, 1838, Iowa was erected into a'Territory,
and in 1846 became a State.
In 1849, Minnesota Territory was organized; it then contained
a little less than five thousand souls. The first American establisliment in the Territory was Fort Snelling, at the mouth of St.
Peter's or Minnesota River, which was bfounded in 1819. The
French, and afterward the English, occupied this country with
their fiar-trading forts. Pembina, on the northern boundary, is the
oldest village, having been established in 1812 by Lord Selkirk, a
31
OUTLINE HISTORY.
Scottish nobleman, under a grant firom the Hudson's Bay Com
pany.
There were not until near the close of the war with Mexico, any
Amnerican settlements on the Pacific side of the continent. At the
be,inning of the century not a single white man had ever been known
to lhav-e crossed the continent north of the latitude of St. Louis.
Thile geographly of the greater part of the Pacific slope was almost
,h-hlolly unknown, until the explorations of Fremront, between the
A-ea.rs 1842 and 1848. That region had formerly been penetrated
only by fur traders and trappers. The Mexican war of 1846(3-'48,
gaive to the Union an immense tract of country, the large original
provinces of Upper California and New Mexico. The discovery of
gold in Upper California in 1848, at once directed emigration to that
part of the continent. From that period settlements were rapid and
territories formed in quick succession. In 1848, the Mormons, expelled from Missouri, settled in Utah, which was erected into a, territory in 1850. In 1848, Oregon became an organized territory, and
California, then conquered from Mexico, in 1850, was admitted as a
State, and Oregon in 1859. The emigration to California was immnense for the first few years: in the years 1852 and 1853, her product in gold reached the enormous value of one hundred and sixty
millions of dollars.
In 1854, after the first excitement in regard to California had
somewhat subsided, the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were
organized. IKansas became for a time a, favorite country for emigrants; and at last a bloody arena between the free soil and proslavery parties for mastery. The overwhelming preponderance of
the former, resulted in its success, and Kanrsas was admitted as a
free State in 1861.
The formation of territories from the close of the Mexican War to
the close of the Southern RIebellion, was rapid without precedent, as
the follow-ing summary exhibits. This was consequent upon the discovery of vast mineral wealth in the mountain country:
CALIFORNIA, ceded by treaty with Mexico in 1848; admitted as a STATE in
1850.
NEw MEXICO, ceded by treaty with Mexico, and organized as a Territory in
1848.
MI.NNESOTA, organized as a Territory in 1849; admitted as a STATE in 1858.
UTAH, organized as a Territory in 1850.
ARIZONA, purchased of Mexico in 1854; organized as a Territory in 1863.
ORECGON, organized as a Territory in 1848; admitted as a STATE in 1859.
\VASHINGTON, organized as a Territory in 1853.
KANSAS, organized as a Territory in 1854; admitted as a STATE in 1861.
NEBRASKA, organized as a Territory in 1854.
NEVADA, organized as a Territory in 1861; admitted as a STATE in 1864.
DACOTAIT, organized as a Territory in 1861. 4
COLORADO, organized as a Territory in 1861.
IDAHO, organized as a Territory in 1863.
MON,XTA.A, organized as a Territory in 1864.
32
WEST V1RGINIA.
WEST VIRGINIA owes her existence to the Great Rebellion; or ratliheri
to the patriotism of her people, who, when the mother State, Virginia.
plunged into the vortex of seces / -_~ ~ sion, resolved to stand by the Union.
____z~ =\ The wisdom of their loyalty has
~ __ =~ ~~~ =been signally shown by its saving
_____/ -=them from the sore desolation that
/ A - - = =_~ _ \ fell upon most parts of the Old Do
/ S _,,\aThe seal of the state is remarka bly appropriate. It has the motto.
:~1!~'.. "3ontanil ve; m~~~iore, who lived to see it,,
,, ~'...: r=__........ —,- completion, although nearly
af,,..,,. —-—'................. H z,S s,,
thirty years had elapsed friom
the time of its comence:-meat. At that period, Bal i By........ timore city was worth but
- $25,000,000, yet it unhesita tingly embarked in an enter prise which cost 31,000,000.
The first stone was laid on
the 4th of July, 1828, by
r the venerable Charles Car roll, of Carrollton, who pro nounced it, next to signing
' the declaration of indepen ~- - ~dence, the most important
TP.AY B.N VIADI,CT, B. & 0. RAILROAD. act of his life.
This elegant structure is of cast iron, 600 feet in length, and This was at very earl
i50 feet above the level of the stream. period in the history of rail period in the history of railways; and during the progress of the work, from year to year, old theories were
exploded and new principles introduced, increasing in boldness and originality as
it advanced. Its annual reports went forth as text books; its workshops were
practical lecture rooms, and to have worthily graduated in this school, is an honorable passport to scientific service in any part of the world. In its struggles
with unparalleled difficulties-financial, physical, legislative and legal-the gallant
little state of Maryland found men equal to each emergency as it arose, and the
43
WEST VIRGINIA.
development of so much talent and high character in various departmients, shouldl
not be esteemed the smallest benefit which the country has derived from this great
enterprise."
The line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, traversing the Alleghanies, has
already become somewhat classic ground. The vicinity of Hlarpers Ferry, old
Fort Frederick, Cumberland, and other portions along the Potomac Rtiver, have
long been known to the world for their imposing scenery, as well as for their
historical interest. It is beyond C(umberland, however, that the grandest and most
effective views on this route are presented. The Piedmont grade; Oakland, wvith
its inviting summer atmosphere; Valley River Fells; the MAloonontgahela, and other
attraetive points, inspire wonder in all who witness them.
Nor should the grand scientific features of the Baltimore and Ohio I-Load be
overlooked. To say nothing of its unique and most successfully planned grades
(by which an elevation of nearly three thousand feet above tide is reached), there
are its numeirous splendid bridges of iron, and brick, and stone; its massive buildings of all kinds; its solidly arched tunnels, and numerous other features, developing the greatest skill and ingenuity upon the part of the strong minds which
wrought them. The longest finished tunnel in America is Kiiinqwood litinnel, 261
miles from Baltimore; it is four fifths of a mile in length, and cost more than a
million of dollars!
Our engraving of'Tray Run Viaduct,"' says Leslie's Pictorial, from which this
is copied, "is from -an accurate and faithful drawing, made upon the spot, vby MAr.
D. C. Hitchcock, our artist, who has also been engaged in taking numerous views
on this attractive route for the London Illustrated News. Appropriate to our notice of the Tray Run Viaduct, we may quote the following paragraphs from tLhe
'Book of the Great Railway Celebration of 1857,' published by the Appletons:
Cheat River is a rapid mountain stream, of a dark coffee colored water, which is slipposed to take its hue from the forests of laurel, hemlock and black spruce i-l whhilic it IsTS
its rise. Our road crossed the stream at the foot of Crainberry rade by a viaduct. This
is composed of two noble span5s of iron, roofed in on ablutnerits, and a pie, of s.lid f eestone taken from a neighboring quarry. Arrived at this point, Ae fairly entered the Ie' Cleit
River valley,' whichl presents bh fa'r the grandest and most boldly picturesque scenery to Ile
found on the line of this road, if indeed it is not the finest series of railroad Aie,s oin 0,r
contiiient. The European travelers in our party were as much enraptured by it as -ee
those of us hlo bhave niever visited the mountains, lakes and glenis of Scoti, or Switzerlad. For se-eral miles, we ran alo,ig the steep mountanin side, clinging, as it wee, to the
igaTtic tcliffs, ourcars like great cages suspended-thougi uolOn the safest soed most sol'id
otf Ieds —idwlay, as it were, between heaven and earth. At one moiment the view as5 s
confined to our immediate locality, hemmed in on everv side, as we were, by the towering
mountain spurs. At the next, a slight curve in the road opened to view fine stretches of
the deep vallev, with the dark river flowing along its bottom, and glorious views of the forest-covered slopes descending from the peaks to the water's edge. Amazed at the grandeur of the eier-varying scenery of this region, a French gentleman is said to have exclainied in ecstacy,' Maniiquc! Z-re is nossinq like zis in Frarce!' The engineering dif'
ficulties, overcome in the part of the road within the first feiv mles west of Cheat Riser
bridge, must have been appalling, but for us the rough places had been made smooth as
the prairie levels. After crossing this river itself; at Rowlesburg, the unet point wvas to ascend aloug its banks the' Cheat River hill.' The ravine of- Ke. is rui, a mile from the
bridge, 76 feet deep, was crossed by a solid embankment. IThlien, lfter bold cutting along
the steep, rocky hill side, we reached Buckeve hollow, which is 108 feet below the road level,
and finally came to Tray run, which we crossed at a hight of 150 feet above it oriiginal
bed by a splendid viaduct, 600 feet long, founded on a massive base of masonry piled upoii
the solid rock below. These viaducts are of iron-designed by Mr. Albert Fink, one of
Mr. Latrobe's assistants-and are exceedingly graceful, as well as very substaotial structures. When we reached the west end of the gre iat'I'ray run viaduct, the cars halted, and
the company alighted for a better view of the works. A walk of a few feet brought us to
the brow of the precipice overlooking the river, nearly 300 feet below. The view from this spot,
both of the scenery and the grand structure which so splendidly spanned the immense mountain ravine, was truly inspiring. From our great elevation the stream appeared to be almost
beneath our feet, an illusion promptly dispelled when the strongest and longest armed
among us failed to throw a stone far enough to drop in its bed. With the entire train fill
of guests, the band also, alighted here, and taking position near the cliff, struck up the popular air of' Love Not,' ill sweet harmony with the emotions inspired by the scene.
44
K E N T U CK Y.
KENTUCKY was originally included in the limits of Virginia, and the name,
said to signify, in the Indian tongue, "The dark and bloody ground," is in dicative of her early conflicts with a
wily and savage foe. The first ex plorer of her territory of whonm we hav e
, any very definite knowledoge wa Col.
'/' A,+ ~James Smith, who traveled westward
in 1766, from Hlolston liver with
~;~~~"~ three men and a mulatto slave. The
ibeautiful tract of country near the
Kentucky River appears to have been
~/~; A t W *i~:e', reserved by the Indians as a?ttlq
~,l~::~Da/ ~,.oi,& gand consequenitlynone of'tlheir
s,,/~ fin th1 Isettlene ntswerefbundtlhere. Tliedarkl
forests and cane thickets of Kentucky
: -— ~~~ 2 A. A/Catawbas of the south from the hostile
_____~_ ~ tribes of the Shawnees, Wyandots and
A1-nls OF KrENTUCKY. Delawares of the north.
In 1767, John Findley and some
othlers made a trading expedition from North Carolina to this region. In
i71]'s, Daniel Boone (the great pioneer of Kentucky), with five others, among,
whom was Findley, undertook a journey to explore the country. After a
long fatiguing march over a mountainous wilderness, they arrived upon its
borders, and from an eminence discovered the beautiful valley of the KentucIky. Boone and his companions built a cabin on Red River, from whence
they made various excursions. Boone being out hunting one day, in companay with a man named Stuart, was surprised and both taken prisoners by
the Indians. They eventually succeeded in making their escape. On re7-aininag their camp, they found it dismantled and deserted. The fate of its
inmatcs was never ascertained. After an absence of nearly three years, Boone
returned to his family in North Carolina.
In 1770, Col. James Knox led into Kentucky a party from Holston, on
Cl(inh River, who remained in the country about the same length of time
with Boone's party, and thoroughly explored the middle and southern part
of the country. Boone's party traversed the northern and middle region with
reat attention. Although both parties were in the country together, they
45
KENTUCKY.
never met. When these pioneers returned, they gave glowing descriptions
of the fertility of the soil throughout the western territories of Virginia anJ
North Carolina. The lands given to the Virginia troops for their services
in the French war were to be located on the western waters, and within two
years after the return of Boone and Knox, surveyors were sent out for this
purpose. In 1773, Capt. Bullitt led a party down the Ohio to the Falls,
where a camp was constructed and fortified.
In the summner of 1774, parties of surveyors and hunters followed, and
within the year James Harrod erected a log cabin where Harrodsburg is now
built; this soon grew into a settlement or station-the oldest in Kentucky.
In 1775, Daniel Boor.e constructed a fort, afterward called Boonesborough,
duringt which time his party was exposed to fierce attacks from the Indians.
By the middle of April, the fort was completed, and soon after his wife and
daughters joined him and resided in the fort-the first white women who ever
stood on the banks of Kentucky River.
In 1775, the renowned pioneer Simon Kenton erected a log cabin where
the town of Washington now stands, in MIason county. In the winter of this
year, Kentucky was formed into a county by the legislature of Virginia. In
the spring of 1777, the court of quarter sessions held its first sitting at Ilarrodsburg.
The years 1780 and 1781 were distinguished for a great ernmigration to Kentucky, and great activity in land speculations, and by inroads of the Indians.
In 1780, an expedition of Indians and British troops, under Col. Byrd, threatened the settlements with destruction. Cannon were employed against the
stockade forts, some of the stations were destroyed, and the garrisons
taken.
In 1781, every portion of the country was continually in alarm, and many
lives were lost. The most important battle between the whites and Indians
ever fought on its soil was on the 19th of August, 1782, near the Blue Lick
Springs. The celebrated Col. Boone bore a prominent part in this engag,ement, in which he lost a son. The whites numbered but 182, while the Indians were twice or thrice that number. From the want of due caution in
advancing against the enemy, they were, after a short but severe action, routed
with the loss of seventy-seven men and twelve wounded. Kentucky being
the first settled of the western states, a large number of expeditions were sent
out by her from time to time against the Indians in the then wilderness country north of the Ohio; these were mostly within the present limits of Ohio,
which thus became the battle ground of Kentucky, and was watered with
the blood of her heroic pioneers.
After the revolutionary war, there was a period of political discontent.
This arose partly from the inefficient protection of Virginia and the old federal congress against the inroads of the Indians, and partly by a distrust lest
the general government should surrender the right to navigate the Mississippi to its mouth.
Kentucky was the central scene of the imputed intrigues of Aaron Burr
and his coadjutors to form a western republic. What the precise designs of
Burr really were has perhaps never been fully understood.
Kentucky took an active part in the war of 1812. After the surrender of
Hull at Detroit, the whole quota of the state, consisting of upward of 5,000
volunteers, was called into active service. In addition to these, a force of
mounted volunteers was raised, and at one time upward of 7,000 Kentuckians
are said to have been in the field, and such was the desire in the state to
46
KENTUCKYi
enter into the contest that executive authority was obliged to interpose to
limit the number. At this period, Isaac Shelby, a hero of the revolutionary
war, was governor of the state. At the barbarous massacre of tile River
Raisin, and also in the unfortunate attempt to relieve Fort Meigs, imany
of her brave sons perished. In the recent war with Mexico, several of her
distinguished citizens engaged in the contest.
Kentucky was separated from Virginia in 1786, after having had several
conventions at Danville. In 1792, it was received into the Union as an independent state. The first constitution was formed in 1790, the second in
1796. The financial revulsion which followed the second war with Great
Britain was severely felt in Kentucky. The violence of the crisis was much
enhanced in this state by the charter of forty independent banks in 1818,
with a capital of nearly ten millions of dollars, which were permitted to redeem their notes with the paper of the bank of Kentucky. The state was
soon flooded with the paper of these banks. This soon depreciated, and the
state laws were such that the creditor was obliged to receive his dues at one
half their value. The people of the state became divided into two parties;
the debtor party, which constituted the majority, was called the Relief, and
the creditors the Anti-Relief party. The judges of the courts declared the
acts of the legislature, in sustaining the currency, unconstitutional. The majority attempted to remove them from office by establishing new courts; the
people became divided into the "new court" and "old court" parties. The
contest was finally decided in the canvass of 1826, when the old court party
pervailed.
Kentucky is bounded N. by the Ohio River, separating it from the states of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; E. by Virginia; W. by the Mississippi River, separating it from Missouri, and S. by Tennessee. It is situated between 36~ 30'
and 39~ 10' N. Lat., and between 81~ 50' and 89~ 20' W. Long. Its length
is about 400 miles, and its breadth 170 miles, containing 37,680 square
miles.
Kentucky presents a great diversity of surface. In the eastern part, where
it is bordered by the Cumberland Mountains, there are numerous lofty elevations; and on the Ohio River, through nearly the whole extent of the state,
there is a strip of hilly but fertile land from five to twenty miles in breadth.
On the margin of the Ohio are numerous tracts of bottom lands, which are
periodically overflowed. Between the hilly country of the more mountainous eastern counties and Green River is a fertile track frequently called the
"garden of the state." This is in the blue limestone region, in the midst of
which is the beautiful town of Lexington. The line demarking this region
passes from the Ohio round the heads of Licking and Kentucky Rivers,
Dick's River, and down Great Green River to the Ohio; and within this
compass of above one hundred miles square is found one of the most fertile
and extraordinary countries on which the sun has ever shone. The soil is
of a loose, deep and black mold, without sand-on first-rate lands, from two
to three feet deep-and exceedingly luxuriant in all its productions. It is
well watered by fine springs and streams, and its beautiful climate and the
salubrity of the country are unequalled; the winter, even, being seldom so
inclement as to render the housing of cattle necessary. In a state of nature,
nearly the whole surface of this region was covered with a dense forest of
majestic trees, and a close undergrowth of gigantic reeds, forming, what in
the country are called canebrakes. In the southern part, however, on the
head waters of Green River and its tributaries, is an extensive tract, thinly
47
wooded, and covered in summer with high grass growilng amid scattered and
stunted oaks. Struck with the contrast this region presented to the luxuriiant forests of the neigboring districts, the first settlers gave the country the
unproinisilig name of "barrens."
In SOO1800, the legislature considering this tract but of little value, made a
gratuitous grant of it to actual settlers. This land proved to be excellent fi,r
grain, and also adapted to the raising of cattle. The whole state, below thc
mountains, has, at the usual depth of eight feet, a bed of limiestone, which has
frtiequent apertures. The rivers have generally worn deep channels in the
cal'careous rocks over which they flow. There are precipices on the Kertucky River of solid limestone 300 feet high. Iron ore anid coal are.widely
diffused; coal, especially, occupies an extensive field. Salt springs are numerous. and mineral springs are found in many places. The great agricultural productions are hemp, flax, Indian corn, tobacco, wheat and live stock.
MIore than half of all the hemp raised in the Union is grown in Kentucky.
Population, in 1790, 73,077; in 1820, 564,317; in 1840, 779,828; in 1850.
982,405 in 1860, 1,185,567, of whom 225,490 were slaves.
Sou,th-eastern. view of Fraa fort.
Showing the appearance of the place from the railroad. The solthern i,ntraise of the tuntiel throuigl
the limestone bliff, and unider the State Arsenal and foot path to the Cemnetery, is seen on the righ,t. The
(,t-)itol aio d some other public buildings are seeni in the central part, KeitucelW, River in firout oi the left.
FRANKFORT, the capital of Kentucky, is 25 miles N. W. friom Lexington,
and 53 E. from Louisville. It is beautifully situated on the right orv northt
east bank of Kentucky River, 60 miles above its mouth, in the midst of tlhe
wild and picturesque scenery which renders that stream so remarkable. The
city stands on an elevated plain between the river and the high bluffs, whiche
rise 150 feet immediately behind the town. The river, which is navigable.
for steamboats to this place, is nearly 100 yards wide, and flows through ai
deep channel of limestone rock. A chain bridge crosses the riiver here, con.
rnecting the city with South Frankfort, its suburb. The railroad from Lex
KENTUCKY.
48
KENTUCKY.
ing,ton passes into the city in a tunnel throu,lgh the limiestone rock or ledge
on which the State krsenal is erected. Frankfort is well built, and has fine
edifices of brick and Kentucky mirble. Tlie State House is at handsome ed ifice of white matrble. The
city is well supplied with ex =~~~~ =~-~~~~_7: _~-~,_ e cellent spring, water, whic(h is
,'~=;:7* i t: =, conveyed into the town hv
: __.<<-S35. iron pipes. The State Pei tentiary is located here, and
:-_ ~~::~ ~.........:......~;.... the trade of the place is I, cilitated by railroads i vai Ss=___~~ -Mt aous directions. The Kien ".,1...tucky 3Iilitaiy Institute,
- I - ~ tlirivin- institutioni is in the
vicinity of Frankfort. I opu iT lation about 5,000.
_il~.,,,~,..,_ _._ - ___,.....'"Frankfort was established
.............._- b__1y __ y the Virginia legislature irE
_....'__-; _:-:_-. 1786, though the first survey
ST lo,ATE,SF,, FiHA-,iFOr'or. of 600 acres was made by
Robert McAfee, on the 16lth
of July, 1773. The seat of governmnent was loaated in 1792, and the first
session of' the assembly was held
in 1793. The public buildinols
not beinm ready, the legislature -
assemleY)1ed in a larige fri'me house
beloug,inr to 3I1j. Jaimes Love,
on thle bltik of the river, in the
lower part of the city The Frankfort Cemetery is laid
out on the sumniit of the hili and
comuiandiig bluffs whiich mimediately rise in an eastern direction from the city. The ili
tary loauuiient" (an engiraviii/ of'
wh,ich is annexed) was eCrecte in
pursuance of an act of the leo. islature, Feb., 1848. The foilowi,iinscriptions and nanis are engraved upon it, viz'
MIu ITA IY MO[0NUMIE-T EIRECTED BY
KENTUCKY A. D.),<60.
Mexico, Lt. J. V. PoIwell; Booaes -
boi aot.gi, H(t arti a's Defeat, Capt. J.
MeMurtus; Monterey, P. M. Barhur; Buieita Vista, Col. J illiai It..
.McNKee, I, ieut. Col. Clay, Capt. Wi.
i~[ILITARtY l~[ONlIT:IEN,T, FRANKrFOI'T.
T. Willis, Adjutant E. P. Vaughn;
iATh~e smaIll m o nument in fi'rmt is that,f iaj. B..
Col. John Allthe distanc is s hown'tt of Col. R. Ii. Joiinson.
rain Graves, Capt. John Woolfolk,
('apt. N. G. S. Hart, Capt. Jaiii as Meade, Capt. Robert E(lwards, C.ipt. Virgil M.(cCracken, Capt. William Pric, Capt. John EdImiiundson, Capt. Joihn Sinipson, Cap.
P~ascal tiIckmaan, Licut.,John \Villiztnison' 7Thm es, Col. Wrin. Whitley, Capt. E~lijahi
4
49
Craig, Lieut. Robert Logan, Lieut. Thos. C. Graves, Lieut. Thos. Overton, Lient.
Francis Chinn, Ensign Levi Wells, Ensign Shafwhan, Surgeon Alex. Montgomerv, Surgeon Thomas C. Davis, Surgeon John Irvin, Surgeon Thos. McIllvaine;
Indian Jf'ars, Col. John Floyd, Col. Nathaniel Hart, Co]. Walker Daniel, Col. Wm.
Christian, Col. Rice Galloway, Col. James Harrod, Col. Wm. Lynn, Maj. Evan
Shelby, Maj. Bland Ballard, Capt. Christ Irvin, Capt. Wm. McAfee, Capt. John
Kennedy, Capt. Christopher Crepps, Capt. Rogers, Capt. Wm. Bryant, Capt. Tipton, Capt. Chapman, Capt. McCracken, Capt. Jlames Shelby, Capt. Samuel Grant,
Supv'r Hanc'y Tayl(r, Supv'r Willis Lee; fassissinauway, St. Clair's Defeat, Col.
Wmi. O)ldham; Estill's Defeat, Capt. James Estill, Lieut. South; Tippecaloe, Col
Joseph H. Dayiess, (Col. Abram Owen; IFoit Aeqs, C(ol. Wm. Dudley, Capt. John
C. Morrison, Capt. Chris'r Irvin, Capt. Joseph Clark, Capt. Thomas Lewis; Blue
Licks, Col. John Todd, Col. Stephen Trigg, Majl.or Silas Harlan, Maj. Wm. McBride,
Capt. Edward Bulger, Capt. John Gordon, Capt. Isaac Boone.
The principal battles and caimpaigns in which her sons devoted their lives to
their country are inscribed on the bands, and beneath the same are the names of
the officers who fell. T'lhe names of her soldiers who died for their country are too
numerous to be inscribed on any column. By order of the legislature, the name
of Col. J. J. Hardin, of the 1st Reg. Illinois Infantry, a son of Kentucky, who fell
at the battle Of 3uenat Vista, is inscribed hereon.
Kentucky has ere(cted this column in gratitude equally to her officers and soldiers.
To the memory of COL. RIcHARD M. JoHsoN, a faithful public servant for nearly
half a century, as a member of the Kentucky legislature and senator in congress.
Author of the Sunday Mail Report. and of the laws for the abolishment for debt in
Kentucky and in the United States. Distinguished for his valor as a colonel of a
Kentucky regiment at the battle of the Thames. For fiour years vice-president of
the United States. Kentucky, his native state, to mark the sense of his eminent
services in the cabinet and in the field, has erected this monument in the resting
place of her illustrious dead. Richard Mentor Johnson, born at Brvant's Station,
on the 17th day of October, I781; died in Frankfort, Ky., on the 19th day of November, 1850.
PrITLiP NORBOURNo BARBOuR, born in Henderson, Kentucky, graduated with
merit at West Point in 1829; and immediately commissioned Lieutenant 3d Regiment U. S. Infantry; captain by brevet for valor in the Florida War; served with
distinction at Palo Alto; major by brevet for distinguished gallantry and skill at
Resaca de la Palma. lie fell at the head of his command, covered with honor and
glory, at the storming of Monterey, Sept. 21; 1846. Florida, Palo Alto, Resaca de
Palma, Monterey. Kentucky has erected this monument to a brave and noble son.
"At its session of 184445, the legislature of Kentucky adopted measures to have
the mortal remains of the celebrated pioneer; Daniel Boone, and those of his wife,
removed from their place of burial on the banks of the Missouri, for the purpose
of interment in thjie public cemetery at Frankfort.
The consent of the surviving relations of the deceased having been obtained, a
commission was appointed, under whose superintendence the removal was effected;
and the 13th of September, 1845, was fixed upon as the time when the ashes of the
venerable dead would be committed with fitting ceremonies to the place of their
final repose. The deep feeling excited by the occasion was evinced by the assembling of a,n immense concourse of citizens from all parts of the state, and the
ceremonies were most imposing and impressive. A procession, extending more
than a mile in length, accompanied the coffins to the grave. The hearse, decorated
with evergreens and flowers, and drawn )by four white horses, was placed in its assigned position in the line, accompanied, as pall bearers, by the following distinguished pioneers, viz: Col. Richard MA. Johnson, of Scott; General James Taylor,
of Campbell, Capt. James Ward, of Mason; Gen. Robert B. McAfee and Peter Jor.
dan, of Mercer; Waller Bullock, Esq., of Fayette; Capt. Thos. Joyce, of Louisville
50
KENTUCKY.
0
KENTUCKY.
e state of Ohio; Major
she procession was acrs of the Masonic Fram
egalia. Arrived at the
ow near the grave, ats cendin(r from the
center on every side.
Here the funeral seor
vices were perl'orit.L
ed. The hymn was
iven out by the
Tev. Mr. Godell, of
the Baptist Church;
prayer by B13ishop
Soule, of the Metho dist E. Church; ora tion by the Honora ])le John J. Critten d(len; closing prayer
by the Rev. J. J.
lBullock, of the Pres byterian Church,
aInd benediction by
the Itev. P. S. Fall,
of the Christian
Church. The coffins
were then lowered
intothegraves. The
spot lwhere the
graves are situanted
is as beautiful as na ture and art com bined can make it."'
GRAvES OF I)ANI1L BOON- AiND 1IS W'IFE AT FRANIKFfOr.
The graves of Boone an(l his wife tre witlotut a s amoum en-t sae tihe fro r eat
scene by which they are sir'roundeI. The spot where th(,y were in,terred is
at the foot of the two trees, armo,i,d whi(h is a sinlli( 1I,1b scat. It is eitr
the edge of the high bluiff rising friom the river. The beititifil valley of
Kerntucky River is seern in the extremie dist.ance.
Ker~uck Rivr i see~ ii th xteiiedis,~ Iee.Only two persons
were present of all
the assembled thousands who had known Boone personally. One of these
was the venerable Col. John Johnston, of Ohio, long an agent of the U. S.
government over the Indians, lhaving been appointed to that office by Washington. The other was a humble old imain namied Ellison Williams, who
walked barefoot from Covington to Frankfort, t distance of sixty miles, to
see Boone's bones buried, but lie was a silent tmourner and an en-tire stranger
in that vast crowd. He left as his dyinD, re(quest that he should be buried
by the side of Boone, and the legislature of Kentucky in 1860 appropriated
ninety dollars for that purpose. At the same session they passed a bill appropriating two thousand dollars to erect a monument over the remains of
Boone and his wife. The originator of the bill was the Hon. Samuel Haycraft, senator from Hardin, who advocated the measure in a speech of "almost matchless beauty, eloquence and patriotism."
HARRODSBURG, the county seat of Mercer county, is situated near the
-,eographical center of the state, thirty miles south from Frankfort, on an
eminence, 1 mile from Salt River and 8 miles from Kentucky River. It
contains the county buildings, 7 churches, 2 banks 25 stores, several manufcteturing establishments, the Kentucky:Univiersity, 2 female colleges, and
about 2,500 inhabitants. Bacon College, founded in 1836, under the pa:tronage of the Christian denomination, is located in this place. The Har,
51
KENTUCKY.
rodsburg Spring,s are celebrated for the medicinal virtue of their waters, and
for tile beauty and extent of the adjoining grounds.
According to some authorities, HIarrodsburg was the first settled place in
Kentucky. In July, 1773, the McAfee company from Bottetourt county,
Ya., visited this region, and surveyed lands on Salt River. Capt. James
Ilirrod, with forty-one men, descended the Ohio River firom the Monon-aliela, in May, 1774, and penetrating into the intervening forest made his
r,incipal camp about one hundred yards below the town spring, under the
branches of a large elmn tree. About the middle of June, Capt. Harrod and
companions laid off a town plot (which included the camp), and erected a
number of cabins. The place received the name of Harrodstown, afterward
Oldtown, and finally the present name of Harrodsburg. The first corn raised
in Kentucky was in 1775, by John Harminon, in a field at the east end of
Harrodsburg. During the year 1777, the Indians, in great numbers, col.
leeted about HIarrodsburg, in order, it was supposed to prevent any cornI
being raised for the support of the settlers. In this period of distress and
peril, a lad by the name of Ray, seventeen years of age, rendered himself an
object of general favor by his courage and enterprise. He often rose beforg
day, and left the fort on an old horse to procure (by hunting) food for the
garrison. This horse'was the only one left unflaughtered by the Indians
of forty brought to the country by Major M'Gary. He proceeded, on these
occasions, cautiously to Salt River, generally riding in the bed of some small
stream to conceal his course. When sufficiently out of hearing, he would
kill his load of game and bring it in to the suffering people of the fort after
nightfall.
LOUISVILLE, the seat of justice for Jefferson county, is the largest city in
the state, and, next to Cincinnati and Pittsburg, the inost important on the
Ohio. It is situated on the left bank of the river, at the head of the rapids,
65 miles by railroad W. of Frankfort, 130 below Cincinnati, 590 W. by S. from
Washing,ton, and 1,411 above New Orleans. The city is built on a gentle acclivity, 75 feet above low water mark, on a slightly undulating plain. Ei,iht
handsome streets, nearly two miles in length, run east and west, parallel with
the river: they are crossed by more than 30 others running at right angles.
The situation and surrounding scenery of Louisville are beautiful, and from
some parts is had a delightful view of the Ohio River and of the town of
New Albany, a few miles below.
Its immediate trade extends into all the surrounding country, and embraces within the state of Kentucky a circuit of one of the most productive
re-ions of the world. The manufactures of Louisville are very extensive,
embracing a great variety. It has founderies and machine shops, steam bagging factories, cotton, woolen and tobacco factories, mills of various kinds,
distilleries, breweries, agricultural factories, etc. Ship building is also extensively carried on. The trade of Louisville is estimated at one hundred
millions of dollars annually. The principal agricultural exports are tobacco,
pork, hemp, and flour. It is connected with its suburb Portland by a i'ailroad operated by horse power, and by a canal 221 miles around the Falls of
the Ohio, with a total lockage of 22 feet. It is also connected by railroads
with the interior. Since the completion of the railroad to Nashville, an im.
mense trade has opened with the south, which has given a great impulse to
the prosperity of the city. Louisville contains many splendid public buildings, 10 banks, about 50 churches, and a population, in 1860, of 75,196.
The Medical Institute, organized in 1837, by an ordinance of the city
52
KENTUCKY.
oulncil, ranks hiigh aioeng the public institutions of Louisville. The UiSicL,i'si/y of Loitit ille is in successful operation, and has buildingis whlich are nil
l'riiament tu the city. The Alarie Ilfospitlal, designed as a refuge for sick
~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Viewt of the Ceitt)al pett of Loutisville.
Te view sos te appeirce of tle cenltral pirt of Louisville from tle Indiana side of tlm Ohio,
Tlo JI 0.lkson City Frr- Lain, Galt oluse aplpear o le left, tle Louisville Hotel in tle is'al (,,_, tlLe riglt, tle Court Ioise and City Hllt, tlhe Cathoic aiid other Clhurcles in the central pLrt.
tind infirm maiers, is an imporitaint publie institution, located and established
here ii 182t), by a grant fromt the state of 840,000. Another'Iarine Asylum ihas heen erected here by the general government. The As girt J /i'/e
B/i,,' established by the state in 1842, has a spacious building, erected by
the ooi it contributions of the state and citizens of Louisville. The stulcots.
1ecside th eiir literary studies, are also instructed in various kinds of lIindicia't l,vy r-hich thley can support themselves after leaving the instituti(,l. n t.
,.[ ]f.'x l's i/i(/ iiiiri is a Catholie benevolent institution. The Ii(&itic,.y His.t((o1 t(1 ~oclcfy, in this place, was incorporated in 183S8: it has collected vtltalle documenits relatino to the early history of the state and of the west.
The i[eicantile Library Association has a largle and valuable collection of
)oos0. The A4e,sicl- t W elTl, at Louisville, sends up inmmense quantities of
minieril wiater of rare iiiedicinal value in various complaints, proviing a blessiii -is gieat as it was unexpected to the citizens.
Thlle folloswin, relative to the first settlement, etc., of Louisville, is from
('ollins' Historical Sketches of Ky.:
(t.ttaiin Tliomras Bullitt, of Viirginia, uncle of the late Alexand(ler Scott lBillitt,
thN-zws tie first lieutenant-governor of Kentueky, is said to have laid off Louis-ille
] I-,:3. TIhis was before thle first log ca)in was built in Kentucky. For sirer.
:vt'ars after this, the silence of the forest wAas undisturbed by the white man. The
ip!ace nis occatsionally visited by different persons, but no settlement was made until 177S. ITn the spring of this year, a party, cons,isting of a small numnber of
fatnilies, came to the F alls with George Rog,ers Clark, and were left by him on an
53
I
KENTUCKY.
island near the Kentucky shore, now called Corn Island. The name is suppose I
to have been derived from the circumstance that the settlers planted their first In
dian corn on this island.
'I'These settlers were sixty or seventy miles distant fromn any other settlement, and
had nothing but their insular position to defend them from the Indians. The posts
in the \Wabash country, occupied by the British, served as points of support for
the incursions of the savages. After these had been taken by Clark, the settlers
were inspired with c(onfidence, and, in the fall of 1778, removed from the island t:
the site now occupied by Louisville. Here a b)lock house was erected, and the
numler of settlers was increased by the arrival of other emigrants froum Virginia.
In 1780, the legislature of Virginia passed'an act for establishing the town of
Louisville, at the falls of Ohio.' PBy this act,'Johln Todd, jr., Stephen Triig, Geo.
Slaughter, John Floyd, William Pope, George MIeriwether, Andrew HIynes, James
Sullivan, gentlemnen,' were appointed trustees to laiy off the town on at tract of one
thlousand acres of land, which ha(i been,ratnted to John Connelly by the'Sritisli
government, and which he lad to rfeited by adlhering to the English monarch.
Each purchaser was to build on his own lot'i dwc.lling house sixteen feet by twenty
at least, with a brick or stone chiminey, to be finished within two years from the day
of sale.' On account of the interruptions caused by the inroads of the Indians
the time was afterwa-d extended.'I'lhe state of the settlers was one of constant
danger and anxietv. Ti'heir foes were continually prowling around, and it was
risking their lives to leave the fort.
The settlement at the falls was more exposed than those in the interior, on account of the fatcilitv with which the Indians could cross and recross the river, and
the difficulties in the way of pursuing them. The savages frequently crossed the
river, and after killing some of t+he settlers, and coiiimitting depredations upon
propeity, recrossed and escaped. In 1780), Colonel George Slaughter arrived at
the F,alls with one hundred and fifty state troops. The inhabitants were inspired
with a feeling of security which led tlieiii fiequently to expose thelmselves with too
little caution. Their foes were ever on the watch, and were continuallydestroying
valuable lives. Dain,er and deathl ciroiucihed in every path, and lurked behind
every tree.
.Medical and Law Colleyes, Loaisvil'le.
The following inscriptions are copied fronm moiumenits in the graveyards
of Louisville, the first three beiiig in the oldl yard in the city, the remainder
in the Cave Hill Ceiiietery:
Erected by Dr. J. M. Ta,lbot to the memniory of his Father, Capt. ISHIAMI TALBOT, who departed this life July 30, 1839, in his 81st year. Hle vwa burni in Virginia. At a tender tge
54
KENTUCKY.
he entered the Army of the Revolution, was in the mlemorable battles of Brandywvine, Germantown and Monmouth. Visited Ky. in'79, and after his permanent location in'S82, was
in the disastrous engagement with the Indians at the Lower Blue Licks. fie sustained
through life the character of a high minded, honorable gentleman. llis Ilonesty and Integrity were never questioned, and far better than all, he died with a bright hope of enjoying
eternal Life beyond the grave.
REV ISAAC McCoY, born June 13th, 1784, died June 21st, 1836. For near 30 years, hlis
F.ntire time and energies were devoted to the civil and religious imptfovemnent'of the Aboi.iginal tribes of this country. ie projected and founded the plan of their Colonization,
their only hope, the imperishable monument of his wisdom and benevolence.
The Indian's Friend, for them he loved through life,
For them in death le breathed his final prayer.
Now from his toil he rests-the care-the strife And waits in heaven, his workls to follow there.
To the memory of MIAJOR JoHN Ht.aIsox-, who was born in Westmorelaad Co., Virginia,
A.D. 1754. After having fought for the Liberty of his Country during the struggles of the
American Revolution, he settled in Louisville in 1786, and paid nature's final debt, July 15th,
1821.
PEArSO-N FOLLANSBEF, City Missionary in Louisville, born March 4, 1808, in Vassalboro,
.le., died Sept. 6th, 1846. " Ie went about doing good. His record is on high."
Go
Sacred to the memory of JchiN. M1IcKILEY, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the
U.S. Born May 1, 1780; died July 19, 1852. In his manner he was simple and uraffected, and his character was uniformly in.aried with manliness, integrity and honor. He
was a candid, impartial and righteius judge, shrinking from no responsibility. He was
fearless in the performance of his duty. seeking only to do right, and fearing nothing but
to do wroug."-Iloii. J. J. C riteetdeni's remaitrs ii U. S. Cou(rt.
W I. H. G. BUTLEC, born in Jefferson Co., Ind., Oct. 3, 1825, diced at Louisville, Ky.,
Nov. 2, 1853. A inan without fear and without reproach, of gentle and retiring dispo)sition, of clear and vigorous indII; an accomplished scholar, a devoted and successful
teacher, a meek andcl hlumble Chlristian. Ile fell by the hand of violence in the presence of
his loving pupils, a Miartyr to his fidelity in the discharge of duty. This monumllent is
erected by his pupils and a bereaved community, to show their appreciation of his worth,
and to perpetuate their horror at his murder.
JAs', MCeCuLIOUCnH, wife of John Ma.rtin, died by the falling of the Walnut Presbyteriani Church, Aug. 97, 1854. Aced 59 years.
She loved the Courts of God( belowAV, AnDl while engaged in worship there,
There found her Saviour nilig, Wals called to those on high.
Annei xed is a. view of t'ie liagnifilect bridtge over Green ivecr on the
Loui,ville and N-ashivillec Railroad. Excepting the AVictoria Bri(ldge, at Montieal, it is the larroest ro' bride onil this contitient.']'he irton work of the
sulperstructure, wuiclh was built by Inmani & Gault, tof JlotisNville, was begun
iii J1uly, 18,)H and by July, 1809, the brid de as in its 1)1tce ready for the
lpttssee of trains
It cros s.cs the valley of (Green Ilivrer near thle to"wn of Atun.ia)rdsville, Kentuceky,
a,)ilit i) iTtiles fi-on Loiuisv-ille, and tweintv iiles aso' e the celeltrated IamIiiiotli
(Cave. A!il is use ttedl on the saute stream. Its totcl len,thl is 1,000 feet, cousistiii Of tllhree spans of'208 feet, and two of 288 e t Ci, iS.118 feet aI)ove li()w.water; contains 638.000 pounds of cast, and 3sl,000 pounds of wrought iron, and
a2,-()'u CuljiC feet of timber in the forttI of rail joists.'here are 10,220 cubic vards
ofl Lasonty in the piers and altutnments. The cost of the superstructure, inIcludin7 tihat of erection, was sixty-eight dollars per foot lineal thlat of the entire work,
$165,0()0.'rThe plin of truss is tihat invented bv Allert Fink, the designer and
colnstructor of the )ridgees an.d viaducts o' the 13Bltituiore and Ohio Railroad; and
is peculiar inl this, that it is self-coinpensating and snlt ldjustin?:, and no extremes
of temperature can putt it in sucih a o(idition th it tll tthe parts can not act in their
accustomed manner and up to their full capacity."
.7 ,
11
KENTUCKY.
The celeratte(d IMamm(th Ctco, onc' of the,:reit wonders of the western
world, is in Edmondson counity nel-i the lihe of the ILouisviIle and Nashville
r:"J;': [,' ",(i o c 6,(,' t I i,'c.
ofo cities. It is said to have
aching its termination, while
the aggregate width of all
its branches exceeds forty
miles.
"The cave is approac]led
tlhrough a ronantic slhade.
.4t the entrance is a iush
()r cold air; a desce-nt of 30
feet, lIy st()ne stel)s and an
advance of 150 feet inward,
brings the visitor to the
(door, in a so(lid stone wall,
whlich lbl(ocks up thle en
trance otf tlhe cate. A nar
row pass:'Le leads to the
great vestibule, or ante
chanmber, ani oval hall, 200
by 150 feet, aind 50 feet
hi,-h. Two pa, ssages, of
one hun(idred feet wvidth,
open into it, and thle wliole
is supported without a sin gle column.''his cl-jaimber
was used by the races of
yore is a cemnetery, jul,>
in, fi-om the hones of gi gantic size whllich are dis
covered. A hundred feet
above your head, you catch
a fitfild glinipse (of a dark
heavy ljuttresses, ap)paienitly
gray ceiling, rollin, diimly away like a cloud; ande
56
KENTUCKY.
l,ending under thie superincumbent weight, projeet their enormous masses from the
shadowy wall. Tlhe scene is vast, solemnin, and awful. In the silence that pervades
vou can distinctly hear the throl)bbings of your heart. In Aitduboit Aveii?e, leadn' from the hall, is a deep well of pure sprin, water, surrounded by sta,li.mite
columns firom the floor to the roof. The Little Bat Room contains a pit of' 280
feet deep, and is the resort of myriads of bats.'The Graeild Gallery is a vast tiinel, manv miles lon, and 50 feet hi,h, and as wide. At the end of tl(he fiast (-sL.t,;r of p. mile are the Iteuttcli/ Cli,s and the Cht,ch, 100 feet in diame(ter, li
fJu {eet hi,h. A nait-i,tl pulpit and or,an loft are not wantin,.' In this tele.)
rl,,ious services hahe fSequently been performed.' The Gothic Avelitle, rici((
, l- fii'ht of'stlairs, is 40Lt() feet id, 15 feet high, and 2 miles'ong. AMuiaiii-e 1av
).e d'iscovered here. Lhich have been tihe sul)Ject of curious study to science
fhl e are also st wilaites and' stalactites in Loiisa's Boicer and I.lca's F'I(nctc.
(10 t o w!C t he P]ie/iser Roo?)s are inscrioed thousan(ls of na0~,-i. i a e
C:)hia Ch(llel o S)a1zloaiie Iall, is an ellilp)tical chamber, 80 feet il()v },),(5)
-12.'l.I,niiite coli's o f irmense size nearly block uip] the two ends; a1(1
twoi) os of pil's of smaller dimensions, reauaciii(n from the floor to the cci'in,
f.ol ei -listant from tie wAvill on either side, extend the entire leng,th of the hlil.
This ipartnent is one of surprisino grandeur, and when illuminated w ith lians
i (l, ii"'s tie behol(der with feelings of solemanity and and e. At the foot of the
i7i",'i' i' A,i Chaio is a simall biasin of sulphur water. Then there is the ]ea st t /"''k. the Eoeshct. I1ec, l.~ Lovei's Leal, Gateicood's Diiin(I Tcable, and the Cooli,;;/ i',/, a b' in 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, of the purest water, ValO)oleol's Dol)e,c
.to. 4he B(tll Pooai c,Ontains an orchestra 15 feet hig h' near by is a iro( of
(.)inls fr c ux.-,t-ive,atients thie atmosphere heinm always5 temli)perate c(il iuie.
Tho,%'~' Clhclailbe7 pires,eni aits a optical illusion.'In 1lookling u, the speo(,itor
.en' to se the s filaOnent itselF studded with stars, and afair off.a come it a
lt,illt tal.' le T7:ni)le is iiammense vault, covering, an area of two acr.es, and
cov-Ored 1)Ty a sin5le dome of solid rock, 120 feet high. It rivals the celebrated
vault in the (Grotto of Antiparos, which is the lar',est in the world. Ini the middle
of thle dome there is a larre mioun(l of rocks rising on one side nearly to the top
very s,teen, ind fomingn whvat is called the 3[tountain. The Biver IItll descends
like. the slope of a mountain; the ceilin" stretches away before yol, vast and riand
as the firmameit at aidsioht. A short distance on the left is a steel) preclpie,
over whiicl C in' lookl down, 0 ) the aid of torches, upon a broad, 1(1liak sleet
of ter S{)! e) t ), lw, called the Dc1d1 Sea. Thi-is is, i n awfullv iInpressive 1l)Ice,
the sighits a.nd sou-nds of which do not easily pass f'ron memory.
Jft?/sc'lMe is situated on the left bank of the OJiio, 73 miles N.E. fioll
Frainkfi'Ort, 441 below Pittsbui-o, and 55 above Chiicinrntit by the river. It is
b)eaiitifilly located on a hii(h bank, having a range of lofty verdlant hills or
bluffis risiln immediately behind the citv. Maysville has a,oocf harbor, and
is the port of a laroe and productive section of the state. Amo(ng the publie bunildills, thiere is a handsome eity hall, 2 larg,e semninaries, a hospital
and 7 churches. Bagg,ing, rope, machinery, agricultural imllplemoents, and
virious other articles, are extensively manufactured. It is one of the largest
hlemp markets in the Union. Population about 3,000.
MIla, sville was known for many years as Liinestoae, from the Creek of that
tname, which here empties into the Ohio. It received its present namle from
,Jolh1 JI3[ty, the owner of the land, a gentleman fromn Virginia. The first settlmeniit was made at this place in 1784, and a double log cabin and block
Ilouse were built by Edward and John Waller, and Geor,ge Lewis, of' Viriginia. Col. Daniel Boone resided here in 1786, and while here bade a
treityv with the Indians at the mouth of Fishing Gut, opposite Maysville.
The towl was established in 17SS88. The first school was opened in 1790, by
Israel Donaldson, who had been a captive among the Indians. The frontier
and exposed situation of Maysville retarded its progress for many years, and
57
it was not until about the year 1815, that its permanient ilmprovement fairly
comimenced. It wvas incorpoirtted t city in 1IS33.
1'ielVt of t('t e J[ 7,1th f [ ick i, livci-, b)etiC',C?l e 2i cOt aid C,vington.
The Suspension Bridge betw{e,m Newport u, Coviigton is seeni inl l li ar cir,itr t, patssinlg over Licking
PRiver. The U.. S.rrac, i1l Newro't, appeaL on tilc left, part of CovinDtOl on tile rigilt.
COVINGTON is iin Kenton county, on the west side of Licking RPiver, at its
mouthl, also on the south bank of the Ohio, opposite Cincinnati, and at the
northern terminus of the Kentucky Central Railroad: it is 60 miles N.N.E.
from Frankfort. It is built on a beautiful plain several miles in extent, and
the streets are so arranged as to appear, firom the hills back of Cincinnati, as
a continuation of that city, of which, with Newport, it is a suburb. The facilities of coiimmunIication are such that many persons reside here, whose
l)laces of business are in Cincinnati. Its imanufacturing interests are extersive and varied. A iiagn-ificent suspension bridcge is now constructing
over the Ohio, to connect Covington with Cincinnati. Population about
15,000.
2A??l)ort is on a lhandsome plain, on the Ohio River, opposite Cincinnati:
it is separated firom Covingtoni by Licking River, with which it is connected
by a beautiful suspension brid,ge. An U. S. arsenal and barracks are located
here. It cont.tins several rolling mills, iron founderics, steam mills, etc.
Population about 12,000.
The valley of the Ohio, a short distance from the Licking, was the scene of
a most sanguinary event years before white men had settled in this vicinity.
It was Rogers' defeat and massacre, which occurred in the fall of 17'9, at
which time this spot, and the site of the now flourishing city of Cincinnati,
opposite, was one dense forest:
Col. David Rogers and Capt. Bienham, with 100 men, were in two lare keel
l,(oats, on their way from New Orleans, with supplies of ammunition an(i I)rovisions for the western posts. In Octobler, when near the mouth of the Lickin,r a
f(w IndiLtns were seen, and supposin, himself to be superior in numl)ers, Itozcrrs
landle(d to attack them, and was led into an iinbluscade of 4(0)() Indianrls. The wlIites
fou,ght with desperation, but in a furious onset with toimahLawk and scalping-kiif,
tle commander, with about ninety of his men, were soon dis)patclie(l.''lhe e.ca)pe
of Capt. Benham was almost miraculous. A shot passed through both le,s, shat
58
KENTUCKY.
KENTUCKY.
ter',i the bones. With great pain he dralgged himself into the top of a fallen tree,
wer he lily concealed from the search of the Indians after the battle was ove.
lie re'.naineit there until the evening of the next day, when, being in danger of
l.i'islhi~i, he shot -a raccooii which he perceived descending a tree near where he
lav. Just it that moiment hlie heard a human cry, apparently within at few rods.
u[.,t)osini it to be an enemy, he loaded his gun and remained silent. A secondl
iii(d t:lele a third halloo vwas,riven, accompanied by the exclamation,'Whoever yon
(e, ti ()(d's sake answer ine?' This time Benham replied, and soon found the
iniln,)xwn to be ai fellow soldier, with both arms broken! Thus each was eudb!l,'i
t) supl)ply the deficiency of the other. Benham could load and shoot gantie, wvhile
IIis eoiipltnion could kick it to Benham to cook. In this way they supported themseives for several weeks until their wounds healed sufficiently to enable them to
it.oo.-e (down to tle iiouth of Lieking River, where they remained until the 27th of
Novembier, when a flit-bloat appeared moving by on the river. They hailed the
boat, but the crew fearing it to be an Indian decoy, at first refused to come to their
aid, l)ut eventtually were -prevaiiled upon to take them on board. Both of tlhem recovered. Benllilln serve(l through the Indian wars down to the victory of Wayne,
and subsequently resided near Lebanon, Ohio, until his death, about the year
1808.
The Blue Lick Sprigims is a watering place of high repute on the Licking
River, in Nicholas county, 19 miles from Lexing.ton, and 80 miles southeasterly from Covington. At an early period, the Licks became a place of
much importance to the settlers, as it was chiefly here that they procured, at
great labor and expense, their supply of salt. In modern times it has become a fashionable place of resort, the accommodations greatly extended,
and the grounds improved and adorned. The Blue Lick water has become
an artle of eommerce, several thousand barrels being annually exported.
It was at this place, on the 19th of Aug., 1782, that a bloody battle was
fought with the Indians, "which shrouded Kentucky in mou'ning," and,
next to St. Clair's defeat, has become famious in thie annals of savage warfare. Just prior to this event, the enemy had been engaged in the siege of
Bryant's Station, a post on the Elkhorn, about five miles from Lexingtorn.
As the battle was a sequel to the other, we give the narrative of the first in
connection, as described in MeClung's Sketches:
In the summer of 1782, 600 Indians, under the influence of the British at Detroit, assembled at old Chillicothe, to proceed on an expedition to exterminiate the
Loilg Knife" from Kentucky, and on the night of the 14th of August, this body
gathered around Bryant's Station. The fort itself contained about fo)rtv cabins
placed- in parallel lines, connected by strong palisades, atnd garrisoned by forty or
fifty men. It was a parallelogram of tl-hirty rods in length by twenty in breidth,
formim ~ an inclosuire of nearly four acres, which was protected by digginr a trench
four or five feet deep, in which strong and heavy pickets were planted by raminig'
the earth well down against them. These were twelve feet out of the ground,
being formed of hard, durable timber, at least a foot in diameter. Such a wall, it
mlust be obvious, defied climbing or leaping, and indeed any means of attack, cannon excepted. At the angles were small squares or block-houses, which pro(jected
)eyocund the palisades, and served to impart additional strength at the corners,.as
well as permitted the besie,red to pour a raking fire across the advanced party of
the assailants. Two folding Fates were in front and rear, swinginiig on prodigious
wooden hinges, sufficient for the passage in and out of men or wagons in times of
seciuri.ty. These were of course provided with suitable bars.
This was the state of thinzs, as respects the means of defense, at Bryant's Station on the morning of the 15th of August, 1782, while the savages lay concealed
in the( thick weeds around it, which in those days grew so abundantly and tall, as
would have sufficed to conceal mounted horsemen. They waited for daylig(ht, and
the opening of the gites for the garrison to get water for the day's supply from an
atdjaccnt spring, before thiley should commience the work of carnage.
59
It seems that the garrison here were rather taken off their guard. Some of the
palisade work had not been secured as permanently as possible, and the original
party which built the fort had been tempted, in the hury of constructingr and their
fewness of hands. to restrict its extent, so as not to include a sprint of water within
its limits. Great as were these disadvantages, they were on the eve of' exposure t(
a still greater one, for had the attack been delayed a few hours, the garison wc.uld
havie been found disabled by sending off a reinforcement to a neirhl)orin( staticni
-toil(le1's settlement-on an unfounded alarm that it was attacked by a party of
sava,-es. As it was, no sooner had a few of the men made their appearance outsidle oC the gate than they were fired on, and compelled to re,gai,n the insi(e.
.Acc ording, to custom, the Indians resorted to stratagem for success. A dctachment iiof one hundred warriors attacked the south-east anlrle of the station, caleClakir,~ to draw the entire body of the besieged to that quarter to repel the attack,
id thus enable the residue of the assailants, fiv e hu-ndred strong(, who were cn the
(o)pposlte side in amLbuLsh near the spring, to take aoa,intae ft its unprotected situat(,n, wvhen the whole force of the defense should be drawn off to resist the assault
at the south-east. Their purpose, hc)wever, was com1pieliended inside, and instead
Cf retu' ning the fire of the sm,aller party, they secretly dispatched In express to
L,exiition for assistance, and began to repair the palisades and otherv-ise to put
themselves in the best possible posture of' defense.
'The more experienced of the garrison felt satisfied that a powerful party was in
ambuseade near the spring, but at the same tiiiie, they supposed that the Indians
-wouli not unmask themnselves until the firig uponl the apposite side of the fort
was returned with such wariimth as to induce the belief that the feint had sueoerledl. Acting upon this impression, (nd yielding to the urgent necessity of the
case, they summoned all the women, without exception, and explainling to them the
circumstances in which they were placed, and the improl)bablility that any injury
wvould be offered them until the firing had been returned firom the opposite side of
the fort, they urged them to go in a body to the spring and each to bring up a
bucket full of water. Some of the ladies had no relish for the undertaking, and
asked why the men could not bring water as well as themselves? observing that
they were not bullet-proof, and that the Indians made no distinction between male
and female scalps. To this it was answered, that the women were in the habit of
blringri water every morning to the fort, and that if the Ind(lianls saw them engaged
as usual, it would induee them to believe that their ambuscade was undiscovered,
ana ltat they would not unmask the —,selves for the sake of firing upon a iew
wvoiinea, when they hoped, by remaining concealed a few moments longer, to obtain
com1plete possession of the fort. That if,nea should go down to the spring the Indians wvould immediately suspect that something was wrong, would despair of suececedinr by ambuscade, and would instantly rush upon them, follow them into the
fort, or shoot them down at the sprin.'Ihe decision was soon o ver. A few of
t!ie boldest declared their readiness to brave the dancer, and the younger and more
timi l riallying in the rear of these veterans, they all marched down in a body to
thie spring, within point blank shot of five hundred lndiLn wLuirriors! Some of the
rls could not help betraying symptoms of terroi, but the married women, in general, imoved withi a steadiness and composure which completely deceived the Indians. Not a shot was fired. The party were permitted to fill their buckets one
after:imother, without interruption, and although their steps became quicker and
quicker on their return, and when near the fort degenerated into a rather unmilitaiv ctleritv, attended with some little crowding at the gate. yet not more than one
fihftli of the water was spilled.
N\ lien an ample supply of water had been thus obtained, and the neglected defenses completed, a party of thirteen men sallied out in the direction in whichl the
ssault had been made. They were fired on by the sav.l'es, and driven.'t-ain within
the palisades, but without sustaining any loss of life. lnimediatelv the five hulndred (on the opposite side rushed to the assault of what they deemed the ulinprotected sid(le of the fort, without entertaining any doubts of their success. A wNell
directed fire, however, put them promptly to flight. Some of the m(ore daring and
desperate approached near enough with burning arrows to fire the houses! acie or
two of which were burned, but a favorable wind drove the flames away from the
KENTUCKY.
60
KENTUCKY.
mass of the buildings, and the station escaped the danger threatened from this
source. A second assault from the Creat iody of the Indians, was repelled with
the same vior and success as the first.
D)isappointed of their object thus far, the assailants retreated, and concealed
themselves under the bank of the creek to await and intercept the arruill of the
assistance whichl they were well aware was on its way from Lexington. TIle express from Brvant's Station reacllel that towin without difficultv,-bullt found(l its
male inhabitants had left there to aid in the defense of Holder's Station, uhlici}
was reported to be attacked. Following their route, he overtook them at i-()oiiesborough, and sixteen mounted nmen, with thirty on foot, immediately retraced( their
steps for the relief of the besieged at Bryant's. When this rciiforceiement ap)proached the fort, the firing had entirely ceased, no enemy was visible, and the
party advanced in reckless confidence that it was either a false alarm, or that the
Indians had abandoned the siege. Their avenue to the garrison was a lane between two cornfields, which growing rank and thick formed an effectual hiding
place to the Indians even at the distance of a few yards. The line of ambush extended on both sides nearly six hundred yards. Providentially it was in the heat
of midsummer, and dry accordingly, and the approach of the horsemen raised a
cloud of dust so thick as to compel the enemy to fire at random, and the whites
happily escaped without losing a man. The footmen, on hearing the firing in
front, dispersed amidst the corn, in hopes of reaching the garrison unobserved.
Here they were intercepted by the sTavages, who threw themse lves between them
and the fort, and but for the luxuriant growth of corn they must all have been shot
down. As it was, two men were killed and four wounded of the party on foot, before it succeeded in making its way into the fort.
Thus reinforced, the garrison felt assured of safety, while in the same measure
the assailing party began to despair of success.
One expedient remained, which was resorbed to for the purpose of intimidating
the brave spirits who were gathered for the defense of their wives and little ones.
As the shades of evening approached, Girty, who commanded the party, addressed
the inmates of the fort. Mounting a stump, from which he could be distinctly
heard, with a demand for the surrender of the place, he assured the garrison that a
reinforcement with cannon would arrive that night, that the station must fall, that he
could assure them of protection if they surrendered, but could not restrain the
Indians if they carried the fort by storm; adding, he supposed they knew who it
was that thus addressed them. A young man, named Reynolds, fearing the effect
which the threat of cannon might have on the minds of the defending party, with
the fate of MTartin's and Ruddle's Stations fresh in their memories, left no opportunity for conference, by replying instantly, that he knew him well, and held him
in such contempt that he had called a good for nothing dog he had by the name
of Simon Girty.'Know you,' added he,'we all know you for a -renegade cowardly
villain, that delights in murdering women and cliildren? Wait until morning,
and you will find on what side the reinforcements are. We expect to leave not
Dne of your cowardly souls alive, and if yo1l are caulght, our women shall whip you
to death with hickory switches. Clear out, you cut-throat villain.' Some of the
Kentuckians shouted out,'Shoot the d d rascal!' and Girty was glad to retreat
out of the range of their rifles lest some one of the garrison might be tempted to
adopt the advice.
The *ght passed away in uninterrupted tranquillity, and at daylight in the morning the Indian camp was found deserted. Fires were still burning brightly, and
several pieces of nieat were left upon their roasting sticks, from which it was inferred that they had retreated just before daybreak.
Battle of the Blue Licks. —Early in the day reinforcements began to drop in,
and by noon 167 men were assembled at Bryant's Station, among whom were Cols.
Boone, Todd, and Trigg; Majors Harland, McBride, M'Gary, and Levy Todd; and
Captains Btulzer and Gordon; of the last six named, except Todd and M'Gary, all
fell in the subsequent b:ittle. A tumultuous conversation ensued, and it was unanimously resolved to pursue the enemy forthwith, notwithstanding that tihey were
three to one in numbers. The Indians, contrary to their usual custom, left a broad
and obvious trail, and manifested a willingness to be pursued. Notwithstanding,
61
such was the impetuosity of the Kentuckians, that they overlooked these consid
rattions, an(l hastened on with faltal resolution, most of themi being mounted.
'l he next day7, all)out noon, they came, for the first time, in view of the enemy
i.t the l,ow Blue l,icks. A number of Indians there seen ascending the rocky
ri(l(eo on tlhe-opp)osite side of the Licking. They halted upon the appe.arance of
the Kentuckians, and (razed att theiii a few moments, and then calmly and leisurely
(lisappe'leared over the top of the hill. An immediate halt ensued. A doze, or
t\-enty officers met in front of the ranks and entered into a consultation. i'lhe
i ill;Ltld lonely aispect of the country around them, their distance firom iily v point
of sup)port, with the certainty of their being in the presence of a superior enemy,
seeiis to have inspired a portion of seriousness bordering uipon awe. All eves
were now turned upon Boone, and Col. Todd asked his opinion -s to what sho'uld
be done.''lic veteratn woodsman, with his usual uninio-e(l gravity, replied:
That their situation was critical and delicate; that the force opposed to thoni
was undoub)tedly numerous vand ready for battle, as miigrht readilv be seen fiom the
leisurely retreat of the few Indians who had appealred on the crest of the hill; that
he cwas well acquainted with the (round in the neighborhood of the Lick, and was
apprehensive that an ambuscade wvas formed at the distance of a mile in a(IvanTalce,
where two ravines, one upon each side of the ridge, ran in such a manner that a
concealed enemy might assail them at once both in front and flank, before they
were apprised of the danger.
It would be proper, therefore, to do one of two things. Either to await the arri
val of Lo,gan, ho was now undoubtedly on his march to joini them, with a strong
force from Lincoln, or, if it was determined to attack witholt delay, that one half
of their niumber should march up the river, which there bend(s in an, elliptical form,
cross at the rapids and fall upon the rear of the enenmy, lwhile the othler division
attacked in fiont. iAt any rate, he strongly urged the necessity of reconnoiteriig
the groiund (..arefully before the main body crossed the rive.
Boone was hear(l in silence and with deep attention. Somne wished to a(lopt the
first plan; others preferred the second; and the discussion threatened to be dr.bwn
out to some lengthl, when the boiling ardor of Mi'GCary, who could rnever enl(lure the
presence of an enemy without instant battle, stimulate(l him to an act, which hbad
nearly proved destructive to his country. ie suddenly interrupted tihe consultation with a loud whoop, resembling the war-cry of the Indians, spurred his horse
into the stream, waved his hat over his head, and shoutedl aloud:'Let all who are
not cowards follow me!' The words and the action together, produced a 1 eletrical effect. The mounted men dashed tumultuously into the river, each striving, to
be foremost. Thle footmen were mingled wAith them in one rolling anl irregulanr
mass.
No order was given, and none observed. They struggled through a deep ford as
well as they could, l'Gary still leading the van, closely followed by Mlajors Hlir
land and McBride. With the same rapidity they ascended the ridge, which, by
the trampling of Buffalo foragers, had been stripped bare of all vegetatioii, with
the exception of a few dwarfish! cedars, and which was rendered still miore desolate
in appearance, by the multitude of rocks, blackened by the sun, which was spread
over its surface.
Suddenly the van halted. They had reached the spot mentioned by Boone,
where the two ravines head, on each side of the ridge. here a body of Indians
presented themselves, and attacked the van. M'Gary's party instantly returned
the fire, but under great disadvantage. They were upon a bare aind open ridg,e;
the Indians in a bushy ravine. The center and rear, ignoranit of the ground, hurried up to the assistance of the van, but were soon stopped by a terrible fire from
the ravine, which flanked them. They fobund themselves inclosed iS if in the wNings
of a net, destitute of proper shelter, while the enemy were, in a great imeasure,
covered from their fire. Still, however, they maintained their ground. The action
became warm and bloody. The parties gradually closed, the Indians emerg ed
from the ravine, and the fire became mutually destructive. The officers sufelied
dreadfully. Toddl and TriL,g in the rear; Harland, MeBride, and young Boone, in
front, were already killed.
The Indians gradually extended their line, to turn the right of the Kentuckians,
KENTUCKY.
62
KENTUCKY.
and cut off their retreat. This was quickly perceived by the weight of the fire
from that quarter, and the rear instantly fell back in disorder, and attempted to
rush throu,gh their only opening to the river. The motion quickly coimminicated
itself to the van, and a hurried retreat became general. The Indians instantly
sprung forward in pursuit, and falling upon them with their tomahawks, made a
cruel slaughter. From the battleground to the river, the spectacle was terrible.
The horsemen generally escaped, but the foot, particularly the van, which had advance(l faLrthest within the wings of the net, were almost totally destroyed. Col.
Boone, after witnessing the death of his son and many of his dearest friends,
found himself almost entirely surrounded at the very commencement of the retreat.
Several hundred Indians were between him and the ford, to which the gre,at
mass of the fugitives were bending their flight, and to which the attention of the
savages was principally directed. Being intimately acquainted with the ground,
he, together with a few friends, dashed into the ravine lwhich the Indians had occupied, but which most of them had now left to join in the pursuit. After sustaining
one or two heavy fires, and baffling one or two small parties, who pursued him for
a short distance, he crossed the river below the ford, by swimming, and entering
the wool at a point where there was no pursuit, returned by a circuitous route to
Blrvant's Station. In the meantime, the great mass of the victors and vanquished
cr(owde(l the bank of the ford.
The slaughter was great in the river. The ford was crowded with horsemen and
foot and Indians, all mingled together. Some were compelled to seek a passage
abl)ove I-)v swimming; some, who could not swim, were overtaken and killed at the
edge of the water. A man by the name of Netherland, who had formerly been
strongly suspected of cowardice, here displayed a coolness and presence of mind
cqu:ally noble and unexpected.
Bein, among the first in gaining the opposite bank, he then instantly checked
his horse, and in a loud voice, called upon his companions to halt, fire upon the
Indians, and save those who were still in the stream. The party instantly obeyed,
and facing about, poured a close and fatal discharge of rifles upon the foremost of
the pursuers. The enemy instantly fell back from the opposite bank, and gave
time for the harrassed and miserable footmen to cross in safety. The check, however, was but momentary. Indians were seen crossing in great numbers above and
below, and the flight again became general. Most of the foot left the great buffalo
track, and plunging into the thickets, escaped by a circuitous route to Bryant's
Station.
But little loss was sustained after crossing the river, although the pursuit was
urged keenly for twenty miles. From the battle-ground to the ford, the loss was
very heavy; and at that stage of the retreat, there occurred a rare and striking instance of magnanimity, which it would be criminal to omit. The reader could not
have forgotten young Reynolds, who replied with such rough but ready humor to
the pompous summons of Girty, at the siege of Bryant's. This young man, after
bearing his share in the action with distinguished gallantry, was galloping with
several other horsemen in order to reach the ford. The great body of fugitives
had preceded them, and their situation was in the highest degree critical and dangerous.
About half way between the battle-ground and the river, the party overtook
Capt. Patterson, on foot, exhausted by the rapidity of the flight, and in consequence
of former wounds received from the Indians, so infirm as to be unable to keep up
with the main body of the men on foot. The Indians were close behind him, and
his faite seemed inevitable. Reynolds, upon coming up with this brave officer, instantly sprung from his horse, aided Patterson to mount into the saddle, and continued his own flight on foot. Being remarkably active and vigorous, he contrived
to elude his pursuers, and turning off from the main road, plunged into the river
near the spot where Boone had crossed, and swam in safety to the opposite side.
Unfortunately he wore a pair of buckskin breeches, which had become so heavy
and full of water as to prevent his exerting himself with his usual activity, and
while sitting down for the purpose of pulling them off he was overtaken by a party
of Indians, and made prisoner.
63
KENTUCKY.
A prisoner is rarely put to death by thle Indiaus, unless w,iounded or inflrmn, until
:'!lev return to their own country; and then his fate is decided in sole)mn council.
Young Rleynolds, therefore, was treated kindly, and compelled to iaccoimpanyv lhis
calptors in the pursuit. A small party of Kentuckians soon attrLacted ttlieii' attentio)n and he was left in char,e of three Indinns, who, ea's-er ill pursuit, in turn
commiiit;ed hin to the charoe of one of their number, wlile they tIllowe( l theii
c)iolpanions. Reynolds and his guard jo,(,ecd ailon, very leisurely; the forimei ttilly mnarmed; the latter, with a toma.hawk and rifle in his ]hands. ikt lentili tie
Indl.an stopped to tie his moccasin when lRernoldls instnitly S tl: i,n upoa liii
knolcked himn down with his fist, and quickly disltptpeaire(l in the tliclket;i vlic ulirounded themn. For his act of generositvy, Capt. Patter son afterwa d LI1nde lill
pi)resent of two hundred acres of first rate land.
Th'ie melancholy intellig(ence rapidly spreadl tliroiilighout the country, atn( ti(
N-lole land was covered with mourning, for it wits the severest lIoss KelltItiky
had ever experienced in Indian warfare. Sixtv erittnckitnis were sla-in ancd a
nuirlher taken prisoners. The loss of the Indiayns, wh lile the bittle lastedJ, wis als{
c(nsideralle, though far inferior to that of thie whites.
()n the very day of the battle, Col. Lo-an arrivedl at Bryait's Sta3tio n w ithi fIii'
hundred and fifty men. Fearful of soiiie d(lisaster, hle marched(i ol withi the utiist
ilili,'ence, and soon met the foreimost of the fugitives. eaicng fi om tl ini the si(d
tidings, he continued on, hoping' to come up with the enemy it tlhe field of h)attle
llwhich hle reached on the second dav. The enemy were onre, hut the hodies of the
Kentuckians still lay unburied on the spot where they had filen. liiiensce iih.ks
of buzzards were soarin,g over the battlc ground, and the bodies of the deaid lihld
becomine so much s-wollen and disfirgured that.t was impossible to recognize the
features of the iaost particular friends. MIany corpses were fIoating uear the sli(ii,
of the northern bank, already putrid from the:ctionl of the sun, and partially eaten
by fishles. The whole were carefully collected by Col. Logan, and interred as Ide
entlv as the nature of the soil would permit."
Soutth-western view of Lexing.ton? Court ]-ouise.
LExINCGTON, the county seat of Fayette county, is a rem: ir.;l)ly ne:Lt,ndt
he-iutifiil city, situated on a branch of Elkhorn River, 5 miles.. fi'onFrankfort, 85 from Cincinnati, 77 S.E. from Louisville, aud 517 fi'om Waosh-.
illgtoi-i City. The streets of Lexington are laid out at riight angles, well
paved, and bordered with ornamental trees. )Tany of the private residences
and several of the public edifices are fine specimens of architectural taste,
while the surrounding country, rich and highly cultivated., is adorned(l wit!.
elegant mansions. The city contains a court house, a Matsonic Hall, tli'
State Lunatic Asylum, 12 churches, the Transylvaniat University. several
academiiies and an orphan asylum. It is celebrated throughout the Uinion fi)
64
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;ol
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(n,
e:hibited that never was equalled by any similar occurrence in the history
c,' the country. A stranger in the place not long subsequent, thus describes
hlis impressions of the town and visit to Ashland:
No where is there a more delightful rural tract in all our broad land, than that
part of this state in the vicinity of Lexington-the celebrated "blue grass" region
of Kentucky. For miles and miles, in every direction, it is bedecked with gracefuil curving lawns, wood embowered cottages, and tall open forests, where not a
shrub rises to mar the velvety sward that every where carpets the earth in living
green. Enter the dwellings, and you will find them the abodes of elegance and
taste. Your reception will he frank and hospitable. The town, Lexington, is well
worthy of the country. It has a highly cultivated population, institutions of literature, elegant mansions, partly concealed in groves of locusts, whose tiny fragile
leaves gently dance in the sunlight to the softest zephyr, and is, moreover, the home
of one whose very name holds (I dear place in our memories.
In a minor street of this beautiful town, is a plain two story brick edifice, over
the doors of which is the sign, H. & J. B. CLAY. One morning, a few weeks
since, 1. entered its plainly fiurnished office, and, in the absence of its occupants,
helped myself to a chair and a newspaper, that industrious whig sheet, the New
York Tribune. In a few minutes in walked a tall, elderly gentleman, attired in
black coat and white pantaloons. Mly eyes had never before rested upon him, but
it needed not a second glance to know HENRY CLAY. I presented a letter of introduction, upon which, after some little conversation, hlie invited me out to tea at his
seat, Ashland, some twenty minutes walk from the central part of the town. At
the appointed hour, I was on mv way thither, and from a gate on the roadside approached the mansion by a winding path of maybe thirty rods in length. It stands
on a smooth, undulating lawn of the purest green, fringed by a variety of trees.
The open door disclosed to my view two elderly ladies, seated in one of the three
rooms into which a common entry led. One of'them, Mrs. Clay, called to me to
walk in, and directed me to the flower garden in the rear of the house, where stood
Judge ItR., of Olhio. and her husband. The former, as I was introduced by Mr.
Clay, received me with the stiffness of the north-the latter met me in the cordial,
off hand manner of an old acquaintance. lie then showed us some rare plants,
joked with his little grandchild, and we entered the house. Passing through the
room where sat his lady and the wife of the judge, hlie pleasantly said-" these
ladies have some conspiracy together, let us walk into the parlor." On the hearth
was an elegant rug, with the woids worked in it, " PROTFCTION TO AMERICAN INDUSTRY; " around were busts and paintings. The furniture was old fashioned, but
rich, and an air of comfort pervaded the apartment. Among the curiosities shown
us by Mr. Clay, was the identical wine lass used by Washington through the Rev.
olu tion.
The conversation of MAr. Clay is frequently anecdotical, and his knowledge of
all parts of our country, their condition, prospects and people, renders it easy fox
him to adapt himself in familiar topics to the great variety of characters that
assemble at his residence. His manner is one of entire ease. Taking out a golden
snuff box, he drew in a pinch of its exhilarating powder with an air of solid satisfaction; then spreading his handkerchief in his lap, he leaned forward his whole
body, with his forearms folded and resting on his knees, and talked with us in the
most genial, social way, like a fine, fatherly, old country gentleman-as, indeed,
he is.
Now that I have seen Henry Clay, I do not wonder at the hold he has upon the
affections of our people. Benevolence is the strongest expression in his countenance, and the humblest individual can not but feel, in his presence, as much at
ease as if by his own fireside. His manner is irresistible: such as would enable
him, if need there was, to say disagreeable things in a way that would occasion
you to thank him for it. Literally, his is the power to give "hard facts with soft
words."
When Henrv Clay walks the streets of Lexington, the citizens gaze upon him
with pride, and greet him with pleasure. A kind word and a smile he has for
etyry body, no matter what their age, sex, or condition; and little children run up
KENTUCKY.
66
KENTUCKY.
to take him by the hand, with a "how do you do, Mr. Clay?" My landlord, an
Irishman bv birth, said to me, " I have known MAlr. Clay for many years, and am
opposed to him in politics; but I can not help liking the man."
The corner stone of the Mon.: __ _;-=- -. — ument erected to Henry Clay, in
-_ I_ =____ the Lexington Cemetery, was
:_..' --- laid July 4, 1857, with imposing
St m~- Ad;F — ceremonies, and the structure
completed in 1858. It is con'.~~ v, ~.... - structed of magnesian lime' a _ ] ~-:'1~ ~.stone, obtained fronm Boone's
Creek, about 14 miles distant.
The remains of HIenry Clay, his
mother, and some other rela'4|~ ~tives, are to be deposited in the
[El2~i vaulted chamber in the base of
S ~___ ~the monument. At the top of
Gil=~~ ~the column, the flutings are 13
xIs.!} -1~~ sspiked spears, representing the
-i i_-' original states of the Union.
The statue of Clay, surmount ing the whole, is 11 feet in hight.
~:~~ G U SThe hight of the monument
-1 a from the ground to the top of
- i - lq- 4 G-o -:- the statue is 119 feet. The fol lowing inscription, appears on
HFN,Y CLAY MONUMF,NT. one of the blocks of stone:
"'I would rather be right, than be
Situated about a mile from the central part of Ixington " oul d rather be right, thn be
near the Railroad fromt Covington, in the Lexington Cenie- President."
tery. National Guard, St. Louis, July 4th,
1857.
The following inscription is copied from the monument of Maj. Barry. in
the public square, or court house yard:
To the memory of WILLItxR TAYLOR BARRY, this monument is erected by his friends in
Kentucky (the site being granted by the County Court of Fayette), as a testimony of their
respect and admiration of his virtues and talents. lie was born 5th Feb., 1784, in Lunenburg City, Va., and eame to Kentucky in his 12th year. Was successively a member of
both Houses of the General Assembly, a Judge, a Senator and Representative in Congress,
Lieut. Gov. of Ky., and an Aidecamp to Gov. Shelby at the battle of the Thames. On Andrew Jacksoti's accession to the Presidency, he was called to his Cabinet as Post Master
General, which office he held until 1st of May, 1835, when he was appointed Env. Ex. &
Min. Plen. to Spain. Hle was elected Hon'y Member of the French Univ. Stat. Soc., in
June, 1833. - He died at Liverpool, on his way to Madrid, on 30th Aug., 1835. His body
lies on Albion's white shores; his Faiiie in the History of his Country, and is as immortal
as America's Liberty and Glory.
About twenty miles south-east of Lexington, on the south bank of the Kentucky River, is the small, dilapidated village of Boonesborough, a point noted
in the history of the state. It was here that Daniel Boone, the great pioneer,
built the first fort ever erected in Kentucky, and made the commencement of
a permanent settlement. Here, too, was convened more than eighty years
ago the first legislative assembly that ever sat west of the mountains, the legislature of Traitsylvaitia, the history of which is as follows:
"Col. Richard Henderson, a man of ardent temperament and great talents, fornmed
the most extensive speculation ever recorded in the history of this country. Hav
67
ing formed a company for that purpose, hle succeeded in negotiating, with the head
chiefs of the Cherokee nation, a treaty (known as the treaty of' Watauga), by which
all that tract of country lying between the Cumberland Rtiver, the mountains of the
same name, and the Kentucky River, and situated south of the Ohio, was transferred,
for a reasonable consideration, to the
company. By this treaty Henderson
and his associates became the proprie- -.
tors of all that country which now com- i
prises more than one half of the state
of Kentucky. This was in 1775. They
immediately proceeded to establi sh a
proprietory government, of which Ilenderson became the president, and lwhich D
had its seat at Boonesborou,h.'Tlihe _
new country received the name of Tr'insylvania. The first legislature assembled at Boonesborough, and held its sittings under the shade of l large elm
tree, near the walls of the fort. It was
composed of Squire Boone Daniel B()one,
WVilliam Coke, Samuel 1tenderson, iicliard MIoore, Richard Calloway,'Tlomas ~
Slaugrhter, John Lythe, Valentine ]farinond, -James Douglass, James Iliarodl,
Nathan Hammon d, Isaac Ilte, Az.nria,i
D)avis, John Tlodd, Alexander S. l)mdridge, John Floyd and Samuel Wood. Adf
These members formed tlciiselves into
a legislative body, by electing Tlh,)i,as Fee
Slaughter chairman and Matthew Jewett clerk.''his cismontane leislature, OLD FORT AT BooNESDOIroUocT, 1775.
the earliest popular body that assemibled
on this side of the Apalachian nimountains, was addressed by Colonel Ienderson,
on behalf of himself and his associates, in a speech of sufficient dignity and of excellent sense. A compact was entered into between the proprietors and the col(niiists, by which a free, manly, liberal governmelnt was established over the terri
tory. The most important parts of this Kentucky Magna Charta were: I st. That
the election of dele,gates should be annual. 2d(. Perfect freedom of opinion in matters of ri-eligion. 3d. That judges should be appointed by the proprietors, but answerable for mal-conduct to the people; and that the convention have the sole
power of raising and appropriating all moneys and e]ecting their treasurer.']'his
epitome of substantial freedom and manly, rational government, was solemnly cxecuted under the hands and seals of the three proprietors acting for the company,
and Thomas Slaughter acting for the colonists. T''he purchase of Henderson from
the Cherokees was afterward annulled by act of the Virginia legislature, as being
contrary to the chartered rights of that state. But, as some compensation for the
services rendered in opening the wilderness, and preparing the way for civilization, the legislature granted to the proprietors a tract of land twelve miles square,
on the Ohio, below the mouth of Green River." *
The fort at Boonesborough was built in 1775. The engraving is from a
drawing by Col. Henderson. The structure must have been about 260 feet
* Mr. henderson was born in Hanover county, Virginia, in 1735. When a boy his father
removed to North Carolina and became county sheriff, and the son obtained much of his
education in his father's office. Ie studied law, showed talents of the highest order, and
was elevated to the bench of the superior court. In 1779, Judge Henderson was appointed
commissioner to extend the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina into Powell's Valley. In the same year he opened an office at French Lick, afterward Nashville,
for the sale of his lands. ie died in 1785, aged 50 years. His four sons studied law and
attained distinction.
t
KENTUCKY.
68
KENTUCKY.
lon, and 150 feet broad. It was several times attacked by the Indians, but
always unsuccessfully. The last time was in September of 1778, when the
enemy appeared in great force..
"There were nearly five hundred Indian warriors, armed and painted in the usual
manner, and what was still more formidable, they were conducted by Canadian
officers, well skilled in the usa,ges of modern warfare. As soon as they were arraved in front of the fort, the JBritisli colors were displayed, and an officer, wvith a
flag, was sent to demand the surrender of the fort, with a promise of quarter and
good treatment in case of compliance, and threatening the'hatchet' in case of a
storm. Boone requested two days for consideration, which, in defiance of all experience and common sense, was granted.'ihis interval, as usual, was employed
in preparation for an obstinate resistance. The cattle were brouglit into the fort,
the horses secured, and all things made ready against the commenercement of hostilities.
Boone then appeared at the gate of the fortress, and conmmutnicated to Capt. Duquesne, their leader, the resolution of his men to defend the fort to the last extremity.
Disappointment and clhagrirn were strongly painted upon the face of the Canadian
at this answer, but endeavoring to disguise his feelings, hlie declared that Gov. Hamilton had ordered him not to injure the nien if it could be avoided, and that if nine
of the principal inhabitants of the foirt M ould come out and treat with them they
would instantly depart without fui ther hostility.
The word "treat" sounded so pleasantly in the ears of the besieged that they
agreed at once to the proposal, and iBoone himself, attended by eight of his men,
went out and mingfled with the sava-ges, who crowded around them in great nunmbers, and with countenances of deep anxiety. The treaty then c(mmenceed and
was soon concluded, upon which Duquesne informed 3Bo,ne that it was iL custom
with the Indians, upon the conclusion of' a treaty with the whites, for two warriors
to take hold of the hand of each swhite man.
13oone thought this rather a singulair custom, but there was no time to dispute
al)out etiquette, particularly, as hlie could not be more in their power than he already was, so he s ignified his willingness to conform to the Indian mode of cementing friendship. Instantly, two warriors approached each white man, with the
word'brother' upon their lips, but a very different expression in their eyes, and
grappling him with violence, attempted to bear him (ff'. They probably (unless
totally infatuated) expected such a consummation, and all at the same moment
sprung from their enemies and ran to the fort, under at heavy fire, which fortunately
only wounded one man.
The attack instantly commenced by a hleavv fire aQrainst the picketing, and was
returned with fatal accuracy by the garrison. The Indiams quickly sheltered themselves,. and the action lbecame more cautious and deliberate. Finding but little
effect from the fire of his men, Duquesne next resorted to a more formidable mode
Df attack. The fort stood on the south bank of the river, within sixty yards of the
water. Commluencing under the bank, where their operations were concealed from
the garrison. they attempted to push a mine into the foirt. Their object, however,
was fortunately discovered by the quantity of fresh earth which they were compelled to throw into the river, and l)y which the water became muddy for some
distance below. Boone, who had regained his usual sag,acity, instantly cut a trench
within the fort in such a manner as to intersect the line of their approach, and
thus frustrated their design.
The enemy exhausted all the ordinary artifices of Indian warfare, but were
steadily repulsed in eve-ry effort. Finding their numl)ers daily thinned by the deliberate but tatal fire of the garrison, and seeing no prospect of final success, they
broke up on the ninth day of the siege, and returned home. The loss of the garrison was two inen killed and four wounded. On the part of the savages, thirty.
seven were killed and many wounded, who, as usual, were all carried off."
Dau(ville, county seat of Boyle county, is situated in a fertile district of
country, on a small branch of the KentuckyRiver, 40 miles south from Frankfort and 35 from Lexington. It contains 9 churches, 2 banks, the Kentucky
69
KENTUCKY.
Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (an elegant building), several mills and factories, and about 2,500 inhabitants. Center College, chartered in 1819, is located here; the Rev. Dr. Chamberlain became its first president in 1823.
There are also here 2 female academies and a theological institute. Ihe
town was laid out by Walker Daniel, who gave it its name; it was established
by the legislature in 1787, and was for many years the seat of government
for Kentucky. The first court house and jail in the limits of Kentucky were!
erected here, and here the first constitution of state government was formed.
]P:(i,is, Shelbyville, C>gnthiana, Versailles, Carrolton, Georyetown and -Bard.stown are all important towns in this part of the state, the largest of which
has a population of 2,500. That well known Catholic institution, St. Joseph's College, is at Bardstown, and Georgetown College is at Georgetown.
P(aducah, the seat of justice for McCracken county, situated at the mouth
of Tennessee River, is an important shipping port, 347 miles below Louisville. It is a place of active business, and a great amount of agricultural
products are brought down the Tennessee River to this place, consisting of
tobacco, pork, live stock, etc., it being the depot for the product of the valley
of that streami. It
...........~ lhas large ware,-_ houses, 2 banks,
______ _. 10 churches, a
large number of
/____________ i==_ _stores, and about
_____/ ==_____~~ __= ~ __ _5,000 inhabitants.
/_____: —== -\ It was laid out in
/ = _.. >:_:_ i1827 by General
_______~_ X_~ - A C T _ William Clark, of
St. Louis, brother
________~_ __~='i_ of Gen. George
Rogers Clark,
LI.-mNDI-G AT PADUCA,. and named after
the Indian chief
Paducah, whlo once resided in this reoion. The town is substantially built,
and has a very thriving appearance, being the largest and miostiuilportant
place in Kenticky west of Louisville. I-Ion. Linn Boyd resided in this vicinity, where lie died in 1859. He was speaker of the house of representatives from 1851 to 1855, and in 18S2 was p-roiniient as a candidate of the
democratic party for the nomination for the presidency.
Ietlder)-sol, capital of Henderson county, 12 miles below Evansville and
210 below Louisville, is the principal shipping point on the Ohio for the tobacco, corn and other riclh products of the fertile valley of Green River. It
is a thriving business town, and has about 3,000 inhlabitants. Slithlal,
on the Ohio, just below the mouth of the Cumberland, is a point for the reshipment of goods up that river. Owe,tsboro, capital of Daviess county, 155
miles below Louisville, on the Ohio; Hi(zkmat, capital of Fulton county, on
the Mississippi, 35 miles below the mouth of the Ohio, in the extreme southwestern corner of the state, are both busy towns, each having, about 2,500 inhabitants. Boiwling Green, Hopkinsville and Rutsselville are county seats and
important interior towns in Lower Kentucky, with each firom 2,000 to 3,000)
inhabitants. Coluanbus, a village of about 1,200 inhabitants, on the Mississippi, 25 miles below Cairo, is the terminus of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.
70
_____ ___ ~~~~~~~~~~oiloweu uuu uii,,
law of emigrants, of' es....... __~~peeially eultivati ns
those crops to which
they had been aecus
totiired on the soil of
their birth.
+:-'-':'-: "It is a curi o us fietet in
":......:.....:'....the histoiry f toI Ia co thc it
up()n'i~~~ tll~the exports fro m this
eciintry f,ave ri ie(I hut
cvery little iu the last fifty
years; in 17(90, our couni -~ "'- try, in round iinbers,
sent abroad one 1-hundred
. ~n d eighteen thousand
ho(s hogsheads; in 1840, one
hundred and nineteen
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~T
_.thousand. This is one of
i the most curious facts de veloped in statistics, ind
may probably he directly
traced to the fact that tlir
population and wealth of
] European countries have
-not increased, and that
the duties levied upon its
i~ ~k ~~~~~~~~~~~~~introduction are as high~ — ~~ ~- a~~~~~~~~~~~,s can p~ossibly be borne.
, 1! 1 i,1'i!'it[!l'ti:,!11!1!t'[lli!1![lll' IIt:~i!11i!tt, iN~o article of cormmer,eice
A TOBriCCO PLA-N'i,rIN. pays a duty so enormotus,
compared with its home
prie as Aimeriican tobacco. From it is derived an important part of the revenue of
almost every European government. In (Ireat ilrita,tin, the import duty is three
slilllin,s sterlin, (seventy-five cents) per po(uud-al)()ut twelve liundred per cent.
upon the original cost-and two dollars per pimndl on manufitctured tobacco; thus fi)r
what her pei)ople give us less than two millions of dollars they pay to their own::overninent, for the privileg-e of using it, twenty-two millions of dollars, which is twice the
sum realized by the American pr,ducer for all the toba,c(o exported to every pYtrt
of the world! As might be supposed, the most stringent laws govern its introdtc
tion illtO that country, and a large fleet of ships and a heavy marine are supporited
to detect smugglers who alone traffic in this article. It is therefore not surpri.sing
that among all' the wonders of London, and all the creations of that great l'-ilylon
dediceated to commerce, few are so remarkable as thle government warehouscs used
for bonding or storing tobacco. Their interiors present such vast areas of,rolind(
that they become bewildering to the eye, and they never had any rivals in size until
the erIection of the Crvstal.-Palace. Almost as far as the eye can reach are alle s
of' hogsheads, whose nuniber is immense. In all convenient places are large secales
for weilghing, tofether with other apparatus connected with the operation of exam inin- the staple."
The amtout of the present prodluction of tobacco is all)out two hundred millions
of pounds. Thi home consumnption is increasirng faster than the population. Its
use is most detrim]ental to our Ie()ple by in(ireasing their inentil activity at the ex pense of their bodies, tllroug,h its continual strain lipoin the nervous systetn and
weakeninV of the appetite mn(l ditestive organs. It is at the seasons, of're:itest ex citenment that he wro) uses the pl.nt is cert tin to do) so in runwonted quantities. A
young volunteer, relitin" his,i x)erienc( at the lattle of lBuena VATistaI, truthfully
remarked, thlou,Ii in cotrse p hll ase, ()ur bo ys chewe lots of tobacco that d.iy!"
,So fscinatin the hllt)it, that few can 1b,'eak firom it; and lie who succee(ds should
1)e moi1e honored than hle wlio stormns a battery. Multitudes essay the trial; (enerally, they onilv make the,ood tesolution at the precise moment hien under the
exhilerating influcn(,e of a quid of extr-a sizLe rievolving against the inner wall of
their cheek.'Ihe correspon(.li'z (lenression tlhat succeeds the disuse is contini.
ally pressin foir the stimulus, with i. 1)(i-r alvin to that of a raging thirst. a(ly in
andi!;y out, week in and week out, monthi in and month out, until finally a weak
i,nei-nt -irrives, whlen the will i,rive,s and(l the victim flies for relief to'is chli,s
atain-only to repeat in the iuture a simillar futile attempt to escipe hi ensl.itent. A h aentleioan who lad ceased usingl it for five years statedl that t}ie desire
was even then continually uponi him. trid he'"woul _ive,invtlihing'" fori the indclulOence, were it not for the accompanying suffcring that he knew would aerllle.
tro}ta!tly few persons use tobacco to exess but acknowledge to thellvse that, in
their individual experience, the sum of misery from it a thoulsad fold outweighIjs
the sum (of gratification.
1 t is often amiusinr to w-itiess the resolution with iwhlih those who use t,il, I, o
part even teioporarily froiii thle induloeiti.c.' F nny Keiilble used to rclat, withi
great nlst,,, a cigar alventure she utet witii while trav(eline in (It,)r.ri. l: ili}pors
that the da(1y i as hot, the rot(as rol sI'l, in a iiivn,' lid-thlie paisenern in the
stare, herself an a "gentleman. s te livy veiile rintleid alon, thei re tingled,
with the dust that constantly penetrated its interior, the fumes of a most execraIle
cir'ar. Everly blast of the'Styg,iin fuirne' sent a triemor of deadly sickliess thirog(il
l]lnniv's hleart. The "entle'.nn i, her tirilin companion, remonstriLte, 1l with the
driver, explained the rnischief he n-as doinir, and proiniseid the independent Jh,
at t!he end of the journey, tlie re-oar(l of twen-o ty five clioice 1iavanas ir he would
thlr)w -av ay h lis vil e wi eed. 1The driver s ree)lly wa s,'Y es, ye, in a minutte,' but the
evil c,,mplained of continued until finatllv it became insutfler:)le.'Then it was that
F;.Lniy leaned out of the coach wiud(lw;-n, said,'Sir, Il appeall to your generositv
to wtiow) awa y that cigar, and I know, fi-ii the proverbial politeness of the;AmericaIs, that my request will be grantel.''Yes, yes,' said the driver, with somle trepidaztion,'I intended to do it, but I watnted first to smoke it short enou,gh to put iii
my ha!"
EARLY TIMIES AMON.1G TUIe, PIONEERS OF KENTUCKY.
Th'it ecceitrtie.n(l talented Meth lroodist pr(etcher, Peter Cartwright, has
ivTell inl his atito)ogriphy SotI', vwluli)le reuinrliscenees of life auong the
pioneers o' KentIucky, fr'om whichl we extract tlhis article as a valuable contribut.ioii to the history of the times:
I ws ltorn S%cVtembiir l, 17S), in.tilerst county, on Jamnes River, in the state
72
KENTUCKY.
KENTUCKY.
of Virginia. My parents were poor. AMy ftither vwas n soldier in the great sr gle for liberty, in the Revolutionirty war with (reat Britain. He served oNver two
years. My mother was an orl)lhan. Shortly after the unitedl colonies (lined tl.eir
independence, my parents mnoved to Kentucikv, "which was a new country. It wvls
an almost unblrokei x il(deroess fromn Virg,inia to Kentucky at that early (Iay,,n,l
thllis wilderness was filledl withi thous.ands of hostile Indians, and many th(iUsn(1s
of the emigrants to Kentuckv lo.4 their lives bly these sava,es. TrlIe -(i C no
roads for calrriages at that tinme, and altlo()uhl the emigrants moved bv tlioisiii(l.,
thev had to move on pack horses. Iainy ad ventlurous young men w ent to thlis n(lAv
country. The fall my fatlier moved, t ewere a grea t mianv families vwhlo joine(il
together for mutual safety, and started for Kentucky. ]esid(les the two l,u(lrel
fam,ilies thus united, there were one Ihundred( youing men, well arined, who waglcd
to guar(d these families throulgh, and, as a compensation, tlhey were to be stupported
for their services. After we struck the wilderness we rarely traveled(l a day I-ut we
passed somre white persons, murdered and sc( ]ed lvy the Indiins while going to
or returning from Kentucky. We traveled on til Suniday,'and, instead of resting
that day, the voice of the company was to move on.
lIt was a dark, cloudy day, misty with rain. Al-l y Indians were seen tlircughl
the dayv skulkin roundi by our (uards. Late in the ev-e(in,n we camne to what was
called "Camp DIefeat," here a number of emi-r',tnt fimnilies li(d been all iuidered 1y the sav-11es a shlort timne before. Here the coinar)ti-y cttlled a halt to etmp
for the night. It was; solemn, gloomy time; every h(art ni,iked with fear.
Soon the captain of our young men's conmpl,ny plac(le his men as sentine!s all
round the encampment. The stock and the wvomen and( children were lacIed in
the center of the encampment. M[ost of the rmen thlit wtrere i(eads of Iinmlies, w ere
placed around outsidje of the women and chilldlren. Those wl0o werel not place{ in
this po)ition, were or dered to t ake their stand outside still, in thle Ci e(]e of the ibrusl.
It was a dark, dismal night, and al- expected an att.ack froinom the Indians.
That night my fathetr was plaiced as a sentinel, with a go()d rifle, in tlhe edge of
the l]rush. Shortly after he took his stalnd, and all was quiet in the ca,iiip, lie
though-lt hlie heard soicethin nl, moing toward him, and griunting like a swine. l(ie
knew that there was no swine with the movini company, )tut it was so dark lie
could not see what it was. Presently he perceived a(lark ot)ect in the distance,
but nearer him thin at first, and believing it to l)e an Indian, aimiing to spling upon
him and murder himn in the dairk, lie leveled his rifle, and aimied ait the dark Iliup
as wvell as iie could, and fired. Iie soon foundl he hIl(Id h)it tlhe oljiect, for it flolinced
abouit at. terrille raie, a ainid ui f;ittiei. (aitlered h imself up) andi ran into caimp.
AW\hen his Oun fired(, tlele wC's aii awvful screaming tltrog-hout the encampment
by the women and tlhildren. 51v father wos soon inqiiire(l of as to lwhat vais tl-he
imatter. He toll the cir(utust'inces of' the ase, but some said he was scared
and wvanted an excus,ti to come in: but lie af,i:med that there wa s no mistake, that
there wAas sometling, and he had shot it; an(d if tlhey would get a light and sLo withl
him, it li(h did n(,t shIow tliem somnetlhinfr then theyy mighit call him a coNaidI tlorever. lTey cot i light andl went to the place,,n(l there found an Indian, with a
rifle in eie lhand1 inid a tonma.haw.Yk in the other, dead. -iy fatheir's rifle-ball had
struck the Indian nl'arlv central in the heai.
Wbhe(n we came w,ithnin seven miles of tle Crib Orchard, where there was a fort
and ihe first white settlement, it was nearly ni.l.ht. We halted, and a vote was
taken -li-ether we should L( O on) to the fort, or camp there for the night. Indiains
had l'een seen in or0 rear througlh the day. All wanted to go thlrough except seven
families, who refus,d to go any further that night. The main body went on, iut
they. the seven fimltiies, carelessly sti ipped off their clothes, laid down without any
gui,dls ind went to,, sleep. Some tinime in the ni(lit, about twenty-five Indians
rushed on0 tilei,, and every one, men, women, and children, was slain, except one
niani, wh-o spraln" li'oo. iiis bed ulnd r;in into the fort, barefooted and in his night
cl(,thes. t-ie brouglit the mielanchoily news o-)f the sltug,liter. These murderous
bands of sav-ag'es lived north of the Ohio lRiver, and would cross over into Kentucky, kill aind ste.il, and then recross the Ohio into their own country.
Kentucky was clainied by ni, particular tribe of Indians, but was regarded as a
commton hliuntingi-gound liv the various tribes, east, west, north, and south. It
73
KENTUCKY.
abounded in various valuable game, such as bulliflo, elk, bear, deer, turkeys, and
many other smaller game, and hence the Indians stru,ggled hard to keep the white
people from taking possession of it. It was chiefly settled by Virginians, as noble
and brave a race of men and women as ever drew the breath of life.
In the fatll of 1793, my father determined to move to what was then called the
Green Rliver country, in the southern part of the state of Kentucky. Hle did so,
and settled in Logan county, nine miles south of Russellville, the county seat, and
within one mile of the state line of Tennessee.
Lo,gan county, when ray father moved to it, was called " Rogues' Harlbor." Here
many refug(ees, from almost all parts of the Union, fled to escape justice or punishment; for although there was law, yet it could not be executed, and it was a despera,te state of society. Murderers, horse thieves, hig,hway robbers, and counterfeiters fled here until they combined and actually formed a majority. The honest
and civil part of the citizens would prosecute these wretched banditti, but they
would swear each other clear; and they really put all ltw at defiance, and carried
on such desperate violence and outr.age that the honest part of the citizens seemed
to be driven to the necessity of uniting and combining together, and taking the
law into their own hands, under the name of Regulators. This was a very desperate state of thin.
Shortly after the Renulators had formed themselves into a society, and est-at
lished their code of by-laws, on a court day at Russellville, the two bands met in
town. Soon a quarirel commenced, and a general battle ensued between the rogues
and Regulators, and they fought with guns, pistols, dirks, knives, and clubs.' Some
were actually killed, many wounded, the rogues proved victors, kept the grounld,
and drove the l,Regulators out of town. The Regulators rallied again, ihunted, klille(ld,
and lynched many of the rogues, until several of them fled, and left for parts unknownv. M,lany lives were lost on both sides, to the great scandal of civilized people. This is but a partial view of frontier life.*
WAhen lay father settled in Logan county, there was not a newspaper printed
south of' Green River, no mill short of forty miles, and no sclhools worth the name.
* The most notorious of the desperadoes who infested the settlements were two brother*
namedl Harpe, of whom Judge Hall, in his Westcrn Sketchles, has given this inairative:
In the fall of 1801 or 1802, a company consisting of two men and three women arr'ived
in Lincoln county, Ky., and encamped about a mile from the pr'esent town of Stanford.
'I'lie appeari':nce of the individuals composing this party was wild atnd rude in the extreme.
'I'!le one who seemed to be the leader of the band, wvas abov e the ordinarv stature of men.
His frime was bony and muscular, his breast biroad, his limbs gigrantic. His clothing was
unlcouthl aiid slihabbv, his exterior, weatherbeaten and dirty, indicatingr continual exposure
to the e'emeuts, and designating him as one whlo dwelt far from the habitations of men,
and miingled not in the courtesies of civilized lif. His countenance was bold and ferocious
and exceedingly i-pulsive, from its stionglv marked expression of villainiy. lis face
whlicli wa,s larger than ordinary, exhibited the lines of ungovernable passion, and the complexion announced that the ordinary feelings of the human breast were in him extii-uished.
Ilstead of the healthy hue which indicates the social emotions, there was a liv id tIluniatu
ral redness, resembling that of a dried and lifeless skin. His eye wits fearless and steady,
but it was also artful and audacious, glaring upon the beholder with an unpleas'nt fixediiess and brilliancy, like that of a ravenous aninal gloating on its prey. He wore no coi -
ering on his head, and the natural protection of thick coarse hair, ot' a fiery redness, uncombed and matted, gave evidence of long exposure to the rudest visitations of the sunbeam aiid the tempest. He wvas armed with a rifle, and a brioad leathlern belt, diawn closely
around his waist, supported a knife and a tomahawk. HIe seemed, in short, al outlaw,
destitute of all the nobler sympathies of human nature, and prepared at all points for assault or defense. The other man was smaller in size than him who led the pai ty, but simila.rly armed, having the same suspicious exterior, and a countenance equilly fierce and
siniister. The females were coarse, and wretclhedv attired.
The men stated in answer to the inquiry of the inhabitants, that their names were Harpe,
and that they were emigrants from North C-Lroliiia. They remained at their encampment
the greater part of two days and a night, spending the timne iii rioting, drunkenness and
debauchery. When they left, they took the road leatding to Green River. The day succeediug their departure, a report reachied the neighborho,od thlt a young geuntlemin of
wealth firom Virginia, named Lankford, had been robbed a,nd murdeci} oli whit was
74
KENTUCKY.
Sunday was a day set apart for hunting, fishling, horse racing, card playing, lalls,
dances, and all kinds oft jollity and mirth. We killed our meat out of the woods,
wvild; and beat otr meal and hominy with a pestle and mortar. We stretched a
deer skin over a hoop, burned holes in it with the prongs of a fork, sifted our iiieal,
baked our bread, eat it, and it was first-rate eating( too. We raised, or gathered
out of the woods, our own tea. VWe had sage, bohea, cross-vine, spice, and s..issafras teas, in abundance. As for coffee, I am not sure that I ever smelled it fo-r ten
years. We imade our suar out of the water of the maple-tree, and our molasses
too. These were great luxuries in those days.
We raised our own cotton and flax. We water-rotted our flax, broke it by hand,
scutcl)ed it; picked the seed out of the cotton with our fingers; our mothers and
sisters carded, spun, and wove it into cloth, and they cut and made our garments
and bed-clothes, etc. And when we got on a new suit thus manufactured, and
sallied out into company, we thought ourselves "so biq as anybody."
Timie rolled on, population increased fast around us, the country improved, horsethieves and imurderers were driven away, anid civilization advanced considerably.
Alinisters of different denominations came in, and preached through the country;
then called, and is still known as the "Wilderness Road," which runs through the Rockcastle hills. Suspicion immediately fixed upon the Harpes as the perpetrators, and Ciptaiiii B.lleDger, It the head of a few bold and resolute men, started in pursuit. They expe.'ieiiced great difficulty in following their trail, owing to a heavy fall of' snow, w hlicli had
obliterated Imost of their tracks, but finally came upon them while encamped in a bottom
on Green Riv er, near the spot where thle town of Liberty now stands. At first they made
a show of resistance, but upon being informed that ift' they did not immediately surrender,
thev would be shot down, they yielded themselves prisoners. They were brought back
to Stanford, and there examined. Among their effects were found some fine linen shirts,
miarked with the initials of Lankford. One had beeni pierced by a bullet and was stained
with blood. Thev had also a considerable sum of money, in gold. It was afterwarld ascertained that this was the kind of money Lalnkford had with him. The evidence against
them being thus conclusive, they were confined in the Stanford jail, but were afterward
sent loi trial to Danville, wvhere the district court was in session. Here they lbroke jail,
and succeeded in making their escape.
h'lhey wverc next heard of in Adair county, near Columbia. In passing throughl that
colunllty, they met a small boy, the son of Colonel Trabue, with a pillow-case of meal or
flour,.an article they probibly lneeded. This boy, it is supposed, they robbed and then
murde-ed, as he was never afterward heard of. Maniy years afterward, human bones, answetriiig the size of Colonel Trabue's son at the time of his disappearance, were tfound in
a sink ltole near the place awhere he was said to have been murdered. The Harpes still
shaped their course toward the mouth of Green River, mirking their path bv murders and
robberies of the most horrible.tnd brutal chalracter.'l'he district of countiy through which
thley paissed was at that time very thinly settled, and from this reason their outrages went
unpunished They seemed inspiued with the deadliest hatred against the whole human
race, and such was their implacabl)le misanthropy, that they were known to kill where there
w-as no temptation to iob. One of thleir victims was a little girl, found at some distance
from her home, whose tender age and helplessness would lhave been protection against any
but incarinate fiends.'Ihe last dreadful act of barbarity, which led to their punishment
and expulsion fiom the country, exceeded in atrocity all the others.
Assuming the guise of Methodist preachers, they obtained lodgings one nilght at a solitarv hiouse on the road. Mr. Stagall, the master of the house, was absent, but they found
his wife and children, and a stranger, who, like themselves, had stopped for the night.
Her e thev conv erse,l and made inquiries about the two noted Harpes, who were represented
as prowliig about the country. Whei they retired to rest, they contrived to secure an ax,
whic.h thev carried with them to their chamber. In the dead of night, thley crept softly
donn stfairs, and assassinated the whole fitmily, together with the stranger, in their sleep
and tlhen settincg fire to the house, ma,de their escape. When Stagall returned, he found
nlo vwiftc to wvelcome him; no home to receive him. Distracted with grief and rage, lie
turned lhii horse's head from the smoldering ruins,,and repaired to the house of Ca.ptaiii
John Leeper. Leeper was one of the most powerful men of his day, and fearless as powerhful. Collecting tfour or five other men well armed, they mounted and started in pursuit
of vengeance. It was agreed that Leeper should attack "Big Harpe," leaving "Little
Harpe" to be disposed of by Stagall. The others were to hold thenmselves in readiness
to atssist Leeper and Stagall, as circumstancee might require.
This part tfound the women belonging to the Harpes attending to their little camp bv
75
but the iTetlodist preachers were the pioneer messen,gers of salvation in these cnJl
of the earth. Even in IRogrues' fIarlor there was a 13Btptist church a few miles west
of my father's, and a Presbyterian congregration a few miles north, and the Meth-lodist Ebeinezer a few miles south.
Somewhere between 1800t) and 1801., in the upper part of IKenttucky, at a clmemorable place called "Cane tid re," there was appointed a sacram.nental nimeetin,/ by
some~ ~~~~~~1 ofa i s "ipi,.-inyunxetdiry
some of the Presbyterian ministers, at which meeting, seeminrly unexpeted y
mirnisters or people, the mighty power of God was displayed in a.- very extrator(linary minner; many were moved to tears, and bitter and loud ecryvin; fr f mecy.
The meetin,g was protracted for weeks. Ministers of almost all denominatinos
flocked in from ftr and near. The meeting was kept up by nig(ht and datv. Tlhousands heard of the mighty work, and came on foot, on horseback, in carriiages and
-wagons. It was supposed that there were in attendance at times during the meetin from twelve to twenty-five thousand people. Hundreds fell prostrate under tIhe
migbhty power of God, as men slain in battle. Stands were erected in the wood(s,
from liichli preachers of different churches proclaimed repentance toward (God
and f{tli in our Lord Jesus Christ, and it was supposed, by eye and ear witnesses,
that between one and two thousand souls were happily and powerfully converted
to God during the meeting. It was not unusual for one, two, three, and four to
seven preachers to be addressing the listening,, thousands at tile same time from the
different stands erected for the purpose. The heavenly fire spread in almnost every
direction. ltwas said, by truthful witnesses, that at times more than one thousatnd
persons broke out into loud shoutitng all at once, and that the shouts could be heard
for miles around.
Fgrow this camp-meetin,, for so it ought to be called. the news spread through all
the Churches, and throlih -ll the land, and it excited great wonder and surprise;
but it kindled a religious flame that spread all over Kentucky, and through imany
other states. And I niay here be permitted to say, that this waus the frst campgneetiiiy ever held ian the Uniiied States, and here our camp-meetings took their
rise.
To show the ignorance the early Method(list preachers had to contend with in
the western wilds, I will relate an incident that occurred to Wilson Lee, in Kentucky:
'Tlhere was in the congregation a very wicked Dutchman and his wife, both of
the road si'de; the men having gone aside into the woods to s.ioot an unfortunate traveler,
of the iiame of Smith, who had faillen into their hands, and whom the women had begged
might not be dispatched before their eves. It was this halt that enabled the pursuers to
overtake them. The women immediately gave the alarmni, and the miscrealnts, mounlting
their horses. h'hich were large, fleet and powerful, fled in separate directions. Leeper
singled out the Big Harpe, and being better mounted than his companions, soonii left them
fari behind. Little Harpe succeeded in escaping from Stagall, and he, with the rest of hlis
companions, turned an.d followed the track of Leeper and Big Harpe. After a clhise of
aboutl nine mile;, Leeper came within gun shot of the latter and fired. The ball entering
his thigh, passed through it and penetrated his horse, and both fell. Harpe's guln escaped
from his haid arid rolled some eight or teii feet down the bank. Reloading his rifle LeeTer ran to wlheie the wounded outlaw lay weltering in his biood, and found him with oine
tlhigh broken and the other crushed beneath his horse. Leeper rolled the horse a-way, and
set Harpe in an easier position. The robber begged that lie might not be killed. Leeper
told him that he had nothing to fear from him, but that Stagall was comirng up, and could
nriot probably be restrained. Harpe appeared very much frightened at hearing this, arid implored Leeper to protect him. In a few moments Stagall appeared, and without uitteriug a
word. raised his rifle anrid shot Harpe througho the head. They then severed the herid from
the ot,dy, and stuck it upon a, pole where the road crosses the creek, from which the )plaIce
was thein aimed and is vet called Harpe's He(id. Thus perished one of the boldest;1d
most rioted( freebooters that has ever appeared in America. Save courage, lie was wbithout
(once r.edeeming quality, and his death freed the country from a terror which had long paralyzed its boldest spirits.
The Little Harpe afterward joined the band of Mason, and became one of his most val
uable assistants in the dreadfiul trade of robbery and murder. He was one of the two
baidits t.lit, tempted by the reward for their leader's head, murdered him, and eventually
themselves suffered the penialty of the law as previously related.
76
KENTUCKY.
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lend circled south through Tennessee, near Nashville. The Presbyterians and
Alethodists in a great measure united in this work, met together, prayed together,
and preached together.
In this revival originated our camp-meetings, and in both these denominations
they were held every year, and, indeed, have been ever since, more or less. They
would erect their camps with logs, or franie them, and cover them with clapboards
or shing -les. They would also erect a shed, sufficiently large to protect five thllousand people from wind and rain, and cover it with boards or shingles; build a
large stand, seat the shed, and here they would collect together from forty to fifty
miles around, sometimes further than that. Ten, twenty, and sometimes thirty
ministers, of different denominations, would come together and preach night and
day, four or five days together; and, indeed, I have known these camp-meetings to
last three or four weeks, and great good resulted from them. I have seen more
than a hundred sinners fall like dead men under one powerful sermon, and I have
seen and heard more than five hundred Christians all shouting aloud the high
praises of God at once; and I will venture to assert that nmany happy thousands
were awakened and converted to God at these campmeetings. Some sinners
miocked, some of the old dry profestrs opposed, somle of the old starched Presbyterian preachers preached against these exercises, but still the work went on and
spread almost in every direction, gathering additional force, until our country
seeitied all coming home to God.
In this great revival the Methodists kept moderately balanced; for we had excellent preachers to steer the ship or guide the flock. But some of our memil)ers
ran wild, and indulged in some extravagancies that were hard to control. T''he
Presb)yterian preachers and memnbers, not being accustomed to much noise or
shouting,, when they yielded to it went into great extremes and downright wildness, to the great injury of the cause of God.
Col. Daniel Boone, the celebrated
pioneer of Kentucky, was born of
En,glish parentage, in Pennsylvania,
in 1734. When a small boy, his pa rents emigrated to the banks of the
Yadkin, in North Carolina. "At
that time the region beyond the Blue Ridge was an unknown wilderness to the
white people, for none had ventured thither, as far as is known, until about the
year 1750. It was almost twenty years later than this, when Boone was approAching the prime of life, that he first penetrated the great Valley of the Mississippi, in
compalny with others. He had already, as a bold hunter, been within the eastern
verge of the present Kentucky, but now he took a long'hunt' of about three years.
He had made himself familiar with the wilderness, and in 1773, in company withll
other families, he started with his own to make a settlement on the Kaii-tltck-ee
River. The hostile Indians conmpelled them to fall back, and Boone resided on the
Clinch River until 1775, when he went forward and planted the settlement of
Boonesborough, in the present Madison county, Kentucky. There he built (L log
fort, and in the course of three or four years several other settlers joined him. His
wife and daughters were the first white women ever seen upon the banks of the
Kentucky River. He became a great annoyance to the Indians, and while at the
Blue Licks, on the Licking River, in February, 1778, engaged with others in
making salt, he was captured by some Shawnee warriors from the Ohio country,
and taken to Chillicothe. The Indians became attached to him, and he, as adopted
into a family as a son. A ransom of five hundred dollars was off(lred f()r him, but
the Indians refused it. He at length escaped (in July following his (capture), wlhen
he ascertained that a large body of Indians were preparing to march against Boonesborough. They attacked that station three times before the middle of September,
but were repulsed. During Boone's captivity, his wife and children had returned
to the house of her father, on the Yadkin, where the pioneer visited them in ] 77,3
and remained with them for many months. He returned to Kentucky in 17S(),
with his family, and assisted Colonel Clark in his operations against the Indians in
the Illinois country."
78
KENTUCKY.
At the close of the war, Boone settled down quietly upon his farm. But he was
not lon, permitted to remain unmolested(l. His title, owing to the imiiperfect nature
of the land laws of Kentucky, was legally decided to be defective, and 1o)()ne was
dleprived of all claim to the soil which he had explored, settled, and so lbrLvely (lefeldedl. In 1795, disgusted with civilized society, he sought a new home in the
wilds of the far wrest, on the banks of the Missouri, then within the dominion of
Spain. He wa s treated there with kindness and attention by the public autlhorities,
anal he found the simple manners of that frontier people exactly suited to his peculiar habits and temper. With them he spent the residue of his days, and was
gathered to his fathers, Sept. 26tth, 1S'20, in the 86th year of his'age. He was )uried in a coffin which he had had made for years, and placed under his bied, ready
to receive him whenever he should be called fromn these earthly scenes. In the
summer of 1845, his remains were removed to Frankfort. In person, Boone was
five feet ten inches in hi,ght, and of robust and powerful proportions.! lie was ordinarilv attired as a hunter, wearing a hunting shirt and moccasins. His biographer, w,ho saw him at his residence, on the Missouri River, but a short time before
his death, says that on his introduction to Col. Boone, the impressions were those
of surprise, admiration and delight. In boyhood, he had read'of Daniel Boone, the
pioneer of Kentucky, the celebrated hunter and Indian fighter, and imagination
had portrayed a rough, fierce-looking, uncouth specimen of humanity, and of
course, at thiis period of life, a fretful and unattractive old man. But in every respect the reverse appeared. His high, bold forehead was slightly bald, and his silver
locks were combed smooth; his countenance was ruddy and fair, and exhibited the
simplicity of a child. HIlis voice was soft and melodious; a smile frequently played
over his features in conversation; his clothing was the coarse, plain nmanufacture
of the family, but everything about him denoted that kind of comfort which was
congenial to his habits and feejings, and evinced al happy old age. His room was
part of a rainge of log cabins, kept in order by his affectionate daughter and granddaug,hter, and every member of the household appeared to deli,lght in administering
to the comforts of "grandfather Boone," as he was familiarly called.
When age had enfeebled his once athletic framne, he made an excursio)n, twice a
year, to some remote hunting ground, employing a companion, whom he bound by
a written contract to take care of him, and should he die in the wilderness to bring
his body to the cemetery which he had selected as a final resting-place.
George Rogers Clark was
born in Albemarle county. Vir ginia, in 1752. Ile possessed
a most extraordinary military
genius, and became conspicu ously prominent in the con -14 ~quest and settlement of the
whole west. "He first appeared
in history as an adventurer be yond the Alleghanies, in 1772.
Ire had been engaged in the business of land-surveyor for some time, and that year
he went down the Ohio in a canoe as far as the mouth of the Great Kanawha, in
company with Rev. David Jones, then on his way to preach the gospel to the western tribes. He was captain of a company in Dunmore's army, which marched
against the Indians on the Ohio and its tributaries, in 1774. Ever since his trip
in 1772, he ardently desired an opportunity to explore those deep wildernesses in the
great valleys, and in 1775 he accompanied some armed settlers to Kentucky, as
their commander. During that and the following year, he traversed a great extent of country south of the Ohio, studied the chhracter of the Indians, and made
himself master of many secrets which aided in his future success. He beheld a
beautiful country, inviting immigration, but the pathway to it was made dangerous
!,v the enemies of the colonists, who sallied forth from the British posts at Detroit,
Kaskaskia and Vincennes, with Indian allies. Convinced of the necessity of possessing these posts, Clark submitted the plan of an expedition against thenm to the
Virginia legislature, and early in the spring of 1778 he was at the falls of the Ohio
(nose Louisville) with four companies of soldiers. There he was joined by Simon
79
KENT'UCKY.
Kenton, another b)old pioneer. ITe mnarched thlrough the wilderness toward thlose
important posts, and at the close of sunritner all but l)etroit wvere in his possession.
('lIrk was nt)w promoted to colonel, and was instructed to pa,cify tlhe vestern
tr;iles, i7 possible, and brinDr tlhen into friendly relations with the ALn(mica ns.
Wlilei thus engagied, he was informed of the re-capture of A in(etnnes. With his
usiual ener;?, and fillowecd by less than two hundred men, he traversed the drowned
lands If ilinois, througlh deep morasses an,(l snow floodis, in lFebruary, c 1 a I7, an(l on
tlhe l!)th of that mon-tli appeiared l)efore VAincennes.'o' the aisto,ishe(d,aris(on, i;
seemed a itf these roiiuhl Kentucklians had dropped from the c()ids, fi)r thle wh-ole
(otll rlly was inundat(1l. T'he fort was speedily siirrendered. an(l oiiiImander 11alnilton (,_overnor of )etroit), and several others, were sent to Virginiai as prisoners.
(')olonel Cla ik also captured a quantity of goods, under convoy troiil l)etroit, v1Tued
at F)(),0()) and havinr sufficiently garrisoned Vincennes aind the other l-ests, he
tprll,eetded to build lFort Jefferson, on the wvestern bank of the Mlississippi, belo the
(;hie. When Arnold invaded Virginia, in 1 781, Colonel Clhtk.ioined toi e fIrecs
iuniaer thle Blaron Steuien, and performed si(rnal service until tl e tritor (ld departed. lie wits promoted to the rank of britacdier the satue yellr, tiid went be-,ond
thie mnountains a_aiin, hopinr to orga nize an expedition aLgainst l)etroit. lis sehec
faied, and for awhilc Clark was in command of a post ait the I Falls of'e ()'Ile.
In the autumn of I 1$2, he penetrated the Indian country beteen t he iOhio aiid the
.ltes, wih a thousand men, and chastised the tribes severely for their iaar,iu(lin(,
0excIIusins into Kentucky, and awed them into comparatively pe.eftil re1ltios.
For these deeds, John Rlandolplh afterward called Clark the'iAmerican'lanibl4
who, by the reduction of those imilit(iry posts in the wilderness, obtained the l1ikes
for the northern boundary of our Union at the peace of 1783.' C,iark Imade Kentuckv his future homne, and d(luring W(VashinIton's administrationi, when (tenet, the
IFren h minister, attempted to or(ganlize a force in the west aotainst the Spl)aniards
Clark ai cepted from himi the conmmiission of mnaior-aenerl in the armies of France.
'I'h p-. oject was abandoned, andl the hero of the north wves,t never appe oared in
l.ul)ite liff e,fterward." General Clark was never married, and lie w as lon,, in infirm helth. li-le died in lFebruary, 1S18, and was buried at Locust (Grove, near
L,,~u isvill1e.
'C-et. Chiarles Scott was a native of Cumberland county, Virin'a. te raised
tle firs coinmpanv of volunteers in that state, south of the James Rtiver tihat actually
entered into the continental service. So match was he appreciaited tlil it in 1777 the
shlire-town of Poewhattan county was named in honor of him. (';ongress appointed
himi a })rigradier in thie continental armry on the 1st of April, 16777. lIe servedl with
distinction durin the war. and at itx termilinati, a he w ent to Kenttucky. lie settled
in W- Ioodfi)rd cotunty, in t}lat state, in 1 8 ). lie was w ith St. Clair at his defeat in
I 71,1, and in 17'64 lie emninanded a portion of Waine's 1rmy at tlhe battle of the
I'lallen Tlimber. lie was (oi-vernor ot Kenttucky from lSO8 to 1812. le (lied on
thie 22d of Octoler, 1820,,agt,ed seventy-.%oir years."
Scott was a man of strong ntura,-t] powers, but somewhat illiterate and rouch in
his manners. le was eccentric, and many amusing anecdotes.are related of riln.
Vhen a candidate for (governor, he was opposed by Col. Allen, at native of Kenticeky, who, in an address to the people whien Scott was present, made an eloquent apea]. The friends of the latter, knowing he was no orator, felt distressed for him,
liut Scott, nothing, daunted, mounted the stump, and addressed thle comp-any nearly
as follows:
"WVcll, boys, I am sure you must all be well pleased with the speech you have just heard.
It dloes my heart good to think we have so smart a man raised up among us here. IHe is a
native Kentuckian. I see a good many of you here that I brought out to this country wlhen
wilderness. At that time we hardly expected we should live to see such a smart man
ri.ised up among ourselves. You who were with me in those early times know we had no
time foi education, no means of improving from books. We dared not then go about our
ixiost common iaffirs without a-rms in our hands, to defend ourselves against the Indi.ins.
-,ut we guatrded and protected the country, and now every one can go where he plea.ses, lndI
you n)ow see what smart fellows are growing up to do their country honor. Jlut I thial it
would be a pity to mtake this nlln governor; I think it would be better to send him to Colngress. I dlon't think it requires a very smart manl to nialke a~ governor, if he has sense
enough to gather smart men about who can help him on with the business of state. It
Si")
KENTUCKY.
would suit a worn-out old wife of a man like myself. But as to this young man, I am very
proud of him, as much so as any of his kin, if any of them have been here to-day listening
to his speech." Scott then descended from the stump, and the huzzas for the old soldier
made the welkin ring.
Geti. Benjamini Logan, one of the most distinguished pioneers, was born in Vir
ginia, of Irish parentage. about the year 1742. Hle was a sergeant in Boquet's expedition, and was in Dunmore's campaign. In 1775, he came to Kentucky with
Boone, Henderson, and others. The next year he brought out his family, and
established a fort, called "Logan's Fort," which stood at St. Asaph's, about a mile
west of the present town of Stanford, in Lincoln county. That period is memorable in the history of Kentucky, as one of peculiar peril. The woods literally
swarmed with Indians. Having been reinforced by several white men, Logan determined to maintain himself at all hazards.
"Oni the 20th of May, 1777, this fort was invested by a force of a hundred Indians; and
on the morning of that day, ats some of the females belonging to it were engaged, outside
of the gate, ill milking the cows, the men who acted as the guard for the occasion, were
fired upon by a party of the Indians, who had concealed themselves in a thick canebrake.
One man was shot dead, another mortally wounded, anrid a third so badly, as to be disabled
fiom making his escape; the remainder made good their retreat into the fort, anrid closed
the gate. Harrison, one of the wounded men, by a violent exertion, ran a few paces and
fell. His struggles and exclamations attracted the notice, and awakene.d the sympathies,
of the inmates of the station. The frantic giief of his wife gave additional interest to
the scene. The enemy forbore to fire upon him, doubtless from the supposition that some
of the garrison would attempt to save him, in which event they were prepared to fire upon
them from the canebrake. The case twas a trying one; and there was a strong conflict between sympathy and dtity, on the part ot the garrison. The number of effective men had
been reduced from fifteen to twelve, and it was exceedingly hazardous to put the lives of
any of this small number in jeop'trdy; yet the lamentations of his family were so distressing, and the scene altogether so.moving, as to call forth a resolute determination to save
him if possible. Logan, always alive to the impulses of humanity, and insensible to fear,
volunteered his services, and appealed to some of his men to accompany him. But so appalling was thre danger, that all, at first, refused. At length, John Martin consented, arind
rushed, with Logan, from the fort; but he huid not gone far, before he shrunk from the
imminence of the danger, and sprung back within the gate. Logan paused for a moment,
then dashed on, alone and undaunted-reached, unhurt, the spot where Harrison lay threw him on his shoulders, and, amidst a tremendous shower (,f rifle balls, made a safe
and triumphant retreat into the fort.
The tbrt was now vigorously assailed by the Indian force, and as vigorously defended
by the garrison. The men were constantly at their posts, whilst the women were ractively
engaged in molding bullets. But the weakness of the garrison was not their only grievance. The scarcity of powder and ball, one of the greatest inconveniences to which the
settlers were not unf'requently exp.)sed(, began now to be seriously felt. There were no indications that the siege would be speedily abandoned; anid a protracted resistance seemed
impracticable, without an additional supply of the munitions of war. The settlements on
Holston could furnish a supplyv-but how was it to be obtained? And, even if men could
be found rash and desperate enough to undertake the journey, how improbable was it that
the trip could be accomplished in time for the relief to be available. Logan stepped forward, in this extremity, determined to take the dangerous office upon himself. Encouraging his men with the prospect of a safe and speedy return, he left the tort under cover
of the night. and, attended by two faithful companions of his own selection, crept cautiously through the Indian lines without discovery. Shunning the ordinary route through
Cumlberlanid Gap, he moved, with incredible rapidity, over mountain and valley-arrived
at the settlement on the Hoiston-procured the necessary supply of powder arid lead-im mediately retraced his steps, and was again in the fort in ten days from the time of his
departure. Hie returned alone. The necessary d'elav in the transportation of the stores,
induced him to intrust them to the charge of his companions; and his presence at St.
Asa.ph's was all-important to the safety of its inhabitants. His return inspired them with
fresh courage; and, in a few days, the appearance of Col. Bowman's party compelled the
Indians to retire."
In the year 1779, Inigan was first in command under Bowman, in his expedition
against the Indian town of Chillicothe. It failed through the imbecility of the com mander; but Log,an gained great credit fir his bravery and generalship on the occa sion. In the summer of 178X, he conducted a successful expedition against the
Indians in the Miami country. From this period until his death, Gen. Logan de
6
81
voted himself to the cultivation of his farm. He was a membcer of the convention
of 1792, which framed the first constitution of Kentucky. He died full of years
and of honors.
Gov. Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky, and the "hero of two wars."
was- of Welsh
descent, a n d
was born near
; < s / < ~H a a r s towvn,
Maryland, i n
1750. At the
age of 21 years
h e emigrated
t o Virginia,
ard engaged as a surveyor there, and in 1775, in Kentucky. Early in the Revclution he was, for a time, in the commissary department; but later, in 1780, he was
commissioned as a colonel by Virginia, and raised 300 riflemen. He gained greqt
distinction in several actions, especially in the important battle of King's Mountain, the turning point of the Revolution in the south. He was the most prominent officer in this celebrated victory, and originated the expedition which led to
it. After this he served under Gen. Marion.
In 1782, he was elected a member of the Legislkature of North Carolina, but
soon after returned to Kentucky, and settled down upon a farm for life.' He was
elected the first governor of the new state, and after an interval of comparative
repose, he was again the incumbent of that inmportant office in 1812. Another war
with Great Britain was then impending. The fire of 1776 still warmed his bosom,
and he called his countrymen to arms, when the proclamation of war went forth.
Henry Clay presented him with a sword, voted by the legislature of North Carolina for his gallantry at King's Mountain, thirty-two years before, and with that
weapon he marched at the head of four thousand Kentucky volunteers, toward the
Canada frontier, in 1813, though the snows of three score and three winters were
upon his head. He fought gallantly upon the Thames, in Canada; and for his
valor there, congress honored him with a gold medal. President Monroe appointed
him secretary of war in 1817, but he declined the honor, for he coveted the repose
which old age demands. His last public act was the holding of a treaty with the
Chickasaw Indians, in 1818, with General Jackson for his colleague. His sands
of life were now nearly exhausted. In February, 1820, he was prostrated by paralysis, yet he lived, somewhat disabled, until the 18th of July, 1826, when apoplexy terminated his life. He was then almost seventy-six years of age, and died
as he had lived, with the hope of a Christian."
Col. Richard M. Johnson, vice president of the United States, was born at Bryat's Station, five miles north-east of Lexington, in Oct., 1781. The outline of the
history of this one of the most distinguished natives of Kentucky, is given in the
monumental inscription, copied on page 908 of this work.
"Henry Clay was
born in Hlanovereounty,
i.', ~7 AVirginia, April 12,1777.
2 " t~~.~ //7 4n 2/ ~ttaving received a com mon school education,
he became at an early
age, a copyist in the
office of the clerk of the
court of chancery, at
Richmond. At nine teen he commenced the
study of law, and shortly afterward removed to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was admitted to the bar
in 1799, and soon obtained extensive practice. He began his political career, by
taking an active part in the election of delegates to frame a new constitution for
the state of Kentucky. In 1803, he was elected to the legislature by the citizens
KENTUCKY.
82
KENTUCKY.
of Fayette county; and in 1806, he was appointed to the United States senate for
the remainder of the term of General Adair, who had resigned. In 1807, he was
again elected a member of the general assembly of Kentucky, and was chosen
speaker. In the following year occurred his duel with Humphrey Marshall. In
1809, he was again elected to the United States senate for the unexpired term of
Mr. Thurston, resigned. in 1811, he was elected a member of the house of representatives, and was chosen speaker on the first day of his appearance in that body,
and was five times re-elected to this office. During this session, his eloquence
aroused the country to resist the aggressions of Great Britain, and awakened a national spirit. In 1814, he was appointed one of the commissioners to negotiate a
treaty of peace at Ghent. Returning from this mission, he was re-elected to congress, and in 1818, he spoke in favor of recognizing the independence of the South
American Republics. In the same year, he put forth his strength in behalf of a
national system of internal improvements. A monument of stone, inscribed withI
his name, was erected on the Cumberland road, to commemorate his services in
behalf of that improvement.
In the session of 1819-20, he exerted himself for the establishment of protection to American industry, and this was followed by services in adjusting the Missouri (compromise. After the settlement of these questions, he withdrew from
congress, in order to attend to his private affairs. In 1823 he returned to congress
and was re-elected speaker; and at this session he exerted himself in support of
the independence of Greece. Under John Quincy Adams, hlie filled the office of
secretary of state; the attack upon Mr. Adams' administration, and especially upon
the secretary of state, by John Randolph, led to a hostile meeting between him and
Mr. Clay, which terminated without bloodshed. In 1829 he returned to Kentucky;
and in 1831 was elected to the United States senate, where he commenced his labors in favor of the Tariff; in the same month of his reappearance in the senate,
he was unanimously nominated for president of the United States. In 1836, he
was re-elected to the senate, where he remained until 1842, when he resigned, and
took his final leave, as he supposed, of that body. In 1839, he was again nominated for the presidency, but General Harrison was selected as the candidate. He
also received the nomination in 1844, for president, and was defeated in this election lay Mr. Polk.
lie remained in retirement in Kentucky until 1849, when he was re-elected to
the senate of the United States. Here he devoted all his energies to the measures
known as the Compromise Acts. His efforts during this session weakened his
strength, and helm-ent for his health to Havana and New Orleans, but with no permanent advantag,e; he returned to Washlington, but was unable to participate in
the active duties of the senate, and resigned his seat, to take effect upon the 6thli
of September, 1852.L He died in Washington City, June 29, 1852. He was interested in the success of the Colonization Society, and was for a long time one of
its most efficient officers, and also its president."
Gen, Zachary Taylor was a Virginian born, and a Kentuckian bred. In 1785,
while he was an infant a year old, his parents moved to the vicinity of Loui.sville. At the age of 24 years, he entered the army as lieutenant of infantry, and
continued in the service of his country until his death, while holding the position
of President of the United States, July 9, 1850, at the age of 65 years. His biography is written in honorable lines in the history of his country, and his memory
is warmly cherished in the hearts of her people.
83
I
O HIO.
THE territory now comprised within the limits of Ohio was, originally,
part of that vast region formerly claimed by France, between the Alleghany
and Rocky Mountains, known by the
general name of Louisiana. It re ceived its name from the river that
forms its southern boundary. The
word Ohio, in the Wyandot, signifies,
_"Jc' "_ or "beautifitl river," which
______was the name given to it by the
French, the first Europeans who cx plored this part of the country.
The disastrous expedition. under
La Salle,.who was murdered by his
own men, did not abate the ardor of
the French in their great plan of ob taining possession of the vast region
westward of the English colonies.
- Iberville, a French officer, having in
ARMS o OHI Oo. charge an expedition, sailed from
France to the Mississippi. He entered the mouth of this river, and proceeded upward for.several hundred
miles. Permanent establishments were made at different points, and from
this time, the French colonies west of the Alleghanies increased in numbers
and strength. Previous to the year 1725, the colony had been divided into
quarters, each having its local governor, but all subject to the superior council geeneral of Louisiana One of these quarters was established north-west
of the Ohio.
Before the year 1750, a French post had been fortified at the mouth of
the Wabash, and a communication opened with Canada, through that river
and the Maumee. About the same time, and for the purpose of checking
the French, the "Ohio Company" was formed, and made some attempts to
establish trading houses among the Indians.
The claims of the different European monarchs to large portions of America, were founded on the first discoveries of their subjects. In 1609, the
English monarch granted to the London Company, a tract of land two hundred miles along the coast, "up into the land throughout fromi sea to sea, west
and north-west." In 1662, Charles II granted to certain settlers on the Con
85
necticut, a tract which extended its present limits north and south, due
west to the Pacific Ocean.
In. 1749, the year after the formation of the Ohio Company, it appears that
the English built a trading house upon the Great Miami. In 1752, this was
destroyed, after a severe battle, and the traders were carried away to Canada.
This was the first British settlement in this section of which we have any
record. The Moravian missionaries, prior to the American Revolution, had
a number of stations within the limits of Ohio. As early as 1762, the missionaries, Heckewelder and Post, were on the Muskingumn. Mary Heckewedler, the daughter of the missionary, is said to have been the first white
child born in Ohio.
After Braddock's defeat, in 1755, the Indians pushed their excursions as
far as the Blue Ridge. In 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, having dispersed the Indian forces besieging Detroit, passed into the Wyandot country by way of
Sandusky Bay. A treaty of peace was signed by the chiefs and head men.
The Shawnees, of the Scioto River, and the Delawares, of the Muskingum,
however, still continued hostile. Col. Boquet, in 1764, with a body of troops,
marched from Fort Pitt into the heart of the Ohio country, on the Muskingum River. This expedition was conducted with great prudence and
skill, and with scarcely any loss of life. A treaty of peace was effected with
the Indians, who restored the prisoners they had captured from the white
settlements. The next war with the Indians was Lord Dunmore's, in 1774.
In the fall of the year, the Indians were defeated at Point Pleasant, on the
Virginia side of the Ohio. Shortly after, peace was made with the Indians
at Camp Charlotte. a few miles north of the site of the city of Chillicothe.
During the Revolutionary war, most of the western Indians were more or
less united against the Americans. In the summer of 1780, Gen. Clark led
a body of Kentuckians against the Shawnees. Old Chillicothe, on the Little Miami, was burnt on their approach, but at Piqua, on Mad River, six
miles below the site of Springfield, they gave battle to the whites and were
defeated. Their towns, Upper and Lower Piqua, were destroyed. In March,
1782, a party of Americans, in cold blood, murdered 94 of the defenseless Moravian Indians, within the limits of Tuscarawas county. In June following,
Col. Crawford, at the head of about 500 men, was defeated by the Indians,
three miles north of the site of Upper Sandusky, in Wyandot county. Col.
Crawfbrd was taken prisoner in the retreat, and burnt at the stake with horrible tortures.
After the close of the Revolutionary war, the states which owned western
unappropriated lands, with a single exception, ceded their lands to the United
States. Virginia, in 1784, ceded all her claim to lands north-west of the
Ohio. In 1786, Connecticut also ceded her claim of soil and jurisdiction to
all the territory within her chartered limits west of Pennsylvania. She also,
in May, 1801, ceded her jurisdictional claims to all that territory called the
"Western Reserve of Connecticut." New York and Massachusetts also
ceded all their claims. Numerous tribes of Indians, by virtue of their prior
possession, asserted their respective claims, which, also, had to be extinglished, for which purpose treaties with the several tribes were made at various times.
The Indian title to a large part of the territory within the limits of Ohio
haviJg become extinguished, legislative action on the part of congress became necessary before commencing settlements. In 1785, they passed an
ordinance for deternmining the mode of disposing of these lands. Under that
86
OHIO.
OHIO.
ordinance, the first seven ranges, bounded on the east by Pennsylvania and
on the south by the Ohio, were surveyed. Sales of parts of these were made
in New York in 1787, and sales of other parts of the same range were made
at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. No further sales were made in that dis trict until the land office was opened in Steubenville, July 1, 1801.
In October, 1787, the U.S. board of treasury sold to Manassah Cutler and
Winthrop Sargeant, the agents of the New England Ohio Company, a tract
of land, bounded by the Ohio, from the mouth of the Scioto to the intersec tion of the western boundary of the seventh range of townships then sur veying: thence by said boundary to the northern boundary of the tenth
township from the Ohio, etc. These bounds were altered in 1792. The set tlement of this purchase commenced at Marietta, at the mouth of the Mus kingum, in the spring of 1788, and was the first settlement formed in Ohio.
The same year in which Marietta was first settled, conIgress appointed Gen.
Arthur St. Clair governor. The territorial government was organized, laws
were made or adopted by the governor and Judges Parsons and Varnuim.
The county of Washington, embracing about half the territory within the
present limits of Ohio, was established by the proclamation of the governor.
,. short time after the settlement had commenced, an association was formed
ander the name of the "Scioto Lan(i Compai,y." A contract was made for
the purchase of part of the lands of the Ohio Company. Plans and descriptions of these lands being sent to France, they were sold to companies and
individuals. On Feb. 19, 1791, two hundred and eighteen of these purchasers left France, and arrived at Alexandria, Va., firom whence thiey went
to Marietta, where about fifty of them landed: the remainder of them proceeded to Gallipolis, which was laid out about that time. Their titles to the
lands proving defective, congress, in 1798, granted them a tract on the Ohio,
above the mouth of the Scioto River, called the "Fren,ch Grant."
In January, 1789, a treaty was made at Fort Harmar, between Gov. St.
Clair and the Wyandots, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, and Sacs, in which former treaties were renewed. It did not, however, produce the favorable results anticipated. The Indians, the same year, assumed a hostile appearance, hovered around the infant settlements at the mouth of the Muskingum,
acl between the Miamis. Nine persons were killed, the new settlers became
alarmed, and block houses were erected.
Negotiations with the Indians proving unavailing, Gen. Harmar was directed to attack their towns. He marched firom Cincinnati, in Sept., 1790,
with 1,300 men, and went into the Indian country near the site of Fort
Wayne, in north-western Indiana, and, after somue loss, succeeded in burning
towns, and destroying standing corn, but the object of the expedition in
intimidating the Indians was entirely unsuccessful. As the Indians continued
hostile, a new army was assembled at Cincinnati, consisting of about 3,000
men, under the command of Gov. St. Clair, who commneneed his march toward
the Indian towns on the Maumee. On the 4th of Nov., 1791, when near the
present northern line of Darke county, the American army was surprised
about half an hour before sunrise, as there is good reason to believe, by the
whole disposable force of the north-west tribes. The Americans were
totally defeated: upward of six hundred were killed, among whom was Gen.
Butler.
In the spring of 1794, an American army assembled at Greenville, in
Darke county, under the command of Gen. Anthony Wayne, consisting of
about 2,000 regular troops, and 1,500 mounted volunteers from Kentucky.
87
The Indians had collected their whole force, amounting to about 2,000 warriors. near a British fort at the foot of the rapids of Maumee. On the 20th
of Aug., 1794, Gen. Wayne encountered the enemy in a short and deadly
conflict, when the Indians fled in the greatest confusion. After destroying
all the houses and cornfields in the vicinity, the victorious army returned to
the mouth of the Auglaize, where Wayne erected Fort Defiance. The Indians, being convinced of their inability to resist the American arms. sued
for peace. A grand council of eleven of the most powerful tribes assembled
at Greenville, when they agreed to acknowledge the United States their sole
protector, and never to sell their lands to any Qther power.
At this period there was no fixed seat of government. The laws were
passed whenever they seemed to be needed, at any place where the territorial
legislators happened to assemble. The population of the territory continued
to increase and extend. From Marietta, settlers spread into the adjoining
country. The Virginia military reservation drew a considerable number of
Revolutionary veterans and others from that state. The region between the
Miamis, from the Ohio far upward toward the sources of Mad River, became
chlequered with farms. The neighborhood of Detroit became populous, and
Connecticut, by grants of land within the tract reserved in her deed of cession, induced many of her citizens to seek a home on the borders of Lake
Erie.
The territorial legislature first met in 1799. An act was passed confirming
the laws enacted by the judges and governor, the validity of which had been
doubted. This act, as well as every other which originated in the council,
was prepared and brought forward by Jacob Burnet, afterward a distinguished
judge and senator, to whose labors, at this session. the territory was indebted
for some of its most beneficial laws. William H. Harrison, then secretary of
the territory, was elected delegate to cotngress. In 1802, congress having approved the measure, a convention assembled in Chillicothe and formed a state
constitution, which became the fundamental law of the state by the act of the
convention alone, and by this act Ohio became one of the states of the federal
union.
The first general assembly under the state constitution met at Chillicothe,
March 1, 1803. Eight new counties were made at this session, viz: GaIlia,
Scioto, Franklin, Columbiana, Butler, Warren, Greene and Montgomery.
In 1805, the United States, by a treaty with the Indians, acquired for thin
use of the grantees of Connecticut all that part of the Western Reserve which
lies west of the Cuyahoga. By subsequent treaties, all the country watered
by the Maumee and Sandusky was acquired, and the Indian title to lands
in Ohio is now extinct.
About the year 1810, the Indians, who, since the treaty at Greenville, had
been at peace, began to commit depredations upon the western settlers. The
celebrated Tecumseh was active in his efforts to unite the native tribes against
the Americans, and to arrest the further extension of the settlements. In
1811, Gen. Harrison, then governor of Indiana territory, marched against
the Indians on the Wabash. The battle of Tippecanoe ensued, in which the
Indians were totally defeated. In the war of 1812, with Great Britain, Ohio
bore her full share in the contest. Her sons volunteered with alacrity their
services in the field, and hardly a battle was fought in the north-west in
which some of these citizen soldiers did not seal their devotion to their country in their blood.
In 1816, the seat of government was removed to Columbus. In 1817, th~
88
OHIO.
OHIO.
first resolution relating to a canal connecting the Ohio River with Lake Erie
was introduced into the legislature. In 1825, an act was passed "to provide
for the internal imnprovement of the state by navigable canals." The construction of these and other works of improvement has been of immense advantage in developing the resources of Ohio, which in little more than half a
century has changed from a wilderness to one of the most powerful states of
the union.
Ohio is bounded N. by Michigan and Lake Erie, E. by Pennsylvania and
Virginia, W. by Indiana, and southerly by Kentucky and Virginia, being
separated from these last named two states by the Ohio River, which washes
the borders of the state, through its numerous meanderings, for a distance of
more than 430 miles. It is about 220 miles long from E. to W., and 200
from N. to S., situated between 38~ 32' and 42~ N. Lat., and between 80~ 35'
and 84~ 40' W. Long. The surface of the state covers an area of about
39,964 square miles, or 25,576, 960 acres, of which about one half are improved.
The land in the interior of the state and bordering on Lake Erie is generally level, and in some places marshy. From one quarter to one third of
the territory of the state, comprising the eastern and southern parts bordering
on the Ohio River, is hilly and broken. On the margin of the Ohio, and
several of its tributaries, are alluvial lands of great fertility. The valleys of
the Scioto and the Great and Little Miami are the most extensive sections of
level, rich and fertile lands in the state. In the north-west section of the
state is an extensive tract of great fertility, called the "Black Swamp," much
of which, since the year 1855, has been opened into farms with unprecedented rapidity. Though Ohio has no elevations which may be
termed mountains, the center of the state is about 1,000 feet above the level
of the sea. The summit of the abrupt hills bordering on the Ohio, several
hundred feet high, are nearly on a level with the surrounding country through
which the rivers have excavated their channels in the lapse of ages.
Ohio possesses in abundance the important minerals of coal and iron. The
bituminous coal region commences at the Ohio River, and extends in a belt,
between the Scioto and Muskingum Rivers, nearly to Lake Erie. Great quantities of iron ore are found in the same section in a bed about 100 miles long
by 12 wide, said to be superior to any other in the United States for the finer
castings. Salt springs are frequent and very valuable. Marble and freestone, well adapted for building purposes, abound. Almost all parts are suitable for agricultural purposes, and the state ranks among the first in the products of the soil. Indian corn is the staple production. Large crops of
wheat, great quantities of pork, butter, cheese and wool are annually produced. The grain crops of Ohio are very large; the estimate for 1860, a
favorable year, was: Indian corn, 80 millions of bushels; wheat, 30 millions;
and oats, 20 millions. It is estimated that the whole state has the natural
capacity to feed 18 millions of people. Population in 1800 was 45,365; in
1820, 581,434; in 1850, 1,980,408, and in 1860, 2,377,917.
MARIETTA, the capital of Washington county, and oldest town in the state,
is beautifully situated on the left or east bank of the Muskingum, at its confluence with the Ohio, 104 miles south-east of Columbus, 62 below Wheeling,
Va., and 300, by the river, above Cincinnati. It is built principally on level
ground, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Many of the houses are constructed with great neatness, having fine gardens, and ornamental trees and
89 -
shrubbery, which mark the New England origin of its population. The
founders of the town comprised an unusual number of persons of refinement
and taste. Very many of them had served as officers in the armies of the
revolution, and becoming ruined in their fortunes in the service of their country, were thus prompted to seek a new home in the wilds of the west. MIarietta College, in this place, was chartered in 1835, and is one of the most respectable institutions of the kind in the state. Population about 5,000.
In the autumn of 1785, a
~,~~~ ~ detachment of U. S. troops,
under the command of Maj.
i~~~~ K ~Doughty, commenced the
erection of Fort Harmar, on
~'' the west bank of the Musk _- -~' ingum. It was named in
,~< _ la Low ~~~honor of Col. Hlarmar, to
whose regiment Major
!S~~.w ~ _ A _Doughty was attached. In
the autumn of 1787, the di rectors of the Ohio Company
|l organized in New England,
preparatory to a settlement.
~Add ~.~~~ In the course of the winter
following, a party of about
SOUTIIERN VIEW OF TIHE ANCIENT OUND, M3ARIETTA. 40 men, under the superin The engraving shows the appearance of the Mound as seen tendence of Col Rufus Putfront the dwelling of Mr. Roeseter, in Marietta, opposite the
grave-yard. Its base is a regular circle, 115 feet in diamieter;, nami, proceeded over the Alits perpendicular altitude i, 30l feet. It is surrounded by a dith le,hanies by the old Indian
4 feet deep and 15 wide, defended by a p~arapet 4 feet high,
through which is a gate-way. path which had been opened
into Braddock's road, and
boats being constructed, they proceeded down the river, and on the 7th of
April, 1788, landed at the mouth of the Muskingum, and laid the foundation
of the state of Ohio.
"As St. Clair, who had been appointed governor the preceding October, had not
yet arrived, it became necessary to erect a temporary government for their internal
security, for which purpose a set of laws was passed and published, by being nailed
to) a tree in the village, and Return Jonathan Meigs was appointed to administer
them. It is a strong evidence of the good habits of the people of the colony, that
during three months but one difference occurred, and that was compromised. Indeed, a better set of men altogether could scarce have been selected for the purpose than Putnam's little band. Washington might well say,'no colony in America
was ever settled under such favorable auspices as that which was first commenced
at the Muskingum. Information, property and strength will be its characteristics.
I know many of the settlers personally, and there never were men better calculated
to promote-the welfare of such a community.'
On the 2d of July, a meeting of the directors and agents was held on the banks
of the Mluskingum, for the purpose of naming the new-born city and its public
squares. As the settlement had been merely'The Muskingum,' the name Marietta
wvas now formally given to it, in honor of Marie Antoinette.
On the 4th of July, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum, who, with
S. H. Parsons and John Armstrong, had been appointed to the judicial bench of
the territory, on the 16th of October, 1787. Five days later, the governor arrived,
and the colony began to assume form. The ordinance of 1787 provided two district grades of government for the north-west territory, under the first of which the
whole power was in the hands of the governor and three judges, and this form was
at once organized upon the governor's arrival. The first law, which was'for regu
OHIO.
. 90
OHIO.
.atingr and establishing the militia,' was published upon the 25th of July, and the
iext day appeared the governor's proclamation, erecting all the country that had
been ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the county of WVaslihington.
From that time forward, notwithstanding the doubt yet existing as to the Indians, all at Marietta went on prosperously and pleasantly. On the 2d of Septeiber, the first court was held, with becoming ceremonies, which was thile first civil
court ever convened in the territory north-west of the Ohio.
The procession was formed at the Point (where most of the settlers resided), ill
the following order: 1st, the high sheriff, with his drawn sword; 2d, the citizens;
3d, the officers of the garrison at Fort Harmar; 4th, the members of the bar; 5th,
the supreme judges; 6th, the governor and clergyman; 7th, the newly'.ppointed
judges of the court of common pleas, generals Rufus Putnam and Benj. Tupper.
They marched up a path that had been cut and cleared through the forest to
Campus Martins Hill (stockade), where the whole counter-marched, and the judges
(Putnam and Tupper) took their seats. The clergymain, Rev. Dr. Cutler, then invoked the divine blessing. The sheriff, Col. Ebenezer Sproat (one of nature's nobles), proclaimed with his solemn'Oh yes' that a court is opened for the adininistration of even-handed justice to the poor and the rich, to the guilty and the innc,cent, without respect of persons; none to be punished without a trial by their
peers, and then in pursuance of the laws and evidence in the ease.' Although this
scene was exhibited thus early in the settlement of the state, few ever equaled it
in the dignity and exalted character of its principal participators. Many of them
belonf, to the history of our country, in the darkest as well as most splen(dll periods of the revolutionary war. To witness this spectacle, a large body of Indians
wNas collected from the most powerful tribes then occupying the almost entire west.
They had assembled for the purpose of making a treaty. Whether any of them
entered the hall of justice, or what were their impressions, we are not told."'
___~ffi
~ _~ffi
Campuis Jfarties, tat Marietta, in 179].
Soon after landing, Campus Mlartius, a stockaded forit, was begun on the
verge of that beautiful plain, overlooking the Muskingum, on which are
seated those celebrated rein Lins of antiquity, but it was not completed with
palisades and bastions until the winter of 1790-1. It was a square of 180
feet on a side. At each corner was a strong block-house, surmounted by a
tower and sentry-box:
These houses were 20 feet square below, and 24 feet above, and projected 6 feet
beyond the curtains, or main walls of the fort. The intermediate curtains were
built up with dwelling houses, made of wood, whipsawed into timbers four inches
thick, and of the requisite width and length. These were laid ip similar to the
91
OlIlO.
structure of log houses, with the ends nicely dove-tailed or fitted together so as to
make a neat finish. The whole were two stories high, and covered with good shingle roofs. Convenient chimneys were erected of bricks, for cooking and warming
the rooms. A number of the dwelling houses were built and owned by private individuals, who had families. In the west and south fronts were'strong gateways;
and over that in the center of the front looking to the Muskingum River, was.a
belfry. The chamber underneath was occupied by the Hon. Winthrop Sargeant,
as an office, he being secretary to the governor of the N. W. Territory, Gen. St.
Clair, and performing the duties of governor in his absence. The dwellingl houses
occupied a space from 15 to 30 feet each, and were sufficient for the accommodation of forty or fifty families, and did actually contain from 200 to 300 persons,
men, women and children, during the Indian war.
Before the Indians commenced hostilities, the block-houses were occupied as follows:-the south-west one by the family of Gov. St. Clair; the niorth-west one for
public worship and holding of courts. The south-east block-house was occupied
by private families; and the north-east as an office for the accommodation of the
directors of the company. The area within the walls was 144 feet square, and afforded a fine parade ground. In the center was a well, 80 feet in depth, for the
supply of water to the inhabitants in case of a siege. A large sun-dial stood for
many years in the square, placed on a handsome post, and gave note of the march
of time. It is still preserved as a relic of the old garrison. After the war commenced, a regular military corps was organized, and a guard constantly kept night
and day.'rhe whole establishment formed a very strong work, and reflected great
credit on the head that planned it.
Ship building, at Marietta, was carried on quite extensively at an early day.
From the year 1800 to 1807, the business was very thriving. Com. Abin.
Whipple, a veteran of the Revolution, conducted the one first built, the St.
Clair, to the ocean.
At that time Marietta was made "a port of clearance," from which vessels could
receive regular papers for a foreign country. "This circumstance was the cause
of a curious incident, which took place in the year 1806 or.1807. A ship, built at
Marietta, cleared from that port with a ca,rgo of pork, flour, etc., for New Orleans.
From thence she sailed to England with a load of cotton, and being chartered to
take a cargo to St. Petersburg, the Americans being at that time carriers for half
the world, reached that port in safety. Her papers being examined by a naval
officer, and dating from the port of Marietta, Ohio, she was seized, upon the plea
of their being a forgery, as no such port was known in the civilized world. With
considerable difficulty the captain procured a map of the United States, and pointing with his finger to the mouth of the Mississippi, traced the course of that stream
to the mouth of the Ohio; from thence he led the astonished and admiring naval
officer along the devious track of the latter river to the port of Marietta, at the
mouth of the Muskingum, from whence he had taken his departure. This explanation was entirely satisfactory, and the American was dismissed with every token
of regard and respect."
One of the early settlers in this region, gave Mr. Howe, for his work on
Ohio, the annexed amusing sketch, illustrating pioneer life:
People who have spent their lives in an old settled country, can form but a faint
idea of the privations and hardships endured by the pioneers of our now flourishing and prosperous state. When I look on Ohio as it is, and think what it was in
1802, when I first settled here, I am struck with astonishment, and can hardly
credit my own senses. When I emigrated, I was a young man, without any prop
erty, trade, or profession, entirely dependent on my own industry for a living. I
purchased 60 acres of new land on credit, 2 1-2 miles from any house or road, and
built a camp of poles, 7 by 4 feet, and 5 feet high, with three sides and a fire in
front. I furnished myself with a loaf of bread, a piece of pickled pork, some potatoes, borrowed a frying pan, and commenced housekeeping. I was not hindered
from my work by company; for the first week I did not see a living soul, but, to
make amends for the want of it, I had every night a most glorious concert of
92
wolves and owls. I soon (like Adam) saw the necessity of a help-mate, and persuaded a young woman to tie her destiny to mine. I b)uilt a log-hotlse 2()'ect
square-quite aristocratic in those days —and moved into it. I was fortnlllLte
enough to possess a jack-knife; with that I made a wooden knife and( two w()o(len
forks, which answered admirably for us to eat with. A I)edstead was wnlted( I
took two round poles for the posts, inserted a pole in them for a side rail, two otl-her
poles were inserted for end pieces, the ends of which were put in the lo,,s of the
house-some puncheons were then split and laid from the side rail to the crevi(.e
between the logs of the house, which forne(ld a substantial bed-cord, on which we
laid our straw bed, the only one we had-on which we slept as soundly and woke as
happy as Albert and Victoria.
A Pioneer Dwellinig iln the IJoods.
In process of time, a vard and a half of calico was wanted; I startedl on foot
through the woods ten miles to Marietta, to procure it; but alas! when 1 arrived
there I found that, in the absence of both money and credit, the calico was not to
be obtained. The dilemma was a serious one, and how to escape I could not devise; but I had no sooner informed my wife of my failure, than she suggested that
I had a pair of thin pantaloons which I could very well spare, that would make
quite a decent frock: the pants were cut up, the frock made, and in due time, the
child was dressed;
The longr winter evenings were rather tedious, and in order to make them pass
more smoothly, bvy great exertion, I purchased a share in the Belpre library 6 miles
distant. From this I promised myself much entertainment, but another obstacle
presented itself-I had no candles; however, the woods afforded plenty of pine
knots-with these 1 made torches, by which I could read, though I nearly spoiled
my eyes. Many a night have I passed in this manner, till 12 or 1 o'clock reading
to my wife, while she was hatcheling, carding or spinning. Time rolled on, the
payments for my land became due, and money, at that time, in Ohio, was a cash
article: however, I did not despair. I bought a few steers; some I bartered for
and others I got on credit-my credit having somewhat improved since the calico
expedition-slung a knapsack on my back, and started alone with my cattle for Rom.
ney, on the Potomac, where I sold them, then traveled on to Litchfield, Connecti.
cut, paid for my land, and had just $1 left to bear my expenses home, 600 miles
distant. Before I returned, I worked and procured 50 cents in cash; with this and
my dollar I commenced my journey homeward. I laid out my dollar for cheap
hair comb)s, and these, with a little Yankee pleasantry, kept me very comfortably
at the private houses where I stopped till I got to Owego, on the Susquehanna,
where I had a power of attorney to collect some money for a neighbor in Ohio.
OHIO.
93
OHIO.
At Mariietta are some ancient works, which, although not inore remarkable than others in the state, and not so extensive as some, are more generally
known, from having been so frequently described by travelers. They are on
an elevated plain, above the present bank of the Muskingum, on the cast
side, and about half a mile from its junction with the Ohio. They consist
of walls and mounds of earth in direct lines, and in square and circular
forms. The largest square fort, or town. contained ab)ut forty acres, encompassed by a wall of earth, from six to ten feet high. On each side were
three openings, probably gateways. On the side next the Mluskingum there
was a covert way, formed of two parallel walls of earth, upward of 200 feet
apart, extending probably, at the tinme of their construction, to the river.
There was also a smaller fort, consisting of 20 acres, hlaving walls, gateways
and mounds. The mound in the present graveyard is situated on the southeast of the smaller fort. The following inscriptions are copied froim monuments in this yard:
Sacred to the memory of Commodore ABRAHAM WHIPPLE,, whose naval skill and courage
will ever remain the pride and boast of his country. In the RE.VOLUTION, he was the first
on the seas to hurl defiance at proud Britain, gallantly leading the way to wrest from the
mistress of the seas her scepter, and there wave the star spangled banner. Hle also conducted to the sea the first square rigged vessel ever built onl the Ohio, opening to commerce
resources beyond calculation. I-e was born Sept. 26th, A.D. 1733, and died May 26th, 1819,
aged 85 years.
Gen. RUFUS PUTNAM, died May 4, 1824, in the 87th year of his age.
Here lies the body of his Excellency, RETURN JONATHAN MEITGS, who was born at Mid.
dletown, Connecticut, Nov. -, 1766, and died at Marietta, March 29, 1825. For many
years his time and talents were devoted to the service of his country. tie successively filled
the place of Jutldge of the Territory North-west of the Ohio, Senator of Congress of the
United States, Governor of the State, and Post Master General of the UInited States. Te
the honoured and revered memory of an ardent Patriot, a practical Statesman, an enlightened Scholar, a dutiful Son, ain indulgent Father, an affectionate Husband, this monument
is erected by his mourning widow, Sophia Meigs.
In memory of Doctor SAMUEL HILDRETH, a native of Massachusetts, who died at Belpre,
August 6th, A.D. 1823, aged 73 years.
Death is the good man's friend-the messenger who calls him to his Father's house.
MARTHA BRAIN.ERD, daughter of Dr. Joseph Spencer, Jr., and grand-daughter of Maj.
Gen. Joseph Spencer, officers in the army of the Revolution in 1775, the latter a member
of the Continental Congress of 1778, born at Lebanon, Connecticut, Jan. 18, 1782, married
in Virginia to Stephen Radeliff Wilson, May 20th, 1798, died at Marietta, Jan. 10th, 1852.
GALI,IPOLIS, the county seat of Gallia county, one of the oldest towns in
Ohio, is pleasantly situated on the Ohio River, 102 miles south-easterly from.
Columbus, and contains about 2,800 inhabitants. It was settled in 1791, by
a French colony, sent out under the auspices of the "Scioto Company,"
which appears to have been in some way connected with the Ohio Company.
The agents of the Scioto Company, in Paris, were Joel Barlow, of the
United States; Playfair, an Englishman; and a Frenchman, named De Saisson. A handsome, but deceptive French map was engraved, and glowing,
representations of the country were given, and, being about the beginning
of the French Revolution, the "flattering delusion" took strong hold. The
terms to induce emigration were as follows: The company proposed to takes
the emigrant to their lands and pay the cost, and the latter bound himself
to work three years for the company,v. for which hlie was to receive fifty acres,
94
oHIO..
a house, and cow. About five hundred Frenchmen left their native country,
debarked mostly at Alexandria, Va., and made their way to the promised
land.
The location of Gallipolis was effected just before the arrival of the
trench. Col. Rufus Putnam sent Maj. Burnham, with about 40 men, for
G(Il!;ipolis, i. e. Io'ouwii of the Fi-e, ch, ill 1791.
that purpose, who iii tde the clelrii(g, and erected block-houses and cabins on
the present p)ublic square. Eighty log( c-biins were constructed, 20 in eaIch
row. At each of the cor,iers were block-hlouses, two stories high. Above
the cabins, on the s(luare, were two other parallel rows of cabins, which, with
:L high stockade fetice, formed a sufficient fortification in times of danger.
These upper cabins were a story and a half high, built of hewed logs, and
finished in better style than those below, being intended for the richer class.
The following is fromi a commnunication to the American Pioneer, from one
of the colonists, Waaldeura,rd Meulette:
At an early meeting of the colonists, the town was named Gallipolis (town of
the French). I did not arrive till nearly all the colonists were there. 1 descended
the river ill 1791, in fliat boats, loaded with troops, commanded by Gen. St. Clair,
destined for an expedition against the Indians. Some of my countrymen joined
that expedition; amnong others was Count Malartie, a captain in the French guard
of Louis XVIl. General St. Clair made him one of his aids-de-camp in the battle,
in which hlie was severely wounded. He went back to Philadelphia, from whence
hlie returned to France. The Indians were encouraged to greater depredations and
murders, by their success in this expedition, but most especially against the American settlements. From their intercourse with the French in Canada, or some
other cause, they seemed less disposed to trouble us. Immediately after St. Clair's
defeat, Col. Sproat, commandant at Marietta, appointed four spies for Gallipolistwo Americans and two French, of which I was one, and it was not until after the
treaty at Greenville, in 1795, that we were released.
Notwithstanding the great difficulties, the difference of tempers, education, and
professions, the inhabitants lived in harmony, and having little or nothing to do,
made themselves agreeable and useful to each other. The Americans and hunters,
employed by the company, performed the first labors of clearing the township,
which was divided into lots.
Although the French were willing to work, yet the clearing of an American
95
wilderness and its heavy timber,'vas far more than they could perform. To migrate from the eastern states to the "far west," is painful enough now-a-days, but
how much more so it must be for a citizen of a large European town! Even a
farmer of the old countries would find it very hard, if not impossible to clear land
in the wilderness. Those hunters were paid by the colonists to prepare their garden ground, which was to receive the seeds brought from France; few of the colonists knew how to make a garden, but they were guided by a few books on that
sub.ject, which they had brought likewise from France. The colony then began to
improve in its appearance and comfort. The fresh provisions were supplied by the
company's hunters, the others came from their magazines.
Breckenridge, in his Recollections, gives some reminiscences of Gallipolis,
related in a style of charming simplicity and humor. He was then a boy of
nine years of age:
Behold me once more in port, and domiciled at the house, or inn, of Monsieur, or
rather, Dr. Saugrain, a cheerful, sprightly little Frenchman, four feet six, English
measure, and a chemist, natural philosopher and physician, both in the English and
French si,gnification of the word.... This singular village was settled by people
from Paris and Lyons, chiefly artisans and artists, peculiarly unfitted to sit down
in the wilderness and clear away forests. 1 have seen half a dozen at work in
taking down a tree, some pulling ropes fatstened to the branches, while others were
cutting around it like beavers. Sometimes serious accidents occurred in consequence of their awkwardness. Their forminer employment had been only calculated
to administer to the luxury of highly polished and wealthy societies. There were
carvers and gilders to the king, coach makers, freizurs and peruike makers, and a
variety of others who might have found somne employment in our larger towns, but
who were entirelv out of their place in the wilds of Ohio. Their means bv this
time had been exhausted, and they were beginning to suffer from the want of the
comforts and even the necessaries of life. The country back from the river was
still a wilderness, and the Gallipotians did not pretend to cultivate anything more
than small garden spots, depending for their supply of provisions on the boats
which now began to descend the river; but they had to pay in cash, and that was
become scarce. They still assembled at the ball-room twice a week; it was evident, however, that they felt disappointment, and were no longer happy. The predilections of the best among them, being on the side of the Bourbons, the horrors
of the French revolution, even in their remote situation, mingled with their private
misfortunes, which had at this time nearly reached their acme, in consequence of
the discovery that they had no title to their lands, having been cruelly deceived by
those from whom they had purchased. It is well known that congress generously
made them a grant of twenty thousand acres, from which, however, but few of them
ever derived any advantage.
As the Ohio was now more frequented, the house was occasionally resorted to,
and especially by persons looking out for land to purchase. The doctor had a small
apartment which contained his chemical apparatus, and I used to sit by him as
often as I could watching the curious operation of his blow-pipe and crucible. I
loved the cheerfal little man, and he became very fond of me in return. Many of
my countrymen used to come and stare at his doings, which they were half inclined
to think had a too near resemblance to the black art.
The doctor was a great favorite with the Americans, as well for his vivacitv and
sweetness of temper, which nothing could sour, as on account of a circumstance
which gave him high claim to the esteem of the backwoodsmen. He had shown
himself, notwithstanding his small stature and great good nature, a very hero in
combat with the Indians. He had descended the Ohio in company with two
French philosophers, who were believers in the primitive innocence and goodness
of the children of the forest. They coutld not be persuaded that any danger was to
be apprehended from the Indians; as they had no intentions to injure that people,
they supposed no harm could be meditated on their part. Dr. Saugrain was not
altogether so well convinced of their good intentions. and accordingly kept his pis tols loaded. Near the mouth of the Sandy, a canoe with a party of warriors ap proached the boat; the philosophers invited them on board by signs, when they
96
Ollio.
OHIO.
,,t,~ ~... I,. di I n coingoord of thboat
'ai.ie rathier too wi!ling-lv. Thle first thin,, tiey did on conlin on board Of th bea
was to salute the two philosopihers with the toniahawk' and thoey would have treated
thle (octor in tlhe siame wav but that he used his pistols wvitih good eflFeoct-killed two
of the sa vages, and taen leaped into the waiter, diving like a dipper at the flash of
the _ uns of the others. and succeedced in swimming, to the shore with several severe
'wounIdS w-hose sears were conspicuous.
The doctor was miarried to an amiable young woman, I-)ut not possessing as much
vivacity as hiliself. As [Iladarn Saugriaiii hadi no maid to assist her, her brother, a
boy of niy age, and invselt weire her principal helps in the kitchen. We broughtIt
water and wood, and waIshed the dislhes. 1 used to go in the mnorning about fw'o
two miles for a little ilk, sometimes on the frozen ground, barefo)oteld. I triedI a
pair of stvors, or wooden shoes, biut wis unable to niake iany use of them, although
they hadl been made bv the carver to the king. Little perquisites, too, somlitimies
fell to ()ur Sliare fioin baclkin( b(oots and shoes, my companion generzlly sa-ved
his, while mite c i-oul( hive burned a hole in Iy pocket if it hald reranined there.
]n the spriL rtn(gd sumuler, a good dleal of miy timne was passed in the garden, weeding, tihe ds. While t hus engaged, I f ned an acquaintaince vith a y oung lady,
of eihteen ori tent, o l the othel si(le of thle p-ilings, vwho was often similarly occutpied. Oiir'irienrllhip, which was purely Il"atonic, conimenced with thle story of
Bl-ue Beard, recounted by her, and with the novelty and pathtos of which 1 was
minch interested.
Soon after Brelkenridge left the pl.ce. but in 1S07 again saw Gallipolis:
As w-e pisseed Point Pleasisant aInd the lslarid below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for with
anxioi:s feeiligs, liove in soiht. I thoulght of the French inlhabitiants-I thoughlt of my
fi eiind d'i,i.., anId I re,iallie, i'i the lixvelie.t colors, the incidents of that portion of my ~
1i'e hIici wai ps.ed h e A vear is a lon, time at that period-every diy is crowded
w-itih ueci iaiil great and stikiiing event. WVhien the boat ]landed, I ran up the batk arid
l()ol edl atoil; but las! howin changoed! The Americain s had talken the t)own in hand,
ald ii,o trace o artiqbit., tibt is, of twelve -e:is ago, remcained. I hastened to the spot
wiiere I expected to fi:il tile "ohde, the little l0og i,)iuse, ta;v-erni nd laboratory of the doctIn, llit the l had iaiil:eo( lilc. thmple 1 vof' Al0.l(din. Aftei some iinquiry, I found a little
F0eiell in-i who, like the old vomanii of Golds uith's villae, was'"thle sad' liistoiian of the
deseited )liii''-that is, deseLted b,y one race to be peopled by atiiother. He led me to
ahe'e a few i-,gs millit )je seen, as the oil reminains of the once happy tenemeit which had
ihe te:'ed in —it all around it was, comimoin; the town lhadl taken a different directioin.
Mv lie hrt sicklenedl; the picttire whicli mv inmagination had driiwn-the scenes wilich my
memory loved to cherishi, were blotted out and obliterated. A volume of reminisceuces
seemed to be annihiliLted in an instant! I took a hlasty glance at the new town as I retuitiied to tlhe boat. I saw bi!ick houses, painted fimes, fanciful inclosures, orniitriental
tiees. E eii the pon:1,! wichi had carried off a tl,ird of the French population by its mnili.ril, had disappre,iti, -i.id pretty green had usurped its place, with a neat brick court
house in t!ie midst of it. Thiis w-as too nmuch; I hastened my pace, and with sorrow once
more pushed in to the stream.
CINCINNATI, thle metropolis of Ohio, and capital of Ilanilton county, is on
the right ol northern bank of the Ohio, 116 miles south-west of Columbus,
455, by the course of tihe river, from Pittsburg, Pa.; 1,447 above New Orleans, by the 3IissiSSippi aud Ohio rivers; 518 west from Baltimore, 617
from Plhil,idelphia, 704 fr'om New York, 655 east from St. Louis, MIo., 492
from Washing,ton City. Lat. 390 6' 30"; Long. 840 27' W. from Greenwich,
or 7~ 25'W. W from AWaisington. It is the largest inland city in the United
States, and is fiequently called the "'Queen City of the West."
Soon after the first settlement of Ohio was commenced at' Marietta, several
parties were formed to occupy and improve separate portions of Judge
Syniiimes' purchase between the MIiami Rivers. The first, led by Maj. Stites,
lail out the town of Columibia, at the mouth of the Little Miami. The second
party, about twelve or fifteen in number, under MIatthias Denman and'Roblert
Patterson, after mnuch difflculty and danger, caused by floating ice in the
Oh'io, landed on its north bank, opposite the mouth of the Licking, Dec. 24,
7
". *e e.e
97
1788. Here they proceeded to lay out a town, which they called Losantiville, which was afterward chanied to Cincinnati. The original price paid
by IMr. Deniman for the land on which the city now stands, was, in value,
about fi.tJ?ec,nit pece per acre. A third party of adventurers, under the immediate care of Judge Symmes, located themselves at North Bend.
For some time it was a matter of doubt which of the rivals, Columbia, Cincinnati or North Bend would eventually become the seat of business. The
garrison for the defense of the settlements having been established at Cincinnati, made it the head-quarters and depot of the army. In addition to this,
%
I
..._.. AL. _...
__- _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ __ _ _~
~~;~ *
Ci~ciflnatifi o7it the Kentucky side of the Ohio.
Parts of Covington and Newport, Kyv., appear on the right; a, landiing, Cincinnati; b, the su)burb of
Fulton, up the Ohio, oni the left of which is East W alniit Mills, and through ashich passes the Little Miami
Railroa(d, leading to the eastern cities; c, 3toniit Adaims, on whlich is the Cincinnati Observatory; d, position of walnut Hills, three miles from the city; e, Mount Auburn, 48(0 feet alove the bed of the Ohio; f,
Vine-street Hill,: four miles beyond which are the elegant country seats at Clifton; g, valley of Mill-creek,
on which is Spring Grove Cemetery, and the railroad track to Dayton.
as soon as the county courts of the territory were organized, it was created
the seat of justice for Hamilton county. These advantages turned the scale
in favor of Cincinnati.
At first, North Bend had a decided advantage over it, as the troops detailed by Gen. Harmar for the protection of the Miami settlers were landed
there, through the influence of Judge Symmes. It appears, however, that the
detachment soon afterward took its departure for Cincinnati. The tradition
is, that Ensign Luce, the commander of the party, while looking out very
leisurely for a suitable site on which to erect a block-house, formed an acquaintane with a beautiful, black-eyed female, to whom he became much
attached. She was the wife of one of the settlers at the Bend. Her husband
saw the danger to which he was exposed if he remained where he was. He
therefore resolved at once to remove to Cincinnati. The ensign soon followed, and, as it appears, being authorized to make a selection for a military
work, he chose Cincinnati as the site, and notwithstanding the remonstrances
of Judge Symmes, he removed the troops and commenced the erection of a
block-house. Soon after Maj. Doug,hty arrived at Cincinnati with trqops
from Fort Harmar, and commenced the erection of Fort Washington. The
x The bulk of the German population is in that portion of the city between the base of
Mt. Auburn and Vine-street Hill. The line of the canal to Toledo cuts off the German settlement from the south part of the city. "Over the Rhine," i. e., over the canal, is, in
common parlance, the appellation given to that quarter. The total German population is
estimated at 40,000.
98
OHIO.
OHIO.
following details upon the history of the place is extracted from Howe's Hist.
Collections of Ohio.
Soon as the settlers of Cincinnati landed, they commenced erecting three or
four cabins, the first of which was built on Front, east of and near Mainstreet. The lower table of land was then covered with sycamore and maple
trees, and the upper with beech and oak. Through this dense forest the
streets were laid out, their corners being marked upon the trees. This survey
extended from Eastern Row, now Broadway, to Western Row, now Centralavenue, and from the river as far north as Northern Row, now Seventh street.
In January, 1790, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, then governor of the north-west
terri;tory, arrived at Cincinnati to organize the county of Hamilton. In the
succeeding fall, Gen. Harmar marched from Fort Washington on his expedition against the Indians of the north-west. In the following year (1791),
the unfortunate army of St. Clair marched from the same place. On his return, St. Clair gave Major Zeigler the command of Fort Washington and repaired to Philadelphia. Soon after, the latter was succeeded by Col. Wilkinson. This year, Cincinnati had little increase in its population. About
one half of the inhabitants were attached to the army of St. Clair, and many
killed in the defeat.
In 1792, about fifty persons were added by emigration to the population of
Cincinnati, and a house of worship erected. In the spring following, the
troops which had been recruited for Wayne's army landed at Cincinnati and
encamped on the bank of the river between the village of Cincinnati and
MIill-creek. To that encampmentWayne gave the name of "Hobson's choice,"
it being the only suitable place for that object. Here he remained several
months, constantly drilling his troops, and then moved on to a spot now in
Darke county, where he erected Fort Greenville. In the fall, after the army
had left, the smnall-pox broke out in the garrison at Fort Washi,ngton, and
spread with so much malignity that nearly one third of the soldiers and citizens fell victims. In July, 1794, the army left Fort Greenville, and on the
20th of August defeated the enemy at the battle of the "Fallen Timbers," in
what is now Lucas county, a few miles above Toledo. Judge Burnet thus
describes Cincinnati at about this period:
Prior to the treaty of Greenville, which established a permanent peace between
the United States and the Indians, but few improvements had been made of any
description, and scarcely one of a permanent character. In Cincinnati, Fort Washington was the most remarkable object. That rude, but highly interesting structure stood between Third and Fourth streets, produced east of Eastern Row, now
Broadway, which was then a two pole alley, and was the eastern boundary of the
town, as originally laid out. It was composed of a number of strongly built, hewed
log cabins, a story and a half high, calculated for soldiers' barracks. Some of them,
more conveniently arranged, and better finished, were intended for officers' quarters. They were so placed as to form a hollow square of about an acre of ground,
with a strong block-house at each angle. It was built of large logs, cut from the
ground on which it stood, which was a tract of fifteen acres, reserved by congress
in the law of 1792, for the accommodation of the garrison.
The artificers' yard was an appendage to the fort, and stood on the bank of the
river, immediately in front. It contained about two acres of ground, inclosed by
small contiguous buildings, occupied as work-shops and quarters for laborers.
Within the inclosure; there was a large two story frame house, familiarly called
the "yellow house," built for the accommodation of the quartermaster' general,
which was the most commodious and best finished edifice in Cincinnati.
On the north side of Fourth-street, immediately behind the fort, Col. Sargeant,
secretary of the territory, had a convenient frame house, and a spacious garden,
cultivated with care and taste. On the east side of the fort, Dr. Allison, the sur
99
ge(,n general of the army. had a. plain frame dwelling, in the center of a large lot
cultivated as a garden and fruitery, which was called Peach Grove. The Presbyterian Church an interesting edifice, stood on Main-street, in front of the spacious brick building now occupied by the First Presbyterian congregation. It was
a substantial frame building, about 40 feet by 30, inclosed with clapboards, but
neither lathed, plastered nor ceiled. The floor was of boat plank, resting on
wooden blo(cks. In that humble edifice the pioneers and their families assembled,
statedly for public worship; and, during the continuance of the war, they always
attended with loaded rifles by their sides. That building was afterward neatly
finished, and some years subsequently (1814) was sold and removed to Vine-street.
On the north side of Fourth-street, opposite where St. Paul's Chuirch now st tnds
there stood a frame school-house, inclosed, but unfinished, in which the cliildrer.
of the village were instruceted. On the north side of the public square, there was
a strong log building, erected and occupied as a jail. A room in the tavern of
George Avery, near the frog-pond, at the corner of Mtain and Fifth-streets, hadt
The First Church built in Cincinnati.*
been rented for the accommodation of the courts; and as the penitentiary system
had not been adopted, and Cincinnati was a seat of justice, it was ornamented with
a pillory, stocks and whipping-post, and occasionally with a gallows. These were
all the structures of a public character then in the place. Add to these the cabins
and other temporary buildings for the shelter of the inhabitants, and it will complete the schedule of the improvements of Cincinnati at the time of the treaty of
Greenville.
It may assist the reader in forming something like a correct idea of the appearance of Cincinnati, and of what it actually was at that time, to know that at the
-The engraving represents the First Presbyterian Church, as it appeared in February,
1417, and is engraved from a drawing then taken by Mr. Howe for his "Historical Collections of Ohio." It stood on the west side of Vine, just north of Fourth-street, on the spot
now occupied by the Summer Garden. Its original site was on the spot now occupied
bv the First Presbyterian Church, on Fourth-street. In the following spring, it was taken
down, and the materials used for the construction of several dwellings in the part of Cincin;.ti called Texas. The greater proportion of the timber was found to be perfectly sound.
In 1791, a number of the inhabitants formed themselves into a company, to escort the Rev.
;James Kemper from beyond the Kentucky River to Cincinnati; and after his arrival, a
subscription was set on foot to build this church, which was erected in 1792. This subscription paper is still in existence, and bears date January 16, 1792. Among its signers
were Gen. Wilkinson, Captains Ford, Peters and Shaylor, of the regular service, Dr. Allison, surgeon to St. Clair and Wayne, Winthrop Sargeant, Capt. Robert Elliott and others
principally citizens, to the number of 106, not one of whom survive.
.
OHIO.
100
OI-HIO.
intersection of Main and Fifth-streets there was a pond of water, fuill of aldeo
bushes, from which the frogs serenaded the neilghborhlood during the summer
and fall, and which rendered it necessary to construct a causeway of logs, to pass
it. That morass remained in its natural state, with its alders and its frogs, several
years after Mr. B. became a resident of the place, the population of whichie, including the garrison and followers of the army, was about six hundred. The fort was
then commanded by William H. Harrison, a captain in the army, but afterward
president of the United States. In 1797, Gen. Wilkinson, the comlmander-in-chief
of the army, made it his head-quarters for a few months, but did not, apparently,
interfere with the command of Capt. hlarrison, which continued till his resignation
in 1798.
During the period now spoken of, the settlements of the territory, including Cincinnati, contained but few individuals, and still fex,lr faimilies, who had )been accustomed to mingle in the circles of polished society. That fact put it in the power
of the military to give character to the manners and customns of the people. Such
~ ~
Th
7/I~'{/'
~-~~~ ~
/"~ ~~ ~~~~M; ~
L_______ _
__Th__
Cincinnati in 1802. Populationt about 800.
The engraving is from a drawing made by Wm. Buclknail, Esq., now of Loidon, England. The principal
part of the village was upon the landing. Fort A'ashinigton (shown lbv the fla,g) wls tle m,ost conspicuous
object then in Cincinnati. Its site was on the sottlh side of Thiird-street, just west of Broadway, or, as
it was early called, Eastern Row.
a school, it must be admitted, was by no means calculated to make the most favorable impression on the morals and sobriety of any community, as was abundantly
proven by the result
Idleness, drinking and gambling prevailed in the army to a greater extent than it has
done to any subsequent period. This ma,y be attributed to the faet that they had been
several years in the wilderness, cut off from all society but their own, witlh but few
comforts or conveniences at hand, and no amusemnents but such as their own ingenuity could invent. Libraries were not to be found-men of literary minds, or
polished manners, were rarely met with; and they had long been deprived of the
advantage of modest, accomplished female society, which always produces a salutary influence on the feelings and moral habits of men. Thus situated, the officers
were urged, by an irresistible impulse, to tax their wits for expedients to fill up the
chasms of leisure which wsere left, on their hands, tfter a full discharge of their mniltary duties; and, as is too frequently the case, in such circumstances, the bottle,
the dice-box andl the cardl-table were among the expedients resorted to, because
they were the nearest,it land, and the most easily procured.
It is a distressing feact that a very large proportion of the officers under General
Wayne, and subsequently under Gen. Wilkinson, were hard drinkers. I-Harrison,
Clark, Shombl)erg, Ford, Strong, and a few others, were the only exceptions. Such
were the lhabl)its of the army when they began to aissociate with the inhabitants of
Cincinnati, and of the western settlemnents generally, and to give tone to public
sentiment. As a natural consequence, the citizens indulged in the same practices
101
and formed the same habits. As a proof of this, it may be stated that when'Mr.
Burnet came to the bar, there were nine resident lawyers engaged in the practice,
of whom he is and has been for many years the only survivor. They all became
confirmed sots, and descended to premature graves, excepting his brother, who was
a young man of high promise, but whose life was terminated by a rapid consumption, in the summer of 1801. He expired under the shade of a tree, by the side
of the road, on the banks of Paint creek, a few miles from Chillicothe.
On the 9th of November, 1793, Wm. Maxwell established, at Cincinnati, "the
Centinel of the North-Western Territory," with the motto, "open to all partiesinfluenced by none." It was on a half sheet, royal quarto size, and was the first
newspaper printed north of the Ohio River. In 1796, Edward Freeman became
the owner of the paper, which he changed to " Freeman's Journal," which he continned until the beginning of 1800, when he removed to Chillicothe. On the 28th
of May, 1799, Joseph Carpenter issued the first number of a weekly paper, entitled
the "Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette." On the 11th of January, 1794, two
keel boats sailed from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, each making a trip once in four
weeks. Each boat was so covered as to be protected against rifle and musket balls,
and had port holes to fire out at, and was provided with six pieces, carrying pound
balls, a number of muskets and ammunition, as a protection against the Indians
on the banks of.the Ohio. In 1801, the first sea vessel equipped for sea, of 100
tuns, built at MIarietta, passed down the Ohio, carrying produce; and the banks of
the river at Cincinnati were crowded with spectators to witness this novel event.
Dec. 19, 1801, the territorial legislature passed a bill removing the seat of gov
ernmenr from Chillicothe to Cincinnati.
January 2, 1802, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Cincinnati,
and the following officers were appointed: I)avid Zeigler, president; Jacob Burnet,
recorder; \Wm. Ramsay, D)avid E. Wade, Chas. Avery, John Reily, Wm. Stanley,
Samuel Dick, and Wm. Ruffner, trustees; Jo. Prince, assessor; Abram Cary, col lector; and James Smith, town marshal. In 1795, the town contained 94 cabins,
10 frame houses, and about 500 inhabitants.
Cincinnati is situated in a beautiful valley of about 12 miles in circumfer elce, surrounded by hills, which rise to the bight of about 500 feet. This
valley is divided nearly in the center by the Ohio River. On the Kentucky
side of the Ohio, the towns of Covington and Newport are situated in it, and
it is there pierced by the smaller valley of the Licking River, running south erly. On the Ohio side the valley is also pierced, below the settled part of
Cincinnati, by the valley of MIill creek, running northerly. Cincinnati is
laid out with considerable regard to regularity; the streets in the center of
the city being broad, and intersecting each other at right angles. Many of
the hills surrounding the city are adorned by stately and elegant mansions,
with ornamental grounds attached; while some of them are yet covered with
groves of ancient forest trees.
The greater part of the city is built on two terraces, or plains, sometimes
called "bottoms," of which the first is about 50, and the second 108 feet
above low water mark. These elevations, in grading, have been reduced
more nearly to a gradual ascent of from 5 to 10 degrees from the river.
The city extends more than three miles along the river. The central por tions are compactly and handsomely built, with streets about 66 feet wide,
bordered with spacious warehouses, stores, etc., many of which are magnifi cent structures, of beautiful brown freestone, rising to the hight of 6 stories,
and with fronts of elaborate architecture. Mlain-street extends from the
steamboat landing, in a northerly direction, and Broadway, Sycamore, Wal nut, Vine, Race, Elm, and Plum-streets, are parallel to it. It is intersected
at right angles by 14 principal streets, named Water, First Second, Thirds
etc. An open area upon the bank of the river, with about 1,000 feet front, east
OHIO.
102
OHIO.
froImn the foot of )lain-street, emhbracing some 10 acres, is reserved for thle landing, and usually presents a scene of rrenat activity. The shlore is paved with
stOllne fr'om low water mark to the top of the first bank, and IuLrnishcel with
VTiew o7 Fot rth street, Cinciimsati.
Tile first building on tlhe left is the irun front clothing store of Spri agne & Co. Tlie, Po.t Offe a.od Cistoll -louse are in the structure with thle Gre, ian front. l3itchell & Ittlmcnnelsburg's FurnLiture Ware-roomus,
shillito's Dry Goods' establishmient, appear beyond.
floating wharves, which accommodate themnselves to the great variation in
the hight of the river. From 60 to 80 steamboats are often scen here at
once, presenting a scene of animation and busiiess lite.
Thie Ohio River, at Cincinnati, is 1,S00 fet, or about one third of a ili:e,
103
wide, and its mean annual range from low to high water is about 50 feet:
the extreme range may be 10 feet more. The water is at its lowest point of
depression usually in August, September and October, and the greatest rise,
in December, March, May and June. Its current, at its mean hight, is three
miles an hour; when hig'her, or rising, it is more, and when very low it does
not exceed two miles. The navigation of the river is rarely suspended by
ice. The city is supplied with water raised from the Ohio by steam power,
capable of forcing into the reservoir 5,000,000 gallons of water each twelve
hours. The reservoir is elevated about 200 feet above the bed of the Ohio,
and is estimated to contain 5,000,000 gallons.
In point of commercial importance, Cincinnati occupies a front rank in
the west. By means of the numerous steamiers which are constantly plying
to and fro on the bosom of the majestic river, which rolls gracefully onil the
southl of the city, and the several canals and railroads which enter here,
Cincinnati is connected with every available point of importance in tlhe
great iand highly productive valley of the Mississippi. The trade is not,
however, confined to the interior: and a vast amount of foreign importation
and exportation is done. The pork business is carried on lmore extensively
here than at any other place in the world.
Mlanufaceturing is entered into here with great energy, and employs a vast
amount of capital. Numerous mills an)d factories are in operation, besides
founderies, planint,g mills, rolling, mills, saiw sills, rolling mnlills, flouring nills.
typ-)e founderies, miachine shlops, distilleries, etc. Nearly all kinds of inchinery is driven by steam, and there iare now about 300 steam engines in
operation in the city. Steamboat building is an extensive and iimporiiiiit
business here. Amiong the mrost important braniehcs of nianufactuie is tliot
of iron castings, implemients and machinery of various kinds, as steaI engines, sugar mills, stoves, etc., some of the establishments cniployilig hulidreds of hbands. The manufacture of clothingl is also a great interest; (lld
in the extent of the manufacture of furniture, the factories surpass lay oth'ers
in the Union. Cincinnati is also the most extensive book publishing niialrt
in the west. The total value of the product of the mnanufaeturinii~ anl industrial pursuits of Cincinnati, for 1859, was ascertailiied by tlr. Cist to suin
up more than one hundred and twelve millions of dollars. Aonii)i tlhe
hleaviest items were, ready macde clothing 15 millions; iron castings; 6-1
iillions; total iron products, 13 millions; pork and beef packing, 6(1- lliorns; candles and lard oil, (6 millions; whisky, 5- millions; furniture, 23
millions; domestic liquors, 3- millions; publications, newspapers, books, etc.,
')- millions; and patent medicines, 2 millions.
Cineinnati was the first city in the world to adopt the steam fire enoine.
The machine used is of Circinn-ati invention, by Abel Shawk. l'The fire deLpartinent is under pay of the city. It is admirably conducted, and so efficient
thaat a serious conflagration is very rare. The l]ugc machines, when on their
wtiy to a fire, are drawn throug,h the streets by four powerful horses mlloviig
. tull gallop, and belching forthl flames and smoke, foirm an imposing speet;: c e.
Ciinceinnati has the first Observatory built on the globe by the coitributo-n of "tlhe people." It is a substantial st.onlle building, on the hill cast of
the eity, 50a0 ibet above the Ohlio, ni,led Mit. Adams, from John Quincy
Adaos, iwlio laid the corner stonle of the structure, Nov. 9, 1843. The telescope is of German raan ufacture; it is an excellent instrument, arld cost
about $10,000.
104
OHIO.
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The public buildings of Cincinnati are numerous, and some of tlhen of
beautiful architecture. The Mechanics' Institute is a substantial building,
erected by voluntary subscription. The Ohlio School Library and that of tlle
M-echanics' Institute are merged in one, which is free to the public: it has
Pike's B ilding.
24,000 volumes. The Catlholic Institute, w vliill a-djoins it, is in eleganrt -and capacious structure witll a front of fieestone. Tlie Ciucinnati Collece edifice is a l'lrg,e building of complact (ray limestone.
In it ae thle -ooms of tile Chamber of Conimerce and the Y()un,
MIens' Alercantile Library Association. This association has a la:re
and excellent library, besides all the principal American and forei(n
periodicals. The Itasoni(, Temple, corner of Thlird alnd Wtllnullt, cost
;150.000. It is one of thle most beautiful and imp)osing buildings in
tlte Union. The material is a light freestone, and the style Byzantine. Tlhe County Court HIlouse is the largest building in the city.
It cost more than a nmillion of.dollars: its front is of gray limestone,
and the wvhole structure is of the most durable character. Among the
the'tets of thle city, Pike's Opera House, for its beauty, had a national
ieputation. It cost with tlhe ground, nearly half a million of dollars:
its miagnificent opera hall was justly the pride of the citizens. It was
buint in 1866, and is nowv re-built, but without the opera hall.
Among( tlhe 110 churches of tire city, the Catholic Cathedral, on Eighthl
street, and the Jewvishl Synagotgue opposite it, are the most imposing.
Cincinnati has its full share of' litecraiy and benevolent institutions:
five medical and fourl commercial colleges, the Weslyan Female, and St.
105
Xavier Colleges. The common school system is on the principle now ill
vogue, of graded schools. The scholars are divided into three classes-the
common, intermediate and high schools. And these, in turn, are graded, one
year being given to each grade. A child is taken at six years of age, and at
eighteen graduates at the high school, with an education based on the common branches, and completed with some of the languages and higher
branches of science.*
Cincinnati is the center of many extensive railway lines, running north,
east, south and west, and also the terminus of the Miami Canal, extending
to Lake Erie and Toledo, and the Whitewater Canal, penetrating the heart
of Indiana. Population, in 1800, 759; in 1810, 2,540; in 1820, 9,602;
1830,24,831 1840, 46,338; 1850, 118,761; in 1860 171.293; the suburbs,
Covington and Newport, would increase this to about 200,000.
Cincinnati is noted for the successful manufacture of wine from native
grapes, particularly the Catawba. The establishment of this branch of industry is due to the unremitting exertions of Mr. Nicholas Longworth, a
resident of Cincinnati for more than half a century.
Prior to this, the manufacture of American wine bad been tried in an
experimental way, but it had failed as a business investment. Learning that
wine could be made from the Catawba grape, a variety originating in North
Carolina, Mr. Long.worth entered systematically into its cultivation, and to
encourage the establishment of numerous vineyards, he offered a market on
his own premises for all the nmust (juice), that might be brought himn, without reference to the quantity.
;'At the same time he offered a reward of five hundred dollars to whoever should
discover a better variety. It proved a great stimulus to the growth of the Catawba
vine in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, to know that a man of M!r. Longworth's
means stood ready to pay cash, at the rate of from a dollar to a dollar and a quarter a gallon, for all the grape juice that might be b)rought to him, without reference
to the quantity. It was in this way, and by urgent popular appeals through the
columns of the newspapers, that he succeeded, after many fiilures, and against the
depressing influence of much doubt and indifference, in bringing the enterprise up
The forcing system prevails in the graded schools of our large cities to an alarming extent. It would seem as if, in the opinion of those who control these institutions, Providence had neglected to make the days of sufficient length, for children to obtain an educ,ation. In some of our large cities, doubtless many children can be fn)und, on any winter
night, between the late hours of 8 and 10, busy pouring over their books-a necessitv required for a respectable scholarship. Many, if the writer can believe alike teachers ond
parents, break down under the system. Others, doubtless, a,-e to reap bitter fruits in after
life, in long years of suffering, if, more happily, they fail to'fill premature graves!
IT. T1. Barney, Esq., formerly superintendent of the public schools of Ohio, himself with
thirty-two years of experience as a teacher, thus expresses his views on this subject:
"This ill-judged system of education has proved, in numerous instances, fatal to the
health of the inmates of our public schools, exhausting their physical energies, irritating
their nerves, depressing and crushing, to a great extent, that elasticity of spirit, vigor of
body, and pleasantness of pursuit, which are essential to the highest success in education
as well as in every other occupation.
Parents, guardians, physicians, and sensible men and women everywhere, bear testimony
against a system of education which ignores the health, the happiness, and, in some cases,
even the life of the pupil. Yet this absurd, cruel system is still persevered in, and will
continue to be, so long as our public schools are mainly filled with the children of the
poorer and humbler classes of society, and so long as the course of study and number of
study hours are regulated and determined by those who have had little or no experience in
the education or bringing up of children, or who, by educating their own offspring, at home
or in private schools, have, in a measure, shielded them from the evil of this stern, rigorous, unnatural system of educating the intellect at the expense of the body, the affections,
the disposition, and the present as well as life long welfare of the pupil."
106
OHIO.
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to its present high and stable position. When he took the matter in hand there
was much to discourage any one not possessed of the traits of constancy of purpose and perseverance peculiar to Mr. Longworth. Many had tried the manuficture of wine, and had failed to give it any economical or commercial importance.
Loingwostih's ViSezlyar-d.
Situated on the banks of the Ohio, four miles above Cincinnati.
It was not believed, until Mr. Longanworth practically demonstrated it, after many
long and patient trials of many valued varieties from France and Madeira, none
f which gave any promnise of success, that a native grape was the only one upon
which any hope could be placed, and that of the native grapes, of which he had
experimented upon every known variety, the Catawba offered the most assured
promise of success, and was the one upon which all vine-growers might with conqdence depend. It took years of unremitted care, multiplied and wide-spread investigations, and the expenditure of large sumns of money, to establish this fact,
and bring the agricultural community to accept it and act under its guidance.
The success attained bv MIr. Longworth* soon induced other gentlemen resident
in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and favorably situated for the purpose, to undertake
the culture of the Catawba, and several of them are now regularly and extensively
engaged in the manufacture of wine. The impetus and encouragement thus given
ti, the business soon led the German citizens of Hamilton county to perceive its
advantages, and under their thrifty managemnent thousands of acres, stretching up
from the banks of the Ohio, are now covered with luxuriant and profitable vineyards, rivaling in profusion and beauty the vine-clad hills of Italy and France.
The oldest vineyard in the county of Hamilton is of Mr. Longworth's planting.
The annual product of these vineyards may be set down at between five and six
hundred thousand gallons, worth at present from one and a half to two dollars a
gallon; but the price, owing, to the rapidity of the consumption, will probably ad
- " Mr. Longworth was always curious after new and interesting things of Nature's producing. It was the remark of an old citizen of Cincinnati, that, if Mr. Longworth was to
be suddenly thrown, neck and heels, into the Ohio River, he would come to the surface with
a new variety of fish in each hand. His chief interest in horticultural matters, however,
has been expended upon the strawberry and the grape. The perfection of variety and culture to which he has, by his experiments and labors, brought these two important fruits of
the country, have established their extensive and systematic cultivation in all parts of th6
west."
107
vance rather than decline. It is the prophecy of Mr. Flagg, MTr. Longworth's son
in-law, the gentleman who has charge of the commercial department of his wine
business, that, in the course of comparatively few years, the annual product of
the Sparkling Catawba will be counted by millions of bottles, lwhile that of the
still sorts will be estimated by its millions of gallons. Mr. Longworth alone bottles annually over 150,000 bottles, and has now-,n his cellars a ripening stock of
300,000 bottles. These cellars are situated on the declivity of East Sixth-street,
on the road to Observatory Hill. They occupy a space ninety feet by one hundred
and twenty-five, and consist of two tiers of massive stone vaults, the lower of which
is twventy-five feet below the surface of the ground. Here are carried on all the
various processes of wine-making, the mashing, pressing, fining, racking, bottling,
labeling and boxing; and beneath the arches and along the vwalls are the wine biutts,
arranged and numbered in the order of the several vintages; piles of bottles stand
about, ready for the bottlers."
Within the last few years, the grape crop in the Ohio valley has been
much injured by mildew and rot, yet the crop, thus far, has been as reliable
as any other fruit. The most certain locality for the production of the
grape in Ohio, is Kelly's Island, in Lake Erie, near Sandusky City, where
the vines bear fruit when they fail in all other localities. This is ascribed to
the uniformity of temperature at night, during the summer months, by which
the formation of dew is prevented, and consequently of mildew. The grape
is now cultivated in vineyards, for making wine, in twenty-one states of the
Union. In the mountain regions of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and South
Carolina, the increase has been rapid and extensive. That district and California appear to be the most favorable,riape producing parts of the Union.
Longworti's garden is among the curiosities of' Cincinnati, and was for merly greatly visited by strangers. It is an inelosure of several acres, near
the heart of the city, and at the foot of Mt. Adimns. The mansion, with its
art- treasures, is in the midst. On the grounds are several fine conservatories, filled with rare plants, a grape-house for foreign vines, and experimental forcing-house, for new varieties of strawberries and other plants.
IMr. Longworth died February 10, 1863, at the advanged age of eighty-one.
The suburbs of Cincinnati are very beautiful. Over on the hills the whole
surface of the country, for miles and miles in every direction, is disposed, in
exquisite undulations, with charming country seats, scattered here and there.
The prominent localities are Walnut Hills, the seat of Lane Seminary, MIt.
Auburn, Avondale and Clifton, the last containing the most elegant of rural
seats. Spring Grove Cemetery, an inclosure of 168 acres, is four miles from
Cincinnati-a city of the dead in a beautiful location, and where nature and
art join their attractions.
No-rth Beid(, once the home of General Harrison, is 16 miles below the
city, and four from the Indiana line, at the northermost point of a bend in the
Ohio River. This place derives its chief interest from having been long the
residence of William Henry Harrison. The family mansion stood on a level
plat about 300 yards back from the Ohio, amid pleasing scenery. It was destroyed by fire a few years since. The engraving on the following pare is
copied from a drawing made in 1846 by Mr. Howe for his work on Ohio.
The eastern half of the mansion, that is, the part on the reader's right, fromn
the door in the main building, was built of logs. The whole structure was
clapboarded and painted, and had a neat appearance.
This dwelling became noted in the presidential campaign of 1840, which resulted in the election of Gen. Harrison to the presidency-commonly called "the
Hard Cider Camnpaign." It is said that some opponent had declared in a public
speech that he was unfit for the office, because he never had shown the ability to
108
OHIO.
OHIO.
raise himself beyond the occupancy of a log cabin, in which he lived very coarsely,
with no better beverLage than hard cider. It was an unfortunate charge for the
wvislhes of the accuser. The taunt of his being a poor man, and living in a log
cabin, was seized upon by the whi gs as an evidence of his incorruptibility in the
many responsible stations hlie had
He. Ago=... -—.. held, and the lo( cabin became-at
__] A=......._ —-:~_ once the symbol of thie party.
___7 __'Thousands of these were erectel
..............-==~~:~- forthwith all over the land as ral lying points for political mneetings.
'z~*-.':: _'~~~l~Mliniature cabins were carried in
I.... ~ ~-~ ~political processions, and in some
cases barrels ]tI)eled "hIi,ird cider."
ISuch enthusiasm as wa-s excited
niamong the masses of the vestern
E X E X IS E apioneers by the nomination of their
ig; M I _ fatvorite military leader had never
A A; ___q ~ before been exceeded. Imnense
mIass meetingcs, with processions
_____y_~ ~and song singilg became the order
of the timie. Among the songs sung
NORTii BEND, bv nssenil)led nmutituides in all
Ilesldernce of Presi(leiit Hlarrison. parts of the eountiry, the most pepli ular was one entitled'"Ti)peca.
ino' ctl T-yle- too," in whichl occurredl these verses:
I,liat his eausedl this great commotion, motion, motion,
Ouist' country thiroughi?
It is the ball that's rolling on
For Ti pl)ecanoe and Tyler too,
Io' oTJippecanoe and Tyler too
An(l with them we'll beat little Van,
'Vi, \ran, Vani, Vn is at used up man,
And with them we'll beat little Van.
The latch-string hangs outside the door, door, door,
And is never pulled through,
For it never was the custom of
Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too,
Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too;
And with them we'll beat little Van,
Van, Van,.Van, Van is a used up man,
And with them we'll beat little Van.
The tomb of Harrison is near by, on a small oval mound, elevated about 150
feet above the Ohio. and commanding a view of beauty. It is a plain brick structure, without inscription.
Near the tomb of Harrison is the grave of Judge Symmes. On a tablet there is
this inscription:
Here rest the remains of John Cleves Symmes, who at the foot of these hills made the
first settlement between the Miami Rivers. Born at Long Island, state of New York, July
21, A. D. 1742; died at Cincinnati, February 26, A. D. 1814.
Judge Symmes, before his removal to the west, was a member of congress fiom
New Jersey, and also chief justice of that state. Gen. Harrison married his
daughter, who, as late as 1860, still survived. At the treaty of Greenville, the Indians told Judge Symmes, and others, that in the war they had frequently brought
up their rifles to shloot him, and then on recognizing him refused to pull the trigger. This was in consequence of his previous kindness to them, and spoke volumes
in his praise, as well as honor to the native instinct of the savages.
109
Three miles below North Bend, on the Ohio, was Sugar Camp Settlement, coin
posed of about thirty houses, and a block-house erected as a defense against thc
Indians. This was about the
-—......._ _ e =time of the first settlement
=: =-.... of Cinminnati. Until within
-_-; _......- - a few years, this block house was standing. The ad joining cut is from a draw _ in, taken on the spot in 1846
We give it because it shows
- the ordinary form of these
structures. Their distin >;}~~~~~~~_ = __ guishing feature is that from
the hi ght of a man's shoulder
the building the rest of the
way up projects a foot or two
from the lower part, leaving
at the point of junction be _._ A _ = - = tween the two parts a cavity
ANCIENT BLOCK-IiOt-SE NE.AR NORTH BEND. through which to thrust rifles
on the approach of enemies.
acimilton, the capital of Butler county, is 25 miles north of Cincinnati, on
the Miami Canal, river and railroad to Dayton, and at the terminus of a
railroad to Richmond. A hydraulic canal of 28 feet fall gives excellent
water power, and there are now in operation several flourishing manufactuiing establishments-paper, flouring, woolen, planing mills, iron foundries,
etc. Population 8000. The well known J[iami U)iiversity is 12 nmiles northwest of Hamilton, in the beautiful town of Oxford.
Jobit Cleves Syinmes, the author of the " Theory of Concentric Spheres," demonatrating that the earth is hollow, inhabited by humian beings, and widely open at
the poles, was a native of Newv Jersey, and a nephew of Judge Symmes. Hle resi(led in the latter part of his life at Hamilton, where he died in 1829, aged about
50 years. In early life he entered the army as an ensig,n. He was with Scott in
his Niagara. campaign, and acted with bravery. In a short circular, dated at St.
Louis, in 1818, Capt. Symmes first promulgated the fundamental principles of his
theory to the world. From time to time,
he published various articles in the public prints upon the subject. He also de-
livered lectures, first at Cincinnati in 1820,
tand afterward in various places in Ken- _
tucky and Ohio.
"In the year 1822, Capt. Symmes petitioned:m
the congress of the United States, setting;:;..
forth, in the first place, his belief of the ex- ";''!
istence of a habitable and accessible concave. n.
to this globe; his desire to embark on a voyage of discovery to one or other of the polar
regions; his belief in the great profit and honor
his country would derive from such a discovery; and prayed that congress would equip -
and fit out for the expedition, two vessels, - 3 =
of two hundred and fifty or three hundred M ONUMET OF J. C. SYMMES.
tuns burden; and grant such other aid as gov- Of "Symnies' ole" memory. It is surmounted
ernment might deem necessary to promote the f "Symme' Iole" memory. It is surmounted
object. TI'his petition was presented in the bya,globe'openatthepoles"
senate by Col. Richard M. Johnson, on the 7th day of March, 1822, when (a motion to
refer it to the committee of foreign relations having failed), after a few remarks it was
laid on the table-Ayes, 25. In December, 1823, he forwarded similar petitions to both
houses of congress, which met with a similar fate. In January 1824, he petitioned the
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OHIO.
general assembly of the state of Ohio, praying that body to pass a resolution approbatory
of his theory; and to recommend him to congress for an outfit suitable to the eliterprise.
'Thlis memorial was presented by Micajah T. Williams, anrid, on motion, the further coiisideration thereof' wits indefinitelv postponed."
His theory was met with ridicule, both in this country and Europe, andi bI)ecanei
a fruitful source of jest and levity, to the public prints of the daoy. Notwithstatllding, he advanced many plausible and ingenious arguments, and won quite a num
)er of converts among those who attended his lectures, one of whom, a g,entlemiai
of IHamilton, wrote a work in its support, published in Cincinnati in 18S'2(6, in which
he staited his readiness to embark on a voyage of discovery to the North Pole, for
the purpose of testing its truth. Capt. Symmes met with the usual fate of projectors, in living and dying in great pecuniary embarrassment: but he left the
reputation of an honest man.
South-eastern view of the Covrt Hlouse, at Chillicothe.
This beautifil and coninodliois structure is in the central part of Chillicothe; the left wing, on the cor.
ner of Miain an, Paint-streets, attachd,l to the main building, contains the oilfices of the Prol)atte Jlodge,
the Sheriff, and the Clerk; the other wing, those of the Recorder, Treasurer, and Auditor. The First
Presbyterian Church is seen on the left.
CIIILLICOTHE is on the west bank of the Scioto, on the line of the Ohio
Canal and Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, 45 miles S. of Columbus, 45
from Portsmouth, and 96 from Cincinnati. The Scioto curves around it on
the north, and Paint creek flows on the south. The site of the place is on a plain
about 30 feet above the river. It contains 17 churches, a young ladies'
Academy of the Notre Damne, a flourishing military academy, a,ld about
9,000 inhabitants.
The new court house, in this town, is one of the best designed, most beautiful,
and convenient structures of the kind we have seen in our tour through the
United States. It was erected at an expense of about $100,000, and was
designed by Gen. James Rowe, one of the county commissioners. A room
is set apart in the court house for the preservation of the relics of antiquity.
Here is preserved the table around which the members of the territorial
council sat when they formed the laws of the North West Territory, of which
Chillicothe was the capital. Around it also gathered the members who
formed the first constitution of Ohio. The old bell which called them to
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OHIO.
gethlier is preserved, also the copper eagle, which, for fifty years, perched on
the spire of the old state house.
In 1800, the old state house was commenced and finished the next year,
for the accommodation of the legislature and courts. It is believed that it
was the first public stone edi -- flee erected in the territory.
The mason work was done by
WMajor Wm. RIutledge, a sol dier of the Revolution, and
the carpeniitering' by William
Guthrie. The territorial leg islature held their session in
Mi_f it for the first time in 1801.
't~_ - E_ _ _ The convention that framed
thei first constitution of Ohio
was held in it, the session
commen cinge on the first i3Ion Ii ~;'~~..iday in November, 1802. In
April, 1803, thle first state le,g islature met in the house, and
held their sessions until 1810.
~__ = ~_,m9~The sessions of 1810-11, and
[.... — ~ —___- i -1811-12, were held at Zanes ville, and from there removed
OLD STATE HOUSE, CHILLICOTHE. back to Chillicotllie and held
[Drawn by Henry Howe, in 1846.] in this house until 1816, when
Columbus became the permanent capital of the state. This ancient edifice was standing until within a
few years.
In the war of 1812, Chillicothe was a rendezvous for United States troops. They
were stationed at Camsp Bull, a stockade one mile N. of the town, on the west bank
of the Scioto. A large number of British prisoners, amounting to several hundred,
were at one time confined at the camp. On one occasion, a conspiracy was formed
between the soldiers and their officers who were confined in jail. The plan was
for the privates in camp to disarm their guard, proceed to the jail, release the
officers, burn the town, and escape to Canada. The conspiracy was disclosed by
two senior British officers, upon which, as a measure of security, the officers were
sent to the penitentiary in Frankfort, Ky.
Four deserters were shot at camp at one time. The ceremony was impressive
and horrible. The soldiers were all marched out under arms, with music playing,
to witness the death of their comrades, and arranged in one long extended line in
front of the camp, facing the river. Close by the river bank, at considerable distances apart, the deserters were placed, dressed in full uniform, with their coats
buttoned up and caps drawn over their faces. They were confined to stakes in a
kneeling position behind their coffins, painted black, which came up to their waists,
exposing the upper part of their persons to the fire of their fellow-soldiers. Two
sections, of six men each, were marched before each of the doomed. Signals were
given by an officer, instead of words of command, so that the unhappy men should
not be apprised of the moment of their death. At the given signal the first sections raised their muskets and poured the fatal volleys into the breasts of their
comrades. Three of the four dropped dead in an instant; but the fourth sprang
up with great force, and gave a scream of agony. T1'he reserve sectioni stationed
before him were ordered to their places, and another volley completely riddled his
bosom. Even then the thread of life seemed hard to sunder.
On another occasion, an execution took place at the same spot under most melancholy circumstances. It was that of a mere youth of nineteen, the son of a
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OHIO.
widow. In a frolic he had wanndered several miles from camp, and was on his retitrn wlhen he stopped at an inn by the way-side. The landlord, a fiend in human
shape, apprised of the reward of,50, offered for the apprehension of deserters,
-erstacded him to remain over nilght. with the offer of taking him into camp in the
morning, at which hle statedi he had business The youthil, unsuspicious of antlvthing wvrong., accepted the offer made with such apparent kindness, lwhen lo! on
his arrival next day with the landlord, he surrendered him as a deserter, swore
filsely as to the facts, clainmed and obti,ined the reward. The court-martial, ignorant, of the circumstances, condemned him to death, and it was not until he was no
more, that his innocence was known.
Ports')oith S'ore thue Iveottttcu 7 s1 toie o the Ohio.
The view shows thie appar:] c of the Ste tbo:tt Lptin, s seen fo Springville, onl the enttickylv
side of the Ohio. The Bi,gs' Iious, cornuer ot 3Ilrket a Front-streets, appears on the left, Gtlho)d &
Co.'s Roilng Millii on the righ,t. Thie S5ioto aiver passes at the foot of the imountain ous ane on the left.
PORTSMIOUTIT, the capital of Seioto county, is beautifully situated onl the
Ohio River. at the mouth of the Scioto, 90 miles S. of Columbus, and 110
by the river above Cincinnati, at the terminus of the Erie and Ohio Canial,
and Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad. It contains 16 churches, 5 founderies, 3 rolling mnills, 3 machine shops, and about 8,000 inhabitants. The
great iron region of the state lies north and east of Portsmouth, and adds
much to the business of the town. Here, on the Kentucky side of the Ohio,
is a range of mountainous hills, averag-ingr 500 feet high. Opposite Portsmouth they rise precipitously to a hioht of 600 feet, being the highest elevationI on the Ohio River, presenting a very striking and beautiful appearance.
The Ohio is 600 yards wide at the landin, which is one of the best on the
river, there being water sufficient for the lar,est boats at all seasons. A wire
suspension bridge passes over the Scioto at this place.
It is said that 12- miles below the old mouth of the Scioto, stood, about
the year 1740, a French fort or trading station. Prior to the settlement at
MIarietta, an attempt at settlement wvas made at Portsmouth, the history of
which is annexed from an article in the American Pioneer, by George Corwin, of Portsmouth:
In April, 1785, four families from the Red(stone settlement in Pennsylvania, descended the Ohio to the mouth of the Scioto, aind there moored their boat under
the bigh bank where Portsmouth now stands. They commenced clearing the
I.
8
113
ground to plant seeds for a crop to support their families, hoping that the re(d men
of the f(irest would suffer them to remstin and iimprove the soil. They seetmed to
hope that white men would no longer provoke the Indians to savage warfare.
Soon after they landed, the four men, the heads of the families, started up the
Scioto to see the paradise of the west, of which they had heard fromn the mouths
of white men who had traversed it during their captivity among the natives. Leaving the little colony, now consisting of four women and their children, to the protection of an over-ruling Providence, they traversed the beautiful bottoms of the
Scioto as far up as the prairies above, and opposite to where Piketon now stands.
One of them, Peter Patrick by name, pleased with the country, cut the initials of
his naiiie on a beech. near the river, which being found in after times, gave the
naime of Pee Pee to the creek that flows through the prairie of the same name;
and from that creek was derived the name of Pee Pee township in Pike county.
Eneamping near the site of Piketon, they were surprised by a party of Indians,
who killed two of them as they lay by their fires. The other two escaped over the
hills to the Ohio River, which they struck at the month of the Little Seioto, just
as somne white men going down the river in a pirogue were passing. They were
,roin. to Port Vincennes, on the Wabash. The tale of woe which was told by these
men, with entreaties to be taken on board, was at first insufficient for their relief
It vwas not uncommon for Indians to compel white prisoners to act in a similar
manner to entice boats to the shore for murderous and marauding purposes. After
keeping them some time rutnningt down the shore, until they believed that if there
was an ambuscade of Indians on shore, they were out of its reach, they took them
on board, and brought them to the little settlement, the lamentations at which can
not be described, nor its feeling conceived, when their peace was broken and their
hopes blasted by the intelligence of the disaster reaching them. My informant
was one who caine down in the pirorue.
There was, however, no time to be lost, their sa,fety depended on instant flight
-anld gathlering up all their inoval)les, they put off to Limestone, now Maysville, as
a place of greater safety, where the mien in the pirogue left them, and my informant
said, never heard of them mnore.
Ci;cleville, the county seat of Pickaway county, on the Scioto River, on
the line of the Erie and Ohio Canal, and on the railroad from Cincinnati to
Wheeling, is 26 miles S. from Columbus, and 19 N. from Chillieothe. It
has numerous mills and factories, and an extensive water power. Population
about 5,000.
It was laid out in 1810, as the seat of justice, by Daniel Dresbatchl, on
land originally belon,ging, to Zeiger and Watt. The town is on the site of
anCielt fortifications, one of which having been circular, originated the name
of the place. The old court house, built in the form of an octagon, and destroyed in 141, stood in the center of the circle. There were two forts, one
being an exact circle of 69 feet in diameter, the other an exact square, 55
rods on a side. The former was surrounded by two walls, with a deep ditch
between them; the latter by one wall, without any ditch. Opposite each
gateway a small mound was erected inside, evidently for defense.
Three and a half miles south of Circleville are the celebrated Pickaua!/ Pl(iiiis,
said to contain the richest body of land in southern Ohio.' They are divided into
two parts, the greater or upper plain, and the lesser or lower one. They coin
prise about 2)O,000 acres. When first cultivated the soil was very black, the result
of vegetable decomposition, and their original fertility was such as to produce one
hundred bushels of corn, or fifty of wheat to the acre. Formerly the plains were
adorned with a great variety of flowers.
Of all places in the west, this pre-eminently deserves the name of "classic
ground," for this was the seat of the powerful Shawnee tribe. iere, in olden time,
biutned the council fires of the red man; here the afftairs of the nation in general
council were discussed, and the important questions of peace and war decided.
On these plains the allied tribes marched forth and met G(en. Lewis, and fou,Mht
Ollio
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OHIO. 115
the sanguinary battle at Point Pleasant, on the Virginia bank of the Ohio, at the
eve of the Revolution. Here it was that Logan made his memorable speech, and
here, too, that the noted campaign of Dunmore was brought to a close by a treaty,
or rather a truce, at Camp Charlotte.
Among the circumstances which invest this region with extraordinary interest,
is the fact, that to those towns were brought so many of the truly unfortunate
prisoners who were abducted from the neighboring states. Here they were immoIated on the altar of the red men's vengeance, and made to suffer, to the death, all
the tortures savage ingenuity could invent, as a sort of expiation for the aggressions of their race.
Old Chillicothe, which was the principal village, stood on the site of Westfall,
on the wiest bank of the Scioto, 4 miles below Circleville. It was here that Logan,
the Mingo chief, delivered his famous speech to John Gibson, an Indian trader.
On the envoy arriving at the village, Logan came to him and invited him into an
adjoining wood, where they sat down. After shedding abundance of tears, the
honored chief told his pathetic story-called a speech, although conversationally
given. Gibson repeated it to the officers, who caused it to be published in the
Virginia Gazette of that year, so that it fell under the observation of Mr. Jefferson,
who gave it to the world in his Notes on Virginia: and as follows:
I appeal to any white man to say, if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and I gave
him not meat; if ever he came cold or naked, and I gave him not clothing?
During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained in his tent, an advocate for peace. Nay, such was my love for the whites, that those of nmy own country pointed
at me as they passed by, and said, " Logan is the friend of white men." I had even thought
to live with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cool
blood, and unprovoked, cut off all the relatives of Logan; not sparing even my women and
children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human creature. This
called on me for reveng,e. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my
vnc,enanee. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. Yet, do not harbor the
thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. Hie will not turn on his heel
to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.
This brief effusion of mingled pride, courag,e, and sorrow, elevated the character
of the native American throughout the intelligent world; and the place where it
was delivered can never he forgotten so long as touching eloquence is admired by
men.
The last years of Logan were truly melancholy. He wandered about from tribe
to tribe, a solitary and lonely una; dejected and broken-hearted, by the loss of
his friends and the decay. of his tribe, he resorted to the stimulus of strong drink
to drowni his sorrow. Ile was at last murdered in Mlichigan, near Detroit. He
was, at the time, sitting with his blanket over his head, before a camp-fire, his
elbows resting on his knees, and his head upon his hands, buried in profound reflection, when an Indian, who had taken sonme offense, stole behind him and buried
his tomahawk in his brains. Thus perished the immortal Logan, the last of his
race.
At the various villages, were the burning grounds of the captives taken in war.
These were on elevated sites, so that when a victim was sacrificed by fire, the
smoke could be seen at the other towns.
The chief, Cornstalk, whose town was on Scippo Creek, two miles southeasterly from Old Chillicothe, was a man of true nobility of soul, and a
brave warrior.
At the battle of Point Pleasant he commanded the Indians with consummate skill, and
if at any time his warriors were believed to waver, his voice could be heard above the din
of bittle, exclaiming in his native tongue, "Be strong!-be strong! " When he returned
to the Pickaway towns, after the battle, he called a council of the nation to consult what
should be done, and upbraided them in not suffering him to make peace, as he desired, on
the evening before the battle. "What," said he, "will you do now? The Big Knife is
coming on us, and we shall all be killed. Now you must fight or we are undone." But
no oue answering, he said, "then let us kill all our wcmen and children, and go and fight
until we die." But no answer was made, when, rising, he struck his tomahawk in a post
of the council house and exclaimed, "I'll go and make peace," to which all the warriors
grunted "ough! ough:" and runners were instantly dispatched to Dunmore to solicit
peace.
In the summer of 1777, he w,as atrociously murdered at Point Pleasant. As his m'iderers were approaching, his son Elinipsico trembled violently. " His father encouragedl
him not to be afriaid, for that the Great lan above had sent him there to, be killed and die
iA th lhim. As the aieil advanced to the door, Cornstalk rose up ad met them: they fi e(i
i eeveni or eight bullets went through him. So fell the great Cornstalk warrior- -hose
name was bestowed( upon him by the consent of the nation, as thei great stet and
st,;port." Had he lived, it is believed that he would have been friendly with the Ame-ictiis, as he had come over to visit the tgarrisoni at Point Pleasant to comnmunicate the (es''I,i of the Inidians of uniting with the British. His grave is to be seen at Point Peisait to the present day.
0~~~~_____
CoLUMTBUS. the seat of justice for Franklin county, and capital of Ohio,
on the left bank of the Scioto, 110 miles N.E. from Cincinnati, 100 N.W.
from IMarietta, and 139 S.E. from Cleveland, is on the same parallel of latitude with Zanesville and Philadelphia, and on the same meridian with Detroit, Mich., and Milledgeville, Geo.
The site of Columbus is level, and it is regularly laid out, with broad,
spacious streets: Broad-street, the principal one, is 120 feet wide. In the
center of the city is a public square of 10 acres, inclosed by a neat railing;
and in the environs is Goodale Patrk, a tract of 40 acres, covered with a
growth of native trees. The new state house, or capitol, is one of the most
imagnificent buildings in the Union. it is 304 feet long by 184 wide, and
fromn its base to the top of the rotunda is 157 feet. The material is a hard,
whitish limestone, resembling marble.
Columbus is surrounded by a rich and populous country, and is a place of
active business. The National road, passes through it from east to west,
:and the Columbus feeder connects it with the Ohio canal. Several plank
roads and turnpikes terminate here, and numerous railroads, stretching out
their iron arms in every direction, give it convenient communication with
all parts of the state and Union.
State Capitol, at Columbqts.
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OHIO.
OHIO.
In the enlirons of the city are the variious state institutions. The State
Penitentiary is a largfe -tlc substiantial edifice; the buildings and inclosures
form a hollow square of six a cres; about 1,000 convicts have been confined
here at one tim,e. The Ohio Lunatic Asylum, a noble structure, occupies
about an acre of rouind, aid has thirty acres attached to it, covered with
trees and shrubbery. The De:if and DumLb Asylum is a handsome building,
surrounded with grounds laid out with taste. The Ohio Institution for01 tllhe
Edueation of the Blind is surrounded by a plot of ground, of about 9 acres,
laid out with graveled walks, and planted with trees. The Starliin I Iedical College is a handsomie Gothic edifice. The Theolog(ical Secminary of the
German Lutherans, is about three fourths of a mile from the ceniter of the
city. ColumIbus, as a coimmiercial depot, has superior facilities, and it has
nunLierous and extensive manuf.ctLring(- establishments. Population, in 18S20,
1,400; in 1840, 6,048; in 1850, 18,138; and in 1860, 18647.
From the first organization of thle tate (,overnIent until 1816, there was no permanent state capital. The sessions of the le(rislature were held at Clillicothe until
1810; the sessions of 1810-11 and 1811-12, w ere held at Zanesville, after that
until i)ecember, 1816, they were at-ain held at Chillicotlie, at whicl ti,me the le,islature was first convened at Colulmbus.
Among the various proposals to the le(gislature, while in session at Zanesville,
for the estal)lishment of a permanent seat of government, were thlose of Lyne Starline, Jamnes Johniston, Alex. M'Lnuu-hlin,aid John Kerir, the after proprietors of
('olumblus, for establishino it on the " lig(,h 1)mnk of the ~cioto litiv-er, oppiosite
Franklinton," whichi site vas thlen a native forest. On the 14tlh Fleb)., 1812, the
leg,islature passed a lhw ac.ceptinr,' thieir priposals and in one of its sections,
selected Ci'illicothe as, temporariy seat of go-ernment mnerely. By an act amendatory of the otl-her, passed Feb. 17, 1516, it was enacted, "that firom and after the
second Tuesday of October next, the seat of government of this state shall be
established at the town of Colunbus."
On the 19th of Febl., 1812, the -)roprietors si(rned and acknowled,ed their artieles at Zanesville, as ptartners, under the law for the laiying, out, etc., of the town of
Colulmbus. The contract lhavingz been closed between the proprietors and(l the state,
the town was laid out in the sp-ing of 1812, under the direction of Moses Wright.
For the first few years Columibus improved rapidly. Emigrants flowed in, app)arently, firom all quarters, and the improvements and general business of the place
kept pace with the increa-se of population. Columbus, however, was a rough spot
in the woods, o-' from any public road of much consequence. The east and west
Ohio Iflhite Sul)hlir Spaiizgs.
117
travel passed through Zanesville, Lancaster and'Chillicothe, and the mails came in
cross-line on horseback. The first successful attempt to carry a mail to or from
Columbus, otherwise than on horseback, was by Philip Zinn, about the year 1816,
once a week between Chillicothe and Columbus. The years from 1819 to 1826.
were the dullest years of Columbus; but soon after it began to improve. The location of the national road and the Columbus feeder to the Ohio canal, gave an
impetus to improvements.
The Ohio TVhite Su7phblr Spi-ings are beautifully situated on the Scioto
River, in Delaware county, 17 miles north of Columbus, near the line of the
Springfield, Mt. Vernon and Pittsburg Railroad. Upon the estate are four
medicinal springs of different properties: one is white sulphur, one magnesian, and two chalybeate. The spring property consists of 320 acres, part
of it woodland, handsomely laid off in walks and drives. The healthiness
of the location and the natural attractions of the spot, joined to the liberal
and generous accommodations furnished by the proprietors, have rendered
this, at the present time, the most popular watering place in the west.
iVewark, the capital of Licking county, on the Central Ohio Railroad, 33
miles easterly from Columbus, is a pleasant town of about 4,000 inhabitants.
Six miles west of Newark is Granville, noted for its edueational institutions,
male and female, and the seat of ODennison University, founded in 1832, by
the Baptists. This was one of the early settled spots in Central Ohio. The
annexed historical items are firom the sketches of' Rev. Jacob Little:
In 1l04, a company was formed at Granville, Mass., with the intention of making a
settlement in Ohio. This, called "the Scioto Comnpany," was the third of that name which
effected settlements in this state. The project met with great fitvor, and much enthsiiatsm
was elicited; in illustration of which, a song was composed and sung to the tune of " Pleasant Ohio," by the young people in the house and at labor ill the field. We annex two
stanIzas, which are more curious than poetical:
.When rambling o'er these mountains Our precious friends that stay behind,
And rocks, where ivies grow We're sorry now to leave;
Thick as the hairs upon your head, But if they'll stay and break their shins,
'Mongst which you can not go; For them we'll never grieve;
Great storms of snow, cold winds that blow, Adieu, my friends! come on my dears,
We scarce can undergo; This journey we'll forego,
Says I, my boys, we'll leave this place And settle Licking creek,
For the pleasant Ohio. In yonder Ohio.
The Scioto company consisted of 114 proprietors, who made a, purchase of 28,000 acres.
In the autumn of 1805, 234 persons, mostly from East Grauville, Mass., came on to the
purchase. Although they had been fi()rtv-two days on the road, their first business, on their
a.rrival, having oi,anized a church before they left the east,' wvas to hear a sermon. The
first tree cut was that by which public worship was held, which stood just in firont of the site
of the Presby terian church. Oil the first Sabbath, November 16th, although only about a
dozen trees had be,n cut, they held div ine worship, both forenoon and afternoon, ait that
spot. The novelty of worshipiug in the woods, the forest extending hunldreds of miles
every way, the hardships of the journey, the winter setting in, the fresh thoughts of home,
with all the friends and privileges left behind, anrid the impression that such must be the
accomniod tions of a new country, all rushed on their nerves and made this a dav of varied
inteiest When they beganl to sing, the echo of their voices among the trees was so dif ferent fiom what it was in the beautiful meeting house they had left, that they could no
longer restrain their tears. They wcept when they remembered Zion. The voices of part of
the choir were for a season suppressed with emotion.
An incident occurred, which some Mrs. Sigouriev should put into a poetical dress.
Deacon Theophilus Reese, a Welsh Baptist, had two or three years before built a cabin a
mile atnd t halft north, and lived all this time without public worship. He had lost his
cows, and hleiring, a lowing of the oxen belonginilg to the company, set out toward them.
As he:[sceuded the hills overlooking the town-plot, he heard the singing of the choir.
Thie reverberation of the sound from hill-tops and trees, threw the good nanr into a serious
dilemni.ia. The music at first seemed to be behind, then in the tops of the trees or the
cloutds. He stopped till, by accurate listelin', hlie caug,ht the direction of the sound, and
went on, till passing the brow of the hill, when lie saw the audience sitting oii the level
jelow. He went home and told his wife that'the promise of Godl is a bond;" a Welsh
OHIO.
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OHIO.
phlrase, signifying thlat w-e have secunity, equal to a bond, tlhat,eligioul wil pieva-il everywhere. i4e said, "'these must be qood people. I am not afiraid to go ainiig thenm."
' liough lie could not understanid ELnglislh, lie colstantly ittended thle ieacidiig mneeting.
iearling the music on that occasioIn niade suci liiI impression uponl liis iiiiiid, thlit whlieii,ie
b 2came old and met the first settlers, lie w-ould always tell ov er tlhis stoi.
C(Jot-t Ilofise Ziicesvillc.
ZANESvILLI,E the capital of Iuskinii -uni county, is beautifully situated on
the east bank of the 3Iulskiiurimt ttiver, opposite the moutl of the Lickinl,,
creek, 54 nmiles E. of' Colluibus, 82 fioi 1 WTheeling, and 179 E.N.. foiri1
Cinciinati. The A)uskigiii, i pa S;in the town, has a natural descent of
ni1ie feet in aI dist!inice of'about a mile, whibch is increased by dtams to sixteen
feet. tius afforditi(,' great wale-tpo wei, which is used by extensive imaiufilCtories of various kinds. The iiumiber of factories using steaml power is also
Iarm. eari sing froi'i thie abunda-nce of bitlum]inous coal supplied tifom the sur1eon Ciig 1hills Steamiboa,ts can asend from the Ohio to this point, and
several mtake reg ular passages between Zianesville and Cincinnati. The Centrtl Ohio itailroad connects it withl Columbus on one hand and W'heeling on
the othr; the Zinesviile, Ailming-toii and Cincinnati Railroad, about 130
miles iong, terminates here, and connects with another leading north to
Clevel:n d.
Five bridoes cross the Iuskiingumi lhere, including, the railroad bridge,
coliinecting the city with Putniiam, South Zanesville and W\est Zanesville, all
of which,.ae intimately connected with the business interests of Zinec ville
proper. There are 5 flouLrin mills, also iron founderies and machine sIiops,
which do an extensive business. The railroad bridg,e is of' iron, 53S foet in
leng,-th, and contains 67 tuns of wriou,gt iron ai)d 130 tuns of cast iron.
The water of the river is raised, by a forcing pumip, into a reservoir onl a hill
160 feet high, corntaining nearly a million of gallons, and from thlence distributed through the city in iron pipes. Zanesville has excellent schools,
among which is the Free School, supported by a fund of firom $300,000 to
8500.000, bequeathed by J. Mclntire, one of the founders of' the place.
Within a circuit of a miile from the court house are about 1),000 inhabitants: withlin the city proper, about 10,000.
In 3Iay, 1796, congress passed a law authorizing Ebenezer Zane to open
119
a road frontm Wheeling, Va., to Limestone, now Maysville, Ky. In the following year, Air. Zane, accompanied by his brother, Jonathan Zane, and his
son-in-law, John iIcntire, both experienced woodsmen, proceeded to mark
out the new road, which was afterward cut out by the latter two. As a compensaltion for opening this road, congress granted to Ebenezer Zane the privileg,e of locating military warrants upon three sections of land, not to exceed
one mile square each. One of these sections was to be at the crossing of the
M-uskinguml, and one of the conditions annexed to M3r. Zane's grant was, that
he should keep a ferry at that spot. This was intrusted to Win. M'Culloch
and Be. Crook-s. The first mail ever carried in Ohio was brought from Marietta to 31'Culloch's cabin, by Daniel Convers, in 1798.
Tn 1799, MAessrs. Zane and M'lntire laid out the town, which they called TUesthounis, a name which it continued to bear until a post-office was established by the
postmaster general, under the name of Zanesville, and the village soon took the
same name. A few families from the IKanawha, settled on the west side of the
river soon after MI'Clloch arrived, and the settlement received pretty numerous
accessions until it became a point of importance. It contained one store and no
tavern. The latter inconvenience, however, was remedied by Mr. M'lIntire, who,
for publ)lic accomimodation, rather than for private eminolument, opened a house of
entertainment. It is due to Mr. M'[ntire and his lady to say that their accommod(lations, though in a lo(, cabin, were such as to render their house the traveler's
home. Prior to that time there were several grog shlops where travelers miglht
stop, and after partaking of a rude supper, they could spread their blankets and
1)ieaiskins on the floor, and sleep withl their feet to the fire. But the openin,g of
Air. M'Intire's house introduced the luxury of comfortable beds, and althou(gh his
noard was covered with the fruits of the soil and the chase, rather than the ]lixuries of foreign climes, the fitre was Various and abundant. This, the first hotel at
Zanesville, stood at what is now the corner of Market and Second-streets, a few
rods from the river, in an open maple grove, without any under)brusl-h; it vwas a
pleasant spot, well shaded with trees, and in full view of the falls. Louis Phillippe,
late kin,x of France, was once a guest of Mr. MA'Intire.
At that time, all the iron, nails, castings, flour, fruit, withl many other articles
now producedl here in abundance, were brou,lght fiom Pittsb)urghl and Wheeling,
either upon pack-horses across the country, or by the riser in canoes. (Oats and
corn were usually bIrought about fifty miles uip the river, in canoes, and were worth
fronm 75 cents to $1 per bushel: flour, $6 to $8 per a).irrel. In lS()2, l).tvi(l Iarvev opened a tavern at the intersection of Tlhiir( and Main-streets, whrlichl was about
tl} fiirst shingle-roofed house in the town. Mri. M'Intire having only kept entertainmnaat for public accoimodation, discontinucd after the opening of Air. -larvey's tavNern.
in 1804, lwhen the legislature passed an act establisl-iing the county of tMus i iil, the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county seat, reported
in, filvor of Zanesville. The county seat havin( been established, the town improved more rapidly, and( as the unappropriated United States military lands had
been broughlt into market during the preceding year (1803), and a land office
esIal)lished at Zanesville, muany purchases and settlements were made in the
c(,n atv.
The seat of government had been fixed temporarily at Chillicothe, but for sev
eral reasons, many members 6f the legislature were dissatisfied, and it was known
th~at a change of location was desired by them.
[n'elruary, 1810, the desired lavw was passed, fixing the seat of government at
ZX:nesviile, until otherwise provide(l. The legislature sat here du]-ing the sessions
(,i' ])-'l 1 and'11-'12, when the present site of Columbus lhavin, been fixed upon
for tlie permanent seat, the Chillic(thle interest prevailed, and the tenmporary seat
oas Oe ore fixed at that place, until suitable buildings could be erected at
Co'l um l)us.
'l'ho rroject of removing the seat of government had been agitated as early as
1S07 or'S, and the anticipation entertained that Zanesville would be selected, gave
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inLcreased activity to the progress of improvemient. Much land was enitered in the
county, and many settlements made, although as late as 1813, land alas entered
wiitlin three miles of Zanesville. in 1809, parts of the town plat iwere covered
with the natural growth of timb)er.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments, the first three in
the ancient graveyard, on the hill at the head of Main-strect, in Zancsville,
the others in the extensive cemetery in Putnam, the village opposite
Sacred to the memory of JOIHN MCIXNTIRE, who departed this life July 29, 1815, aced 56
yrears. Hle was born at Alexandria, Virginia, laid out the town of Zanesville in 1800, of
which he was the Patouti and Facther. lie was a member of the Convention which formed
the Constitution of Ohio. A kind husband, an obliging neighbor, punctual to his eligagemuents; of liberal mind, and benevolent disposition, his death was sincerely lamented.
Sacred to the memory of WILLIAM RAYNOLDS, a native of Virginia, he emigrated to Ohio
in 1S04, and settled in the town at the foot of this hill, where he departed this life Nov. l,
1844, aged 50 years.
Who, though formed in an age when corruption ran high,
And folly alone seemed with folly to vie
When genius with traffic too commonly strain'd,
Recounted her merits by what she had gain'd,
Yet spurn'd at those walks of debasement and pelf,
And in poverty's spite, dared to think for himself.
Man goeth to his long home, and mourners go about the streets. Writhin this cae lieth
the mortal part of DAVID HARVEY, who was born in the parish of Hogen, county of Cornwall England, June 21, 1746; arrived in Fredericktown, Md., June, 1774,.and voted for
the Independence of the United States; supported the war by furnishing,a solder during
the term thereof, according to an act of the Assembly of that State. Arrived on the brank
of the Muskingum River, at Zanesville, Ohio, 10th of Dec., 1800. I)ied Maiy, 1845, aged
69 years.
WVILLIAM WaELLES, born in Glastenbury, Conn., 1754. Among, the pioneers of the North
West Territory, hlie shared largely in their labors, privations and perils. In 1790, lie located at Cincinnati. As Commissary he was with the army of St. Clair, and was wounded
in its memorable defeat. In 1800, he settled in Zanesville, subsequently he removed to
Putnam,, where he livedl respected and beloved by all who knew him, and died universally
lamented, on the 26th of Jan., 1814.
DR. INCRE,SE, }lXTTITEWS, born in Braintree, M.assachusetts, Dec. 22, 1772. Died June
6, 1856. 11 Bess(,d is the imin in vwhose spirit there is no guile." Psalms xxxii, 2. Dr.
lMaLtthews euigr.ated to Mariett', Ohio, 180). In the spring of 1801 he remrovedl to Zanesville, ci,'l tlhe samle year bought the land which fiormns the cemetery, includiing the town plat
of Put-naim. For sone ti.ne he was the only plysiciian in the county. Among the early
pioneers of t,he valley of tile Musking,l,i his.many unostentatinus virtues, and the purity
and simplicity of his life and character were known and appreciated.
Cos7iJotoii, the capital of Coshocton county, is a small village, 30 miles
above Zancsville, at the forks of the iMuskingum, and on the line of the
Pittsburg, Columbus and Cincinnati PRailroad. This vicinity was a favorite
residence of the Indians, especially the Shawnees, and they had numerous
villag,es on the Muskingum and its branches.
Beioro the settlement of the country, tlhere were several military expeditions into
this region. The first was made in the fall of 1764, by Col. Henry Boquet, wvithl a
lirg,e l)oldy of British regul-irs and borderers of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Overi-wed )by his superiority,,,Ind unable by his vigilance to effect a surprise, the
combined tribes made a peace with him, in which they agreed to deliver up their
captives. The delivery took place on the 9th of November, at or near the site of
Coshocton.'The number brougt,ht in was "06, men, women and children, all from
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the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Virginia. The scene which then took place was
very tiffecting, as related by Hutchins.
Language, indeed, can but weakly describe the scene, one to which the poet or painter
might have repaired to enrich the highest colorings of the variety of the human passions,
tile philosopher, to find ample subject for the most serious reflection, and the man to exer cise all the tender and sympathetic feelings of the soul. lThere were to be seen fathers
and mothers recognizing and clasping their once lost babes, husbands hangingt aroun,d the
iiecks of their newly recovered wives, sisters and brothers unexpectedly mrneetiig together,
after t long separation, scarcely able to speak the same language, or for some time to be
sure that they were the children of the same parents. In all these interviews joy and rapture inexpressible were seen, while feelings of a very different nature were painiited in the
looks of others, flying from place to place, in eager inquiries after relatives irot found;
trenmbling to receive an answer to questions; distracted with doubts, hopes and fears on
obtaining no account of those they sought for; or stiffened into living monuments of horror and woe, on learuinig their unhappy fate.
The Indians, too, as if wholly forgetting their usual savageness, bore a capital part in
hi'hltenul this most affecting scene. They delivered up their beloved captives with the
utmnost reluctance-shed torrents of tears over thlem-recomimending them to the care and
protection of the commanding officer. iTheir regard to them continued all the while they
remained in camp. They visited them from day to day, brought them what corn, skills,
horses, and other matters had been bestowed upon them while in their families, accompatnie(d with other presents, and all the marks of the most sincere and tender affection. Nay,
thee didn't stop here, but when the army marched, some of the Indiadms solicited and obtaii ed permission to accompany their former captives to Fort Pitt, and employed themsel es in hunting and bringing provisions for them on the waiy. A young Mingo carr'ied
this still farther, arid gave an instance of love which would make a figurie even ill romance.
A A oung woman of Virginia was atnongi the captives, to whom lie had formed so strong
an attachment as to call her his wife. Against all the remonstrances of the imminient
danger to which lie exposed himself by approaching the frontier, he persisted in following
her, at the risk of being killed by the surviilviig relatives of maniy unfortunate persons who
had been taken captive or scalped by those of his nation.
But it mutst not be deemed that there were not some, even grown persons, who showed
an unwillingness to return. The Shawnees were obliged to biad some of their prisoners,
and force them along to the camp, and some women who had been delivered lip, afterward
found mneaas to escape, and went back to the Indian tribes. Some who could not make
their escape, clung to their savage acquaintances at parting, and continued many days ill
bitter lamentations, even refusing sustenance.
In 1774, in Dunmore's war, a second expedition, of 400 Virginians, under
Col. Angus M'Donald, entered the country, and destroyed the Wakatomica
towns, and burnt the corn of the Indians. This was in the vicinity of Dresden, a, few miles below the forks.
In the summer of 1780, a third expedition, called " the Coshoctont campaigz,"
was m'ade, under Col. Broadhead. The troops rendezvoused at Wheeling, and
marchled to the forks of the Muskingum. They took ablout 40 prisoners, whom they
tomahawked and scalped in cold blood. A chief, who, under promise of protection, came to make peace, was conversing with Broadhead, when a man, named
Wetzel, came behind him, and drawing a concealed tomahawk from the bosom of
his hunting shirt, lifted it on high and then buried it in his brains. The confiding
savage quivered, fell and expired.
In Tuscarawas county, which lies directly east and adjoining to Coshocton, as early as 1762, the 3Moravian missionaries, Rev. Frederick Post and
Johln Heckewelder, established a Mission among the Indians on the Tuscarawas, where, in 1781, Mary Heckewelder, the first white child born in Ohio.
first saw the light. Other missionary auxiliaries were sent out by that
society, for the propagation of the Christian religion among the Indians.
Among these was the Rev. David Zeisberger, a man whose devotion to the
cause was attested by the hardships he endured, and the dangers he encountered. Had the same pacific policy which governIed the Friends of Pennsylvania, in their treatment of the Indians, bean adopted by the white set
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tlers of tho west, the efforts of the MIoravian missionaries in Ohio would
have been more successful.
They had three stations on the Tuscarawas River, or rather three Indian villages,
viz: Shoenbrun, Gnadenhutten and Salem. The site of the first is about two miles
south of New Philadelphia; seven miles firther south was Gnadenhutten, in the
immediate vicinity of the present village of that. name; and about five miles below
that was Salem, a short distance from the village of Port Washington. The first
andi last mentioned were on the west side of the Tuscarawas, now near the margin
of the Ohio canal. Gnadenhutten is on the east side of the river. It was here
that a massacre took place on the 8th of Mlarch, 1782, which, for cool barbarity, is
perhaps unequaled in the history of the Indian wars.
The MAoravian villages on the Tuscarawas were situated about mid-way between
the white settlements near the Ohio, and some warlike tribes of Wyandots and
Delawivres on the Sandusky. These latter were chiefly in the service of England, or at
least opposed to the colonists, with whom she was then at war. There was a British station at Detroit, and an American one at Fort Pitt (Pittsburg), which were
regarded as the nucleus of western operations by each of the contending parties.
'The 3Aoravian villages of friendly Indians on the Tuscarawas were situated, as the
savin, is, betwveen two fires. As Christian converts and friends of peace, both
policy and inclination led them to adopt neutral grounds.
Several depredations had been committed by hostile Indians, about this time, on
the frontier inhabitants of western Pennsylvania and Virginia, who determined
to retaliate. A company of one hundred men was raised and placed under the
command of Col. Williamson, as a corps of volunteer militia. They set out for
the Aloravian towns on the I'Tuscarawas, and arrived within a mile of Gnadenhutten on the night of the 5th of March. On the morning of the 6th, finding the Indians were employed in their corn-field. on the west side of the river, sixteen of
Williamson's men crossed, two at a time, over in a large sap-trough, or vessel used
for retaining sugar water, taking their rifles with them. The remainder went into
the villlage, where they found a man and a woman, both of whom they killed. The
sixteen on the west side, on approaching the Indians in the field, found them more
numerous than they expected. They had their arms with them, which was usual
on such occasions, both for purposes of protection and for killing game. The
whites accosted them kindly, told them they had come to take them to a place
where they would be in future protected, and advised them to quit work, and return with them to the neighborhood of Fort Pitt. Some of the Indians had been
taken to that place in the preceding year, had been well treated by the American
governor of the fort, and been dismissed with tokens of warm friendship. Under
these circumstances, it is not surprising that the unsuspecting Moravian Indians
readily surrendered their arms, and at once consented to be controlled by the advice of Col. Williamson and his men. An Indian messenger was dispatched to
Salem, to apprise the brethren there of the new arrangement,,and both companies
returned to Gnadenhutten.
On reaching the village, a number of mounted militia started for the Salem settlement,
but e'er they reached it, found that the Moravian Indians at that place had already left
their corn-fields, bv the advice of the messenger, and were on the road to join their brethre:i at Gnadeilihutten. Measures had been adopted by the militia to secure the Indians
whom tliey lihd at first decoyed into their power. They were bound, confined in two houses
and well guarded. On the arrival of the Indians from Salem (their arms having been pre-viouslv secured without suspicion of any hostile intention), they were also fettered, and divided between the two prison house, the mniales in one, and the females in the other. The
number thus confined in both, including men, women and children, have been estimated
from ninety to ninety-six.
A coulicil was then held to determine how the Moravian Indians should be disposed of.
This self constituted military court embraced both officers and privates. The late Dr.
Dodridge, in his published notes on Indian wars, etc., says: "; Colonel Williamson put the
questioni, whether the Moravian Indians should be taken prisoners to Fort Pitt, or put to
dea(th?" requesting those who were in favor of saving their lives to step out and form a
second rank. Only eighteen out of the whole niumber stepped forth as the advocates of
mercv. In these the feelings of humanity were not extinct. In the majority, which was
lerge, no sympathy was manifested. They resolved to murder (for no other word can ex
123
press the act), the whole of the Christian Indians in their custody. Among these were
several who had contributed to aid the missionaries in the work of conversion and civiiizatioii-two of whom emigrated from New Jersey after the death of their spiritual pastor,
Rev. David Brainard. One woman, who could speak good English, knelt before the comrimnder and begged his protection. Her supplication was uiavailinig. They wer e ordered
to prepare for death. But the warning had been anticipated.'I'lei firm belief in their
ilewv creed was slhovn forth in the scaid hour of their tribulation, by religious exercises of
preparation. The orisons of these devoted people were alrea(lv ascending the throne of
the MAost High! —the sound of the Christian's hymn and the Christiain's praver f ound an
echio in the surrounding woods, but no responsive feeling in the bosoms of their executiolneis. With gun, and spear, and tomahawk, and scalping knife, the work of death [Iroressed in these slaughter houses, till not a sigh or moan was heard to proclaim the existence of human life within-all, save two-two Indian boys escaped, as if by a miracle, to
be witnesses in after times of the savage cruelty of the white mall toward their uilfortunate race.
Thus were upward of ninety human beings hurried to an untimely grave by those who
should have been their legitimate protectors. After committing the barbarous act, Williamson and his men set fire to the houses containing the dead, and then marched off for
Stlioenbrun, the upper Indian town. But here the news of their atrocious deeds had preceded them. The inhabitants had all fled, and with them fled for a time the hopes of the
missionaries to establish a settlement,f' Christian Indians on the Tuscarawas. The fruits
of tell years' labor in the cause of civilization were apparently lost.
Those engaged in the campaigni, were generally men of standing at home. When the
expedition was formed, it was given out to the public that its sole object was to remove
the Moravianis to Pittsburg, and by destroying the villages, deprivie the hostile savages of
a shelter. In their towvus, various articles plundered ifrom the whites, were discovered.
One man is said to have found the bloody clothes of his wife and children, whlo had recently beein murdered These articles, doubtless, lhad been purchased of the hostile Indiuiis. The sight of these, it is said, bringing to mind the forms of murdered relations,
wrought them up to an uncontrollable pitch of frenzy, which nothing but blood could
satisfy.
In the year 1799, when the remnant of the Moravian Indians were recalled by theUniitled
States to reside on the same spot, an old'Indian, in company with a young man by the
name of Carr, walked over the desolate scene, and showed to the white man an excav-ationi, which had formerly been a cellar, and in which were still some moldering bones of
the victims, though seventeen years had passed since their tragic death-the tears, in the
meanitmne, falling down the wlrinkled face of this aged child of the Tuscarawas.
The Mission, having been resumed, was continued in operation until the
year 1823, when the Indians sold out their lands to the United States, and
removed to a MIoravian station on the Thamnes, in Canada. The faithful
Zeisberger died and was buried at Goshen, the last abiding plaee of his flock.
In a somall graveyard there, a little marble slab bears the following inscription
DxviID ZEISBRF,RR', who was born 11th April, 1721, in M\oravia, and departed this life 7th
Nov., 180S, aged 87 years, 7 months and 6 days. This faithful servant of the Lord labored
among the Moravian Indians. as a missionary, during the last sixty years of his life.
STEUBENVILLE, the capital of Jefferson county, is situated on the right
bank of the Ohio, on an elevated plain, 150 miles from Columbus, 36, in a
direct line, from Pittsburgh, and 75 by the river, and 22 above Wheeling,
Va. It is surrounded by a beautiful country, and is the center of anl extensi;ve trade, and flourishing manufactorics of various kinds, which are supplied
with fuel from the inexhaustible mines of stone coal in the vicinity. The
Feimale Seminary at this place, situated on the bank of the river, is a flourishiiig institution, and has a widely extended reputation. It contains about
9,000 inhabitants.
Steubenville was laid out in 1798, by Bezabel Wells and James Ross. It derives
its name from Fort Steuben, which was erected in 1789, on Hig,h-street, near the
site of the Female Seminary. It was built of block-hlouses connected by palisade
fences, and was dismantled at the t;ine of Wayne's victory, previous to which it
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124
had been garrisoned by the United States infantry, lunder the command of Colonel
Beatty-.
Thi( old Mfingo town, three miles below Steubenville, Aas a place of note pi(-)r
to) the settlement of the countryv. It was tlhe point lwhere the troops of C(). \\illitamson re.ndezvoused in the infamous Moravian cainpaig-n, and tlhose of Colonel
axor, in his unfortunate expedition against the Sandusky Indianiis. It was
_________ I''ill'I
7h,, o,'"-r;~x-ifrz s!l)wS tlif, nlql)e:l?',.Jne,l' Of 3hu t-st e, oiestwa rd, tear the Cot't TJ0ou9. wichi'i)
; it:,:e s,?I, the ri^ A't; a tt)rtio n f 1' t it l[k tt( th)e left; tlle Steubeniville and Indian-a Railroad cross,a
I,. ar:e tt-street the istn(, l e ole ctori's.
,'s,, at one the i sidence o' f Lg()tn, the celebrated Ainco chief. whose form
wts strikinr, and mainl XXnd n hose n.agnanimity and eloquence have sel(o)in been
eqtualed. He was a son of the Cav-l vi n chief Skikellimus, who dwelt at Shamokin,
I'. in 1742, and was converted to Christianity under the preaching of the lfora-l
Xian missionaries. Skikellinius highly esteemed Jamues Logan, the secretary of the
province, named his son from him, and probably had him baptized by the missionaries.
Logan took no part in the old French war, which ended in 1760, except that of
a peace maker, and was always the friend of the white people until the base murder of his family to which has been attributed the origin of Dunmiore's war. This
event took place near the mouth of Yellow creek, in'this county, about 17 miles
above Steubenville. During the vwar which followed, Logan firequently showed his
mag-nanimity to prisoners who fell into his hands.
CoGineatU, in Ashtabula county, the north-eastern corner township of Ohio,
is on Lakle Erie, and on the Lake Shore Railroad, 67 miles east of Cleveland; it is distinguished as the landing place of the party who made the first
settlement of northern Ohio, in 1796; hence it is sometimes called the'1/Y?n.ovth of the Wrestern Reserve. There is a good harbor at the mouth of
Conneaut creek, and a light house.
On the 4th of July, 1796, the first surveying party of the Westerii Reserve landed at the mouth of Conneaut creek. Of this event, John Barr,
Esq., in his sketch of the Western Reserve, in the National Magazine for
December, 1845, has given the following sketch:
The sons of revolutionary sires, some of them sharers of themselves in the great
baptism of the republic, they made the anniversary of their country's freedom a
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;Vr"~z; in Ste~tbeiiville.
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day of ceremonial and rejoicing. They felt that they had arrived at the place of
their labors, the-to many of them-sites of home, as little alluring, almost as
crowded with dangers, as were the levels of Jamestown, or the rocks of Plymnouth
to the ancestors who had preceded them in the conquest of the sea-coast wilderness
of this continent. From old homes and friendly and social associations, they were
almost as completely exiled as were the cavaliers who debarked upon the shores of
Virginia, or the Puritans who sought the strand of Massachusetts. Far away as
they were from the villages of their birth and boyhood; before them the trackless
forest, or the untraversed lake, yet did they resolve to cast fatigue, and privation
and peril from their thoughts for the time being, and give to the day its due, to pa triotism its awards. Mustering their numbers, they sat them down on the east ward shore of the stream now known as Conneaut, and, dipping from the -lake the
liquor in which they pledged their country-their goblets, some tin cups of no rare
workmanship, yet every way answerable, with the ordnance accompaniment of two
or three fowling pieces discharging the required national salute-the first settlers
of the Reserve spent their landing-day as became the sons of the Pilgrim Fathlers
-as the advance pioneers of a population that has since made the then wilderness
of northern Ohio to "blossom as the rose," and prove the homes of a people as re markable for integrrity, industry, love of country, moral truth and enlightened leg islation, as any to be found within the territorial limits of their ancestral N'ew
England.
The whole party numbered on. this occasion, fifty-two persons, of whiom two were fe m:iles (Mrs. Stiles and Mrs. Gunn, and a child). As these individuals were the advance
of after millions of population, their names become worthy of record, and are therefore
,iiveni, viz: Moses Cleveland, agent of the company; Augustus Porter, principal su,rveyor;
Seth Pease, Moses Warren, Amos Sp~Thff. E __ I X fort there described as " Fort Juitandat,
built imi 1754." The words Wandots are,
doubtless, meant for Wyandot towns.
Erie, Huron, and a small part of Otta.... __ ~ wa counties comprise that portion of the
.=~~ MtWestern Reserve* known as " the fire
lai.ds," being a tract of about 500,000
&h~'~nlotg acres, granted by the state of Connecticut
'FortSaruda,'y+ nots s> to the sufferers by fire from the British in
' - their incursions into that state.
a,ort f~naadat It is quite difficult to ascertain who the first
-Built in 17 settlers were upon the fire lands. As early,
if not prior to the organization of the state,
ot, anots several persons had squatted upon the lands,
at the mouth of the streams and near the
shore of the lake, led a hunter's life and
~~~~ ~ trafficked with the Indians. But they were a
-~ - ~- race of wanderers and gradually disappeared
before fhe regular progress of the settlements.
Those devoted missionaries, the Moravians, made a settlement, which they called New
- The Western, or Connecticut Reserve, comprises the following counties in northern Ohio,
viz: Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Erie, Huron, Medina, Summit, Portage, Trumbull, and the northern part of Mahoning.
OHIO.
138
OHIO.
Salem, as early as 1790, on Huron River, about two miles below Milan, on the Hathaway
farm. They afterward settled at Milan.
The first regular settlers upon the fire lands were Col. Jerard Ward, who came in the
spring of 1808, and Almon Ruggles and Jabez Wright, in the autumn succeeding. Ere the
close of the next year, quite a number of families had settled in the townships of Huron,
Florence, Berlin, Oxford, Margaretta, Portland and Vermillion. These early settlers generallv erected the ordinary log cabin, but others of a wandering character built bark huts,
lwhich were made by driving a post at each of the four corners, and one higher between
each of the two end corners, in the middle to support the roof, which were connected together by a ridge pole. Layers of bark were wound around the side of the posts, each upper layer lapping the one beneath to shed rain. The roof was barked over, strips being
bent across from one cave over the ridge pole to the other, and secured by poles on them.
The occupants of these bark huts were squatters, and lived principally by hunting. They
were the semi-civilized race that usually precedes the more substantial pioneer ill the western wilderness.
Firemort, formerly Lower Sandusky, on the west bank of Sandusky River,
is the county seat of Sandusky county, 30 miles easterly from Toledo, by the
Cleveland and Toledo Railroad. Population about 4,000.
The defense of Fort Stephenson, at this point, Aug. 2, 1813, just after
the siege of Fort tIeigs, was a memorable event in the war of 1812.
This post had been established by Gen. Harrison, on Sandusky River, eighteen
miles from its mouth, and forty east of Fort Meigs. It was garrisoned by one
hundred and fifty men, under Major
~!il!!i;iii:~ ~ George Croghari, a young Kentuckian,
',! l!';vj!lllll!ll ust past twentv-one years of age. This
___ X -_ fort being indefensible against heavy
A cannon, which it was supposed would
-- -Kl._Hi i be brought against it by Proctor, it was
I1~. t ~~~ n81judged best by liarrison and his officers
in council, that it should be abandoned.
10I'!L- LIuLs E-,But the enemy appeared before the gar........,l)iii>ii}illli!l}i~iiiJillitiii; rison on the 31st of July, before the or ~,,T, jj;," - -' der could be executed; they numbered
gl,jltll~llliit[,~ ~thirty-three hundred strong, including
the Indians, and brought with them six
FORT SANDUSKY.* pieces of artillery, which, luckily, were
of light caliber. To Proctor's summniary
demand for its surrender, he was informed that he could only gain access over the
corpses of its defenders. The enemy soon opening their fire upon them, gave
Croghan reason to judge that they intended to storm the north-West angle of the
fort. In the darkness of night, he placed his only piece of artillery, a six pounder,
at that point, and loaded it to the muzzle with slugs. On the evening of the 2d,
three hundred British veterans marched up to carry the works by storm, and
when within thirty feet of the masked battery it opened upon them.t The effect
was decisive, twenty-seven of their number was slain, the assailants recoiled, and
having the fear of Harrison before them. who was at Fort Seneca, some ten miles
south, with a considerable force, they hastily retreated the same night, leaving behind them their artillery and stores.
ULppe2 Sa)cd- skj, the county seat of Wyandot county, is a village of about
BRefereces to the Fort.-Li,ie 1-Pickets. Li,e 2-Embankment from the ditch to and
.against the picket. Liiie 3-Dry ditch, nine feet wide by six deep. Line 4-Outward embankment or glacis. A-Bl1)ck-house first attacked by cannon, b. B-Bastion from which
the ditch was raked by Croghan's artillery. C-Guard block-house, in the lower left corner. D-Hospital during the attack. E E E-Military store-houses. F-Commissary's
Etore-house. G-Maagazinre. H-Fort gate. K K K-Wicker gates. L-Partition gate.
tCol. Short, who commanded this party, was ordering his men to leap the ditch, cut down
the pickets, and give the Americans?so quarters, when he fell mortally wounded into the
ditch, hoisted his white handkerchief on the end of his sword, and begged for that mercy
which he had a moment before ordered to be denied to his enemy.
139
1,500 inhabitants, 63 miles N. of Columbus, on the W. bank of the Sandusky, and on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicie,go Railroad. It was formerly the chief town of the Wyandot Indians, who ceded their land to the
United States in 1843.
About three miles north of the town is the battle ground, where Col. Crawford
was defeated by the Indians, in 1782. After the massacre of the Moravian Indians on the Tuscarawas, the remainder settled in this vicinity among the hostile Indians. A second expedition was projected on the upper Ohio, to invade the \Vyandot country, finish the destruction of the Christian Indians, and then destroy
the WVyandot towns in the vicinity. Four hundred and eighty men assembled at
the old iingo towns, near the site of Steubenville, and elected Col. Wm. Crawford, a resident of Brownsville, as their commander. This officer was a native of
Virginia, and an intimate friend of Washington. At this time he was about 50
years of age.
It was determined to carry on a war of extermination-"no quarter was to
be given to any wiant, vwonia,, or child." On thle 7th of June, while marching
through the Sandusky plains, they were attacked by the Indians, concealed in the
high grass. The action continued until ni-lt closed in upon them. It was then
determined to retreat. Unfortunately, instead of doing so all in a body, one part
broke up into small parties, and these being pursued by detachments of Indians,
mostly fell into the hands of the enemy. Some were killed and scalped at the
time, while others were reserved for torture. Among the latter was Col. Crawford,
who perished at the stake.*
* The account of the burnin,g of Crawford is thus given by Dr. Knight, his companion,
who subsequently escaped. When we went to the fire, the colonel was stripped naked, ordered to sit down by the fire, and then they beat him with sticks and their fists. Presently
after, I was treated in the same manner. They then tied a rope to the foot of a post about
fifteen feet high, bound the colonel's hands behind his back and fastened the rope to the
ligature between his wrists. The rope was long enough for him to sit down or walk round
the post once or twice, and return the same way. The colonel then called to Girty, and
asked ilim if they intended to burn him? Girty answered, yes. The colonel said he would
take it all patiently. Upon this, Captain Pipe, a Delaware chief, made a speech to the Indians, viz: about thirty or forty men, and sixty or seventy squaws and boys. When the
speech was finished, they all yelled a hideous and hearty assent to what had been said; The
Indian men took utip their guns and shot powder into the colonel's body, from his feet as far
up as his neck. I think that not less than seventy loads were discharged upon his naked
body. They then crowded about him, and to the best of my observation, cut off his ears;
when the throng had dispersed a little, I saw the blood running from both sides of his head
in consequence thereof.
The fire was about six or seven yards from the post to which the colonel was tied; it was
made of small hickory poles, burnt quite through in the middle, each end of the poles remaining about six feet in length. Three or four Indians, by turns, would take up, individually, one of these burning pieces of wood, and apply it to his naked body, already
burnt black with powder. These tormentors presented themselves on every side of him
with the burning fagots and poles. Some of the squaws took broad boards, upon which
they would carry a quantity of burning coals and hot embers, and throw on him, so that in
a short time, he had nothing but coals of fire and hot ashes to walk upon. In the midst of
these extreme tortures, he called to Simon Girty, and begged of him to shoot him: but
Girty imaking no answer, he called to him again. Girty then, by way of derision, told the
colonel that he had no gun, at the same time turning about to an Indian who was behind
himn, laughed heartily, and by all his gestures, seemed delighted with the horrid scene.
Girty then came up to me and bade me prepare for death. He said, however, I was not to
die at that place, but to be burnt at the Shawnese towns. He swore by G-d I need not
expect to escape death, but should suffer it in all its extremities.
Col. Crawford, at this period of his sufferings, besought the Almighty to have mercy on
his soul, spoke ver-y low, and bore his torments with the most manly fortitude. Hie contirnucl in all the extremities of pain for an hour and three quarters or two hours longer, as
near as I can judge, when at last, being almost exhausted, he lay down on his belly; they
then scalped him, and repeatedly threw the scalp in my face, telling me, "that was my great
captain." An old squaw (whose appearance every way answered the ideas people entertain
of the devil) got a board, took a parcel of coals and ashes and laid them on his back and
head, after he had been scalped; he then raised himself upon his feet and began to walk
140
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OHIO.
Near the town of Upper Sandusky stands the old Wyandot Mission Church,
built about the year 1824, from government funds, by Rev. James B. Finley. The Methodists here sustained the mission among the Indians for many
years. In 1816, John Stewart, a mulatto, a Methodist, came here, and gain ing much influence over the na -_____= __ ____ tives, paved the way for a regular
: — -__ - ______ mission, which was soon after
... ~: — __...-..__ formed by Mr. Finley, who es _=-__ ~ tablished both a church and a
school. This was the first Ipdian
le ~.~~:, ~~{ tmission formed by the Methodists
in the Mississippi Valley. Mr.
Finley was very happy in his
4|~~~ Em_ efforts, and in his interesting his tory of the mission, gives the fol lowing touching anecdote of the
chief Sunmmundewat, one of his
converts, who was subsequently
mnurdered by some vagabond
I ~_ _ _ _ +7Iwhites in Hancock county, while
extendinig to them hospitalities
WYA.NDOT 31iSSiON CHIUTRCH. L I
"Sum-miun-de- wat amused me after
hlie came home by relating a circumstance that transpired one cold evenling, just before
suli-donvn.' I met,' said ie, on a smnall pat)lth. inot far fromr my camp, a man whlo ask me
if I could talk English.' I said. Little.' HLe isk mne,' How far is it to a house?' I answer,' I don't kio-i-iay b)e 10) niles —iny be 8 miles.'' Is there a path leading to it?'
' No-by and by dis go out (poi0tiig to the.ath they w ere on), denl all woods. You go
home me-sleep-me go shliow you to-lorrovw.''lieii hle come my camp-so take horse
-tie- -ive him some c)rti a1)d bis-.l-tlien Ilnl avi'e gi\e him supper. He ask where I
come. I say,' Sandusk.' He s.'y,' You kno FilIey?'' Yes,' I say,' lie is mybrothlier
-my father.' Then hlie sa,' He is inm brother.''hlien I feel something in my heart burn.
I say,' You preacher?' He say, Yes;' ad I shook hanlds and say,' My brotlierl!' Thlen
we try talk. lThen I say,' You sing and pray.' So he did. Then he say to me,' Siug
and piray.' So I did; aind I so mulch cry I can't pramy. No go to sleep-I can't-I wakemy heait full. All night I pray andt( praise God, for his send me preacher to sleep amy
camp. Next morning soon com e, and he want to go. Tlheni I go show him through the
woods, until come to big road. lTiei he took mily hand sid say,'Farewell, brother; by
and by we meet up in heaven.' TlienI me cry, and myv brother cry. We part-I go Ihult.
All day I cry, and no see deer jump up and ru away. Theii I go and pray by some log.
Mv heart so full of joy, that I can not walk much. I say,' I can not hunt.' Sometimes
I sing-then I stop and clap my hands, and look up to God, my heavenly Father. Thllen
the love come so fast in my heart, I can hardly stand. So I went home, and said,' This
is my happiest day.'
DAYTON, a city, and capital of Montgomery county, is situated on the E.
bank of the Great Miami, at the mouth of Mad River, 60 miles from
Cincinnati, 67 from Columbus, and 110 from Indianapolis. This is the
round the post; they next put a burning stick to him, as usual, but he seemed more insensible of pain than before.
The Indian fellow who had me in charge, now took me away to Captain Pipe's house,
about three quarters of a mile from the place of the colonel's execution. I was bound all
right, and thus prevented from seeing the last of the horrid spectacle. Next morning,
being June 12th, the Indian untied me; painted me black, and we set off for the Shawnee
town, which he told me was somewhat less than forty miles distant from that place. AVWe
soon came to the spot where the colonel had been burnt, as it was partly in our way; I saw
his bones lying among the remains of the fire, almost burnt to ashes; I suppose, after he
was dead, they laid his body on the fire. The Indian told me that was my big captain, and
gave the scalp halloo.
141
third city in Ohio, in population and wealth, and has extensive manufactures and respectable commerce. Its manufactures consist principally of
railro'td equipments, iron ware, paper, cotton, and woolen fabrics, etc.
The city is laid out with streets 100 feet wide, crossing each other at right
Nor th-easter7z viewt of the Cout't tIi()?se, Dayton.
Erected at an expense of albout $10(0,000, and 127 feet ill length by 62 in breadth. The style of architecture is that of the Parthenoni, witlh sonie slight varittions.
angles. The public buildings are excellent, and much taste is displayed inl
the construction of privatte residences, many of which are ornamiented by
fine gardens and shrubbery. The abundant water power which Dayton possesses is one of the elements of its prosperity. In 1845, a hydralfic canal
was made, by which the water of Mad PIiver is brought through the city.
'Numerous macadamized roads divei-rge firom the town, and radiate in all directions; several railroads terminate at Dayton, and by this means comlmunication is had with every point in the Union. The Southern Ohio Lun, tie
Asylum is established here. There are 27 churches, in 7 of which the German language is used. Population in 1860, 2(),]132.
The first families who made a permanent residence in the place, arrived on
the 1st day of April, 1796. The first 19 settlers of Dayton, were Wil. Gahagan, Samuel Thompson, Benj. Van Cleve, Win. Van Cleve, Solomon Goss,
Thomas Davis, John Davis, James 3i'Clure, John M'Clure, Daniel lFeriell,
William Ilamler, Solomon iHanier, Thomas Hamer, Abraham Glassmire, John
Dorough, Wm. Chenoweth, Jas. Morris, Wm. Newconi and George Newonm.
In 1803, on the organization of the state government, Montgomery county
was established. Dayton was made the seat of justice, at which time only
five families resided in the town, the other settlers having gone on to farms
in the vicinity, or removed to other parts of the country. The increase of
the town was gradual, until the war of 1812, which made a thoroughfare for
the troops and stores on their way to the frontier.
~5)~Nrg qfiehl, a beautiful city and capital of Clarke county, is situated oi
the National Road, on Mad River, 43 miles W. from Columbus, and 84 N.
firom Cincinnati. It has great water power, well improved by a variety of
mills and manufacturing establishments. It is surrounded by a rich a}
populous country. Several macadamized roads terminate here, and railroadt
OHIO.
142
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connect it with the principal towns in the state. Wittemberg College, under the patronage of the Lutheran Church, chartered in 1845, is a short distance without the town, and is surrounded with spacious grounds. Population, 8,000.
Springfield was laid out in 1803, by James Demint. The old Indian town,
Piqua, the ancient Piqua of the Shawnees, and the birth-place of TECUMSEH,
the celebrated Indian warrior, was situated on the N. side of Mad River,
about five miles W. from Springfield.
,Xe)tia, the county seat of Green, is a well built town on the Little Miami
Railroad, 64 miles north of Cincinnati, in a rich country. The town was
laid off in 1803, by Joseph C. Vance. The name, Xenia, is said to be all
old French word, signifying a New Year's gift. Wilberforce University is
three and a half miles north-east of Xenia, an institution under the care of
the Alethodist Episcopal Church North, for the special purpose of educating
colored youth of both sexes. Population about 5,000.
About three miles north, on the Little Miami, is the site of the Shawtnee
town, Old Chillicothe. It was a place of note in the early history cf the
country, and a point to which Daniel Boone, with 27 other Kentuckians,
were brought prisoners in 1 778.
Aittioch College is at Yellow Springs, 9 miles north of Xenia. It is an
institution of considerable celebrity, the one over which the late Horace
MIann presided, with so much reputation to himself and benefit to his pupils.
First Co?'rt House il Greene county.
The engravinj-r is a correct representation of the first court house in Greene. It
was erected five and a half miles north of the site of Xenia, near the Dayton road.
It was built by Gen. Benj. Whiteman, as a residence for Peter Borders.
The first court for the trial of causes was held in it, in August, 1803, Francis
Dunlavy, presiding judge. A grand jury of inquest were sworn "for the body of
Greene county." After receiving the char(ge, "they retired out of court"-a circuimstance not to be wondered at, as there was but one room in the house. Their
place of retirement, or jury room, was a[ little squat shaped pole hut, shown on the
right of the view. But it appears there was nothing for them to do.
"But they were not permitted to remain idle long: the spectators in attendance
promptly took the mattter into consideration. They, doubtless, thought it a great
143
pity to have a learned court and nothing for it to do; so they set to and cut out
employment for their honors by en.gaging in divers hard fights at fisticuffs, right
on the ground. So it seems our pioneers fought for the benefit of the court. At
all events, while their honors were waiting to settle differences according to law,
they were making up issues and settling them by trial" by combat "-a process by
which they avoided the much complained of "laws' delay," and incurred no other
damages than black eyes and bloody noses, which were regarded as mere trifles,
of course. Among the incidents of the day, characteristic of the times, was this:
A MNr., of Warren county, was in attendance. Owen Davis, the owner of a
mill near by, and a brave Indian fighter, as well as a kind-hearted, obliging man,
charged this Warren county man with speculatiny itn pork, alias stealing his
neighbor's hogs. The insult was resented-a combat tookplace forthwith, in whlichl
Davis proved victorious. He then went into court, and planting himself in front
of the judges, he observed, addressing himself particularly to one of them,'JVell,
Ben, I've whipped that - hog thief-what's the damage —what's to pay? and,
thereupon, suiting the action to the word, he drew out his buckskin purse, containing 8 or 10 dollars, and slammed it down on the table-then shaking his fist at the
judgre whom he addressed, he continued,'Yes, Ben, and if you'd steal a hog,
you, I'd Rwhip you too.' He had, doubt]ess, come to the conclusion, that, as there
was a court, the luxury of fighting could not be indulged in gratis, and he was for
paying up as he went. Seventeen witnesses were sworn and sent before the grand
jury, and nine bills of indictment were found the same day —all for affrays and
assaults and batteries committed after the court was organized. To these indictments the parties all pleaded guilty, and were fined-Davis among the rest, who
was fined eight dollars for his share in the transactions of the day."
Gri-eenville, the capital of Parke county, on the Greenville and Miami
Railroad, is about 121 miles WI. firom Columbus. It contains some 1,500
inhabitants. In 1793, Gen. Wayne built Fort Greenville on the site of the
present town, and here the treaty of Greenville was concluded, between Gen.
Wayne and the Indians. Gen. St. Clair, at the head of 1,400 men, was defeated by the Indians in the north-west corner of Darke county, upward of
20 miles from Greenville, Nov. 4, 1791. The great object of St. Clair's
campaign was to establish a line of military posts between Fort Washing-ton
(Cincinnati), and the junction of St. Mary and St. Joseph Rivers, now Fort
Wayne. The description of the battle is from Monette's history:
On the 3d of November, the army encamped in a wooded plain, among the
sources of a Wabash tributary, upon the banks of several small creeks, about fifty
miles south of the Miami towns. The winter had already commenced, and the
ground was covered with snow three inches deep.
Next morning, Nov. 4th, just before sunrise, and immediately after the t'roops
had been dismissed from parade, the Indians made a furious attack upon the militia, whose camp was about a quarter of a mile in advance of the main camp of
the regular troops. The militia immediately gave way, and fled with great precipitation and disorder, with the Indians in close pursuit; and, rushing through the
camp, they threw the battalions of Majors Butler and Clark into confusion. The
utmost exertions of those officers failed to restore complete order. The Indians,
pressing close upon the militia, immnediately engaged Butler's command with great
intrepidity and fury. The attack soon became general both in the front and second
lines, but the weight of the enemy's fire was directed against the center of each
line, where the artillery was stationed. Such was the intensity of the enemny's fire.,
that the men were repeatedly driven from their guns with great loss. Conifusion
was spreading among the troops, from the great numbers who were constantly falling, while no impression was made by their fire upon the enemy. "At length resort was had to the bayonet.-Col. Darke was ordered to charge with )part of the
second line, and endeavor to turn the left flank of the enemy. This order was executed with great spirit. The Indians instantly gavv e way, and were driven back
three or four hundred yards; but. for want of a suifficient number of riflemen to
pursue this advantage, they soon rallied, and the troops were obliged in turn to
144
of-iio.
OHIO.
fitll back. At this moment, the Indians had entered our camp by the left flank,
having driven back the troops that were posted there. Another charge was made
here by the second regiment, l;utler's and Clark's battalions, with equal effect, and
it was repeated several times, and always with success; but in each charge several
men were lost, and particularly the officers; which, with raw troops, was a loss
altogether irremedia i-_~~~~~~~ l ~~~~~ble." In the last charge
.a*SS",,' ~ Major Butler was dan Nm\"6R~pm' C gerously wounded, and
A ~fig"\"" every officer of the
A-t~ ~:,,'Z Sw second regiment fell
beg;ns \ bo Rv~s g except three. The ar tillery being now si lenced, and all the of ficers killed except
" "- Capt. Ford, who was
lk D-' 41i~~,~ Lij''j, -severely wounded, and
"..._. "...":~.~.~ J~'~ii"~J~]Jmore than half the
.."'-.'" /army having fallen, it
became necessary to
make a retreat, if pos ~I.As a Us~r sible. This was im mediately done, while
~~A Soil Z ~. Major Clark protected
A' | | X the rear with hi, bat - - ~~~~~~~~talion. The r etreat
was precipitous: it was
,ta perfect flilit. Tlie
\' ~"'',{~~~:'camp and artillery was
abandoned; nota horse
was alive to draw the
PLAN OF ST. CLAIR'S BATTLE FIELD.* cannon. The men, in
their flight and consternation, threw away their arms and accouterments after pursuit had ceased, and
the road was strewed with them for more than four miles. The rout continued to
Fort Jefferson, twenty-nine miles. The action began half an hour before sunrise,
the retreat commenced at half past nine o'clock, and the remnant of the army
reached Fort Jefferson just after sunset. The savages continued the pursuit for
four miles, when, fortunately, they returned to the scene of action for scalps and
plunder.
In this most disastrous battle, thirty-eight commissioned officers were killed on
the field. Six hundred non-comimissioned officers and privates were either killed
or missing. Among the wounded were twenty-one commissioned officers, and two
hundred and forty-two non-commissioned officers and privates. Many of the
wounded died subsequently of their wounds. The Indian loss did not exceed sixty
warriors killed.
The grand error in this campaign was the impolicy of urging forward on a dangerous service, far into the Indian country, an army of raw troops, who were unwilling to enter upon the campaign, as was fully evinced by frequent desertions as
they approached the hostile towns. The army was fatally reduced by the detachment sent to overtake the deserters from the Kentucky militia; and Gen. St. Clair
* Referenices.-A-High ground, on which the militia were encamped at the commencement of the action. B C-Encampment of the main army. D-Retreat of the militia. at
the beginning of the battle. E-St. Clair's trace, on which the defeated army retreated.
F-Place where Gen. Butler and other officers were buried. G-Trail to Girty's Town, on
the River St. Marys, at what is now the village of St. Marys. H-Site of Fort Recovery,
built by Wayne; the line of Darke and Mercer runs within a few rods of the site of the
fort. I-Place where a brass cannon was found buried, in 1830; it is on the bottom where
the Indians mere three times driven to the high land with the bayonet.
10
145
himself was quite infirm, and often unable to attend to his duties as commanderin-chief. On the fatal day of his defeat, he was scarcely able to be mounted upon
his horse, either from physical infirmity or culpable intemperance.*
The Indians engaged in this terrible battle comprised about nine hundred warriors. Among them were about four hundred Shaiwnese, commanded by Blue
Jacket, and chiefly from the waters of the AVabash. The remainder were commanded by Little Turtle, Buckong,ahelas, consisting of i)elawares, Wyandots, Potavwatamies, and Mingoes. The Delawares alone numbered nearly four hundred warriors, who fought with great fury. On the ground, during the battle, were seen
several British officers in full uniform from Detroit, who had come to witness the
strife which they had instigated. Simon Girty commanded a party of Wyandots.
Among the camp-followers in this campaign were nearly two hundred and fifty
women, of whom fifty-six were killed during the carnage; the remainder were
chiefly captured the Indians.
Wayne's troops subsequently built a fort, called Fort?Recovery, on the sito
of the battle ground. In the summer of 1794, a second battle was fought
under the walls of the fort, between 140 Americans, under Major McMahon,
and a party of Indians, led on by British officers. MIcMIahon and 22 others
'were killed, but the survivors gained the fort, which the enemy also attacked
but were driven off with severe loss.
Within Ohio, beside those already noticed are a large number of citylike towns, most of which are on the lines of railroads, are capitals of their
respective counties, have numerous churches, literary institutions, manufactories, and varied branches of industry-some are lighted with gas, have
—!St. Clair was an unfortunate officer in the Revolution, but still retained the confidence
and friendship of Washington. In Rush's " Washington in Domestic Life," is an account
of the interview between Mr. Tobias Lear, his private secretary, and Washington, immediately after the reception by the latter of the news of St. Clair's defeat:
"The general now walked backward and forward slowly for some minutes without speaking. Then he sat down on a sofa by the fire, telling Mr. Lear to sit down. To this moment
there had been no change in his manner since his interruption at table. Mr. Lear now perceived emotion. This rising in him, he broke out suddenly,'It's all over-St. Clair's defeated-routed; the officers nearly all killed, the men by wholesale; the rout completetoo shocking to think of-and a surprise in the bargain I'
lie uttered all this with great vehemence. Then he paused, got up from the sofa and
walked about the room several times, agitated but saying nothing. Near the door he stopped
short, and stood still a few seconds, when his wrath became terrible.
' Yes,' he burst forth,' here on this very spot, I took leave of him; I wished him success
and lihonor; you have your instructions, I said, from the secretary of war, I had a strict eye
to them, and will add but one word-beware of a strprise. I repeat it, BF.WARE OF A SURfRISE-you know how the Indians fight us. IIe went off with that as my last solemn warning thrown into his ears. And yet I to suffer that army to be cut to pieces, hack'd, butchered, tomahaw'd by a surprise-the very thing I guarded him against! 1 Oh, God, oh, God,
he's worse than a murderer I how can he answer it to his country:-the blood of the slain is
upon him-the curse of widows and or)phans-the curse of IIeaven?'
This torrent came out in tones appalling. Ilis very frame shook. It was awful, said
Mr. Lear. More than once he threw his hands up as he hurled imprecations upon St. Clair.
Mr. Lear remained speechless, awed into breathless silence.
Washington sat down on the sofa once more. Hle seemed conscious of his passion, and
uncomfortable. lie was silent. IHis warmth beginning to subside, he at length said in an
altered voice:'This must not go beyond this room.' Another pause followed-a longer
one-when he said, in a tone quite low,'General St. Clair shall have justice; I looked
hastily through the dispatches, saw the whole disaster, but not all the particulars; I will
receive him without displeasure; I will hear him without prejudice; he shall have full justice.'
lie was now, said Mr. Lear, perfectly calm. Half an hour had gone by. The storm was
over; and no sign of it was afterward seen in his conduct, or heard in his conversation.
The result is known. The whole case was investigated by congress. St. Clair was exculpated and regained the confidence Washington had in him when appointing him to that
command. Hie had put himself into the thickest of the fight and escaped unhurt, though
so ill as to be carried on a litter, and unable to mount his horse without help."
146
OHIO.
OHIO.
fire companies, and are, indeed, small cities. We mention the more prominent, giving their populations, according to the census of 1860.
Mount Vertnoit City, Knox county. Population 4,147. Five miles east of
it, is Grambier, the seat of Kenyon College, founded in 1827, and named
after Lord Kenyon, one of its principal benefactors.
Mansfield City, Richland county, a manufacturing town, a great railroad
center, with 11 churches, 70 stores, six manufactories, and a population of
4,540. Wooster, Wayne county, has 60 stores, 10 churches, and in 1858,
4,837 inhabitants. Catnto,, Stark county, has 4,042 people. AIassillon, in
the same county, has a population of 3,680. Younystown, in Mahohing
county has 2,758 inhabitants. All of the above are in the northern section
of the state, in the richest WHEAT counties of Ohio.
AkDoii, Summit county,had 100stores of various kinds, and 7,000 inhabitants. It is on the summit level of the Ohio canal, and has abundance of
water power from the canal and Cuyahoga River, which is employed in a
variety of manufactures. The manufacturing village of Cuyahoga Falls, is
six miles north-east of Akron: the river falls there, in the space of two and
a half miles, more than 200 feet. Western Reserve College is at Hudson,
eight and a half miles northerliy from the last. Norwalk, Huron county,
has 2,867 inhabitants. Elyi a, Lorain county, has 1,615 inhabitants, Oberlin
in the same county, 2,012 inhabitants: the collegiate institute at Oberlin is
a flourishitng institution, numnberin, several hundred pupils of both sexes.*
}{r(rseit, Trumbull county, lhas 2,402 inhabitants. Raveaaa, Portage county,
has 36 stores, and a populattionI of 1;797. Painesville, Lake county, has
2,615 inhabitants. AsIt(,btulat, in Ashtabula county, 1,427 inhabitants. The
above are on the WESTERN RiESERVE.
Trffin, Seneca county, is the seat of Heidelberg College, and a theological
seminary of the German Reformed Church. It has 12 churches and 4,010
inhabitants. Bucyrius, Crawlord county, has 40 stores and 2,210 inhabitants.
Delawvare, Delaware county, has 14 chlurchles and 3,895 inhabitants. It is
the seat of the Ohio Wesleyan University and two female colleges. Belle-
foutauie, Logan county, has 2,600 inhabitants. Sidiiey, Shelby county, has
2,055 inhabitants. Us bana, Chamipaign county, the seat of Urbana Univer sity and a female seminary, has a population of 3,429. Piqua, Miami
county, has 40 stores, numerous mnianufactories, mechanic shops, and 4,620
inhabitants. Tooy, in the same county, has 2,640 inhabitants. Lima, in Allen
* Many of the pupils at Oberlin, male and female, are of African origin, and mingle on
terms of social equality with the others. This singularity is in accordance with the annexed published synopsis of the institution:
1. To educate youths of both sexes, so as to secure the development of a strong mind in
a sound body, connected with a permanent, vigorous, progressive piety-all to be aided by a
judicious system of manual labor.
2. To beget and to confirm in the process of education the habit of self-denial, patient
endurance, a chastened moral courage, and a devout consecration of the whole being to
God, in seeking the best good of man.
3. To establish universal liberty by the abolition of every form of sin.
4. To avoid the debasing association of the heathen classics, and make the bible a textbook in all the departments of education.
5. To raise up a church and ministers who shall be known and read of all men in deep
sympathy with Christ, in holy living, and in efficient action against all which God forbids.
6. To furnish a seminary, affording thorough instruction in all the branches of an education for both sexes, and in which colored persons, of both sexes, shall be freely admitted,
and on the terms of equality and brotherhood.
147
county, has 2079 inhabitants. All of the above are in the north-western
quarter of the state, north of the national road and west of Columbus.
Lebanon, Warren county, has 2,498 inhabitants. Eaton, Preble county,
and Germantown, Montgomery county, have each about 1,500 inhabitants,
as also have Wilmington, Jitllsboro' and Greenfield. Riley, on the Ohio
River in Brown county, has 2,715 inhabitants. The above are all in the
south-western quarter of Ohio.
Lastcaster, Fairfield county, has 4,320 inhabitants. Loyan, Hocking
county, l' Connellsville, in Morgan, Wellsville, in Columbiana, New Lisbon,
in Columbiana, and Cambridge, in Guernsey county, have each about 1500
inhabitants. Pomeroy, on the Ohio River, in Mieigs county, is in the midst
of the great coal producing region of the state, to which it owes its importance; its population is 6,480. I-'ontoit, on the Ohio River, in Lawrence
county has 3,700 inhabitants. This town was laid out in 1849, by the Ohio
Iron and Coal Company, and derives its importance from the iron business,
the principal furnaces of the Ohio iron district being in its vicinity. All of
the above, excepting Wellsville and New Lisbon, are in the south-eastern
quarter of Ohio.
Beside the above, Ohio contains many villages ranging from 1,000 to
2,000 inhabitants.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCIhES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
Tecumseh, the renowned warrior and chieftain of the Shawnees, was born
about the year 1768, at the Indian town of Piqua, situated on the north side
-.. __ of' lad River, some five miles
=-_ —- - — __ west of the site of Springficld,
- = eClarke county. He early showed
_ ~ ~___- ~a passion for war, and at 17
years evinced signal prowess in
the capture of some boats on the
Ohio; but when his party burned
=~~~~~~~~;_- ~ ~ a prisoner, he was struck with
~ --........ - horror, and by his eloquence
SIT? OF PIQUA. persuaded them never to be
An Indian village and the birth-place of Tecumseh. guilty of a like act aain. In
guilty of a like act again. In
1795, he became a chief, and soon rose to distinction among his people.
In 1805, Tecumseh and his brother Laulewasikaw, the prophet, established
themselves at Greenville and gained a great influence over the Indians, through
the pretended sorcery of the latter. Shortly after the great project of Tecumseh
was formed of a confederacy of all the western tribes against the whites. In this
he was backed, it is supposed, by the insiduous influence of British agents, who
presented the Indians with ammunition, in anticipation, perhaps, of hostilities between the two countries, in which event the union of all the tribes against the
Americans was desirable.
The battle of Tippecanoe, fought Nov. 7, 1811, with the brother of Tecumseh, in
which the prophet was defeated, for a time annihilated the hopes of the brothers.
Tecumseh was not in this battle. In the war which soon after ensued with England, Tecumseh was the ally of King George, and held the rank of brigadiergeneral, having, under his command, about 2,000 Indians. He was present at
several engagements, and was eventually killed in the battle of Moravian towns,
in Canada, near Detroit, Oct. 5, 1813.
" Thus fell the Indian warrior Tecumseh, in the 44th year of his age. He was five feet
ten inches high, and with more than usual stoutness, possessed all the agility and perse
OHIO.
148
verance of the Indian character. His carriage was dienified, his eye penetrating, his
countenance, which even in death, betrayed the indications of a lofty spirit, rather of the
sterner cast. Had he not possessed a certain austerity of manners, he could never have
controlled the wayward passions of those who followed him to battle. He was of a silent
habit; but when his eloquence became roused into action by the reiterated encroachment
of the Americans, his strong itntellect could supply him with a flow of oratory that enabled
him, as he governed in the field, so to prescribe in the council."
" Villiam Henry Harrison was born in Charles county, Virginia, Febl. 9, 1773;
was educated at Hampden Sidney College, and afterward studied medicine. He
received, from Washington, a military com./..g.j mission in 1791, and fought under Wayne in
1792. After the battle of Maumee Rapids, he
was made captain, and placed in command of
Fort Washington. In 1797, he was appointed
secretary of the North-west Territory; and in 1799 and 1800, he was a delegate to
congress. Being appointed governor of Indiana, he was also superintendent of
Indian affairs, and negotiated thirteen treaties. He gained a great victory in the
battle of Tippecanoe, Nov. 7, 1811. In the war with Great Britain, he was commander of the North-west army, and was distinguished in the defense of Fort
Meigs, and the victory of the Thlames. From 1816 to 1819, he was a representative in congress, from Ohio; and from 1825 to 1828, United States Senator. In
18S28, he was minister to the Reptublic of Colombia; and on his return he resided
upon his farm, at North Bend, Ohio. In 1840, he was elected president of the
United States, by 234 votes out of 294, an(/ inaugurated MIarcli 4, 1841. He died
in the presidential mansion, April 4, 1841."
In traveling through the west, one often meets with scenes that remind
him of another land. The foieigner who nmakes his home upon American
soil, does not at once assimilate
_______-_____ ____-_ _- - in language, modes of life, and.
....__ — =culrrelit of thou-hlit with those
= _ -.........- congelliiil to his adopted coun ti-y. The German enigrant is
peculiar in this respect, and so
— niucIi attached is he to his
I~~~~~.. f:itthlerland, that years often,
f1t_,p.,~ —:' —- - ci elapse ere there is any percepti ble change. The annexed en' ll!E'ii: graving, from Howe's Ohio, il |~~ | | n lustrates these remarks: "It
sho5ws the mud cottage of a
German Swiss emigrant, now
: —-. me_-~ standing in the neighborhood
.[__* of others of like character, in
the north-western part of Co SWISS EMIGANT's COTAE lumbiana county, Ohio. The
frame work is of wood, with the interstices filled with light colored clay, and
the whole surmounted by a ponderous shingled roof, of a picturesque form.
Beside the tenement, hop vines are clustering around their slender supporters, while hard by stands the abandoned log dwelling of the emigrant-deserted for one more congenial with his early predilections."
Retiuri Jotathan Meigs * was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1740. He
* Lossing gives this pleasant anecdote of the origin of his name, RETURN. "A bright-eyed
Connecticut girl was disposed to coquette with her lover, Jonathan Meigs; and on one oc
OHIO.
149
was a colonel in the army of tte revolution, and saw much service. He was with
Arnold at Quebec, was one of the first t6 mount the parapet at the storming of
Stony Point, and received an elegant sword and a vote of thanks for a gallant exploit at Sagg Harbor, where, with 70 of his "Leather Cap Battalion," composed of
Connecticut men, he stormed a British post, and carried off nearly a hundred prisoners. After the war he became a surveyor for the Ohio Land Company, and was
one of the first settlers of Marietta. He drew up a system of laws for the first emigrants, which were posted on a large oak near the mouth of the Muskingum. He
was appointed a judge by Gen. St. Clair, and in 1801 Indian agent by Jefferson
among the Cherokees, among whom he continued to reside until his death, in 1823,
at the age of 83 years. The Indians loved and revered him as a father. His son,
Return Jonathan Meigs, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, from 1808 to
1810; was governor of the state from 1810 to 1814, and post-master-general of the
United States from 1814 to 1823. He died at Marietta in 1825.
Rufus Putnam, who has been styled "the FATHER OF OHIO," was born at Sutton,
Massachusetts, in 1738. He was distinguished in the war of the revolution, holding the office of brigadier-general. From 1783 to 1787, he was busy organizing a
company for emigrating to, and settling, the Ohio country. On the 7th of April,
1788, he landed withl the first pioneer party at the mouth of the Muskingum, and
there founded Marietta, the first settlement in Ohio. He was appointed surveyorgeneral of the United States by Washington, in 1796, was a member of the convention which formed the first Constitution of Ohio, and died in 1824.
Gert. Duncan McArthur, was born of Scotch parentage, in D)utchess county, N.
Y., in 1782, and at thle a,,e of 1S entered the army, and was in several Indian campaigns. By force of talent he rose, in 1808, to the post of mlajor general of the
state militia. At HIull's surrender he was second in command, but on his release
as a prisoner of war, the democratic party, by an overwhlelmning majority, elected
him to congress. On the resignation of Gen. Harrison, in 1814, he was in supreme
command of the north-west armynv, andl projected an expedition into Canada, where,
at or near Malcolm's Mill, hle defeated a body of Canadians. He was a representative in congress again from 1823 to 1825; in 1830, was chosen governor of the
state, and died a few years later. He was a strong-minded, energetic man, and
possessed a will of iron.
Gen. Nvathaniel Masasie was b)orn in Virginia, in 1763, and was bred a surveyor.
In 1791, he made the first settlement within the Virginia Military District, the
fourth in Ohio, and the only one between the Scioto and Little Miami, until after
the treaty of Greenville in 1795. This was at Mllnchester, on the Ohio, opposite
Maysville, Ky. His business, for years, was the surveying of lands in the military
district. His payments were liberal, as he received in many cases one half of the
land for making the locations; yet the risk was immense, for, during the Indian
hostilities, every creek that was explored and every line that was run, was done
by stealth and at the risk of life from the lurking Indians, from whom he had several narrow escapes.
After the defeat of the Indians by Wayne, the surveyors were not interrupted
by the Indians; but on one of their e.cursions, still remembered as "the starving
toutr," the whole party, consisting,r 2'nen, suffered extremely in a driving snow
storm for about four days. They, in a wilderness, expose(-t to this severe
storm, without hut, tent, or covering, and what was still more appalling, without
provision, and without any road or even track to retreat on, and were nearly 100
miles from any place of shelter. On the third day of the storm, they luckily killed
casion, when be had pressed his suit with great earnestness, and asked for a positive answer, she feigned coolness, and would give him no satisfaction. The lover resolved to be
trifled with no longer, and bade her farewelI, forever. She perceived her error, but he was
allowed to go far down the lane before her pride would yield to the more tender emotions
of her heart. Then she ran to the gate and cried, "Rettr~i, Jo,,athan! I Return, Jonathan!"
He did return, they were joined in wedlock, and in commemoration of these happy words
of the sorrowing girl, they named their first child, Return Jonathan-afterward a hero in
our war for independence, a noble western pioneer, and a devoted friend of the Chero,;kees "
150
OHIO.
OHIO.
two wild turkeys, which were boiled and divided into 28 parts, and devoured with
great avidity, heads, feet, entrails and all.
In 1796, Massie laid the foundation of the settlement of the Scioto valley, by laying out on his own land the now large and beautiful town of Chillicothe.']'he
progress of the settlements brought large quantities of his land into market.
Gen. Massie was a member of the convention which formed the first state constitution. In 1807, he was a competitor with Return Jonathan Meigs for governor,
they being the two most popular men in Ohio. MAeigs was elected bv a slight
majority. MIassie contested thle election, Mteigs having lost his residence by absence.
The legislature decidedl in Aliassie's favor, whlereupon lie magnanimnously resiigned.
In 1813, this noble pioneer was gathered to his fathers.
Simon Kenton, a native of Culpepper county, Virginia, and one of the
___ ______ _ ~ bravest and noblest of
,,'-~:','~ ~ ~ ~ _ -= _ —-_ western pioneers, and the
f iried of' Daniel Boone,
resided in the latter part
of his life, on the head
waters of Mad liiver,
~'-7:: > about five miles north of
Bellefonto ine, in Lo-an
Tcoin'y. His dwellin
was the sinmll lo, house
shiown on the extieme
rightof theannexed view.
The-re he died, in 1S36,
at the advanced age of
~G,~A,-, s,,oF SI~o_. 8 Si years. Whlen 16 years
of age, he had an affray
with a younoi mi.n who hltad marri;e(d his lady love. Supposing, erroneously,
that he had killed his rival, hlie fled to the wilderness of Kentuckly. This
was in the year I771. From tlit tiime, during the whole of the revolutionary war, down to the treaty of Greenville, in 1795, he was probably in more
expeditions iagainst the Indians, encountered greater peril, performed more
heroic feats, and haId m ore narrow escapes firom death, than any man of his
time.
In 1778, he was capttred by the Indiins, compelled to run the gauntlet, and then
condemned to be burnt at the stake. Ite was saved by thle interposition of Sirmon
Girty, a renegade white, who had known nKenton in Dunmore's campaign. Shortly
after he was aQgain sentenc e(I to deatlh, and a second time was saved by a Canadian
Frenchman, who prevailed upon the ln(li.ans to send him to the 3ritish at Detroit.
From thence he finally esca.pe(l, n(l a.,'ain eng!avged in Indian warfare.
In 1782, hearing he had not killed his iiival in love, he returned to Virginia, in
order to remove his fathler's family to his new home in Kenrtucky. Notwithstanding the great services he had rendered his country, on account of some defec(t in
his land titles, he lost his property, and was imprisoned twelve months for debt, on
the very spot where he had built his cabin in 1775. In 18S02 li he settled in UiJibana,
Ohio, where he remainedl some years, and was elected brigadier generlal of militia.
Hle was in the war of 1812, undtler larrison, at the battle of Moravian town, whlere
he displayed his usual intrepidlity. Ab)out the year 1820, hlie removed to the lhead
of 5lad River. At the time of his death the fr(sts of more than 80 winters l,d
fallen on his head without entirely whitenin'g his locks. His biographer thus (lescribes his personal appearance and character:
"General Kenton was of fair complexion, six feet one inch in hight. ie stood
and walked very erect; and, in the prime of Jife, weig-hed about one liun(ilre(l ani
ninety pounds. He never was inclined to be cornule.t, although of suflicient full.
ness to form a graceful person. He had a soft, tremulous voice, very pleasing to
151
OIIIO.
the hearer. He had laughing gray eyes, which seemed to fascinate the beholder.
He was a pleasant, good-hlumored and obliging companion. When excited, or pro.
voked to anger (which was seldom the case), the fiery glance of his eye would almost curdle the blood of those with whom he came in contact. His rage, when
roused, was a tornado. In his dealing, he was perfectly honest; his confidence in
man, and his credulity, were such, that the same man might cheat him twenty
times; and if he professed friendship, he might cheat him still."
Jacob Btrnet was born in Newark, N.J., in 1770, educated at Princeton, and
in 1796 admitted to the bar. He then emigrated to Cincinnati, and commenced
the practice of his profession. Until the formation of the constitution of Ohio, in
1802, he attended court regularly at Cincinnati, Marietta and Detroit, the last of
which was then the seat of justice for Wayne county. The jaunts between these
remote places were attended with exposure, fatigue, and hazard, and were usually
performed on horseback, in parties of two or more, through a wilderness country.
At that period the whole white population between Pennsylvania and the Mississippi, the Ohio and the lakes, was only about 5,000 souls. Mr. Burnet at once rose
to the front rank in his profession. HIe was appointed, in 1799, a member of the
first territorial legislature of the North-West Territory; and the first code of laws
were almost wholly framed by him. In 1821, he became one of the judges of the
supreme court of Ohio; and in 1828, was elected to the national senate, as successor of Gen. Harrison. Nearly his entire life was passed in positions of honor
and responsibility. On the recommendation of Lafayette, he was elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences. His Notes upon the North-West Territoiryv are itmon?. the most valuable contributions to the history of the west extant
Judg,e Burnet died in 1853, aged 83 years.
It was across the Cuvahoga River, in northern Ohio, near the site of Fralnklin Mills,
and a few miles east of the village of Cuyahogt Falls, that the noted Capt. Sam'l Brady
miade his famous leap for life, about
-__ —_: —:: - _-___ —- the year 17HO, when pursued by a
party of Indians. Bradyv was the
......._ ~:~-~ ~ ~Daniel Boone of the rnoith-etst part
.___............__ of the valley of tfle Ohio, which is
__, i_~~~~~ full of traditions of his hardy adven tiures aiid hlirbt)readthl escapes. Bra dy'vs Pol(nd is the spot where Brady
coocetled himself atter his leap, the
-...... G o _circuinst iances of which we (quote be low. It is a small, belatit'ul shlieet of
wa ter, two and a half miles f-rom the
road
| ill~i~e, a little iiorth of the Ravenlnaw
_ _ _~ ~~_~ ~ _ ~- " Ha ing in peaceable times often
hunted over this ground with the In BRADY'S POND. dians, and knowing every turn of the
Cuyaho,ga as fiamiliarly as the villager
knows the streets of his own hamlet, Brady directed his course to the river, at a spot where
the whole stream is compressed, by the rocky cliffs, into a narrow channel of only 22 feet
across the top of the chasm, although it is considerably wider beneath, near the water, and
in highth more that twice that number of feet above the current. Through this pass the
water rushes like a race horse, chafing and roaring at the confinement of its current by the
rocky channel, while, a short distance above, the steam is at least fifty yards wide. As he
approached the chasm, Brady, lhnowing that life or death was in the effort, concentrated
his mighty powers, and leaped the stream at a single bound. It so happened, that on the
opposite cliff, the leap was favored by a low place, into which he dropped, and grasping the
bushes, he thus helped himself to ascend to the top of the cliff. The Indians; for a few
moments, were lost in wonder and admiration, and before they had recovered their recollectioii, he was half waty up the side of the opposite hill, but still within rearch of their
rifles. They could easily have shot him at any moment before, but being bent on taking
him alive for torture, and to glut their long delayed revenge, they forbore to use the rifle;
but now seeing him likely to escape, they all fired upon him: one bullet severely wounded
152
BRADY'S LEAR.
OII0.
him in the hip, but not so badly as to prevent his progress. The Indians having to make
a considerable circuit before they could cross the stream, Brady advanced a good distance
ahead. His limb was growing stiff from the wound,,and as the Indians gained oli him, lie
made foi the pond wvhich now bears his name, and plunging ill, swam under water a coiisiderable d;stance, and came up under the trunk of a large oak, which had fallen ilto the
pond. This, although leaving only a small breathing place to support life, still comp-leteily
sheltered him from their sight. h'lie Indians, tracing him by the blood to the water, mide
diligent search all round the pond, but finding no signs of his exit, finally came to tlie
conclusion that he had sunk and was drowned. As they were at one time standing oil the
very tree, beneath wliich le was coucealed, Br.ady, understanding their language, was very
glad to hear tle result of their deliberations, and after they had gone, weary, lame, and
hliiugry, lie made good his retreit to his own home. His followers also returned in safety.
The chasm tacioss wlilic he leaped is in sighlt of the bridge where we crossed the Cuyahoga, and is known in all thlit region by tlhe namnie of' Brady's Leap.'"
In the center of tle beautiful public squiiarc in Cleveland stands the statue
of Oliver Hlaztrd Perry. thie lIerlo of Like ELrie." It was inaugurated with
great ceremony on the 10th
f = —': —— ~ o of Septeimber, 1860, the an ~~~~~~i i 9,'":" )a'(,,,',,!/','.. fence now inclosing the battle
?~c...ground.]
L,a The highest officers arnong
{....Q c ~ h the Americans slain at'Tippe.eb?i/`!!)Xa/)l4~ji~i~)ji;;!i` ).;`$ e!))))}..`;)?))2)l) anoc, were two Kentucky
........i)~\$;. $ /1/!'~,~r miajors-Abrahani Owen and
!-* >-~4 Joseph I-Hamilton Daviess.
The particulars of the deathl
ia~ ~of Abraham Owenr we give
('0~ ~below, from Smith's Indiana
BATT'LE FIELID OF TiPiPECA-O'E. Sketches:
Gen. Harrison rode a beautiful fleet gray mare, that hle hald tied with the saddle
on, to a stake near his ini,arqiiee, to )e re L(ly at a moment in case of alarm.
AIaj. Owen, of Kentuecky, rode 1a by lorse. After tlhe gry mare was hiitle(d, it
becamie necessary, in order to pass )a,ta e wi agon, to remiove her and tie liei att
anotlher place; without the knowl le oit (Gen. IHlarrison, the baLy horse of Ataj.
Owen was afterward tied to the )(,st hlere tole (,rey i)ar,ie hI.d been.
The momlent the alarm was iven, every soldier w'ts u[ovn his feet, and the
mounrted ofLicers in thei' sadlles. Gcn. ilirjisson ran to the p)st whlere he left his
gray:re;- findclin,aj. Ow(,en') s b ay iie he mounted, leaving the gray for the
maio, if' he could find her.'he ene -i d'tshed down to where le hieard the firin~, rode up to (apt. Spencer's posit'on, it the point of the hiigh ground around
which the prairies meet; there tlhe enemiv had made the first main attack-deadly
in effect. There stood the brivec ensi,n John Tlipton, and a few of the surviving
men of the coimpany. GeLI?. Ico isoIl. "Where is the captain of this company?"
.Eisiiiut JTipton. "Dead." " iiere are the lieutenants? ". Dead." "Where is the
ensig-n?."I am here." Stand f.ist, my l)iave fellow, and I will relieve you in a
minute." Gen. Tipton told me, in after years, that a cooler and braver man, on
the field of battle, than Gen. lHairison, never lived. It was a deadly night, the Indians with rifles in their hands, conecaled fiom view, in the darkness of the nighlt
fightinr to desperation, under the inspiration of their superstition-being tllhe attacking party, and knowing where their enemy lay, had great advantages, whlich
nothing but the indomitable courage of our brave mien coulld have met and finaIlly
repelled,']'he moment the alarm was given, the brave Maj. Owen ran to his stike,
but his hlorse was gone; near by he found and mounted the gray mare of the G(eieral. He was scarcely in the saddle, before he fell mortally woundled, iereel
with rifle balls, which were intended, no doubt, for Gen..[larrison, as the lindians
knew he rode a gray, and must have been in aimbush near. The men and oiicers
that fell that dreadful night were the )bravest of the brave.
I visited the common grave of these brave dead, who fell in that terrible battle only
a few years since. You will find it in a grove of white oak trees perforated by
balls, standing near the center of the inclosed grounds.
3Itj. Daviess was a colleague of Henry Clay at the Kentucky bar, where
he stood very high as an advocate. At the time of his death he was'7
years of age. It is the tradition that he was killed in thle marsh at the point
indicated on the map; but from Gen. Harrison's report of the action, we infer that this event took place on high ground, on or near where the railroad
line lays; that states that it was during the execution of an order to dislodge
INDIANA.
1I8S
some Indians from trees 15 or 20 paces in front of the left line, that Daviess
became outflanked, and fell mnortally wounded.
The land on which the battle was fought, was purchased by Gen. John
Tipton, and presented to the state of T5adiana, as a burial place for his fallen
comrades. Tipton was the brave ensign of Capt. Spencer's company, noticed
above. His name is most honorably identified with the history of the state.
He was a senator in congress from 1832 to 1839, and chairman of the Collrnimitre of Indian Affairs, an office for whichli he was peculiarly well qualified.
hatving been, for many years, Indian agent, and well acquainted with most
(f' the Indian tribes. He was a warm hearted man, and possessed uncommon
force of character: he was one of the original projectors of the Wabash and
Erie Canal, and also one of the founders of Logansport, where he died in
1S39.
The reader will notice the building on the right of the view. This is the
Saittle Ground Institute, under the charge of Rev. E. H. Staley. It is a
flourishing> seminary for both sexes. A number of small neat houses stand
above it, elected, some of them, by the parents of the children, many of the
latter brothers and sisters, who here live together, obtaining, away from
their homes, a double education, that of house keeping, with that derived
from books.
South-eastern view of Madison.
As seen from the Kentucky side of the Ohio, near 3iilton ferry. The terminus of the Railroad is seen
on the left, the Court House on the right.
IADIsON, the county seat of Jefferson county, is situated 86 miles S.S.E.
from Indianapolis, 50 above Louisville, and 100 below Cincinnati. It is located in a beautiful and picturesque valley, which, with the hills on the Kentucky shore and those of Indiana, and the bold curve and broad sweep of
the Ohio River, affords a panorama rarely equaled. The valley in which the
city is situated, is nearly three miles long, which is inclosed on the north by
steep and rugged hills about 400 feet high. This place has very superior
advantages for trade, and the navigation is usually open in ordinary seasons.
Great quantities of breadstuffs are exported, and a large amount of capital
is employed in founderies, machine shops, etc., and the establishments for
INDIANA.
186
INDIANA.
packing pork are very extensive. Madison has gas and water works, the latter of which is owned by the city. The annual value of sales of produce
and merchandise, and industrial products, is eight millions of dollars. Within five miles of the city is the well known Hanover College. Population is
about 12,000.
The site of Madison was originally a dense growth of poplars, beech and
walnut, and the present landing was covered with a growth of cottonwood,
thie water's edge being fringed with willows. The original proprietors were
John Paul and Jonathan Lyon. A few families had settled here on MIount
Glad, now a part of North Madison, in 1807-8. Col. John Vawter first
canme to Madison in 1806, and moved into the country in March, 1807; he
held the first public sale of lots in Feb., 1811. The first white child born
in ATztdison was Dawson Blacklmore, Jr. His father came here from western
Pennsylvania. in the fall of 1509, and located himself in a framed lo,-house,
now standing in Walnut-street. The first sermon preached in Madison is
said to have been delivered in Mr. Blackmore's house, by a Methodist
it;ncrant preacher. The first regular house of worship was built on Eaststreet, on the site of the present St. John's church.
''Thle ollowing are the namies of a numl)er of the earlier settlers of Madison, previ,,ts to 1(S20' Milton Stapp, Jeremiah Sullivan, C. P. J. Arvin, Daniel Wilson,
Thoiai-s liown, Nicholas D. Grocer. Geo. W. Leonard, Moody Park, Victor Kine,
Cli.ts. NV. Basnett, William Brown, D. Pla(kinore, sen., D. B1lackinore, jr., Silai
}{itchlie,.ol n Sering, Johln (G. Sorinll Williamn G. Wharton, NV. J. McClure, John
}titchie, S. C. Stephens, Howard a tts, John Haney, Rufus Gale, William Randtll,
(j' aliel Taylor, E.;a. \Vhitney, Al. Shannon, Edward Shannon, Jesse D. Bright,
M[iehael G. l)rilhl, David B3right, J-i fo(b Wildman, George Wagoner, Andrew Woodfi-'l,'le.xander Waslher. \Williamson Dunn, \Vin. McKee Dunn, James Vawter, Jno.
HSunt, Simeon Hunt, Cornelius Valile Geo. Short, and David McClure.
One of the first sermons ever preached in Madison, was by thlat celebrated
and eccentric itinerant, Lo)-recizo Do), who'held forth" standing on a poplar
loya. ier tihe site of the court house. Hie was born in Coventry, Coinneceticut, il and died at Washinglton City, in, aged - years, where his
grave is now to be seen. Hle traveled tihriough the United States from fifteen
to twenty tiiies, visitiug, the wilderness parts, often preaching where a sermon was never heard before. Occasionally he went to Canada, and made
three voyages to Eng,land and Ireland, where, as elsewhere, he drew crowds
around him, attracted by his long flowing beard and hair, singularly wild
dc;aleaenor, and pungency of speech. During the thirty years of' his public
life, lie must have traveled nearly two hundred thousand miles.
Pickett, in his History of Alabama, avers that he was the earliest Protestant
preacher in that state; says he: "Down to this period (in 1803), no Pro testant preacher had ever raised his voice, to remind the Tombigbee and Ten saw settlers of their duty to the MosT HIGH. Hundreds, born and bred in
the wildlerness, and now adult men and women, had never even seen a
preacher. The mysterious and eccentric Lorenzo Dow, one day, suddenly ap peared at the Boat Yardl. He came from Georgia, across the Creek nation,
encountering its dangers alniost alone. He proclaimed the truths of the
gospel here, to a large audience, crossed over the Alabama, and preached two
sermons to the'Big,bee settlers,' and went from thence to the Natchez set tlemenits, where he also exhorted the people to'turn from the error of their
wavs.' Hle then visited the Cumberland region and Kentucky, and came
back to the Tombigbee, filling his appointments to the very day. Again
187
plunging into the Creek nation, this holy man of God oncQ more appeared
among the people of Georgia."
When Dow was in Indiana, Jud,e 0. H. Smith had the pleasure of listen.
ing to a discourse from himi, some items of which he has thus preserved
among his Sketches: "In the year 1519," states the judge, "I was one of a
congregation assembled in the woods back of Rising Sun, anxiously await
KSvuthl-wees/ts,' f viewc of' iVeeo.:tlh,',y.
Th~i view sho~ws the( apTfeatrain,-e ol' time c ity, ats s^X., fi'{.nl timt hfigh ldnlff wh}ic lIiih ritls(s limm(ditely soutilh of it.
'rite. (>l) lti.){i ebr aIpi.,cais onl thle rl-igt, writhi' 13}rtlaltdl, a t.~tti~)n fi~f ~t(A;.nfi,,,ats, on thle Kenltucky~ sial.d of the
(_lTi., t tire Ioot of t a te a l l s, three Iis f o isvile.
in7I tlhe a, rrivl of Lore,zo Dow.'Tiienc passed twiy, we had all becomie iinp1ttient, when i thie d(istincie we s,twN himni ippirot,chiitig at a rapid rate through
the trees ot, his pacing, potty. lie rode up to the log ol whlich I was sittin(,
thlrew the rei-is over the neck of the pony, and stepped upon the log,, took
off his hat, his hair parted in the middle of his head, and flowing( on either
side to his shoulders, his beard resting on his bretst. In a minute, at the
top of his voice, he said:
lehoh(l, I come qtuicklv, and my reward is with nme.' MAly subject is repent.tnee.
We sin4.' wliile the 1ltitip holds out to burn, the vilest sinner may return.'''liat
idea hls don i much harm. and( should be received with many (raiis of allow-trnce.
Ther aire cases where it would be easier for a cainel to go throullIi the eve or a
needle thaan for a man to repent unto salvation. Let me illustrate: I)o you supp(ose that the lmtal amuono you who went out last fall to kill his deer and bear for
w.ter eat, and instead killed his neigibor's hogs, salte(l theni down, and is tlow
lit&i'i. ot. thie r,eat, cati repent while it is atupaid fo.-? I tell you nay. Except lie
r.sto,es a, jtst compensation, his attempt at repentance wvill be the basest hypocrisv. xreept ye repent, trzly ye shall all likewise perish.'
I-le preached some thirty minutes. Down he stepped, mounted his pony,
and ii a few minutes was moving on through the woods at a rapid pace to
meet another appointment."
INDIANA.
188
INDIANA.
NEW ALBANY, the county seat of Floyd county, is beautifully situated on
the right bank of the Ohio River, at the termnination of the New Albany and
Salem Railroad, 2 miles below the falls of the Ohio, 3 miles below Louisville,
about 140 below Cincinnati, and 100 S. by E. from Indianapolis. The citv
has wide striaight streets, running parallel with the river, and crossed at right
angles by otlhe's. A large business is done here in building and repairing
steamboats, etc There are also large iron foundries, machine shops and
factories. It has two seminaries, a theological college under the patronage
of the Presbyterians, and about 10,000 inhabitants.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave yard
in New Albany:
The citizens of FLOYD COUNTY h,ave elected this monument in mentory
"Tlhe citizens of FLOYD COUNTY }la've erected this monument in memiory
of thleir HONORED DEAD.
'Glory is the soldier's prize,
Tile soldier's wealth is honor.'
H-ere rest the bodies of Francis Biley,
)~ aff'aed 95; Apollos J. Stephlens, 27; Warreni
B. Ro)binson, 24; Charles H. Gofl', 23;
Iiemnbers of the'sl)eIc(r Grecys,' company
_ ~ t A, 2d Re(r't iidiania Volunteers, who fell
at the battle of BUENA VISTA, Mexico,
;__~~ aFeb. 29 sand 23. 1847-.
' The soldier is his couintry's stay
In day and hour of danger.'
-qit=~~~ = >i-''How sleep the brave who sink to rest,
=1S — -)__~ m~By all their countiry's wishes blest?'
John T1'. Lewis, aged 21; Miartin How > —..- ard, IS; Joseph Moirgan, 19; Laikea Cun.. _e-~......->,..... ningham, 22; members of thle'Spencer
(-:'reys,' died in the Mexican campaigTn,
.nI,,TAY ATO —,ErT, E,v AN.Y. 1I2;4-7; also Henry W. Walker, aged 37;
'hos. J. Tyler, aged 19, of the same company, who returned home and died of disease contracted in the service."
REV. JOHN MATTHEWS, D.D., Professor of Theology in the Presbyterian Theological SemInary at New Albany, Ia. Born in Guilford county, N. C., Jan. 19, 1772; died in New Albany, May 18., 1848, vetat 76 years and 4 nmo). " Blessed( are the dead which (lie in the Lord
from henceforth; yea,, saithi the Spirit, that they nmay rest from their labors; and their
works do follow them."
LEONIDAS StACKELFORD, of Glasgow, Missouri, born Jan. 7, 1833, died Aug. 5, 1852. In
whose memory this monument is erected by his bIrothers and sisters. Wlithout earthly
friends, hle died in a strange lanId. realizing in full a sainted miother's prayer, that a precious Bible which she hadl given him would be his guide through life, and in death his consolation. Prov. verses 17 to 23.
Loyaasport, the county seat of Cass county, is situated on the Wabash
River and Canal, at the mouth of Eel River, and is intersected by the Toledo,
Wabash and Western and the Cincinnati, L,ogansport and Chicago Railroads,
70 miles N. by W. fromt Indianapolis, 166 W. ot Toledo, and 42 N.E. from
Lafayette. It is at the head of steamboat navigation, and just below the
falls, which furnish immense water power, and hts a large trade by river,
canal and plank roads with the fertile region on every side, the products of
which are sent to the eastern and southern m:rkets. Logansport has a city
189
INDIANA.
chalrter, 3 b.a:nks, G churches, and a fine court house of hewn stone. West
Lo,ganisport, on the west bank of Eel River, is included in the corporate
limits. Population, in 1860, 3,690.
fqt(:so)L'lle is a flourishing town, opposite Louisville, Ky., on the Ohio
River, which is here about three fourths of a miile wide, 1 OS niles S. by E.
of Indianapolis, and 4S below Madison. It is at the terminus of the Jefferscuville and Indianapolis Railroad, and on the site of old Fort Steuben, and
is beautifully situated just above the falls in the Ohio, which descend 22
feet in two miles, producing a rapid current, which, in time, by the immenise
water power it affords, will, if a canal is made around the falls on the Indiana side, render this a large and prosperous imanufacturing city. Jeffersoniville has great facilities for doing business, and is said to possess the best
landing place on the Ohio River. The state penitentiary is located here.
Population about 3,500.
_L~t('cJ'ec({b)?', city and county seat of Dearborn, is on the Ohio, 2~ miles
below Cincinnati, and two miles below the mouth of the Big Mliamii, the line
of separation between Ohio and Indiana. The Ohio and Mississippi, and
Inditanapolis and Cincinnati Railroads, intersect at this point. Population
about 4,000.
A few miles below Lawrenceburg, is a small streami emnptying into the
Ohio, known as Laug,hery's creek. It derived its name from the calamitous
defeat of Col. Archibald Laughery by the Indians. This took place in the
spring of 178S2, and was the imiost disastrous military event that ever occurred upon the soil of Indiana. The annexed account is from Day's Hist. Collections, of Pa.:
Col. Laughery had been requested, by Col. Clark, to raise 100 volunteers in
the county of Westmoreland, Pa., to aid him against the Ohio Indians. The om-npany was raised principally at his own expense, and he also provided the outfit
and munitions for the expedition. In this he was'aided by the late lRobert Orr, by
birth an Irishmn, but who manifested a deep and generous interest in his adopted
country. Mr. Orr was one of the officers, and next in command under Col.
Latughery.
There were 107 men in the expedition, who proceeded in boats down the Ohio,
to meet Gen. Clark, at the Falls. At the mouth of a creek in the south-eastern part
of Indiana, that bears the name of the coimmander, the boats were attacked by the
Indians. Of the whole detachment, not one escaped. Col. Laughery was killed,
and most of his officers. Capt. Orr, who commanded a company, had his arii
broken with a ball. The wounded, who were unable to travel, were dispatched
with the tomahawk, and the few who escaped with their lives, were driven through
the wilderness to Sandusky. Capt. Orr was taken to Detroit, where he lav in the
hospital for several months, and, with the remnant who lived, was exchangred, in
the spring of 1783.
Sotth Bead, the county seat of St. Joseph, is on the Michigan Southern and
Northern Indiana Railroad, 85 miles easterly from Chicag,o; also on St. Joseph River, which furnishes, by means of a dam at this point, a vast water
power. It has some 30 stores, 6 churches, 2 Catholic Female Seminaries,
and in 1860, 4,013 inhabitants.
3ichiygaet City is on Lake Michigan, in La Porte county, 54 miles by railroad from Chicago, and 154 from Indianapolis. It has communication by
the MIichigan Central, and New Albany and Salem Railroads, and the lake
with all parts of the country. It is noted for the manaufacture of railroad
cars, and has about 4,000 inhabitants.
Laporte, the county seat of Laporte county, in the north-western part of
the state, is at the junction of the Cincinnati, Peru and Chicago, with the
190
INDIANA.
'Iichigan Southern and Northern Railroads, 58 miles from Chicago, on the
northern margin of the beautiful and fertile Door Prairie, so namedl from an
Indian chief. It was first organized as a city in 1853, is a very flourishing
ousiness place, and has 9 churches and 6,000 inhabitants.
Jlloomziijtoi, the county seat of Monroe county, is on the line of the New
Albany and Saileia Railroad, 96 miles north from New Albany. It was
laid out in 181S8, by Benjanin
_____=~~~ ~Park, agent for the county coi-n
_-___: ~~f: - missioners. Its public build ings are substantial, and the
public square pleasantly ornat /j~Th:The AI Zr imented with shade trees and
l i ~! E~'0 I~ ~ ~ - shrubbery. It is noted as a
Lu | Li E E |i \ l place of education. It has two
[II Li LII I~~Fm~ II Li ~ icmale seminaries, and is tile
jg -=Wt I'- i 1Jseat of the State LS~ccJt/,
i~: E_~~ ~~ ~f~'~~ ~mafounded in 1835. J(isth
___ I- ~capital of the neighbori, coun _} ~~~~~~~~ ~ty of Putnam, 40 miles by rail road we"t of InIdianapolis is
lEIN'r.-.sIT- o) I~-~,xN'.,, BlOmI. ooM'0To. 1
the seat of the Indiana Asbdtrfy
6Sti'v(e,,sity, founded in 1837, and whilch is not excelled by any institution in
the state. Unusual attention is given in this vicinity to the cultivation of
fruit, the apple, pear, peach and grape, for which the soil is well adapted.
C'ctfc/ore7sc[lM, the county seat of Montgomery, which adjoins Putnam on
the nortlh, is on the New Albany and Salem Railroad, and 45 miles northwest of Indianapolis. It is in a rich country, and is the seat of WVbr(sh C)/lec.c, founded inll 1835, an institution of excellent repute. Blooming,ton,
Greencastle, and Crawfordsville, have each about 2,500 inhabitants.
Coryldoi, the county seat of IHalrrison county, in southern ITdiana, is a
town of about 1.200 iihabitants. In 1813, the seat of governmient of the
Territory of Indiana was remioved from Arincenres to this place. WIhen, in 1816, Indiana
was erected into a state, Corydon was made the X..
capital, and so remained until 1825, when it was _
removed to Indianapolis. The court house here, __
built of stone, was the original state house, and =...
the edifice in which was formed the first consti-
tution of Indiana.
ITrtay, the county seat of Switzerland county, 45j
is a small town on the Ohio River, about half
way between Cincinnati and Louisville. The
place is of note. from its having been one of the
first settlements in the state, and for the attempt....
made there to cultivate the grape for the purpose of manufactuin TH OLD STATE.
THlE OLD STATE, Hot~s:.E
It was laid out in the year 1813, by John Situated in Corydon, the originl
Francis Denfour and Daniel Denfour, emigrants capital of Indiana.
froni Switzerland, who, in remembrance of their native town, gave it its
present name. Part of the land was entered by John James Denfour and
his associates, in the beginning of the present century, and an extended
credit given, by an act of congress, with a view of encouraging the culture
of the grape.
191
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I
INDIANA.
county; Aurora, in Dearborn county; Uambridge City, in Wayne county;
Can?neltoni, in Perry county; Columbus, in Bartholomew county; Connersvill,
in Fayette county; Delphi, in Carroll county; Franklin, in Johnson county;
Goshen, in Elkhart county; Greensburg, in Decatur county; Hitntinygton, in
Huntington county; Mishawaka, in St. Joseph county; Mtf. Vernon, in
Posey county; Muncie, in Delaware county; Pertu, in Miami county; Princeton, in Gibson county; Risivg Sun, in Ohio county; Rockville, in Parke
county; and Shelbyville, in Shelby county.
13
193
ILLIN OIS.
THE name of this state, Illiois, is partly Indian and partly French: it
signifies real wen, and was originally applied to the Indians who dwelt on
the banks of the river of that name.
For a long period the great tract of
/' B y \~ territory lying N.W. of the Ohio, was
/ ___ \ termned the "Illinois country." The
/ A, \ ~first white men of whom we have
any authentic knowledge, who tra versed any part within the present
_ _\..-.2;~ limits of Illinois, were James Mlar q?ctte, a Catholic missionary, and JI.
dJ~oet, both Frenehmen from Canada.
Tliis was in 1673. The next were
~>; k~R]obert de la Scalle, ayoung Frenchman
of noble fanmily, and Loutis Hennepia, a
'~~ _ _ ~~ ~ Francisean friar. After leaving
Chicago, La Salle and his companions
proceeded down Illinois lRiver, and
reached Peoria Jan. 4, 1680.
AR3s or ILINOIS. The first settlements in Illinois
were made by the French, at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Peoria. It clearly appears that Father Gravier began a
mission among the Illinois before 1693, and became the founder of Kaskaskia. At first it was merely a missionary station, and the inhabitants of the
village consisted entirely of natives; the other villages, Peoria and Cahokia,
seem at first to have been of the same kind.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements in Illinois are
represented to have been in a flourishing condition. Kaskaskia had become
a considerable town before any great progress had been made on the lower
Mississippi. The French writers of this period give glowing descriptions of
the beauty, fertility, and mineral wealth of the country, and to add to its
attractions, a monastery of Jesuits was established at Kaskaskia.
From the beg,inning to the middle of the eighteenth century, but little is
related. Disputes arose, between England and France, respecting the boundaries of their different colonies, which, unhappily, had never been sufficiently defined. The French, anticipating a struggle for the preservation of their
American possessions, strengthened their fortifications on the Great Lakes,
on the Ohio, the Wabash, the Illinois, and in other parts of the valley of
195
1,
the Mississippi. The British, on the other hand, claimed the country on the
Ohio, and in the vicinity, by virtue of their ancient discoveries and the charters which they had granted. The Ohio Company, which was formed soon
after, produced hostilities between the two nations. On the termination of
the French war, by which Great Britain obtained possession of Canada, the
whole of the Illinois country also came into their possession. The total
white population could not then have exceeded 3,000.
The following descriptions of the French settlements at this period, and
there were none other in Illinois, we find in Perkins' Annals, the edition by
J. I. Peck. It is there copied from "The Present State of the European
Settlemnents on the Mississippi, by Capt. Philip Pitman," published in London in 1770:
"The village of Notre Dame de Cascasquias (Kaskaskia), is by far the most considerable settlement in the country of the Illinois, as well from its number of inhabitants, as from its advantageous situation. * * *
Mons. Paget was the first who introduced water-mills in this country, and he
constructed a very fine one on the River Cascasquias, which was both for grindino
corn and sawing boards. It lies about one mile from the village. The mill proved
fatal to him, being killed as he was working it, with two negroes, by a party of
the Cherokees, in the year 1764.
The principal buildings are, the church and the Jesuits' house, which has a
small chapel adjoining it; these, as well as some other houses in the village, are
l)uilt of stone, and, considering this part of the world, make a very good appearance. The Jesuits' plantation consisted of two hundred and forty arpents (a little
over 200 acres) of cultivated land, a very good stock of cattle, and a brewery;
which was sold by the French commandant, after the country was ceded to the
English, for the crown, in consequence of the suppression of the order.
Mons. Beauvais was the purchaser, who is the richest of the English subjects in
this country; he keeps eighty slaves; he furnishes eighty-six thousand weight of
flour to the king's magazine, which was only a part of the harvest he reaped in
one year.
Sixty-five families reside in this village, besides merchants, other casual people,
and slaves. The fort, which was burnt down in October, 1766, stood on the summit of a high rock opposite the village, and on the opposite side of the (Kaskaskia)
river. It was an oblongular quadrangle, of which the exterior polygon measured
two hundred and ninety by two hundred and fifty-one feet. It was built of very
thick squared timber, and dove-tailed at the angles. An officer and twenty soldiers are quartered in the village. The officer governs the inhabitants, under the
direction of the commandant at Chartres. Here also are two companies of
militia."
Prairie du Rocher, or "La Prairie de Roches," as Captain Pitman has it, is next
described "As about seventeen (fourteen) miles from Cascasquias. It is a small village,
consisting of twelve dwelling-houses, all of which are inhabited by as many families. Here is a little chapel, fi)rmerly a chapel of ease to the church at Fort
Chartres. The inhabitants here are very industrious, and raise a great deal of
corn and every kind of stock. The village is two miles from Fort Chartres. [This
means Little Village, which was a mile, or more, nearer than the fort.] It takes
its name from its situation, being built under a rock that runs parallel with the
River Mississippi at a league distance, for forty miles up. Here is a company of
militia, the captain of which regulates the police of the village."
Saint Phillippe is a small village about five miles from Fort Chartres, on the
road to Kaoquias. There are about sixteen houses and a small church standing;
all of the inhabitants, except the captain of the militia, deserted it in 1765, and
went to the French side (Missouri). The captain of the militia has about twenty
slaves, a good stock of cattle, and a water-mill for corn and planks. This village
stands in a very fine meadow, about one mile from the Mississippi."
"The village of Saint Famille de Kaoquias," so Pitman writes, "is generally
196
ILLINOIS.
ILLINOIS.
reckoned fifteen leagues from Fort Chartres, and six leagues below the mouth of
the Missouri. It stands near the side of the Mississippi, and is marked from the
river by an island of two leagues long. The village is opposite the center of this
island; it is lIont and straggling, being three quarters of a mile from one end to
the other. It contains forty-five dwelling-houses, and a church near its center.
The situation is not well chosen, as in the floods it is generally overflowed two or
three feet. Tihis was the first settlement on the Mississippi. The land was purchased of the savages by a few Canadians, some of whom married women of the
KaoqIuias nation, and others b)rought wives from Canada, and then resided there,
leaving their children to succeed them.
The inhabitants of this place depend more on hunting, and their Indian trade,
than on agriclture, as they scarcely raise corn enough for their own consumption;
they have a,reat pleiinty of poultry, and good stocks of horned cattle.
Thei mission of St.,Sulpicc had a very fine plantation here, and an excellent
house built ol it. Tlliey sold this estate and a very good mill for corn and planks,
to a Fren(hminn who chose to remain under the En,i,ish,government. They also
disposed( of thlirtv negroes and a good stock of cattle to different people in the
couintryv. in(l returned to France in 1764. AVhat is called the fort is a small house
stand'i n Lthe' center of the villagfe. It differs nothing from the other houses, except illn ein~ on(e) of the poorest. It was formerly inclosed with high pallisades,
bu, these wevre torn d(own ad )urn t. In deed, a fort at this place could be of but
littile nls.
The coI(juest of Illinois fr'om the British, in 1778, by Gen. Geo. Rogers
Clark,? wiecn lie took possession of the fbrts of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and St.
~incent, tihe latter lnow the Vincennes of Indiana, was one of the most
romantic episodes in our western history. It made known the fertile plains
of Illinois to the people of the Atlantic states, exciting an emigration to the
banks of the 3iissipsisi:)i. Some of those in thlat expedition afterward were
amongo thi filot enlmi'aints. Prior to this, the only settlements in Illinois,
were the old lFreel- villzi'es of KIaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Prairie du
oceh-ei, Foit Clir ti-tes, Fott Malssac, Village a Cote, Prairie du Pont, and a
few "ztiiies scattered along the Wabash and Illinois. In October, 1778, the
geceral assem1 bly of A ir,iiiiai passed an act to organize the county of Illinois.
In 17i'8, ~irinia ceded her claims to the territory north-west of the Ohio
to the United States. lThis, by the ordinance of 1787, was erected into the
.ANrt( -w cs! Te rIolry. Still the Illinois country remained without any
orgnizedl gov-erlnmeiit until March, 1790, when Gov. St. Clair organized St.
Clair county.
The first settlement in Tllinois by emigirants from the United States, was in 1781,
near Bellefontaine, Mlonioe county, in the south-western part of the state. It was
ma,le bv jaines Mloore, withi his family, accompanied by James Garrison, Riobert
Kid(d(, Slhadrach 1Bond, and Larken R1utherford. Their route out was throu(ghi the
wil(lernesS from Virginiat to the Ohio, then down that stream to the Mississippi,
and up the latter to Kaskaskia.. Part of them settled in the American bottom, near
Harrisonville. This station afterward became known as the block-house fort.
Other parties joined them and the settlements increased. They, however, suffered
mun-h from the Indians until W,ayne's treaty, in 1795, brought peace. LMany were
kilitd, others takei captives, and often while laboring in the field they were obliged
to cirry their rifles, and also often at night compelled to keep guard.
In 180SO, Illinois formed part of a separate territory by the name of Invd,',,o iDn conjunction with the state now bearing that name. A second division took place in 1809, and the western portion of Indiana was formed
into a separate territory bearing the name of Illinois. In 1818, Illinois was
erected into a separate state. Hon. Ninian Edwards, chief justice of Kentucky, was chosen governor, and Nathaniel Pope, Esq., secretary. Since that
period it has rapidly gone forward, increasing in population, wealth and power.
197
In the year 1812, Gen. Hull, who surrendered Detroit into the hands of
the British, directed Capt. Heald, who commanded Fort Dearborn, at Chicago, to distribute his stores to the Indians, and retire to Fort Wayne. Not
having full confidence in the Indians, he threw the powder into the well and
wasted the whisky. As these were the articles they most wanted, they were
so exasperated that they fell upon the garrison, after they had proceeded two
miles from the fort, and massacred 41 of them, with 2 women and 12 children, the latter tomahawked in a wagon by one young savage.
In 1840, the Mormons being driven out of Missouri, located a city on the
east bank of the Mississippi River, which they called Nauvoo. They had
extraordinary privileges granted them by the state. But here, as elsewhere,
numerous difficulties arose between them and the inhabitants in the vicinity.
The military were called out by the governor to suppress the disorders which
arose. Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet and leader, with his brother
Hiram, were imprisoned in a jail in Carthage. On June 27, 1844, they
were both killed by a mob, which broke into their place of confinement.
The Mormons, soon after this event, began their movement toward the
Rocky Mountains.
At the time of the first settlement of Illinois by the French, it is supposed that within the present limits of the state, there were some eight or
nine thousand Indians. They are described, by travelers, as having been remarkably handsome, kind, and well mannered. When the French first came
they were feasted by the natives in four courses, the first of hominy, the
second of fish, the third of dog, which the Frenchmen appear to have declined, and the whole concluded with roasted buffalo. Few or none of the
descendants of the tribes occupying this region, now linger within or around
it, their titles having been extinguished from time to time by treaties with
the United States government. The white inhabitants were somewhat
annoyed by hostile Indians during the war of 1812, and also in 1832, during
the prevalence of the "Black Hawk war," which created much distress and
alarm in the northern part of the state.
Illinois is bounded N. by Wisconsin, E. by the southern portion of Lake
Michigan, by the state of Indiana, and by the Ohio River, S. by the Ohio
River, dividing it from Kentucky, and W. by the Mississippi River, dividing it from Missouri and Iowa. It lies between 37~ and 42~ 30' N. lat., and
87~ 17' and 91~ 50' W. long., being about 380 miles in its extreme length
from N. to S., and about 200 in its greatest and 140 in its average breadth
from E. to W., containing upward of 35,000,000 of acres, of which, in 1850,
only 5,175,173 acres were improved, showing an immense capability for increase of population in this very fertile state, which has scarcely any soil
but that is capable of cultivation.
The surface is generally level, and it has no mountains. About two
thirds of it consists of immense prairies, presenting to view, in some places,
immense plains extending as far as the eye can reach, beautifully covered
with grass, herbage and flowers. These prairies are generally skirted with
wood, near which are settlements. They are also, in many places, interspersed with groups of trees.
The largest prairie in Illinois is denominated the Graid Prairie. Under
this general name is embraced the country lying between the waters f.lling
into the Mississippi, and those which enter the Wabash Rivers. It does not
consist of one vast tract, but is made up of continuous tracts with points of4
tiwber projecting inward, and long arms of prairie extending between. The
198
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ILLINOIS.
southern points of the Grand Prairie are formed in Jackson county, and extend in a north-eastern course, varying in width from one to twelve miles,
thlrough Perry, Washington, Jefferson, Marion, Fayette, Effingham, Coles,
Champaign, and Iroquois counties, where it becomes connected with the
prairies that project eastward from the Illinois River. A large arm lies in
MIarion county, between the waters of Crooked creek and the east fork of
the Kaskaskia River, where the Vincennes road passes through. This part
alone is frequently called the Grand Prairie.
For agricultural purposes, Illinois is unsurpassed by any state in the
Union. In some of her river bottoms the rich soil is 25 feet deep. The
great American bottom, lying on the Mississippi, 80 miles in length, is of
exceedling fertility, and has been cultivated for 100 years without apparent
deterioration. Illinois is the greatest corn producing state in the Union; its
yield in 1860 was estimated at 100,000,000 of bushels, and the average yield
per acre at over 50 bushels.
Illinois is rich in minerals. In the north-west part of the state vast beds
of lead ore abound. Bituminous coal is found in almost every county, and
may be often obtained without excavation. Iron ore is found in many localities, and copper, zinc, etc. There are salt springs in the southern part of
the state from which salt is manufactured, and also medicinal springs in various places. Illinois is most favorably situated for internal commerce. By
means of the great rivers on her borders, Lake Michigan at the north-east,
and by her ma:inifieent system of railroads, she has great facilities for commiunication in every direction. Population, in 1810, was 12,282; in 1830,
157,445; in 1850, 851,470; in 1860, 1,691,238.
ChIc;GO, the most populous commercial city of the north-west, is on the
westein side of Lake iMichigan, about 30 miles northward from its south end,
at the mouth of Chicago River, on the margin of a prairie of several miles
in width. It is 928 miles from New York, 278 from Detroit, 180 from Galena, 285 from St. Louis 300 from Cincinnati, and 183 from Springfield.
Population, in 1840, 4,853; in 1850, 29,963; and in 1860,109,420.
The following sketch of the history of Chicago is given in a recent publication:
The first explorers of Lake Michigan, the first white men to pitch their tents on
the Chicago prairie, and to haul up their boats upon its river banks and lake shore,
were the French Jesuit missionaries and fur traders, under the guidance of Nicholas Perrot, who was also acting as the agent of the government in the west. This
was in the latter part of the year 1669. At that time this territory was in the possession of the Miami tribe of Indians, but subsequently the Pottawatomies crowded
back the A,iamis, and became the sole possessors, until the year 1795, when they
became parties to the treaty with Wayne, by which a tract of land six miles square
at the mouth of the Chicago River, was ceded to the United States-the first extinction of Indian title to the land on which Chicago is built. For nearly a hundred years during the time of the French possession. and after its cession to the
English, Chicago has little mention in history.
During this time it is only known from incidental circumstances, that in those
dark days of French possession, there was a fort near the mouth of the river, that
there were Indian villages near the Calumet and on the Des Plaines, that here
were the roving grounds of the Pottawatomies, and that from the head waters of
the Illinois to the Chicago River, was the common portage for the trade and transit of the goods and furs between the Indians and the traders, and that the shipping point was from the port at Chicago. The few white men who were there
199
I
were there not for the purpose of making settlements, but simply to carry on a
trade with the Indians, the gain from which must have been of no inconsiderable
amount. They were men of limited education, and could not have been expected
to have any accounts of their adventures. This state of things existed until the
close of the general western Indian war, soon after the termination of the war of
the revolution. During this war the intrigue of the English was constantly exciting the Indians to warfare, to such a degree that, after peace was declared between
7
~
.~~ __ __ ___
L ____ ____
Chicago i 1831.
Fort Dearborn is seen in the central part, on a slightly elevated point, on the south side of Chicago
River, near the lake shore shown in front.
the old and the new country, a general war of the Indians against the United
States broke out. This war continued until 1795, when, after having been severely
punished by Gen. Wayne, the chiefs of the several tribes assembled, by his invitation, at Greenville, Ohio, and there effected a treaty of peace, thus closing the
war of the west. In this treaty numerous small tracts of land were ceded by the
Indians to the states, and among them was one described as " one piece of land six
miles square, at the mouth of Chicajo (Chicago) River, emptying into the southwest end of Lake Michigan, where a fort formnerl/ stood."
This may be called the first "land sale," and which has been the precursor to a
business which has entailed to its participants independence and wealth. But little time passed before the proprietors thought best to enter upon active possession,
and in 1804 a fort was built upon the spot by government. This fort remained
until the year 1816, when it was destroyed by the Indians, at the timie of the massacre. This fort was called Fort Dearborn, a name which it retained during its
existence. Its location was upon a slightly elevated point on the south side of
the river, near the lake shore, and commanded a good view of the lake, the prairie
extending to the south, the belt of timber along the south branch and the north
branch, and the white sand hills to the north and south, which had for so many
years been the sport of the lake winds. Up to the time of the erection of this fort,
no white man had made here his home, the Pottawatomie Indians having undisputed sway. After the establishment of the garrison, there gathered here a few
families of French Canadians and half-breeds, none of whom possessed more than
ordinary intelligence.
The only link in the chain of civilization which admits of identity, existed in
the Kinzie family, who came here to reside in 1804, the same year in which the
fort was built. John Kinzie, then an Indian trader in the St. Joseph country,
MIichigan, in that year became the first permanent white resident of Chicago, and
to him is due the honor of establishing many of the improvements which have
made Chicago what it is. For nearly twenty years he was, with the exception of
the military, the only white inhabitant of northern Illinois. Duringthe years from
1804 to 1820, the lake trade was carried on by a small sail vessel, coming in in the
/.
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200
ILLINOIS.
fall and spring, bringing the season's supply of goods and stores for the fort,
and taking away the stock of furs and peltries which had accumulated. MIr.
Kinzie pursued the business of fur trading until the breaking out of hostilities
with the Indians, which resulted in the massacre of 1812. The friendly feelings
which had been cultivated between himself and the Indians, preserved himself
and family from the fate which befell hiis neighbors of the fort. Removing for a
time, in 1816 he returned to Chicago, and reopened the trade with the Indians, residing there until the time of his death, in 1828.
It was a saying with the Indians that "the first white man who settled there was
a negro," by which was meant Jean Baptiste Point-au-Sable, who, in 1796, built'
the first house in Chicago, which he afterward sold to Le Mai, who subsequently
sold it to Mr. Kinzie. In 1812 there were but five houses outside of the fort, all
of which, with the exception of that owned by Mr. Kinzie, were destroyed at the
time of the massacre. In August, 1816, a treaty was concluded by commissioners
appointed by the government, with the various Indian tribes, by which the country between Chicago and the waters of the Illinois River was ceded to the United
States on the 4th of July.
In the same year, the troops again returned to their former locality, and a new
fort was erected, under the direction of Capt. Hezekiah Bradley, then commander.
It stood upon the same ground as the former one, and remained until the summer
of 18,56, when it was demolished to make room for the increasing amount of business.
The reoccupancy of the fort by the troops continued until May, 1823, after which
time it was occupied by the Indian agent, and used for the temporary accommodation of families of residents recently arrived. On the 10th of August, 1828, the fort
was again occupied by a company of volunteers, and afterward by two companies
of regular troops, under the command of Major Fowle and Captain Scott. These
last remained until MAay, 1831, when the fort was given in charge of George W.
Dole, as agent for the government.
On the breaking out'of the Black Hawk war, in 1832, it was reoccupied by a
detachment under Gen. Scott, until the removal of the Indians, in 1836, and, until
near the time of its demolition, was held by the government for the occasional use
of its army officers, engineers and agents connected with the public works. From
1816 to 1830, Chicago had gained the number of twelve or fifteen houses, with a
population of less than one hundred. In 1818, the public square, where now
stands the court house, was a pond, on whose banks the Indians had trapped the
muskrat, and where the first settlers hunted ducks. This pond had an outlet in a
"slough," as it was then called, which passed over the present site of the Tremont
House, entering the river at the end of State-street. Along the shores of the river
the wild onion was found in great abundance, to which the Indians gave the name
Chi-kajo, and from which the city doubtless derived its name. In the autumn of
1829', the town of Chicago was laid out, which is the part now known on the maps
as the "original town."
The site of Chicago is low, being but about five feet above the lake, but
sufficiently elevated to prevent inundation. "The general direction of the
lake shore here, is north and south. The water, except at the mouth of the
river, is shoal, and vessels missing the entrance ground, go to pieces in a
storm, within 100 rods of the shore. The harbor of Chicago is the river,
and nothing more. It is a short, deep, sluggish stream, creeping through
the black, fat mud of the prairie, and in some places would hardly be thought
worthy of a name; but it makes itself wonderfully useful here. Outside of
its mouth a vessel has no protection, nor are there any piers or wharves.
The mouth of the river has been docked and dredged out, to afford a more
easy entrance; but, after you are once in, it narrows to a mere canal, fiom
50 to 75 yards in width. The general course of the river, for about three
fourths of a mile, is at right angles with the lake shore, and this portion is
what is known as the Chicago River. It here divides, or, more properly, two
branches unite to form it, coming from opposite directions, and at nearly
11
201
right angles to the main stream. These are called, respectively, the'North
Branch' and the'South Branch,' and are each navigable for some four
miles, giving, in the aggregate, a river front of some 15 or 16 miles, capable
of being increased by canals and slips, some of which have already been constructed. Into the' South Branch' comes the Illinois canal, extending from
this point 100 miles to Lasalle, on the Illinois River, forming water communication between the lakes and the Mississippi. For the want of a map,
take the letter H; call the upright column on the right hand the lake shore;
let the cross-bar represent Chicago River, the left hand column will stand
for the two branches, and you have a plan of the water lines of the city of
Chicago, which will answer very well for all purposes of general description.
The Couirt Ho?se, Chicago.
Thle view is from the north. The material is of blue lime stone, from Lockport, New York. On the left
is the ilechanic's Illnstitute Hall.
The three divisions thus formed are called, respectively,'North Side,'
'South Side,'' West Side.' In this narrow, muddy river, lie the heart and
strength of Chicago. Dry this up, and Chicago would dry up with it, mean
and dirty as it looks. From the mouth of the St. Joseph River, in Michigan, round to Milwaukie, in the state of Wisconsin, a distance, by the lake
shore, of more than 250 miles, Chicago is the only place where 20 vessels
can be loaded or unloaded, or find shelter in a storm. A glance at the map,
then, will show that it is the only accessible portland hence the commercial center-of a vast territory, measuring thousands of square miles of the
richest agricultural country in the world. On this fact, and not on the present actual value, are really based those fabulous prices of corner lots and
wharf improvements, which have sometimes provoked the sneers of the
skeptic."
Chicago is regularly laid out with streets crossing at right angles, and is
adorned with many magnificent buildings of brick and stone, public and
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ILLINOIS.
private, comparing well with any city in this country or any other. The
shlore of the lake and northern parts of the city, are occupied with the finest
of residences. Some of the most remarkable public buildings are, the Court
Ilouse, the Merchants Exchange the Marine Hospital, the Medical Collicge,
the Second Presbyterian Church, etc. Burch's and Wadsworth's blocks, on
Lake-street, are rows of iron front stores, that, in extent and beauty, have no
equal in any business houses in any city of Europe.
A very elegant building material has recently been brought into use. It
is found in great abundance about 20 miles from the city, on the line of the
Illinois canal. "It is a compact lime-stone, of a pale yellow shade, somewhat lighter than the celebrated Caen stone of France, now so fashionable in
New York. The grain is so fine that the fracture, or cut surface, resembles
that of chalk in texture. It is durable, is easily wrought, and the color is
peculiarly pleasing and grateful to the eye. There is another stone of similar texture, of the color of freshly fractured slate, or of the mark made on
a slate by a pencil; but it is not so beautiful as the kind before mentioned.
It soils readily, and has, at a short distance, the effect of a dirty white.
There are also other architectural stones in considerable abundance and variety; but none of great beauty or impdortance have comle under our observation. The Presbyterian Church on Wabash Avenue, is built of a blue,
bituminous lime-stone, the pitchy matter of which has exuded and run down
the sides, giving the building the appearance of having a partial coat of tar.
The general imrpression it produces, is that of great antiquity; and if this
idea could be preserved and harmonized by the early pointed gothic, and
a good growth of ivy, the effect would be very fine."
Until 1856, most of the streets of Chicago were planked, and the buildings then erected were generally without cellars. As a consequence, in the
spring of the year, the ground asserted its original character of swamp. The
planks actually floated, and as the heavy wagons passed along, the muddy
water gushed out on every side. Since 1856, such a grade has been established(l, that when finished, will raise the entire city from two to five feet.
There is, with almost every block of buildings, a change of grade, sometimes of one foot, sometimes of three feet, sometimes of five. These ascents
or descents are made by steps, or by short, steep, inclined planes of boards,
with or without cleats or cross pieces, to prevent slipping, according to the
fancy of the adjoining proprietor who erects them. The profile of a Chicago
sidewalk would resemble the profile of the Erie canal, where the locks are
most plenty. It is one continual succession of ups and downs. The reason
of this diversity is, that it was found necessary, at an early period in the
history of the place, to raise the grade of the streets. It was afterward found
necessary to raise the grade still higher, and again still higher-as each
building is erected, its foundation and the sidewalk adjoining have been made
to correspond to the grade then last established, and so it will not happen
until the city is entirely rebuilt, that the proper grade will be uniformly attained. In the mean time, the present state of things will repress undue
curiosity in the streets, and keep fire-engines off the sidewalks, which is a
great point gained."
The process of raisi)tg of the houses and stores, in Chicago, is one of great
interest, literally, a method of digging a great city out of the mud. "Buildings of brick or stone, 150 feet by 200, and five stories high, are raised up
several feet by a system of screws, without a crack or the displacement of a
single thing. A hotel contracts to be lifted up. In a short time 27000
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203
I
IL,LINOIS.
screws are under it. andl little by little the house rises. Nothing is changed
witlhin. The kitchen cooks thie dclinning-rroo,,i eats, the bar drinks. and all
the rooms smoke, as if nlothlin, was goily on! A block or stores ally offices
zn 0
ilaising a Block of Buildiiugs in Chicago.
The entire locl on the north side of Lalke-street, extending foino Clark to La Salle-street, hlaving a front
of'2t feet-is sO, wn in the process of t,eing raised up four feet tnid two thirds, by 6,000 screws placed under it t'rne(d, at sitoals, by a force of (00 men. Mlost of the stores are 180 feet deep, and five days were
conesnumed in thle tasik.
begins this new process of growth, arn all the tenants maintain their usual
functtions; and, except the outrag,eous heaps of dirt and piles of lumber, everythine roes on as before. The plank into the door gets a little steeper every
dais. But goods come in and go out, and customers haunt the usual
places."
Tlie most remarkable feat of the kind occurred in Chicago, in the spring
of 1SG0, when an immense block was raised. This is shown in our engrav i, and thus described in the Chicago Press and Tribune of the time, under
the caption of "The Great Buildinig Raising."
for the past week the marvel and the wonder of our citizens and visitors has
Leen the spectacle of a solid front of first-class business blocks, comprising the entire bIlock on the north side of Lake-street, between Clark and La Salle-streets, a
leng,th of,20() feet, being raised about four feet by the almost resistless lifting force
of')6,O)() screwsl.
'llle block comprises 13 first class stores, and a large double marble structure,
the AMarine Bank Building. Its subdivisions are a five-story marble front block
:204
ILLINOIS.
of three stores; a second four-story block of three stores, and a five-story block ot
four stores, at the corner of Clark-street-thliese all presenting an unbroken fiont,
in the heart of our city, and filled with occupants.
This absence from annoyance to the merchants and the public is due to the skill
with which the contractors have hung the sidewalks to the block itself; and calried
up the same with the rise of the building. The block has been raised fotir feet
eight inches, the required hight, in five days, ending with Friday last, anal thie itasons are now busy putting in the permanent supports. The entire work will occupy about four weeks.
An estimate from a reliable source makes the entire weight thus raised to be
about 35,000 tuns. So carefully has it been done, that not a pane of glass has been
broken, nor a crack in masonry appeared. The internal order of the block has
prevailed undisturbed.
The process of raising, as indicated above, is by the screw, at 6,000 of which,
three inches in diameter and of three eighths thread, 600 men have been employed,
each man in charge of from eight to ten screws. A complete system of sig(nals
was kept in operation, and by these the workmen passed, each thlrou,lgh his series,
giving each screw a quarter turn, then returning to repeat the same. Five d.y,s'
labor saw the immense weight rise through four feet eight inches, to where it now
stands on temiporary supports, ripidly being replaced by permanent foundations.
The work. as it stn(ls, is worth going miles to see, and has drawn the admiration
of thousands within the p)ast week.
The bridges of Clic a go are a mong the curiosities of the place. The numerous branches of the river reqluire a large numnber of bridges. The river
being navigable, and but little below the level of the streets, compels all of
these to be nmade draw bridges. These are hung in the middle, and turn
So,ith-west View of the Railroad Depot, Grain Houses, Chicago.
TI Illinois Central Passenger, andl the freight depot, etc., are se en in the central part. St es ad
Bu'kinghlamln's grain hoises standing on the lake shore, apl)ear on the right; e ach of whih ill contaill
7,.50,0(10) )shel of grain; eol,ighl, it is estimated, to feed the entire population of the city for five years;
2 5.000 bushels can be received and stored in each of them in a single day.
on a pivot, the motive power being two men standing there with a cross-bar.
The operation of turning a bridge, occupies about two minutes. While the
process is going on, a closely packed row of vehicles, sometimes, accumulates
of a quarter of a mile in length. Policemen are stationed at either end, to
prevent persons from driving, jumping, or being pushed into the water.
The manufacturing establishments of Chicago are numerous, consisting of
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iron foundries and machine shops, steam flouring, saw and planing mills,
manufactories of agricultural implements, etc. Numerous steamboats and
vessels ply between this place and Buffalo, and the various places on the
Upper Lakes, and a direct trade is had, by sailing vessels, with Europe,
via the lakes, Welland canal, River St. Lawrence, and the Atlantic Ocean.
The city is a great shipping point for an immense and fertile region. The
Illinois and Michigan canal is 60 feet wide at the top, six feet deep, and
107 miles long, including five miles of river navigation. Through this is
brought a large amount of produce from the south and south-west. This and
the railroads radiating from Chicago, add to the vast accumulation which is
shipped here for the Atlantic sea-board. Chicago is within a short distance
from extensive coal fields, and is the natural outlet for the produce of one of
the richest agricultural sections of the Union. Great quantities of lumber
are also brought here by lake navigation.
The imports of Chicago, in 1858, a year of general depression, were
$91,000,000, and the exports $83,000,000 in value, equal to one quarter of
the whole foreign commerce of the United States. The tunnage was 67,000
tuns, seven eighths of which was in sailing crafts, and the remainder by
steamers.
The grain trade of Chicago is, perhaps, the greatest of any place in the
world, averaging, at present, about 30,000,000 of bushels yearly. The grain
houses are all situated on the bank of the river and its branches, with railroad tracks running in the rear, so that a train of cars loaded with grain
may be standing, opposite one end of a large elevating warehouse, being
emptied by elevators, at the rate of from 6 to 8,000 bushels per hour,
while at the other end the same grain may be running into a couple of propellers, and. be onil its way to Buffalo, Montreal, and other places within
six or seven hours.
The Illinois Central Railroad grain warehouses can discharge 12 cars
loaded with grain, and also load two vessels at once, at the rate of 24:,000
bushels per hour; or receive from 24 cars at once, at the rate of 8,000 bushels per hour. With the present conveniences, it is estimated that in every
10 hours half a million of bushels of grain can be handled.
The university of Chicago, a well endowed institution, originated in
1854, in a generous donation from the Hon. Stephen A. Douglass of 10
acres, comprising part of a beautiful grove, adjacent to the southern linmits
of the city. It has. in all its departments, about 200 students. John C
Burroughs, D.D., is president.
The most thrilling event in the history of Illinois, was the "mniassacre at
Chicago," in the last war with Great Britain. There were then but five
houses outside of the fort, at this point, then the trading station of John
Kinzie,' the Father of Chicago." The garrison numbered about 75 men,
many of them old and inefficient soldiers. The officers in command, were
Capt. IHeald, Lieut. Helmn, and Ensign lRonan, the latter a very young man,
high spirited and honorable.
On Aug. 7, 1812, Catfish, a distinguished Pottawatomie chief, arrived from
Detroit, bringing dispatches from Gen. Hull, giving orders to Capt. Ileald
to evacuate the fort and distribute all the United States property, in the fort
and factory, to the Indians, and then retire to Fort Wayne, on the site of the
city of that name in Indiana.
'-)06
ILLINOIS.
These ill timed, and as it proved afterward, fatal orders of HIull, were
obeyed, so far as to evacuate the fort; but even this was done by Heald, in
spite of the remonstrances of his officers, who were satisfied of the evil designs of the Indians. On the 12th, a council was held with the Indians. at
which Capt. Heald informed them of his intention to distribute among them
the goods stored in the factory, together with the ammunition and provisions
of the garrison. On the next day the gtods were disposed of as promised;
but fearing the Indians might make a bad use of liquor and ammunition,
Heald gave orders for their destruction. During the night the contents of the
liquor barrels were poured into the river, and the powder thrown into the
well. This coming to the knowledge of the Indians, exasperated them to a
high degree, as they prized these articles more than all the rest.
The 15th of August was the day fixed for leaving the post. The day previous, Capt. Wells, a relative of Capt. Heald, arrived with an escort of 15
friendly Miami Indians from Fort Wayne. He had heard of the orders for
the evacuation of the fort, and realizing the danger of the garrison incumbered with the women and children, marching through the territory of the
hostile Pottawatomies, hastened to dissuade his relative from leaving the
fort. But he arrived too late, steps had been taken, which made it as
equally dangerous to remain.
"The fatal morning of the 15th, at length arrived. All things were in readiness,
and nine o'clock was the hour named for starting. Mr. Kinzie had volunteered
to accompany the troops in their march, and had entrusted his family to the care
of some friendly Indians, who had promised to convey them in a boat around the
head of Lake Michigan to a point on the St. Joseph's River; there to be joined by
the troops, should the prosecution of their march be permitted them. Early in
the morning Mlr. Kinzie received a message from To-pee-nee-bee, a chief of the
St. Joseph's band, informing him that mischief was intended by the Pottawatomies
who had engaged to escort the detachment; and urging him to relinquish his design of accompanying the troops by land, promising him that the boat containing
himself and family, should be permitted to pass in safety to St. Joseph's.
Mr. Kinzie declined, according to this proposal, as he believed that his presence
might operate as a restraint upon the fury of the savages, so warmly were the
greater part of them attached to himself and his family. The party in the boat
consisted of Mrs. Kinzie and her four younger children, their nurse Grutte,,:
clerk of Mr. Kinzie's, two servants and the boatmen, beside the two Indians
who acted as their protectors. The boat started, but had scarcely reached the
mouth of the river, which, it will be recollected, was here half a mile below the
fort, when another messenger from To-pee-inee-bee arrived, to detain them where they
were. In breathless expectation sat the wife and mother. She was a woman of
uncommon energy and strength of character, yet her heart died within her as she
folded her arms around her helpless infants, and gazed upon the march of her husband and eldest child to certain destruction.
As the troops left the fort, the band struck up the Dead March. On they came
in military array, but with solemn mien. Capt. Wells took the lead at the head
of his little band of MAiamis. He had blackened his face before leaving the garrison, in token of his impending fate. They took their route along the lake shore.
When they reached the point where commenced a range of sand hills, interveningr between the prairie and the beach, the escort of Pottawatomies, in number about 500, kept the level of the prairie, instead of continuing along the
beach with the Americans and Miamis. They had marched about half a mile
south of the present site of the Round House of the Illinois Central Railroad, when
Capt. Wells, who had kept somewhat in advance with his Miamis, came riding furiously back.'They are about to attack us,' shouted he;'form, instantly, and
charge upon them.' Scarcely were the words uttered, when a volley was showered
from among the sand hills. The troops were hastily brought into line, and
207
charged up the bank. One man, a veteran of 70 winters, fell as they ascended.
The remainder of the scene is best described in the words of an eye-witness and
participator in the tragedy, Mrs. Helm, the wife of Capt. (then Lieutenant) Helim,
and step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie."
"After we had left the bank, the firing became general. The Miamis fled at the
outset. Their chief rode up to the Pottawatomies and said:'You have deceived the Americans and us. You have done a bad action, and (brandishing
his tomahawk) I will be first to head a party of Americans to return and punish your treachery." So saying, he galloped after his companions, who were now
scouring across the prairies.
The troops beha.ved most gallantly. They were but a handful, but they seemed
resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Our horses pranced and bounded,
and could hardly be restrained as the balls whistled among them. I drew off a
little, and gazed upon my husband and father, who were yet unharmed. I felt
that my hour was come, and endeavored to forget those I loved, and prepare my
self for my approaching fate.
"While I was thus engaged, the surgeon, Dr. Van Voorhees, came up. He was
badly wounded. His horse had been shot under him, and he had received a ball
in his leg. Every muscle of his face was quivering with the agony of terror. He
said to me-' Do you think they will take our lives? I am badly wounded, but I
think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives by promising them a
large reward. Do you think there is any chance?'
"'Dr. Van Voorhees,' said I,'do not let us waste the few moments that yet remain to us, in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few moments we
must appear before the bar of God. Let us make what preparation is yet in our
power.
"'Oh! I can not die,' exclaimed he,'I am not fit to die-if I had but a short
time to prepare-death is awful!' I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mortally wounded and nearly down, was- still fighting, with desperation, on one
knee.
"' Look at that man,' said I,'at least he dies like a soldier.'' Yes,' replied the
unfortunate man, with a convulsive gasp,'but he has no terrors of the future-he
is an unbeliever!'
"At this moment a young Indian raised his tomahawk at me. By springing
aside, I avoided the blow which was intended for my skull, but which alighted on
my shoulder. I siezed him around the neck, and while exerting my utmost efforts
to get possession of his scalping-knife, which hung in a scabbard over his breast,
I was dragged from his grasp by another and an older Indian. The latter bore
me, struggling and resisting, toward the lake. Notwithstanding the rapidity with
which I was hurried along, I recognized, as I passed them, the lifeless remains of
the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous tomahawk had stretched him upon the
very spot where I had last seen him. 1 was immediately plunged into the water
and held there with a forcible hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon perceived, however, that the object of my captor was not to drown me, for he held me
firmly, in such a position as to place my head above water. This reassured me,
and regarding him attentively, I soon recognized, in spite of the paint with which
he was disguised, The Black Par?tridge.
"When the firing had nearly subsided, my preserver bore me from the water
and conducted me up the sand-banks. It was a burning August morning, and
walking through the sand in my drenched condition, was inexpressibly painful
and fatiguing. I stooped and took off my shoes to free them from the sand,
with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw siezed and carried them off,
and I was obliged to proceed without them.
"When we had gained the prairie, I was met by my father, who told me that
my husband was safe but slightly wounded. They led me gently back toward the
Chicago River, along the southern bank of which was the Pottawatomie encampment. At one time I was placed upon a horse without a saddle, but finding the
motion insupportable, I sprang off. Supported partly by my kind conductor,
Black Partridge, and partly by another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who held dangling in
208
ILLINOIS.
ILLINOIS.
his hand a scalp, which by the black ribbon around the queue, I recognized as
that of Capt. Wells, I dragged my fainting steps to one of the wigwams.
"The wife of Wau-bee-nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois RIiver, was standing
near, and seeing my exhausted condition she siezed a kettle, dipped up some water
from a stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up
with her hand gave it me to drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many
many horrors, touched me most sensibly, but my attention was soon diverted to
other objects.
"The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as remained after the troops
marched out. The cattle had been shot down as they ran at large, and lay dead
or dying around. This work of butchery had commenced just as we were leaving
the fort. I well remembered a remark of Ensign Ronan, as the firing went oln.
'Such,' turning to me,'is to be our fate-to be shot down like brutes I'' Well
sir,' said the commanding officer, who overheard him,'are you afraid?''No,' replied the high spirited young man,'I can march up to the enemy where you dare
not show your face;' and his subsequent gallant behavior showed this to be no
idle boast.
"As the noise of the firing grew gradually less, and the stragglers from the victorious party came dropping in, I received confirmation of what my father had
hurriedly communicated in our reaconitre on the lake shore; namely, that the
whites had surrendered after the loss of about two thirds of their number.
They had stipulated, through the interpreter, Peresh Leclerc, for the preservation
of their lives, and those of the remaining women and children, and for their delivery at some of the British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian country. It appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered as included
in the stipulation, and a horrible scene ensued upon their being brought into
camp.
"An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary
scenes around her, seemed possessed by a demoniac ferocity. She siezed a stable
fork and assaulted one miserable victim, who lay groaning and writhing in the
agony of his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With a delicacy of feeling scarcely to have been expected under such circumstances, Waubee-nee-mah stretched a mat across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene.
1 was thus spared, in some degree, a view of its horrors, although 1 could not entirely close my ears to the cries of the sufferer. The following night five more of
the wounded prisoners were tomahawked.
"The Americans, after their first attack by the Indians, charged upon those who
had concealed themselves in a sort of ravine, intervening between the sand banks
and the prairie. The latter gathered themselves into a body, and after some hard
fighting, in which the number of whites had become reduced to 28, this little band
succeeded in breaking through the enemy, and gaining a rising ground, not far
from the Oak Woods. The contest now seemed hopeless, and Lieut. Helm sent
Peresh Leclerc, a half-breed boy in the service of Mr. Kinzie, who had accompanied the detachment and fought manfully on their side, to propose terms of
capitulation. It was stipulated that the lives of all the survivors should be spared,
and a ransom permitted as soon as practicable.
" Iutt, in the mean time, a horrible scene had been enacted. One young savage,
climbing, into the baggage-wagon, containing the children of the white families,
12 in number, tomahawked the children of the entire group. This was during the
engagement near the sand hills. When Capt. Wells, who was fighting near, beheld
it, he exclaimed:' Is that their game, butchering the women and children? Then
I will kill too!' So saying, he turned his horse's head, and started for the Indian
camp, near the fort, where had been left their squaws and children.
"Several Indians pursued him as he galloped along. He laid himself flat on the
neck of his horse, loading arid firing in that position, as he would occasionally turn
o)n his pursurers. At length their balls took effect, killing his horse, and severely
wounding himself At this moment he was met by Winnemeg and Wau-ben-see,
who endeavored to save him from the savages who had now overtaken him. As
they supported him along, after having disengaged him from his horse, he re-.
ceived his death-blow from another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who stabbed him in the back.
14
209
ILLINOIS.
"The heroic resolution of one of the soldier's wives deserves to be recorded.
She was a Mrs. Corbin, and had, from the first, expressed the determination never
to fell into the hands of the stavies, believing that their prisoners were always
sul)jected to tortures worse than death. When, therefore, a party came upon her,
to make her a prisoner, she fought with desperation, refusing to surrender, although
assured, by signs, of safety and kind treatment, and literally suffered herself to be
cut to pieces, rather than become their captive.
"There was a Sergeant Holt, who, early in the engagement, received a ball in
the neck. Finding himself badly wounded, he gave his sword to his wife, who was
on horseback near him, telling her to defend herself-he then made for the lake,
to keep out of the way of the balls. Mrs. Holt rode a very fine horse, which the
Indians were desirous of possessing, and they therefore attacked her, in hopes of
dismounting her. They fought only with the butt-ends of their guns, for their object was not to kill her. She hacked and hewed at their pieces as they were thrust
against her, now on this side, now on that. Finally, she broke loose from them,
and dashed out into the prairie. The Indians pursued her, shouting and laughing,
and now and then calling out:'The brave woman! do not hurt her!' At length
they overtook her again, and while she was engaged with two or three in front, one
succeeded in siezing her by the neck behind, and dragging her, although a large
and powerful woman, from her horse. Notwithstanding that their guns had been
so hacked and injured, and even themselves cut severely, they seemed to regard
her only with admiration. They took her to a trader on the Illinois River, by
whom she was restored to her friends, after having received every kindness during
her captivity."
"The heart of Capt. Wells was taken out, and cut into pieces, and distributed
among the tribes. His mutilated remains remained unburied until the next day,
when Billy Caldwell gathered up his head in one place, and mangled body in another, and buried them in the sand. The family of Mr. Kinzie had been taken
from the boat to their home, by friendly Indians, and there strictly guarded. Very
soon a very hostile party of the Pottawatoinie nation arrived from the Wabash, and
it required all the skill and bravery of Black Partridge, Waet-ben-see, Billy Caldwell (who arrived at a critical moment), and other friendly Indians, to protect
them. Runners had been sent by the hostile chiefs to all the Indian villages, to
apprise them of the intended evacuation of the fort, and of their plan of attacking the troops. In eager thirst to participate in such a scene of blood, but
arrived too late to participate in the massacre. They were infuriated at their
disappointment, and sought to glut their vengeance on the wounded and prisoners.
On the third day after the massacre, the family of Mr. Kinzie, with the attaches
of the establishment, under the care of Francois, a half-breed interpreter, were
taken to St. Joseph's in a boat, where they remained until the following November, under the protection of To-pee-nee-bee, and his band. They were then carried to Detroit, under the escort of Chandonnai, and a friendly chief by the name
of Kee-po-tah, and,-with their servants, delivered up, as prisoners of war, to the
British commanding officer. Of the other prisoners, Capt. Heald and Mrs. Heald
were sent across to the lake of St. Joseph's, the day after the battle. Capt. Heald had
received two wounds, and Mrs. IIeald seven, the ball of one of which was cut from
her arm by Mr. Kinzie, with a pen-knife, after the en(gagemnent. Mrs. H. was
ransomed on the battle field, by Chandonnai, a half-breed from St. Joseph's, for a
mnule he had just taken, and the promise of ten bottles of whisky. Capt. Hieald
was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, who, seeing the wounded
and enfeebled state of Mrs. Heald, generously released his prisoner, that he
might accompany his wife.
Lieut. Helm was wounded in the action and taken prisoner; and afterward
taken by some friendly Indians to the Au-sable, and from thence to St. Louis, and
liiera.ted from captivity through the agency of the late Thomas Forsyth, Esq. Mrs.
Helm received a slight wound in the ankle; had her horse shot from under her;
and after passing through the agonizing scenes described, went with the family of
Mr. Kinzie to Detroit. The soldiers with their wives and children, were dispersed
among the different villages of the Pottowatomies, upon the Illinois, Wabash, Rock
210
River and Milwaukie. The largest proportion were taken to Detroit, and ransomed the following spring. Some, however, remained in captivity another year,
and experienced more kindness than was expected from an enemy so mierciless.
Captain (subsequently Major) Heald, his wife and family, settled in the county of St. Charles, Alo., after the war, about 1817, where he died about 15 years
since. Ile was respected and beloved by his acquaintances. Hiis health was iapaired from the wounds he received."
roitht- western view of the State IIo?se, SplingJqeld.
The engraving shows the appearance of the State Ctpitol, as seen from the Mayor's office, in W.ishington-street. The Court Houise and the Bank b uilding, are seen on the leift.
SPRINGFIELD, the capital of Illirrois, is situated near the center of the
state, four miles S. firom Sangamon River, on the border of a rich and beautiful prairie, 97 miles from St. L-uis, 75 N.E. from Alton, and 188 S.W'.
from Chicago. It is laid out with great regularity on what was formerly an
open prairie, the streets being wide and straight, and ornamented with shade
trees. The state capitol stands on a square of three acres in the center of
the city, which is beautifully adorned with trees, shrubbery and flowers.
From the unusual attention given to the cultivation of shrubbery and flowers, Sprihgfield is sometimes fancifully and pleasantly termed the "Flower
Clity." It contains the governor's house, court house, 12 churches, 4 banking houses, the Illinois State University, and in 1860 6;499 inhabitants.
The first settlers of Springfield appear to have been several members of a family
by the name of Kelly, who, sometime during the year 1818 or 1819, settled upon
the present site of the city; one of them, John Kelly, erected his rude cabin upon
the spot where stands the building known as the "Garrett House;" this was the
first habitation erected in the city, and, perhaps, also, in the county of Sangamon.
Another of the Kellys built his cabin westward of the first, and near the spot
whl-qre stands the residence of Mrs. Torrey; and the third near or upon the spot
where A. G. Herndon resides. A second family, by the name of Duggett, settled
in that portion of the western part of the city known by the early inhabitants as
"Newsonville," sometime in the early part of 1820; and some half dozen other
families were added to the new settlement during the year 1821.
ILLINOIS.
211
The original name of Springfield was Calhoun. At a special term of the county
commissioners' court, held in April, 1821, at Kelly's house, they designated a certain point in the prairie, near John Kelly's field, on the waters of Spring creek, as
a temporary seat of justice for the county, and that "said county seat should be
called and known by the name of Springfield." The first court house and jail
was built in the latter part of 1821, at the N.W. corner of Second and Jeffersonstreets. The town was surveyed and platted by James C. Stephenson, Esq., and
he is said to have received block 21 for his services. Town lots, at that period,
could not have been considered very valuable, as.tradition says he proposed to give
D)r. Merryman one fourth of the block for his pointer dog to which he took a fancy,
and which offer was rejected. In 1823, Springfield did not contain more than a
dozen log cabins, which were scattered about in the vicinity of where the court
house then stood, and the Sangamon River was the boundary line of settlements
in the northern part of the state. The site of Springfield was originally an open
prairie, destitute of trees or shrubbery: where the state house now stands, was
formerly a kind of swamp, where, during the winter, the boys amused themselves
in skating.
The first tavern in Springfield was an old-fashioned two story log house, kept by
a person named Price, which stood where the residence of Charles Lorsh now
stands. The first tavern of much pretension was the old "Indian Queen Hotel,"
built by A. G. Herndon. The first store, for the sale of dry goods, in Springfield,
was opened by Elijah Iles, now occupied by John Hay.
In 1837, the seat of government for the state was removed from Vandalia to
Springfield, and the first session of the legislature here was in the winter of 183940. The senate held its session in the old Methodist church, and the house of
representatives met in the second Presbyterian church. In 1840, Springfield received a city charter. Benjamin S. Clement was elected the first mayor, and Jas.
R. Gray, Joseph Klein, Washington les, and Wm. Prentiss, aldermen. The St.
Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad was commenced in Aug., 1850, and was finished
from Alton to Springfield, Sept., 1852: from this period Springfield has rapidly advanced in wealth and population.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the city cemetery:
NINIAN EDWARDS, chief justice of Ky., 1808; governor Ill. Territory, 1809 to 1818; U.
S. senator, 1818 to 1824; governor state of Ills, 1826 to 1830; died July 20,1833, in the 59th
year of his age.
PASCAL PAOLI ENOS, a native of Windsor, Conn., emigrated to the valley of the Mississippi in 1816; with three others founded the city of Springfield in 1824, and died A.D.
1832, aged sixty-two. The pioneers acknowledge his virtues.
Erected by the Whigs of Springfield in memory of JOHN BRODIE, who departed this life
on the 3d of Aug., 1844, in the 42d year of his age. [Second monument.]-The grave of
JOHN BRODIE, a native of Perth, Scotland, who departed this life on the 3d of Aug., 1844,
in the 42d year of his age.
Far from his native isle he lies,
Wrapped in the vestments of the grave.
[In the old graveyard.] Sacred to the memory of Rev. JACOB M. EARLY, a native of
Virginia, and for seven years a resident of Springfield, Ill., combining in his character
splendid natural endowments, a highly cultivated mind, undaunted moral courage, and the
graces of the Christian religion. Eminent in the profession of his choice, and successful
in his ministry, he enjoyed a large share of the respect and affections of an extensive and
respectable acquaintance. Though called suddenly from life, he met death with a calm
and amazing fortitude, in the certain hope of a blissful immortality, through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. He was born Feb. 22, 1806, and died March 11, 1838, aged 32 yrs. 18
days.
ILLINOIS.
212
ILLINOIS.
Springfield is noted as having been the home of Abraham Lincoln, president
of the United States. He is a descendant of the pioneers of Kentucky.
His grandfather removed fromn
___ 5 _ _:_ ~iiinia at an early day, and
_____-_ —--- -___-__. finally fell on the frontiers be neath the tomahawk of the sav age. His son, Thomas, and the
! "'T —father of Abraham, traveled
about from neighborhood to
nei ghborl hiood, working as a ila borer, until he finally settled in
what was then H ardin, now La rue county, Ky., and there, in
-- _ _= =...- -:: 1809, was born the subject of this
sketch. When in his eighth
RSIDNCE OF AB'M. LINCOL,, year, the family removed to
Spencer Co., Ind. When Abrahami was 21 years of age, they again emigrated to Macon, Illinois. Soon
after he engaged as a flat boatman on the Mississippi, then he took charge
of a store and a mill at New Salem, and on the outbreak of the Black Hawk
war he was chosen captain of a company of volunteers. In 1834 he was,
for the first time, elected to the legislature of Illinois, and soon after commenced the study of law. In 1837 he removed to Springfield and entered
upon his professional career. In 1840, and again in 1844, he was one of
the electors on the Whig ticket in Illinois; in 1846 wias elected to congress
from the Springfield district. In 1858, he was brought Pominently before
the public by his memorable senatorial contest with the distinguished Stephen A. Douglass. This was the final point in his career which led to his
nomination and subsequent election, by the Republican party, to the Presidency. His history illustrates the power of natural capacity, joined to industry, to overcome poverty and other obstacles in the way of obtaining an
education, in a country whose institutions give full freedom to the exercise
of all manly faculties.
ICaskaskia, a small village and the county seat of Randolph county, is on
Kaskaskia River, 10 miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, and on
a neck of land between them, two miles from the latter, and 142 miles
S. of Springfield. It has the distinction of being the oldest town in Illinois,
and, perhaps, in the whole western states. It was founded by Father Gravier,
a Catholic missionary, some where about the year 1693. It was, at first,
merely a missionary station inhabited by the natives. In 1763, when ceded
by the French to the English, it contained about 130 families. It was the
first capital of the territory, and retained that rank until 1818.
Judge Hall, in his " Sketches of the West," gives a pleasant picture of
the characteristics of the French-settlers in this region. Says he:
They made no attempt to acquire land from the Indians, to organize a social system, to introduce municipal regulations, or to establish military defenses; but
cheerfully obeyed the priests and the king's officers, and enjoyed the present, without troubling their heads about the future. They seem to have been even careless
as to the acquisition of property, and its transmission to their heirs. Finding
themselves in a fruitful country, abounding in game, where the necessaries of life
could be procured with little labor, where no restraints were imposed by government, and neither tribute nor personal service was exacted, they were content to
live in unambitious peace, and comfortable poverty. They took possession of so
much of the vacant land around them as they were disposed to till, and no more.
213
Their agriculture was rude; and even to this day, some of the implements of hlusbandry and modes of cultivation, brought from France a century ago, remain un
changed by the warch of wind, or the hand of innovation. Their houses were
comfortable, and they reared fruits and flowers; evincing, in this respect, an attention to comfort and luxury, which has not been practiced among the English or
American first settlers; but in the accumulation of property, and in all the essentials of industry, they were indolent and improvident, rearing only the bare necessaries of life, and living from generation to generation without change or improvement.
The only new articles which the French adopted, in consequence of their change
of residence, were those connected with the fur trade. The few who were engaged in merchandise turned their attention'almost exclusively to the traffic with
the Indians, while a large number became hunters and boatmen. The voyageirs,
engayees, and co?Iriers des bois, as they are called, form a peculiar race of men.
They were active, sprightly, and remarkably expert in their vocation. With all
the vivacity of the French character, they have little of the intemperance and brutal coarseness usually found among the boatmen and mariners. They are patient
under fatigue, and endure an astonishing degree of toil and exposure to the weather.
Accustomed to live in the open air, they pass through every extreme, and all the
sudden vicissitudes of climate, with little apparent inconvenience. Their boats
are managed with expertness, and even grace, and their toil enlivened by the song
As hunters, they have roved over the whole of the wide plain of the west, to the
Rocky Mountains, sharing the hospitality of the Indians, abiding for long periods,
and even permanently, with the tribes, and sometimes seeking their alliance by
marriage. As boatmen, they navigate the birch canoe to the sources of the longest rivers, and pass from one river to another, by laboriously carrying the packages
of merchandise, and the boat itself, across mountains, or through swamps or woods,
so that no obstacle stops their progress. Like the Indian, they can live on game,
without condiment or bread; like him they sleep in the open air, or plunge into
the water at any season, without injury.
The French had also a fort on the Ohio, about thirty-six miles above the junction of that river with the Mississippi, of which the Indians obtained possession
by a singular stratagem. This was just above the site of Metropolis City, and was
a mission station as early as 1711. A number of them appeared in the day time
on the opposite side of the river, each covered with a bear-skin, and walking on
all-fours, and imitating the motions of that animal. The French supposed them
to be bears, and a party crossed the river in pursuit of them. The remainder of
the troops left their quarters, and resorted to the bank of the river, in front of the
garrison, to observe the sport. In the meantime, a large body of Indian warriors,
who were concealed in the woods near by, came silently up behind the fort, entered it without opposition, and very few of the French escaped the carnagte.
They afterward built another fort on the same ground, which they called Massacre,
in memory of this disastrous event, and which retained the name of ff'ort Massac,
after it passed into the hands of the American government.
These paragraphs of Hall are quoted by Peck, in the Western Annals,
and to them are appended these additional facts from his own pen:
The style of agriculture in all the French settlements was simple. Both the Spanish
and French governments, in forming settlements on the Mississippi, had special regard to
convenience of social intercourse, and protection from the Indians. All their settlements
were required to be in the form of villages or towns, and lots of a convenient size for a
door yard, garden and stable yard, were provided for each family. To each vill.Lge were
grianted two tracts of land at convenient distances for "common fields" and "commons."
A common field is a tract of land of several hundred acres, inclosed in common by the
villagers, each person furnishing his proportion of labor, and each filmily possessing ir;dividual interest in a portion of the field, marked off and bounded from the rest. Ordinances
were made to regulate the repaius of fences, the time of excluding cattle in the spring, and
the time of gathering the crop and opening the field for the range of cattle in the fall.
Each plat of ground in the common field was owned in fee simple by the person to whom
gran.ted, subject to sale aiid conveyance, the same as any landed property.
A common is a tract of land granted to the town for wood and pasturage, in which each
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owner of a village lot has a common, but not an individual right. In some cases this
tract embraced several thousaid acres.
Bv this arrangemen t, something likle a community svstemrn existed in their intercourse.
If tihe head of a t'imily was sick. met with a casu alt\, or was absent as an eig,.gee, his
family sustained little inconvenience. His plat in the common field was cultivated by his
neighlbors, and the crop gathered. A pleasant custom existed in these French villages not
thirty years since, and which had come doiwn from the remotest period.
Tlhe husbandman on his return at evenino' from his daily toil, was always met bv his
affectionate femnie with the friendly kiss, and very comimonly with one, perhaps two of tlie
youngest children, to receive the same salutation firom le pore. This dailv inte.rview was
at the gate of the door yard, and in view of all the villagers. The simple-hearted people
were a happy and contented race. A few trlaits of these ancient characteristics remain,
but most of the descendants of the French are fully Americanized.
The romantic details of the conquest of Kaskaskia, in the war of the
Revolution, by the Virginians, under Clark, we take from Monette:
The whole of the Iilinois country being. at that time, within the chartered limits
of irginia, Col. George Rogrers Clark, an officer of extraordinary genius, who had
recently emigrated toIKentucky, with slight aid from the mother state, projected
and carried out a secret expedition for the reduction of these posts, the great
fountains of Indian massacre.
About the middle of June (177S), Clark, )by extraordinary exertions, assembled
at the Falls of the Ohio six incomplete companies. From these he selected about
150 frontier men, and descended the Ohio in keelboats en roatte for Kaskaskia;
on their way down thei learned by a messenger, of the alliance of France with
the tinted States. About forty miles from the mouth of the Ohio, having first
concealed their boats by sinking them in the river, they commenced their march
toward Kaskaskia. Their route was through a pathless wilderness, interspersed
with morasses, and almost impassable to any except backwoodsmen. After several
days of great fatigue and hardships, they arrived, unperceived, in the evening of
the 4th of July, in the vicinity of the town. In the dead of nilght Clark divided
his little force into tawo divisions. One division took possession of the town while
the inhabitants were asleep; with the other Clark in person crossed to the opposite side of the Kaskaskia River, and secured possession of Fort Gage. So little
apprehensive was he of danger, that the commandant, Rocheblave, had not even
posted a solitary sentinel, and that officer was awakened by the side of his wife to
find himself a prisoner of war.
The town, containing ablout 250 dwellings, was completely surrounded, and all
avenues of escape carefully guarded. The British had cunningly impressed the
French with a horror of Virginians, representing them as bloodthirsty and cruel
in the extreme. Clark took measures, for ultimate good, to increase this feeling.
During the night the troops filled the air with war-whoops; every house was entered and the inhabitants disarmed; a'l intercourse between them was prohibited;
the people were ordered not to appear in the streets under the penalty of instant
death. The whole town was filled with terror and the minds of the poor Frenchmnen were agitated by the most horrid apprehensions. At last, when hope had
nearly vanished, a deputation, headed by Father Gibault, the village priest, obtamined permission to wait upon Col. Clark. Surprised as they had been, by the
sudden capture of their town, and by such an enemy as their imagination had
painted, they were still more so wihen admitted to his presence. Their clothes
wrore dirty and torn by the briars, and their whole aspect frightful and savage.
The priest, in a trembling, subdued tone, said to Clark:
"That the inhabitants expected to be separated, never to meet again on earth,
and they e(roed for permission, through him, to assemble once more in the churclh,
to take a final leave of each other." Clark, aware that they suspected him of hostility to their religion, carelessly told them, that he had nothing to say against their
church; that religion was a matter which the Americans left every one for himrself to settle with his God; that the people might assemble in the church, if they
wished, but they must not leave the town. Some further conversation was attempted, but Clark, in order that the alarm mioght be raised to its utmost hight,
repelled it with sternness, and told them at once that he had not leisure for further
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intercourse. The whole town immediately assembled at the church; the old and
the young, the women and the children, and the houses were all deserted.']The
people remained in church for a long time-after which the priest, accompanied by
several gentlemen, waited upon Col. Clark, and expressed, in the name of the vil l::Lge, "their thanks for the indulgence they had received." The deputation then
desired, at the request of the inha.bitants, to address their conqueror on a subject
which was dearer to them than any other. "They were sensible," they said, "that
their present situation was the fate of war; and they could submit to the loss of
property, but solicited that they might not be separated from their wives and chil dren, and that some clothes and provisions might be allowed for their future support." They assured Col. Clark, that their conduct had been influenced by the
British commandants, whom they supposed they were bound to obey-that they
were not certain that they understood the nature of the contest between Great
Britain and the colonies-that their remote situation was unfavorable to accurate
information-that some of their number had expressed themselves in favor of the
Americans, and others would have done so had they durst. Clark, having wound
up their terror to the highest pitch, resolved now to try the,effect of that lenity,
which he had all along intended to grant. He therefore abruptly addressed them:
" Do you," said he, " mistake us for savages? I am almost certain you do from
your languagfe. Do you think that Americans intend to strip women and children,
or take the bread out of their mouths? My countrymen disdain to make war upon
helpless innocence. It was to prevent the horrors of Indian butchery upon our
own wives and children, that we have taken up arms, and penetrated into this
stronghold of British and Indian barbarity, and not the despicable prospect of
plunder. That since the King of France had united his arms with those of America, the war, in all probability, would shortly cease. That the inhabitants of Kaskaskia, however, were at liberty to take which side they pleased, without danger
to themselves, their property, or their families. That all religions were regarded
by the Americans with equal respect; and that insult offered to theirs, would be
immediately punished. And now," continued he, " to prove my sincerity, you will
please inform your fellow-citizens that they are at liberty to go wherever they
please, without any apprehension. That he was now convinced they had been
misinformed, and prejudiced against the Americans, by British officers; and that
their friends in confinement should immediately be released." The joy of the villagers, on hearing the speech of Col. Clark, may be imagined. The contrast of
feeling among the people, on learning these generous and magnanimous intentions
of Col. Clark, verified his anticipations. The goomn which had overspread the
town was immediately dispersed. The bells rung a merry peal; the church was
at once filled, and thanks offered up to God for deliverance from the terrors they
had feared. Freedom to come and go, as they pleased, was immediately given;
knowing that their reports would advance the success and glory of his arms.
So great an effect had this leniency of Clark upon them, that, on the evening of
the same day, a detachment, under C}ipt. lo\iioian, being detached to surprise Ca,hokia, the Kaskaskians offered to go with it, and secure the submission of their neighbors. This having been accomplishedl, the two chief posts in Illinois had passed,
without bloodshed, from the possession of England into that of Virginia.
But St. Vincennes, upon the Wabash, the most important post in the west, except
Detroit, still remained in possession of the enemy. Clark thereupon accepted the
offer of Father Gibault, who, in company with another Kaskaskian, proceeded on
a mission of peace to St. Vincennes, and by the 1st of August, returned with the
intelligence that the inhabitants of that post had taken the oath of allegiance to
the American cause.
Clark next established courts, garrisoned three conquered towns, commenced a
fort which proved the foundation of the flourishing city of Louisville, and sent the
ill-natured Rocheblave a prisoner to Virginia. In October, Virginia extended her
jurisdiction over the settlements of the Upper Mississippi and the Wabash, by the
organization of the county of Illinois, the largest, at that time, in the world. Had
it not been for the conquest of the Illinois country by Clark, it would have remained in the possession of England at the close of the Revolution, and continued,
like Canada, to the present day, an English province.
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Having reduced these English posts to submission, Clark opened negotiations with the Indians, showing throughout that masterly insight into their
character that was ever so wonderfully displayed by him in dealing with men,
white or red. Among the incidents of his diplomacy is this one, given by
IMr. Peck:
A party of Indians, known as Meadow Indians, had come to attend the council with
theio neighbors. These, by some means, were induced to attempt the murder of the invaders, and tried to obtain an opportunity to commit the crime proposed, by surprising
Clark and his officers in their quarters. In this plan they failed, and their purpose was discovered by the sagacity of the French in attendance; when this was done, Clark gave
them to the French to deal with as they pleased, but with a hint that some of the leaders
would be as well in irons. Thus fettered and foiled, the chiefs were brought daily to the
council house, where he whom they proposed to kill, was engaged in forming friendly relations with their red brethren. At length, when, by these means, the futility of their project had been sufficiently impressed upon them, the American commander ordered their
irons to be struck off, and in his quiet way, full of scorn, said,
"Every body thinks you ought to die for your treachery upon my life, amidst the sacred
deliberations of a council. I had determined to inflict death upon you for your base attempt, and you yourselves must be sensible that you have justly forfeited your lives; but
on considering the meanness of watching a bear and catching him asleep, I have found out
that you are not warriors, only old women, and too mean to be killed by the Biq Knife. But,"
continued he, "as you ought to be punished for putting on breech cloths like men, they
shall be taken away from you, plenty of provisions shall be given for your journey home,
as women don't know how to hunt, and during your stay you shall be treated in every respect
as squaws."
These few cutting words concluded, the colonel turned away to converse with others.
The children of the prairie, who had looked for anger, not contempt-punishment, not
freedom-were unaccountably stirred by this treatment. They took counsel together, and
presently a chief came forward with a.Jelt and pipe of peace, which, with proper words,
he laid upon the table. The interpreter stood ready to translate the words of friendship,
but, with curling lip, the American said he did not wish to hear them, and lifting a sword
which lay before him, he shattered the offered pipe, with the cutting expression that "he
did not treat with women." The bewildered and overwhelmed Meadow Indians next asked
the intercession of other red men, already admitted to friendship, but the only reply was,
"The Bigq Krife has nadle no war upon these people; theyare of a kind that we shoot like wolves
when wte meet them in the woods, lest they eat the deer."
All this wrought more and more upon the offending tribe; again they took counsel, and
then two young men came forward, anid, covering their heads with their blankets, sat
down before the impenetrable commander; then two chiefs arose, and stated that these
young warriors offered their lives as an atonement for the misdoings of their relatives,
again they presented the pipe of peace. Silence reigned in the assembly, while the fate
of the proffered victims hung in suspense: all watched the countenance of the Amierican
leader, who could scarce master the emotion which the incident excited. Still all sat
noiseless, nothing heard but the deep breathing of those whose lives thus hung by a thread.
Presently, he upon whom all depended, arose, and, approaching the young men, he bade
them be uncovered and stand up. They sprang to their feet.
"I am glad to find," said Clark, warmly, " that there are mnen among all nations. With
you, who alone are fit to be chiefs of your tribe, I am willing to treat; through you I am
ready to grant peace to your brothers; I take you by the hands as chiejs, worthy of being
such."
Here again the fearless generosity, and the generous fearlessness of Clark, proved perfectiy successful, and while the tribe in question became the allies of Amrnerica, the fame
of the occurrence, which spread far and wide through the north-west, made the name of
the white negotiator every where respected.
JACKSONVILLE, the capital of MIorgan county, is on the line of the Great
Western Railroad, 34 miles W. from Springfield, and 222 from Chicago. It
is beautifully situated in the midst of an undulating and fertile prairie, in
the vicinity of Mauvaisterre creek, an affluent of Illinois River. Perhaps
no place of its size contains a greater number of churches, charitable institutions, seminaries of learning, and the town has been denominated the
school-house of Illinois." It contains the Illinois College, which occupies
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a beautiful situation, and is one of the best and most flourishing in the state;
the Illinois Conference Female Colle,e, under the patronag,e of the Methodists,
having had at one time 400 pupils; the Berean College, under the patronage of
the Christian denomination; and the Jacksonville Female Seminary. The
.ro? th-easter n view of Illiiois College, Jackisonville.
The Illinois College building is seen in the central part. The structure on the right was it
merly used as a chapel, library, etc.; that on the left is a wing remaining of the former College buia*
ing.
state institutions are the Insane Asylum, the Deaf and Dumb Institution,
and the Institution for the Blind. These state asylums are situated relatively on three sides of a quadrangle around the town, each about a mile
from the center. All of the buildings for these institutions, together with
those for literary purposes, are of the first order, and some of them make an
imposing appearance. The state asylums are supported by the state tax,
and all citizens of the state are entitled to their benefits without charge.
One of the first originators of the Illinois College was the late Rev. John AM.
Ellis, who was sent by the American Home Missionary Society, to the infant settlemnents of this state. He early conceived the idea of founding a seminary de-voted to the purposes of education, on a somewhat peculiar plan. The first attempt
was at Shoal creek, in Bond county, where the people took quite an interest in
the undertaking. A committee was afterward appointed by the Presbytery of
Missouri (with which the Presbyterian churches of this state were then connected),
to consider the subject and make a report. A tour in connection with this subject
was taken by Messrs. Ellis and Lippincott, in Jan., 1828. Having visited several
places, Saturday night overtook them on the south side of Sandy creek, some four
or five mniles south from Jacksonville.
Mr. Ellis, in order to fulfill his appointment to preachl, continued his journey on
Sunday morning. "It was a bright splendid morning. The winter rain had
covered every twig and blade of prairie grass with ice, and as the rising sun threw
his clear rays athwart the plain, myriads of gems sparkled with living light, and
Diamond Grove might almost have been fancied a vast crystal chandelier." The
name of Diamond Grove was considerably more ancient than the name or exists
ence of Jacksonville, and was used as a designation of the region around it.
The most convenient place for the people, at that time, to assemble on that Sabbath, was at the house of Judge Leeper, which was about a mile south-east from
ithe public square, in the immediate vicinity of the woodland, which borders on
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the Mauvaisterre creek, and nearly east of the spot where the Insane Hospital now
stands. He was one of the first members of the Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville. The principal sites which attracted the notice of the commissioners when
here, was the spot now known as the mound and the site on which the college
stands.
Mr. EWllis removed his residence from Kaskaskia to Jacksonville, in 1828, and
the same year made a report to the society respecting the seminary. About this
period seven members of the theological department of Yale College, Conn., seeing the report of MIr. Ellis, pledged themselves to devote their lives to the cause of
C'Iristianity in the distant and then wild state of Illinois. The names of these
yotung men were,'['heoron M. Grosvenor, Theoron Baldwin, J. M. Sturtevant (now
president of the college), J. T. Brooks, Elisha Jennrey, William Kirby and Asa
Turner. The following is extracted from President Sturtevant's Historical Discourse, delivered in Jacksonville on the Quarter Century Celebration at Illinois
Colle(e, July 11, 1855, l)e;n,, relative to his first visit to Jacksonville:
"It was on a bright Sabl)ath morning, the 15th day of November, a little after
sunrise, that w-e came in sight of Jacksonville. It was already called, in the ordintry speech of the people, a beautiful place. I had often heard it called so myself; and beautiful it was, when the bright face of spring was again spread over
it, thotugh its beauty was God's work, and not mnan's. It was at that time little
better than a group of log cabins. The prairie was in the sombre brown of autumn,
with scarce a tree or shrub to relieve the monotony. To the north-west, however,
the view was shut in by an elevation, which a New Englander might almost recognize as a hill. It was crowned with a natural grove. Against the front of the
grove was already projected an edifice of brick, which, at that distance, and on
such an elevation, made an appearance of considerable dignity and magnificence.
The site on which it stood charmed every beholder. It was the south half of what
is now our college buildings, then in process of erection. We were most cordially
welcomed at the humble, but none the less hospitable, dwelling of Mr. Ellis. *
Our arrival was expected, and preaching was appointed. At the proper hour
wve repaired to the place of worship. What would our people say now, if we were
to invite them to assemble in such a place for public worship? It was a log school
house, some 20 feet square, with a floor of split logs, and seats, so fir as there were
any of the same, with holes bored in them, and sticks driven in for legs. The
chimney was of the style and structure most approved for log-cabins, built out of
doors, of lours and sticks, and occupying near half of one side of the room. Such
wnis its condition the first time I met the congregation in that place. Before the
next Sabbath, the chimney had either fallen down or been removed, in preparation for an arrangement for warming the house by a stove. For two or three Sabbath's we met there, before this vast opening in one side was again closed up. Desk
or pulpit there was none, an awkward circumstance to one just from the school of
theology, with no faith in the possibility of preaching without a manuscript before
him. Yet, on that day, this was the unlucky predicament of your speaker. On
the first Sabbath the audience was small, and a chair was set for the preacher in
one corner of the room. On the second Sabbath the house was crowded. The
ch.i was missing. The deficiency of seats had been supplied by bringing in rails
f:oim a nei,hboring fence, and laying them across from one seat to another, and
thus covering over the whole area with'sittings.' Those who could not thus be
a()nmmodated, crowded around the ample opening where the chimney had been,
an 1 heard standing in the open air. There was a state of democratic equality in
the congregation, which would have done good to the heart of a thoroughl)-going
leveler. The preacher found a seat. where he could, among the congregation;
laid his Bible and hymn book on the rail by his side, and rose in his place and ad.dressed the congregation as best le might.
WVhen the day appointed arrived, we repaired to the still unfinished edifice, then
a full mile distant from Jacksonville, where we found the room which has ever
since been used as a chapel, finished, lacking the desk, the lathing and plastering
and for the most part the seating. The rest of the building was in a still more unfinished condition. Of course its impression was far enough from inviting. Nine
pupils presented themselves on that day. They were Alvin M. Dixon} James P
219
Stewart, from Bond county, Merril Rattan and HTTamptpn Rattan, from Greene
county, Samuel R. Simms, Chatham H. Simms, Rollin MIears, Charles B3. Barton,
and a youth by the name of Miller, of Morgan county. They were all to begin
their studies in the first rudiments, for it is not known that there was, at that time,
in the state, a single youth fitted for the freshman class in an American college.
The pupils were called together, a portion of scripture was read, a few remarks
were made on the magnitude of the errand which had broiught us there."
The first printing office in Jacksonville, was set up by James G. Edwards, of
Boston, who afterward removed to Burlington, Iowa. He was the printer and editor of the "Western Observer." His printing office is the building in the rear
of that of Dr. Mavo McLean Reed, a native of South Windsor, Connecticut. Dr.
Reed enmigrated to Jacksonville in 1830, from South Windsor, with Mr. Elihu
Wolcott and his family. Mr. W. travelvd with his own team from Connecticut,
and arrived here on the 5th of November, having been six weeks on the
journey.
About 1,000 Portuguese emigrants reside in Jacksonville and its immediate vicinity, being sent here by a society in New York. They are from the Island of
Maderia, and were brought to embrace the Protestant faith, through the instrumentality of Dr. Kally, a Scotchman who went to reside in Maderia for the health
of his wife. They have a minister named De Mattoes, who preaches in their native langua,lge. They are an industrious and frugal people: most of them have
houses of their own, with from two to ten acres of land: a few have 30 or 40 acres.
They have additions, occasionally, from their native country.
The following inscriptions are from mrionuments in Jacksonville; the first
from the graveyard in the vicinity of the colleges; the others, in the city
graveyard. Col. Hardin (the inscription on whose monument is given below)
was much esteemed, and represented this district in congress, from 1843 to
1S45. Being at the head of the Illinois militia,, he was requested, by the
governor of the state, to take the command of a regimnent of Illinois volunteers. He at first declined, not fully approving of the Mexican War. But
being over-persuaded, and desirous of obtaining the approbation of all classes
of his fellow-citizens, he finally consented. Tearing himself from his wife
and children, he embarked, with his regiment, for Mexico; but as in many
other like instances, it proved with him, that
"The paths of Glory lead but to the Grave."
In the battle of Buena Vista, Col. Hardin having obtained permission to
march upon the enemy at a certain point, was suddenly attacked by an overwhelminig force of MIexicans concealed in a ravine, when he fell pierced with
smanv wounds. His remains were found amnofig the slain, brought home and
interred with military honors.
ALEXANDER DUNLOP, born May 6th, A.D. 1791, in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Died Nov. 10,
A.D. 1853. Alex. Dunlop volunteered as a private soldier in the war with England in 1812,
au(d w.-as taken prisoner at Dudley's defeat, May 7, 1813. Commanded a company during
the Seminole War, also the detachment that captured St. Marks, April 7, 1818, making
prisoners, Arbuthnot and Ambrister. Was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois,
1 4;3. Was commissioned Major of the U.S. Army 1816, and was present at the fall of Vera
C,uz, March 28, 1847.
Pro patria, COL. JOHN J. HARItDIN, of the 1st IReg. of Ill. volunteers, gloriously fell in the
b)ittle of Buena Vista, Feb. 23, 1847. Born in Frankfort, Ky., on the 6th day of January,
1S810. Died on the field of battle in the 37th year of his age.
WILLIAM E. PIERSON died Sept. 30, 1854, on the eve of his departure to the Cherokee Nation, being under appointment as missionary teacher by the A. B. C. F. M., aged 24. lte
rests in hope.
ILLINOIS.
220
ILLINOIS.
BLOOMINGTON, beautifully situated on the line of the Illinois Central
Railroad, is 61 miles N. E. from Springfield, and 128 S. W. from Chicago.
It is regularly laid out on an undulating surface giving a fine prospect of
the fertile prairie lands in the vicinity. The city is generally very neatly
.Torlh View in Bloomington.
Showing the appearance of the central part of the place, as it is entered from the north; the new Baptist Church, and the Shaffer and Landon Houses, with a portion of the old Court House, are seen on the
right of the engraving; the 2d Presbyteriani and the Methodist Churches on the left.
built, having the appearance of thrift and prosperity, and some of the buildings near the public square, are magnificent in their appearance. This place
contains the State Normal University, the Illinois Wesleyan University, two
female seminaries, several banks, 11 churches, various. manufacturing establishments, and a population of about 8,000.
The first settler and father of the town, was John Allin, a native of North Caro
lina, who was raised in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, he having lived, in the early
period of his life in each of those states. He was at first attracted to this spot by
the extreme beauty of the groves. Being acquainted with the geography of the
country, he found it was on a direct line from the foot of the rapids of the
Illinois, near La Salle to Cairo, also from Chicago to Alton and St. Louis. These
considerations induced him to locate himself on this point, believing it was destined to become one of importance. It was for a period called Blooming Grove,
and from this circumstance Mr. Allin gave it its present name. This section of
country appears to have been a favorite spot with the Indians. Mr. A. states that
he had seen the signs or remains of 30 Indian villages, within a compass of 30
miles around Bloomington. At the time of his arrival, two tribes, the Kickapoos
and Delawares, lived within some 15 or 20 miles. The Kickapoos were 5 or 600;
the Delawares were about half that number. The Kickapoos left in 1832.
Mr. Allin came in 1829, and erected his log cabin on the edge of the timber opposite where the First Presbyterian Church now stands, and he set out most of the
trees growing in that vicinity. He brought a quantity of goods with him, which
he kept in a part of his cabin, and opened the first store in Bloomington. Samuel
Durley, a young man born in Kentucky, then nearly of age, acted as clerk. Rev.
James Latta, the second settler, built his habitation about 20 rods west from Mr.
Allin's; he was a Methodist preacher, universally esteemed by all classes. Mr.
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ILLINOIS.
Allin found him living in a cabin about four miles south-west of Bloomington on
Sugar creek, and induced him to remove. M[. L. Covel, and Col. A. (Gridley,
merchants from the state of New York, were also prominent men among the first
settlers.
The first school house was built in 1830. It vwas constructed of logs, and stood
on the edge of the timber, about 20 rods west of Mr. Allin's house. This was the
first public building opened for religious meetings. The first seminary was opened
by Rev. Lemuel Foster, in 1S36; he lived, preached, and kept school in the same
lI)uilding. Mr. Foster was originally from New England, and was the first Presbyterian minister, if we except a Mri. AlMeGhor or Gear, who was of feeble constitution,
and died very soon after his arrival in the place. The first regular physician was
John Anderson, of Kentucky. Ilenry Miller fiom Ohio, kept the first house of entertainment: it was a log house a few rods from Mr. Allini's.
Showing, the appearance of the central part of the city, as it is entered from the eastern side of the Illinois River, by the Railroad and the Peoria bridge. ['art of the lttilroad bridge is seen (n the extremce
left; the steamboat landing on the right. The draw or swing of the bridge is represented opien fi) the
passage of steamboats.
McLean county, named from Judge McLean, of Ohio, was formed in l1831. At
this period there were but 30 or 40 families living within the present limits of tihe
county. Mr. Allin donated the site of the town plot for the county seat. The
first court house was a small framed building, which stood on the present public
square. Mr. Allin was chosen the first senator from the cotiuty in 1836, and c)ntinued in the office for four years. Jesse W. Fell, distinguished for his enterprize
and public spirit, edited and published the BLOOMINGTON OBSERVER, the first
newspaper printed in the place. It was printed in a small building on \West street,
lon1 since removed. The construction of the Central Railroad with the grants
of la,nds by congress on the route, gave an important impulse to the prosperity of
the town.
PEORIA is situated on the right or west bank of Illinois River, at the outlet of Peoria Lake, 70 miles north from Springfield, 193 from the mouth of
the Illinois, and 151 south-west of Chicago. It is the most populous town
on the river, and one of the most important and commercial in the state. The
river is navigable for steamboats in all stages of water, and is the channel of
Souith-eastern view cf Ieoiria.
292
ILLINOIS.
an immense trade in grain, lumber, pork, etc. It has a regulai commlnication. with St. Louis by steamboats, and with Chicago by mealis of the
Illinois and 3Iichigan canal, and by railroads to places in every direction.
The city is handsomely situated on an elevation above the flood, and slopes
gradually to the river, rendering drainage laws unnecessary, and the grading
of the streets an easy task. The streets are all 100 feet wide. Back of the
town is a range of bluffs, from 60 to 100 feet high, commanding, from their
summits, a most extensive and beautiful prospect. It has numerous steam
mills, distilleries, manufactories, etc. It contains 28 churches, and about
16,000 inhabitants.
Peoria derived its name from the Peorias, one of the five tribes known as the
Illiii, or Minneway nation. In the autumn of 1679, La Salle and his co-voyagers,
from Canada, sailed for this region of country, by way of the lakes to Chicago,
where he established a fort. Leaving a few men for a garrison, he set out with
his canoes, nine in number, with three or four men in each, about the 1st of
December, for the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, by ascending St. Joseph River,
Michigan, and across the portage to Kan-ka-kee, a main branch of the Illinois
River, and then down the river to Peoria. Among La Salle's companions, were
M. de Tonti, who acted as historian.
1Al. de Tonti, in his account of this voyage, says: " The same day (January 4,
1680), we went through a lake formed by the river, about seven leagues long and
one lbroad. The savages call that place Pimniteuii, that is, in their tongue,'a place
where there is abundance of fat beasts.' After passing through this [Peoria] lake,
they came again to th'e channel of the river, and found themselves between two
Indian encampments. This was where the bridges are now built. On perceiving
the strangers, the Indians fled; but some were bold enough to return, when one
of their chiefs came and inquired who they were, and what were their objects.
They were answered by the interpreter, that they were French, and that their object wa,s to make known to them the God of HIleaven; to offer them the protection of the King of France, and to trade with them. This was well received,
and the calumet, or pipe of peace, was smoked by each party as a token of
peace and friendship. A great feast was held, which lasted for several days,
attended with daneing, on the part of the natives, and firing of guns and other
demonstrations of joy on the part of the French.
AI. La Salle erected a fort on the south-eastern bank of the Illinois, which he
named Caleve-coeitr [Bursted heart], on account of the grief he felt for the loss of
one of his chief trading barks richly laden, and for the mutiny and villainous conduct of some of his companions who first attempted to poison and then desert him.
This fort is supposed to have stood on land owned by Mr. Wren, some two or
three miles eastward of Peoria. The exact date of the first permanent settlement
in Illinois, can not now be ascertained, unless this fort or trading post of Crevecoeur be regarded the first, and there is no evidence that this remained a permanent station.
After the conquest of Canada, the Illinois country fell into the possession of Great
Britain. In 1766, the "Quebec Bill" passed the British parliament, which placed
Illinois and the North-western Territory under the local administration of Canada.
The conquest of the North-western Territory, by Col. George Rogers Clark, in 1778,
was the next event of importance. It was brought under the jurisdiction of
Virginia, and the country of Illinois was organized. In the year 1796, Peoria
was described as "an Indian village, composed of pseudo savages," made of the
native tribe of "Peoriaca Indians," and "Canadian French," a few Indian traders
and hunters. In Dec., 1812, a Capt. Craig was sent here by Gov. Edwards, to
chastise the disorderly Indians and their allies, if any of them might be found at
this little French village. Capt. Craig found a pretext for burning this French
town, which had been laid out by them, embracing about one half of the 1st ward
of the present city, the center of this villagie being at or about the entrance
of the bridge across the Illinois River. Capt. Craig excused himself for this
act, Iy accusil.'i the French of being in league with the Indians, and by alleging
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that his boats were fired upon from the town, while lying at anchor before it.
This the French inhabitants denied, and charged Craig with unprovoked cruelty.
This place was then called "La ville Mailleit," from its founder, Hlypolile
Mailleit, who moved here in 1778, and commenced the building of this ville.
In 1830, John Ilamlin and John Sharp built the first flouring mulill ever erected
in this part of the state, on the Kickapoo, or Red Bud creek, about three miles VW.
of Peoria. The next was erected in Oct., 1837, by Judge Hale and John Easton,
about four miles from the city. In the spring of 1834, the only building W. of
the corner of Main and Washington-streets was a barn; the entire town then consisted of but seven framed houses, and about thrice that number of logr tenements
-but during this season about forty houses and stores were erected. About this
time, the old jail, standing on the alley between Monroe and Perry-streets, was
built, a hewn log building, only 16 feet square and 14 high; the lower story formed
for a cell, entered by a trap door from the second story, which was used for a common prison. The court house was a log building on the bank, in which the jurors
slept at night on their blankets on the floor. The courts being usually held in warm
weather, after the grand jurors received their charge, in court time, the grand
jury sat under the shade of a crab apple tree, and the petit jury in a potato hole
(that had been partially filled up) in the vicinitv. The venerable Isaac Waters
was clerk of the court. His office and dwelling were in a small log cabin, where
now stands Toby & Anderson's plow factory. J. L. Bogardus, the postmaster, kept
his office in a log cabin near Sweney & Ham's steam-mill.
Peoria was incorporated as a town in 1831, and as a city in 1844. The first city
officers were Hon. Wm. Hale, mayor; Peter Sweat, Chester Hamlin, Clark Cleaveland, Harvey Lightner, J. L. Knowlton, John Hamlin, Charles Kettelle, and A. P.
Bartlett, as aldermen. The Peoria bridge, across the Illinois River, with its abutments, is 2,600 feet long, was finished in 1849, and cost of about $33,000. In 1818
the first canal boat arrived from Lake Michigan. The first steamboat that arrived
at Peoria was the "Liberty," in the month of December, 1829. The first newspaper was the " Illinois Champion," published by A. S. Buxton and Henry Wolford, March 10, 1834. The first daily paper was called the "Daily Register," published by Picket & Woodcock; the first number was issued June 28, 1848.
The Methodist Episcopal church, the first formed in the place, was organized in
Aug., 1834, by Rev. Zadock Hall, of the Chicago circuit, Dr. Heath, of St. Louis,
and Rev. John St. Clair, of Ottawa. Their meetings, at first, were held in the old
court house. The first church edifice, the Main-street Presbyterian church, was
erected April, 1836. The church, consisting of eight members, was organized
in Dec., 1834, by Rev Romulus Barnes and Rev. Flavel Bascom. St. Jude's church
(Episcopal) was organized here in 1834; St. Paul's church building was erected in
Sept., 1850. The Baptist church was constituted in Aug., 1836. The Second
Presbyterian church was organized Oct., 1840.
The following sketch of a campaign against the Indians, at Peoria and
vicinity, in the war of 1812, is from Peck's edition of Perkins' Annals:
During the campaign in the summer and autumn of 1813, all the companies of
rangers, from Illinois and Missouri, were under the commend of Gen. Howard.
Large parties of hostile Indians were known to have collected about Peoria, and
scouting parties traversed the district between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers,
then an entire wilderness.
It was from these marauding parties that the frontier settlements of Illinois and
Missouri, were harassed. It became an object of no small importance, to penetrate the country over which they ranged, and establish a fort at Peoria, and thus
drive them to the northern wilderness. Our authorities for the incidents of the
campaign, are a long letter from the honorable John Reynolds, who was a non-commissioned officer in a company of spies, and the'Missouri Gazette,' of November
6th. The rendezvous for the Illinois regiment was'Camp Russell,' two miles
north of Edwardsville. The whole party, when collected, made up of the rangers,
volunteers and militia, amounted to about 1,409 men, under the command of Gen.
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Itoward. Robert Wash, Esq., and Dr. Walker, of St. Louis, were of his staff.
Colonels Benjamin Stephenson, then of Randolph county, Illinois, and Alexandei MeNair, of St. Louis, commanded the regiments. W. B. \Vhiteside and John
Mloredo('k, of Illinois, were majors in the second regiment, and William Christy
and Nathan Boone, filled the same office in the first, or Missouri regiment. A Maj.
Desha, a United States officer from Tennessee, was in the army, but what post
he occupied we do not learn. Col. E. B. Clemson, of the United States Army,
was inspector. Gov. Reynolds states, there were some United States rangers from
Kentucky, and a company from Vincennes. We have no means of ascertaining
the names of all the subaltern officers. We know that Samuel Whiteside, Joseph
Phillips, Nathaniel Journey and Samuel Judy, were captains in the Illinois
companies.
The Illinois regiment lay encamped on the Piasau, opposite Portage de Sioux,
wvaiting for more troops, for three or four weeks. They then commenced the
marchi, and swamin their horses over the Illinois River, about two miles above the
mouth. On the high ground in Calhoun county, they had a skirmish with a party
of Indians. The Missouri troops, with Gen. Howard, crossed the Mississippi from
Fort blason, and formed a junction with the Illinois troops. The baggage and men
were transported in canoes, and the horses swam the river.
The army marched for a number of days along the Mississippi bottom. On
or near the site of Quincy, was a large Sac village, and an encampment, that must
have contained a thousand warriors. It appeared to have been deserted but a
short period.
Tlhe army continued its march near the Mississippi, some, distance above the
LiTIower Rtpid,s, and then struck across the prairies for the Illinois River, which
tlhev rea led below the mouth of Spoon River, and marched to Peoria village.
liere wIs a sumall stockade, commanded by Col. Nicholas of the United Statee
Army. T1wo days previous the Indians had made an attack on the fort, and wers
repuiscd.:1 hie arily, on its marche from the Mississippi to the Illinois River, found
n ferous fish trails, all passing northward, which indicated that the sa,vages were
e;n ii that direction.
\Next mnorning, the general marched his troops to the Senatchwine, a short distance ab)ove the head of Peoria Lake, where was an old Indian village, called
Como's villagke. Here they found the enemy had taken water and ascended the Illinois. This Land two other villages, were burnt. Finding no enemy to fight, the army
was marched back to Peoria, to assist the regular troops in building Fort Clark, so
denominated in memory of the old hero of 1778; and Maj. Christy, with a party,
was ordered to ascend the river with two keel boats, duly armed and protected, to
the foot of th'e rapids, and break up any Indian establishments that milghlt be in
that quairter. Maj. Boone, with a detachment, was dispatched to scour the country on Spoon River, in the direction of Rock River.
The rangers and militia passed to the east side of the Illinois, cut timber, which
they hauled on truck wheels by drag ropes to the lake, and rafted it across. The
fort was erected by the regular troops under Capt. Phillips. In preparing the
timber, the rangers and militia were engaged about two weeks.
Maaj. Christy and the boats returned from the rapids without any discovery, except additional proofs of the alarm and fright of the enemy, and Maj. Boone returned with his force with the same observations.
It was the plan of Gen. HIoward to return by a tour through the Rock River
valley, but the cold weather set in unusually early. By the middle of October it
was intensely cold, the troops had no clothing for a winter campaign, and their
horses would, in all probability, fail; the Indians had evidently fled a long distance
in the interior, so that, all things considered, he resolved to return the direct route
to Camp Russell, where the militia and volunteers were disbanded on the 22d of
October, Supplies of provisions, and munitions of war had been sent to Peoria, in
boats, which had reached there a few days previous to the army.
It may seem to those, who delight in tales of fighting and bloodshed, that this
expedition was a very insignificant affair. Very few Indians were killed, very
little fighting done, but one or two of the army were lost, and yet, as a means of
protecting the frontier settlements of these territories) it was most efficient, and
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225
ILLINOIS.
gave at least six months quiet to the people. After this, Indians shook their heads
and said,' White nien like the leaves in the forest-like the Crass in the prairiesthey grow everywhere.''
Distanit view of Quincy, fi-off the south.
The engraving shows the appearance of Qulincy, when first seen on aplproachiing it from the south bly the
Mississippi. Thayer's Alcohol Factory and Comstock & Co's Iron Foun,dry are seen onl the right: the
Central Mlill and Grain Depot on the left; between these two points is a rang,e of limestone qmrries. J.ust
above the Central Mill is the steam and ferry boat landing; also mills, stores, sihopls, etc. The city is par.tially seen on the blnilf.
,IQUINCY, the county seat of Adams county and a port of entry, is situated
on a beautiful elevation, about 125 feet above the Mississippi, and commnands
a fine view for five or six miles in each direction. It is 109 miles firom
Springfield, 268 miles from Chicago, by railroad, and 160 above St. Louis.
It contains a large public square, a court house, many beautiful public and
private edifices, several banks, a number of extensive flouring aind other
mills, and manufactories of various kinds, with iron founderies, machine
shops, etc. Flour is exported to a great extent, and large quantities of provisions are packed. The bluffs in front of the city may be considered as one
vast limestone quarry, from which building stone of a hard and durable
quality can be taken and transported to any section of the country, by steamboat and railroad facilities immediately at hand. Five newspapers are printed
here, three daily and two in the German language, one of which is dailv.
Population abouit 16,000.
The "Quincy English and German Male and Female Seminary," an incorporated and recently established institution, is designed for a male and
female college of the highest grade, for which a large and elegant building
is already constructed. The streets cross at right angles, those running N.
and S. bear the name of the states of the Union. The present bounds of
the city extend two and a half miles each way. The river at the landing is
one mile wide. Running along and under the N.W. front of the city, lies a
beautiful bay, formerly called "Boston Bay," from the circumstance of a
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Bostonian having once navigated his craft up this bay, mistaking it for the
main channel of the river.
Quincy was originally selected as a town site by John Wood, of the state of New
York; for several years hle was mayor of this city and lieutenant governor of the
state. Mr. Wood built his cabin (18 by 20 feet) in Dec., 1822, without nails or
sawed lumber. This building, the first in the place, stood near the foot of Delaware-street, about 15 rods E. of Thayer's alcohol factory. At this time there were
only three white inhabitants within the present county of Adams, and these were
obliged to go to Atlas, 40 miles distant, to a horse mill for corn meal, their principal breadstuff. In Nov., 1825, the county court ordered a survey and plat of the
town to be made, and the lots to be advertised for sale. Ilenry H. Snow, the clerk,
and afterward judge, laid off 230 lots, 99 by 108 feet, reserving a public square in
the center of the town. It received its name, Quincy, on the day that John Quincy
Adams was inaugurated president of the United States.
On the present site of Quincy once stood an old Sac village. At the time the
town was surveyed, it was covered with forest trees and hazel bushes, excepting
about two acres of prairie ground where the public square was laid out. In the
trees in the vicinity of the place, balls were found which had been shot into them
fifty or more years before. A few years since an iron ring and staple were found
sixty feet below the earth's surface. In the mounds in and about the city are
found Indian bones and armor of ancient date.
John Wood, from the state of New York; Henry H. Snow, from New HIampshire; Willard Keyes, from Vermont; Jeremiah Rose and Rufus Brown, from
New York; and Ashur Anderson, front Pennsylvania, may be considered as prominent men among the first settlers. Drs. J. N. Ralston, from Kentucky, and S. W.
Rogers, from New York, were the first physicians in the order of time. The first
house of worship in the place, was erected by the First Congregationalist Society,
in 1833 and'34: Rev. Asa Turner, from Massachusetts, was the first minister. The
building is now used as a carriage shop, on Fourth-street, and stands on the spot
where it was first erected. The first school was taught, in 1827, by Mr. Mendall,
in a log school house, which stood on a lot fronting Halnipshire-street, between
Second and Third-streets. The first court house and jail was built of logs, and
was nearly on the spot where the present court house is situated. C. M. AVood,
from New York, was the first printer; he printed the first paper, the "Illinois
Bounty Land Register," in 1835, since merged into the Quincy HIerald. The first
ferry was established by Willard Keyes. The first store was opened, in 1826, by
Ashur Anderson, who opened his stock, valued at $1,000, in Brown's log tavern.
In 1828, Robert Tillson and Charles Holmes established themselves as merchants
in a log cabin on the north side of the square, in what was later known as the
old "Land Office Hotel." Afterward, they erected for their accommodation the
first -atamed building in the town. It still remains, and has long been known as
the old "Post Office Corner."
" Without access to market, or to mill, the first settlers of Quincy built their houses
without nails, brick, or mortar, the principal utensils used being the axe and the auger.
The necessaries of life were scarcely attainable, to say nothing of the luxuries. In the
cultivation of their land, viz.: 30 acres of corn (without fence) they were obliged to go 30
miles to have their plows sharpened. One man would swing a plowshare on each side of
an Indi.-in pony, pile on such other articles of iron as needed repairs, lay in a stock of provisions, mount and set out."
1he number of inhabitants during the first year increased to sixteen; from 1825 to 1835,
they increased to five hundred; during all which time they continued to import their bacon
and flour. As late as 1832, when the Black Hawk war broke out, the Indians, principally
of the Sac and Fox tribes, were very numerous, the shores of the river being frequently
covnered with their wigwams, both above and below the town. Coming in from their liunting excursions, they brought large quantities of feathers, deer-skins, moccasins, beeswax,
honey, maple sugar, grass floor mats, venison, muskrat and coon-skins.
ALTTON is on the E. bank of the Mississippi, 25 miles N. from St. Louis,
3 miles above the mouth of the Missouri River, 20 below the mouth of the
Illino~s, and 75 miles S.W. of Springfield. The site of the city is quite un
227
even and broken, with high and stony bluffs, and in front of it the Mississippi runs almost a due course from east to west. The city contains a splendid city hall, 10 churches, and a cathedral in its interior superior to anything
of the kind in the western states. Five newspapers are published here. As
North-western view of Alton.
Thle view is from Piospect-street, taken by Mr. Roeder, and designed by him for a large engraving. On
thIe left of the picture is the Railroad Depot, abovewhich istheMethodistchurch. On the right is the Penitentiary an Steamboatlan dinig. In the central part appear the Unitarian, Episcol)pal, Ilptist, id Presbyterian churches. and the City Hall. On the right, in the distance, is seen the Missouri shore of the
Mississippi, also the mouth of the Missouri River, at its entrance into the "Father of WVaters."
a manufacturing point, Alton has hardly an equal on the Mississippi River,
and the city is now in a flourishing condition, having at hand limestone for
building purposes, mines of bituminous coal, beds of the finest clay for brick
and earthen ware, with railroad and steamboat communication to every point.
The sta-te penitentiary was located here in 1827. Population 1860, 6,333.
Upper Alton is located on the high rolling timber land, in the rear of Alton city, two miles from the Mississippi, and has a population of upward of
2,000. The manufacturing business is considerable, particularly coopering, potters' ware, etc. The town was laid out, in 1817, by J. Meacham,
from Vermont; several additions have been since made. Shutrtleff ColIeye,
named from Dr. Shurtleff, of Boston, is in the limits of the town, and is a
flourishing institution under the charge of the Baptist denomination.
The J.T)iticello Female Seminary, four miles from Alton, founded by Capt.
Benjamin Godfrey, was the first female seminary built in Illinois, and is of
high reputation. This institution was opened for pupils in 1838. Rev.
Theoron Baldwin had the charge of the first scholars. Capt. Godfrey, its
founder, was a sea captain, and has been long distinguished for his public
spirit, and the sacrifices which he has made for the public good.
The first resident in Alton appears to have been John Bates, a blacksmith, from
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228
ILLINOIS.
Tennessee. He located himself at the head of the American bottom lands in Lower
Alton, where he cultivated a small farm, about half a mile below the steamboat
landing in Alton. A man in his employ was killed by the Indians while plowing
on this farm. The first settlers who located in Upper Alton, about two miles back
from the river, came in from 1808 to 1812, and were principally from Kentucky and
Tennessee. They lived in block-houses for protection. This place is called Hunter's town on section 13, and is now within the city limits. Col. Rufus Easton,
delegate from Missouri, located Alton proper on section 14. He sold a large portion of Lower Alton to MI;j. C. W. Hunter, in 1818, together with several other
tracts adjoining, which Maj. H. afterward laid out as an addition, and are now within the city limits.
EIaj. Charles W. Hunter was a native of Waterford, N. Y., a son of Robert Hunter, of Pennsylv ania, a favorite officer under Gcn. Wayne, who led the forlorn hope
at the stormin(_ of' Stony Point, in the Revolution, and also accompanied him afterward in the Indian war at the west. Mir. Hunter, in the war of 1812, served as
major in the 35th Reg. U. S. infantry. At the close of the war he resigned his
commission and went to St. Louis, where he engagled in merchandise and the Indian trade. After his purchase from Col. Easton, he removed his family here, in
1819, and built the first framed house in Alton (now standing), and opened in it
the first regular store in the place. Ile brought his goods here in a barge, which
he had used in the New Orleans trade.
The Methodist itinerating preachers appear to have been the first in the order of
time who visited Alton; they preached in the school house in Upper Alton, and in
private houses. The first Presbyterian church (of stone) was erected by Capt.
Godfirey, of the firm of Godfrey, Gilman & Co. Mr. Joseph Meacham, who laid
out Upper Alton, was a surveyor from New England. It was laid out on an extensive scale, and lots and blocks were reserved for the support of a free school.
The proceeds were accordingly reserved for this purpose, and Alton is entitled to
the honor of establishing the finst public fr-ee school in Illinois. The first teacher
viwas Deacon Henry H. Snow, of New Hampshire. Mr. S. has since removed to
Quincy, in which place he has held many public offices.
Up to 1827, the "town of Alton" made but very little progress. Upper Alton
completely overshadowed it. The location of the penitentiary here gave quite an
impulse to the place. In 1831, the Alton Manufacturing Company built the large
steam fiouring mill, on the river bank, in front of the penitentiary. In 1832, O.
M. Adams and Edward Breath started the "Weekly Spectator." In 1836, the Alton and Springfield road was surveyed by Prof. Mitchell, of Cincinnati. In 1836,
Treadway and Parks commenced the publication of the "' Weekly Alton Telegraph." In the spring of this year, Rev. E. P. Lovejoy commnienced the publication of a weekly religious newspaper, called the "Alton Observer." The "Alton
Presbytery Reporter" was started in 1845, also the "Courier" newspaper, etc.,
office, several splendid founderies and machine shops, two German newspapers, and
the "Alton National Democrat." The city of Alton was incorporated in 1837.
Alton is the place where Elijah P. Lovejoy, in 1837, fell while defending
his press from an attack by a mob. His remains were interred in the Alton
cemetery, a beautiful spot donated by Maj. C. W. Hunter to the city. The
Anti-Slavery Society of Illinois are taking steps for the erection of a monument from 75 to 100 feet high, which, if constructed, will be a most conspicuous object, for a great distance, for all who are passing up or down the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
Rev. E. P. Lovejoy was born Nov. 9, 1802, at Albion, Kennebec county, Maine,
then a part of Massachusetts. He was educated at Waterville College, Me., where
he graduated with the highest honors of his class. In the latter part of 1827, he
went to St. Louis, where he immediately engaged in teaching a school. He afterward entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, to prepare himself for the
ministry. He returned to St. Louis, and, at the request of his friends, was induced
to become the editor of a religious weekly newspaper, and accordingly, on the 22d
of Nov., 1833, the first number of the "St. Louis Observer" was issued. In July,
229
1836, on account of the strong anti-slavery sentiments advocated in the paper, it
became quite unpopular in St. Louis, and, taking the advice of his friends, he removed it to Alton.
After the removal of the Observer office to Alton, its course on the abolition of
slavery gave much offense to a portion of the inhabitants. A meeting was called,
.Ir. Lovejoy's course was denounced, and on the night of the 2]st of August, 1837,
party of some 15 or 20 men broke into the Observer office, and destroyed the
press and printing materials. Another press was procured, and stored in the
warehousel of Messrs. Godfrey, Gilman & Co., standing, on the wharf at Alton
Threats having been given that this press would also be destroyed, Mr. Ltxejoy
and some of his friends assembled to defend their property. On the night of Nov.
7, 1837, a mob, at first consisting of about 30 individuals, armed, some with stones
and some with guns and pistols, formed themselves in a line by the warehouse.
Mr. Gilman, one of the'owners of the building, then asked them "what they
wanted?" To which they replied, "the press." Mr. G. replied, that, being authorized by the mayor, they would defend their property at the hazard of life.
The mob commenced throwing stones, dashing in several windows, and then fired
two or three guns into the building. The fire was then returned from within, two
or three guns discharged upon the rioters, one, by the name of Bishop, was mortally wounded, and several others injured. This, for a while, checked the mob,
but they soon returned with increased numbers and violence. They raised ladders
on the warehouse, and kindled a fire on the roof. Mr. Lovejoy and some of the
inmates of the building stepped to the door, and while looking, around just without the threshold, some one, concealed behind a pile of lumber, fired a double barreled gun, when Mr. Lovejoy was struck with five balls, and expired in a few moments.
The following is the principal part of,a communication upon this riot, given by
the mayor of Alton to the public, dated Nov. 6, 1837:
For several days past it had been announced and generally believed, that a printing press
was hourly expected to be landed at our wharf. It had also been a current rumor that this
press v-as intended for the re-establishment of the "'Alton Observer." The circulation of
these rumors produced no small degree of excitement, among those who had taken a decided stand against the abolition sentiments that were understood to have been disseminated through the columns of the "Observer." Various reports of a threatening character,
against the landing of the press, were in circulation, which led the friends of the Observer
and its editor to make preparations to defend the press, in case any violence should be offered by those opposed to the publication of that paper. On Tuesday, about 5 o'clock in
the morning, I was called from my lodgings and informed that the press had arrived at the
wharf, and that my official interference was desired. I immediately repaired to the wharf,
and remained there until the press was landed and stored in the warehouse of Messrs. Godfrey, Gilmani & Co. There were no indications of violence or resistance on the part of
any at that time. The arrival of the "abolition press" (as it was calle(l) was generally
known in the early part of that day, which served to rekindle the excitement. Representation was made to the commnion council of the threatening reports which were in circulation. The common couniicil did not, however, deem it necessairy to take any action on the
subjiect. Gentlemen directly interested in protecting the press flrom mob violence, deemed
it expedient to guard the warehouse with men and arms, in readiness to resist violence,
should any be offered. During the early pirt of the night of Tuesday, it was reported
through the city, that there were from 30 to 40 armed men on guard within the warehouse.
At 10 o'clock at night, 20 or 30 persons appeared at the south end of the warehouse, and
gave some indications of an attack. Mr. W. S. Gilman, from the third story of the warehouse, addressed those without, and urged them to desist, and at the same time informed
them that the persons in the warehouse were prepared, and should endeavor to protect their
i loperty, and that serious consequences might ensue. Those without demanded the press,
and said they would not be satisfied until it was destroyed; said they did not wish to in iure any person, or other property, but insisted on having the press. To which Mr. G. reulied that the press could not be given up. The persons outside then repaired to the north
,bd of the building, and attacked the building by throwing stones, etc., and continued their
violence for 15 or 2) minutes, when a gun was fired from one of the windows of the wareLouse, an.d a man named Lyman Bishop was mortally wounded. He was carried to a sur geon's office, and then the mob withdrew and dispersed with the exception of a small number. Upon the first indication of disturbance, I called on the civil officers most conveiri eut, and repaired with all dispatch to the scene of action. By this time the firing from
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ILLINOIS.
thie warehouse, and the consequent death of one of their number (Bishop died soon after
lie recenved the shot), had greatly increased the excitement, iand added to the numbers of
tie mob. Owing to the late hour of the night, but few citizens were present at the onset,
except those engaged in the contest. Conisequently the civil authorities could do but little
toward dispersing tle mob except by persuasion. A lairge number of people soon collected
c,.ound me. I wis requested to go to the warehouse, aind state to those within that those
outside hald resolved to destroy the press, and that then wvouild no; desist until they h td
accomplishled their object; theft all would retire until I should returni, which request was
mide by acclamition, and all soon retired to wait my return.
I vwas replied to by those within the warehouse that they had assembled there to protect their property against lawless violence, and that they were determined to do so. The
mob began again to assemble with increased numbers, and with gulls and weapons of different kinds. ] addressed the multitude, and commanded them to desist and disperse, to
which' they listened attentively and respectfully, to no purpose-a rush was now made to
the warehouse, with the crv of "fire the house, "burn them out," etc. The firing soon
became fearful and dangerous between the contending parties-so much so, that the farther
inte,position on the part of the civil authorities and citizens was believed altogether iladequate, and hazaIrdous in the extreme-i-o means vere at my control, or that of any other
officer present, by which the mob could be dispersed, and the loss of life and the shedding
of blood prevented. Scenes of the most datriiig recklessness and infuriated madness followved in quick succession. The building was surounded and the iinmates threatened with
extermination and death in the most fi'ightful form imaginable Every means of escape
by flilght was cut off. The scene now became one of inost appalling and heart-rending interest! Fifteen or twenty citizens. among whomr were some of our most worthy and entrerrsing, were apparently doomed to an unenviable and inevitable death, if thie flames
eotied..
About the time the fire Ias communicated to the building, Rev. E. P. Lovejoy (late
editor of the Obse-rver), received four balls in his brea,st, near the door of the warehouse,
and fell a corpse in a few seconds; two othlers firom the warehouse were wounded. Severitl petsons engaged in the attack wi-ee severelv wounded; the wounds, however, are iiot
consliered dangerous. The contest hll(d been raoging for an hour or more, when the persons in the wiarehouse, by some means, the exact manner it was done I have not been able
to ascertain, intimated that they would abaInidon tlhe house and the press, provided that
they wvere permitted to depart unrmolested. The doors were then thrownii open, and those
withini retreated down Front street. Several uris were fired lupon them while retreating
and one individual had a narrow escatpe-a ball passed through his coat near his shoulder.
A liroe rinumber of persoos now rushed into the warehouse, threw the press upon the
wharf, where it was br oken in pieces and thrown into the river. IThle fire in the roof of
the warehouse was extinguished by a spectator, who deserves great praise for his courageoo,s interference, Oaid but little damage was done by it to the building. No disposition
seemed to be manifested to destroy any other property in the warehouse. WTithout farther
attempts at violence the mob now dispersed, and no farther open indications of disorder or
violence have been manifested.
The foregoing is stated on what I consider undoubted authority, and mostly from my
own personal knowledge. JOHN M. KRUM, Mayor.
CAIRO is a small town at the south-western extremuity of Illinois, at the
junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi Rivers, 175 miles below St. Louis.
It is also at the southern termination of the famous Illinois Central Railroad, 454 miles distant by the main line of this road to Dunleith, its northwestern termination on the Mississippi, and 365 mniles distant from Chicago
by the Chicag,o branch of the same.
Cairo, from a very early day, was supposed, firom its natural site at the
junction of the two great rivers of the west, to be a point where an immense
city would eventually arise, hence it has attracted unusual attention from
enterprising capitalists as a point promising rich returns for investments in
its soil. As soon as Illinois was erected into a state, in 1818, the legislature
incorporated " the Bank of Cairo," which was connected with the project of
buildiing a city at this point. Since then two or more successive companies
have been formed for this object; one of which has now the enterprise so
far advanced that they entertain sanguine calculations of accomplishing the
end so. long sought amid great discouragements.
231
ILLINOIS.
A primary obstacle to the success of the scheme is in the natural situation
of the surface. For many miles in every direction the country is a low, rich
bottom, and as the river here, in seasons of high water, rises fifty feet, the
whole region becomes covered with water. To remedy this, an earthen
dyke, or levee, some four
~ miles in circuit, has been
built around the town, at,
M I S S 0 U R I it is said, a cost of nearly
Da million of dollars. This
is shown by the map.
From this levee projects
14 o 0 \ an embankment like the
-/~ 1/ 5 Lil\s\\\ N handle of a dipper-the
J XROAD levee itself around the
1#9~; ~ ~:f town a nswering for t he
)//I rim- on which is laid
({Itii!'ii/~" \:'/fJ~~f, e-9 /i ~the line of the Illinois
Central Railroad.
The annexed view shows
!~Jx/~fl~(~IA~~fflffise4L~~ at one glance, parts of
_____Ad z three states —Illinois,
~'~/~[[ M ILE Missouri and Kentucky.
~I~~~~~~ | 0 ax OftIt was taken on top of the
~} ~ V /';!K ia is a French word, signifying' lead ntine." Galena was formerly
called I 5vre River, the French word for wild bean, which grew here in great
abundance. The city was first settled in 1826, and was then an outpost in
the wilderness, about 300 miles from the settlements. The first settlement
was begun at Old Town. Col. John Shaw, from the interior of New York,
traversed this region from 1809 to 1812, extending his journeys to a point
westw,ard of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Hlie was engaged as a spy
in this section in the war of 1812, and on one occasion it is said that he outrun
three Ilndians in a chase of nine miles. When lie first came to Galena, he
found the Indians smelting lead on the town plat. Col. S. was the first one
who carried lead to St. Louis for a regular price; this was soon after the
close of the war of 1812. Hie also, it is said, built the first flouring mill in
Wiscoinsin, four miles above P)airie dit Chiei. The first pine lumber sawed
in that state was in his mill on Black River.
Andrew C. and Mloses Swain, of Pennsylvania, came to Galena in the fall
of 1827, by the way of Green Bay and Wisconsin River: one of them kept
the first regular tavern. It stood on a site opposite the De Soto House.
One of the early visitors at Galena was Ebenezer Brigham, who journeyed
from Worcester, Mass., to St. Louis in 1818: the Upper Mississippi country
was, at that period almost unknown. Beyond the narrative of PIKE's Expedition, and the vague report of hunters, boatmen, and a few lead diggers
about Dubuque, the public possessed but little reliable information. In
1820, Mr. Brigham followed up the river to Galena. This place then consisted of one log cabin, and a second one commenced, which he assisted in
ompleting. The first church erected was by the Presbyterians. The
Mliner's Journal" was started here in 1828, by Mr. Jones, who died of the
cholera in 1832. The " Galena North-Western Gazette," was first issued in
1833, by Mr. H. H. Houghton, from Vermont. It was printed in a log
house at the old town, about three fourths of a mile from the levee. The
first brick building here is said to have been erected by Capt. D. S. Harris, a
native of New York. Capt. H. is also said to have constructed the first
steamboat on the Upper Mississippi. It was built in 1838, and called the
"Joe Daviess," in honor of Col. Joe Daviess, who fell at the battle of Tippecanoe.
Galena is on the meridian of Boston, and is considered one of the most
healthy locations in the United States. It is the most commodious harbor
for steamboats on the Upper Mississippi, and a great amount of tunnage
is owned here. Galena owes its growth and importance mainly to the
rich mines of lead, with which it is surrounded in every direction. Considerable quantities of copper are found in connection with the lead. About
40,000,000 lbs. of lead, valued at $1,600,000 have been shipped from this
place during one season. It is estimated that the lead mines, in this vicinity,
are capable of producing 150,000,000 lbs. annually, for ages to come. Mineral from some 8 or 10 places, or localities, in Wisconsin, is brought to Galena, and shipped for New Orleans and other markets. Since the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, a small portion of lead has been sent
eastward by that road. The average price is about thirty dollars per thous
and lbs.
234
ILLINOIS.
Outside of the town is the forbidding and desolate hill country of the lead
region. Storms have furrowed the hills in every direction, and the shovels
of the miners have dotted the whole
_____ i~ ~surface with unsightly pits, walled
around with heaps of limestone and
/'-= ~ —~;~%h-. sand, through which the delver has
/ i..........._ sou,lht the lead. There is no culture
_...........__.. around and the edifices consist of the
,_ ~... —-?rude cabin of the miners, and primitive
i___ looking smelting furnaces where the
~<~C. = = _ lead is prepared for market. A late
_-:' —-: ~visitor gives the following description:
~'~::~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~. Every hill is spotted with little mounds of
: ~j |;T;t yellow earth, and is as full of holes as a worm eaten cheese. Some winding road at length brings
you to the top of one of these bare, bleak hills,
and to a larger mound of the same yellowish
mg o _ ~~~~~ I K | earth, with which the whole country in sight is
Tnii LEAD ItEGION. mottled. On top of this mound of earth stands
a windlass, and at man is winding up tubs full
of dirt and rock. which continually increase the pile under his feet. Beneath him, forty,
fil't, a hundred feet under ground, is the miner. As we look around on every ridge, see
thie windlad: men, and know that beneath each one a smutty-faced miner is burrowing by
ti ligiht of a dim candle, let us descend into the mines and see the miners at their work.
TIlie nvindlass-min makes a loop i,ti the end of the rope, into which you put one foot, and,
casping, at the same time, the rope with one hand, slowly you begin to go d own down,
it growis dcl ker and dtrker; a danp, gr-t-e-like smell comes up from below, and you grow
dizzy w, ith the continuall whirling tarotnud, until, when you reach the bottom and look up
at tie one small spot of dan light thlirou,lh vhichl you caine down, you start with alarm as
the great mass of rocks and earth over your head seem to be swaying and tunmbling in.
You draw y-our breath a, little more fieely, however, when you perceive that it was only
wyorl ow-n dizziness, or the scudding of clouds across the one spot of visible sky, and you
tike courage to look about Pou. Two or three dark little passages, from four to six feet
high, and ibout three feet wide, lead off into the murky recesses of the mine; these are
called, in minling parlanice drifts. You listen a little while, and there is a dull "thud!
thud! " comes from each one, and tells of something alive away off in the gloom, and,
c uidle in hand, you start in search of it. You eve the rocky walls and roof uneasily as,
half bent, you thread the narrow passage, until, on turning some angle in the drift, you
catch a glimpse of the miner, he looks small and dark, and mole-like, as on his knees, and
pick in hand, he is prying from a perpendicular crevice in the rock, a lump of mineral as
large as his head, and which, by the light of his dim candle, flashes and gleams like a
huge carbuncle; or, perhaps, it is a horizontal sheet or vein of mineral, that presents its
edge to the miner; it is imbedded in,he solid rock, which must be picked and blasted
downl to get at the mineral. He strikes the rock with his pick, and it rings as though lihe
had struck an anv il. You can conceive how, with that strip of gleaming metal, seeming
like a mag.iician's wand, to beckon him on and on, he could gnaw, as it were, his narrow
waty for hundreds of feet through the rock. But large, indeed, you think, must be his oro'-in of hope, and resolute his perseverance, to do it with no such glittering prize in sight.
Yet such is often the case, and many a miner has toiled for years, and in the whole time
has discovered scarcely enough mineral to pay for the powder used. Hope, however, in
the bretst of the miner, has as manv lives as a cat, and on no day, in all his toilsome
y-eirs, could you go down into his dark and crooked hole, a hundred feet from grass and
sunshine, but he would tell you that hlie was "close to it now," in a few days he hoped to
st,ike a lode (pronouhnced among miners as though it was spelled leed), and so a little
loiger and a little longer, anid his life of toil wears away while his work holds him with a
f'.tsination equaled only by a g amblers' passion for his cards.
Lodes or veins of minierall in the same vicinity run in the general direction. Those in
the vicinity of Galena, run east and west. The crevice which contains the mineral. is
iusually perpendicular, and from 1 to 20 feet in width, extending from the cap rock, or the
first solid rock above the mineral, to uncertain depths below, and is filled with large,
loose rocks, and a peculiar redl dirt, in which are imbedded masses of mineral. These
masses are made up cubes like those formed of crystallization, and many of them as geo
235
ILLINOIS.
metrically correct as could be made with a compass and square. Before the mineral is
broken, it is of the dull blue color of lead, but when broken, glistens like silver. Sometimes c(aves are broken into, whose roofs are frosted over with calcareous spar, as pure and
white as the fiost upon the window pane in winter, and from dark crevices ill the floor
comes up the gurgling of streams that never saw the sun. The life of a miner is a dark
and lonesome one. His drift is narrow, and will not admit of two abreast; therefore,
there is but little conversation, and no jokes are bandied about from mouth to mouth, by
fellow-laborers. T'he alternations of hope and disappointment give, in the course of years,
a subdued expression to his countenance.
There are no10 certain indications by which the miner can determine the existence of a
vein of' mineral without sinking a shaft. Several methods are resorted to, however. The
linear arrangement of any number of trees that are a little larger than the generality of
their neighbors, is considered an indication of an opening underground corresponding to
their arrangement. Depressions in the general surface are also favorable signs, and
among the older miners there are yet some believers in the mystic power of witch-hazel
and the divining rod. In the largest number of cases, however, but little attention is
paid to signs other than to have continuous ground-that is, to dig on the skirts of a ridge
that is of good width on top, so that any vein that might be discovered would not run out
too quickly on the other side of the ridge. On such ground the usual method of search is
by suckering, as it is called. The miner digs a dozen or more holes, about six feet deep,
and within a stone's throw of each other, and in some one of these he is likely to find a
few pieces of mineral, the dip of certain strata of Clav then indicates the direction in which
he is to con,tinue the search, in which, if he is so successful as to strike a lode, his fortune
is made; in the other event, he is only the more certain that the lucky day is not
far off.
North-westerit view of Rock Island City.
The view shows the appearance of the city as seen from Davenport, on the opposite bank of the Mississippi. The ferry landing appears on the left, the Court House and Presbyterian Churches on the right.
ROCK ISLAND CITY, and county scat of RockL Island Co., is situated on
the Mississippi River, opposite the city of Davenport, 2 miles above the
mouth of Rock River, 178 W. by S., from Chicago, and 131 N. N. WI. of
Spriingfield. It is at the foot of the Upper Rapids of the Mississippi, which
extend nearly 15 miles, and in low stages of water obstruct the pussage of
loaded vessels. It is a flourishing manufacturing place, at the western terminus of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Pop. 1860, 5,130.
It derives its name from an island three miles in length, the southern extremity of which is nearly opposite the town. The principal channel of the
river is on the west side of the island,while that on its eastern side has been
so damnmed as to produce a vast water power above and a good harbor below.
The is]and forms one of the capacious buttresses of the immense railroad
236
ILLINOIS.
bridge across the MIississippi, connecting the place with Davenport, and creates
ajunction between the railroad from Chicago and the Mississippi, and the Missouri Railroad through Iowa.
Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, was erected in 1816, by Lieut. Col.
Lawrence, of the United States Army. It was then in the heart of the In dian country, and was the scene
q u a -:- _.=..of many wild exploits, both be:-===,:__ _ —'/ -_ fore and during the continuance
_ =______ g- of the "Black Hawk War." The
___ -= ~ old chief, Black Hawk, was born
: in 1768, on Rock River, about
i~_~:'::three miles from where the fort
~.~!~ n _ow stands. From the time this
foirtification was first constructed.
until the close of thle war above
= = = =___________eintioiied, this fort was used as
........_ ~_ -____. _ _a_ depot of supplies, etc., and for
= = =: _ -.... a lolug time was commanded by
Col. Z. Taylor, afterward presi ro1,,. z,ll~.,.....JA;, m,,,~1 Is,.,~,i,.. * A
dent of the IUited States.
Col. WAVilliam L,-iwenee, the founder oF the fort, arrived lhere May 10, 1l16,
with the Sth reginment and a company of riflemen. As soon as they had
completed their etcirplinient, he employed the soldiers to cut logs and build
storehouses for the provisions, and had a bake house and oven put up. This
was the first regular building erected at this point.
''l'e soldiers now set to work to build the fort, which was named For)t A1rmstr()i.i!. At this time t1.?re iived a lar,~e body of Indians in the vicinity, nuinberin: some 10,000, divided in three villa,ges, one on the east side of the river, near
the foot of the island called'\Vaupello Village;' about three miles south on the
bank of Rock liver, stood the famous village of'Black Hawk,' and on the west
side of the river was i small village named after an old brave,'Oshkosh.' Upon
the first arrival of the troops on the Island, the Indians were very much dissatisfied, but the offi(ceris took great pains to gain their friendship, by making themn
many presents, and they so)n became reconciled and were most excellent neighbors. During the first summer they would frequently bring over supplies of sweet
corn, beans, pumpkins, aind such other vegetables as they raised, and present
them to Air. Davenport and the officers, with the remarks that they had raised none,
and that they themselves had plenty, invariably refusing to take any pay."
The following account of the defeat of Maj. Zachary Taylor, at Rock Island, in August 1814, is from the personal narrative of Mr. J. Shaw, of Wisconsin:
About two months after the capture of Prairie du Chien, Maj. Zachary Taylor
came up the Mississippi, with 22 fortified boats, each containing an average of
about 8() men, under his command. When the expedition arrived near Rock Island, it was discovered that about 4,000 Indians had there collected. The British
had erected a false, painted battery, on the left bank of the river, apparently
mounted with six twelve-pounders; but in reality they had but two guns with
them, one of which was entrusted to the care of the Indians. Mr. Shaw was on
board the boat with Mr. Taylor. The battle commenced, and the first ball from
the British guns passed completely through the advance boat, on which was Taylor, and he instantly ordered it to be put about; the second ball cut off the
steering oar of the next boat that was advancing, and a strong wind springing
up at that moment, this boat drifted over the river to the western bank, a short
distance below the present town of Davenport; the men having no oar to steer
237
with, could not prevent this occurrence. About 1,000 Indians immediately took
to their canoes, and paddled over the river, expecting, no doubt, to get the boat as
a plize, as she must inevitably drift into shallow water. The Indians kept up a
constant fire on the unfortunate boat, and a number of Indians, mounted on horseback, came galloping down the western shore, with their guns elevated in their
ringlt hands, gleaming in the sun, and shouting their war-cries in the most hideous
r'i,rner. On the first fire from the British guns, and immediately after the passage of the ball through the foremost boat, Maj. Taylor had ordered a retreat.
Gen. Samuel Whiteside, who had command of one of the boats, impelled with the
na-tural desire of assisting the disabled boat, that was drifting across the river, into the power of merciless enemies, disobeyed the order, and steered toward the
disabledl craft. Whlen he approached it, he called for "some brave man to cast a
cable from his own boat on board of her." An individual, named Paul Harpole,
jumped from the disabled boat, in a most exposed situation, caught the cable, and
made it fast to the boat. In less thitn a minute's time, a thousand Indians would
have been aboard of her; she was then in two and a half feet water, among small
willows, whli(,li in some measure protected the in(dians. In the mean while, lHarpole called for gins to be handed him ril om ibelow; stood on the deck of the boat
cominlletelv expo(sed; fired no less thamn l guns, when lie was eventually struck in
the forehea(l by a ball; he pitched forwar(l towvardl the lndians, and the instant he
struck thie water, thie satag(es had hold of him, lhttle(d him on shore, and cut him
with' thlieil knives inito a hundred pieces. All this was witnessed by the other
boats, and the cri[pled boat haLving leen owoe l off into deep water, the whole body
retre[teod, and descended the Aissssslippi
Fort Armstrong was finally evacuated by the Uiiited States troops, May
4, 1!836. Col. Davenport had a fiLne situation near the fort, about half a
mile distant. At first hle supplied the fort with provisions and was afterward extensively engaged in the Indian trade. lie was murdered, at the
age of 62, while alone in his house, on the island, on July 4, 1815, by a
band of robbers. The following account is froin "Wilkies' Hist. of Davenport, Past and Present:"
On last Friday afternoon we were witness to a strange and interesting ceremony
performed by the Indians, over the remains of' Mr. D)averport, who was murdered
at his residence on Rock Island, on the 4[h inst. Upon preceding to the beautiful
spot selected as his last restingr place, in the rear of his mansion on Rock Island,
we found tile war chief and braves of the )band of Fox Indians, then encamped in
the vicinity of this place, reclining, on the grass around his grave, at the head of
which was planted a white cedar post, some seven or ei(ght feet in hight.
Thie ceremony began by two of the braves rising and walking to the post, upon
which, with paint, they began to inscribe certaini characters, while a third brave,
armed with an emblematic war club, after drinking to the health of the deceased,
fromi a cup placed at the base of the post, walked three times around the grave, in
an opposite direction to the course of the sun, at each revolution delivering a
speech with sundry gestures and emphatic motions in the direction of the northeast. When he had ceased, he passed the club to another brave, who went through
the same ceremony, passing but once around the grave, and so in succession with
each one of the braves. This ceremony, doubtless, would appear pantomimic to
one unacquainted with the habits or language of the Indians, but after a full interpretation of their proceedings, they would be found in character with this traditionary people.
In walking around the grave in a contrary direction to the course of the sun,
they wrished to convey the idea that the ceremony was an original one. In their
speeches they informed the Great Spirit that Mi. Davenport was their friend, and
they wished the Great Spirit to open the door to him, and to take charge of him.
The enemies whom they had slain, they called upon to act in capacity of waiters
to MIr. Davenport, in the spirit land-they believing that they have unlimited power
over the spirits of those whoml they have slain in battle. Their gestures toward
the north-east, were made in allusion to their great enemies, the Sioux, who live
ILLINOIS.
238
ILLINOIS.
in that direction. They recounted their deeds of battle, with the number that
they had slain and taken prisoners. Upon the post were painted, in hieroglyphics
the number of the enemy that they had slain, those taken prisoners, together with
the tribe and station of the brave. For instance, the feats of Wau-co-shaw-she, the
chief, were thus portrayed: Ten headless figures were painted, which signified
that he had killed ten men. Four others were then addeed, one of them smaller
than the others, sig,nifying that hlie had taken four prisoners, one of whom was a
child. A line was then run from one figure to another, terminating in a plume,
signifying that all had been accomplished by a chief. A fox was then painted
over the plume, which plainly told that the chief was of the Fox tribe of Indians.
These characters are so expressive, that if an Indian of any tribe whatsover were
to see them, hle would at once understand them.
Following the sign of Pau-tau-co-to, who thus proved himself a warrior of high
degree, were placed 20 headless figures, being the number of Sioux that he had
slain.
The ceremony of painting the post was followed by a feast, prepared for the occasion, which by them was certainly deemed the most agreeable part of the proceedings. Mieats, vegetables, and pies, were served up in such profusion that
nmanv armsful of the fragments were carried off-it being a part of the ceremony,
which is religiouslv observed, that all the victuals left upon such an occtsion are
to ble taken to their homes. At a dog feast, which is frequently given by themselves, and to which whiite men tare occasionally invited, the guest is either obliged
to eat all that is placed before him, or hire somie other person to do so, else it is
considered a great breach of hospitality.
Distant view of Nauvoo.
The view shows the appearance of Nauvoo, as it is approached when sailing tp the Mississippi.
NAUVOO, Hancock county, is 103 miles' N. W. by W. from Springfield;
52 above Quincy, and 220 above St. Louis. It is laid out on an extensive
plan, on one of the most beautiful sites on the river for a city. In consequence of a graceful curve of the Mississippi, it bounds the town on the
north-west, west, and south-west. The ground rises gradually from the
water to a considerable hight, presenting a smooth and regular surface, with
a broad plain at the summit. The place has now about 1,500 inhabitants,
the majority of whom are Germans; there are, also, French and American
settlers. The inhabitants have fine gardens, wine is manufactured, and many
cattle are raised.
Nauvoo, originally the village of Commerce, is noted as the site of the Mormon city, founded by Joseph Smith, in 1840. The population, at one time,
when under the Mormon rule, was estimated at about 18,000. The dwellings were mostly log cabins, or small frame houses. The great Mormon
Temple —the remains of which are still, by far, the most conspicuous object
in the place-was 128 feet long; 88 feet wide, and 65 feet hi,g,h to the cor.
239
nice, and 163 feet to the top of the cupola. It would accommodate an assemblag,e of 3,000 persons. It was built of polished limestone resembling
marble, and obtained on the spot. The architecture, in its main features,
resembled the Doric. In the basement of the temple was a large stone basin
or baptistry, supported by 12 oxen of a colossal size; it was about 15 feet
high, altogether of white stone and well carved. This building, at that time,
without an equal at the west, was fired October 9, 1848, and for the most
part reduced to a heap of ruins. -
It is believed that Capt. White erected the first building in the place, a
log cabin near the river, about a mile westward of where the temple afterward stood. Mr. Gallard brought out Capt. White; he lived in a two story
house near the log cabin. Smith, the Mormon, when he first came to Nauvoo,
put up with Mr. G.: he purchased about a mile square of territory. He
built the Mansion House near the river. Smith's widow, who is described
as amiable and intelligent, married Maj. Bideman. The Mormon Church
property was sold to a company of French socialists, about 600 in number,
under MA. Cabot, for about $20,000. It appears that many of the French
are leaving the place, finding that they can do better elsewhere, individually,
than by living in common with others.
After the Mormons had been driven from Missouri, the people of Illinois
received them with great kindness. When they had established themselves
at Nauvoo, the legislature granted them extraordinary powers, and the city
laws, in some respects, became superior to those of the state. Under these
laws, difficulties ensued. Smith acted as mayor, general of the Nauvoo Legion, keeper of the Nauvoo Hotel, and as their religious prophet, whose will
was law. Smith, and some others, forcibly opposed the process issued against
them for a riot. The people were aroused at their resistance, and determined that the warrants should be executed. In June 1844, some 3,000
militia from the adjacent country, and bands from Missouri and Iowa, assembled in the vicinity of Nauvoo. Gov. Ford hastened to the spot to prevent blood-shed. On the 24th, Gen. Joseph Smith, the prophet, and his
brother, Gen. Hyrum Smith, having received assurances of protection from
the governor, surrendered, and went peaceably to prison, at Carthage, to
await their trial for treason. On the evening of the 27th, the guard of the
jail were surprised by a mob of some 200 men disguised, who overpowered
them, broke down the door, rushed into the room of the prisoners, fired at
random, severely wounding Taylor, editor of the Nauvoo Neighbor. They
finished by killing the two Smiths, after which they returned to their
homes.
In Sept. 1845, the old settlers of Hancock county, exasperated by the
lawless conduct of the Mormons, determined to drive them from the state,
and commenced by burning their farm houses, scattered through the county.
The result was, that they were compelled to agree to emigrate beyond the
settled parts of the United States. On the 16th of September, 1846, the
Anti-Miormons took possession of Nauvoo. Whatever doubts might have
then existed abroad, as to the justice of the course pursued by them, it is now
evident by the subsequent history of the Mormons, that they are, as a people,
governed by doctrines which render them too infamous to dwell in the heart
of civilized communities.
Rev. Peter Cartwright, the celebrated pioneer Methodist itinerant of Illi
o 10
ILLINOIS.
ILLINOIS.
nois, gives this amusing account of an interview he had with Joe Smith, the
father of Mormonism:
At an early day after they were driven from Missouri and took up their residence
in Illinois, it fell to my lot to become acquainted with Joe Smith, personally, and
with many of their leading men and professed followers. On a certain occasion I
fell in with Joe Smith, and was formally and officially introduced to him in Springfield, then our county town. We soon fell into a free conversation on the sul)je(ct
of religion, and Mormonism in particular. I found him to be a very illiterate and
impudent desperado in morals, but, at the same time, he had a vast fund of low
cunning.
In the first place, he made his onset on me by flattery, and he laid on the soft
sodder thick and fast. He expressed great and almost unbounded pleasure in the
high privilege of becoming acquainted with me, one of whom he had heard so
many great and good things, and he had no doubt I was one among God's noblest
creatures, an honest man. He believed that among all the churches in the world,
the Methodist was nearest right, and that, as far as they went, they were right.
lBut they had stopped short by not claiming the gift of tongues, of prYophlecy, and
of miracles, and then quoted a batch of scripture to prove his positions correct.
Upon the whole, he did pretty well for clumsy Joe. I gave him rope, as the sailors say, and, indeed, I seemed to lLy this flattering unction pleasurably to my
soul.
"Indeed," said Joe, "if the Methodists would only advance a step or two further,
they would take the world. WVe Latter-day Saints are Methodists, as far as they
have gone, only we have advanced further, and if you would come in and go with
us, we could sweep not only the Methodist Church, but all others, and you would
be looked up to as one of the Lord's greatest prophets. You would be hlonored
by cou.'itlcss thousands, and have, of the good things of this world, all that heart
could w"ish."
I then began to inquire into some of the tenets of the Latter-day Saints. IHe
explaine I. I criticized his explanations, till, unfortunately, we got into high debate, awid hlie cunninl]y concludbd that his first bait would not take, for hle plainly
saw I was not to be fl;ttered out of common sense and honesty.'The next pass he
made at me was to move upon my fears. Ie said that in all ages of the world,
the t,,,)d and right way was evil spoken of, and that it was an awful thing to fight
araiInst Go d.
"ow," said he, "if you will go with me to Nauvoo, I will show you many living
witnesses that will testify that they were, by the Saints, cured of blindness, lameness, deafness, dumbness, and all the diseases that human flesh is heir to; and I
will show you," said he, "that we have the gift of tongutes, and can speak in unknown languages, and that the Saints can drink any deadly poison, and it will not
hurt them; " and closed by saying, "the idle stbries you hear about us are nothing but sheer persecution."
I then gave him the following history of an encounter I had at a camp-meeting
in Morgan county, some time before, with some of his Mormons, and assured him
I could prove all I said by thousands that were present.
The camnp-meeting( was numerously attended, and we had a good and gracious
work of religion going on among the people. On Saturday there came some
20 or 30 Mormons to the meeting. During the intermission after the eleven
o'clock sermon, they cellected in one corner of the encampment, and began to
sing, they satng well. As fast as the people rose from their dinners they drew up
to hear the singing, and the scattering crowd drew until a large company surrounded them. I was busy regulating matters connected with the meeting At
length, according, I have no doubt, to a preconcerted plan, an old lady Mormon
began to shout, and after shouting a while she swooned away and fell into the
arms of her husband. The old man proclaimed that his wife had gone into a
trance, and that when she came to she would speak in an unknown tongue, and
that hlie would interpret. This proclamation produced considerable excitement,
and the multitude crowded thick around. Presently the old lady arose and be'gan to speak in an unknown tongue, sure enough.
16
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ILLINOIS.
iJust then my attention was called to the matter. I saw in one moment that
the whole maneuver was intended to bring the Mormons into notice, and break up
the ood of our meeting. I advanced, instantly, toward the crowd, and asked the
people to give way and let me in to this old lady, who was then being held in tho
arms of her husband. I came right up to them, and took hold of her arm, and orde-red her peremptorily to hush that gibberish; that I would have no more of it; that
it was presumptuous, and blasphemous nonsense. I stopped very suddenly her
unknown tongue. She opened her eyes, took me by the hand, and said:
"My dear friend, I have a message directly from God to you." I stopped her
short, and said, " 1 will have none of your messages. If God can speak through
no better medium than an old, hypocritical, lying woman, I will hear nothing of
it." Her husband, who was to be the interpreter of her message, flew into amighty
rage, and said, "Sir, this is my wife, and I will defend her at the risk of my life.'
I replied "Sir, this is my camp-meeting, and I will maintain the good order of it
at the risk of my life. If this is your wife, take her off from here, and clear yourselves in five minutes, or I will have you under guard."
The old lady slipped out and was off quickly. The old man stayed a little, and
be(gan to pour a tirade of abuse on me. I stopped him short, and said, " Not another word of abuse from you, sir. I have no doubt you are an old thief, and if
your back was examined, no doubt you carry the marks of the cowhide for your
villainy." And sure enough, as if I had spoken by inspiration, he, in some of the
old states, had been lashed to the whipping-post for stealing, and I tell you, the old
man began to think other persons had visions besides his wife, but he was very
clear from wishing to interpret my unknown tongue. To cap the climax, a young
gentleman stepped up and said he had no doubt all I said of this old man was true,
and much more, for he had caught him stealing corn out of his father's crib. By
this time, such was the old man's excitement, that the great drops of sweat ran
down his face, and he called out
"Don't crowd me, gentlemen, it is mighty warm."
Said I, "Open the way, gentlemen, and let him out." When the way was
opened, 1 cried, "Now start, and don't show your face here again, nor one of the
Mormons. If you do, you will get Lynch's law." They all disappeared, and our
meeting went on prosperously, a great many were converted to God, and the church
was much revived and built up in her holy faith.
My friend, Joe Smith, became very restive before I got through with my narrative; and when I closed, his wrath boiled over, and he cursed me in the name of
his God, and said, "I will show you, sir, that I will raise up a government in these
United States which will overturn the present government, and I will raise up a
new religion that will overtutrn every otheri- form of religion in this country!"
"Yes," said I, " Uncle Joe, but my Bible tells me'the bloody and deceitful mat
shall not live out half his days,' and 1 expect the Lord will send the devil after you
some of these days, and take you out of the way."
"No, sir," said he, "I shall live and prosper, while you will die in your sins."
"Well, sir," said I, "if you live and prosper, you must quit your stealing and
abominable whoredoms!"
Thus we parted, to meet no more on earth; for, in a few years after this, an
outraged and deeply injured people took the law into their own hands, and killed
him, and drove the Mormons from the state. They should be considered and
treated as outlaws in every country and clime. The two great political parties
in the state were nearly equal, and these wretched Mormons, for several years,
held the balance of power, and they were always in market to the highest bidder.
and I have often been ut to the blush to see our demagogues and stump orators,
from both political parties, courting favors from the Mormons, to gain a triumph in
an election.
Great blame has been attached to the state, the citizens of Hancock county, in
which Nauvoo is situated, as well as other adjoining counties, for the part they
acted in driving the Mormons from among them. But it should be remembered
they h.-d no redress at law, for it is beyond aill doubt that the Mormons would
swear anything, true or false. They stole the stock, plundered and burned the
houses and barns of the citizens, anld there is no doubt they privately murdered
242
ILLINOIS.
some of the best people in the county; and owing to the perjured eviderce always at their command, it was impossible to have any legal redress. If it had
not been for this state of things, Joe Smith would not have been killed, and
they would not have been driven with violence from the state. Repeated efforts
were made to get redress for these wrongs and outrages, but all to no purpose;
and the wonder is, how the people bore as long as they did with the outrageous
villainies practiced on them, without a resort to violent measures.
View of aft. Joliet.
JOLIET is a thirivin, town, the county seat of Will co., situated on both
sides of the Des Plaines River, and on the Illinois and Michi,gan canal, 148
miles N. E. by N. from Springfield, 280 from Detroit, and 40 S. W. from
Chicago. It was formerly known on the maps as "MIcGee's mill dam."
On the eastern side of the river the city extends over a plain of considerable
extent, rising as it recedes from the river. Upon the western side the land
is formed into bluffs, beneath which is one of the principal streets. It
is an important station on the Chicago and Rock Island, and the Chicago,
Alton, and St. Louis Railroads, and is connected directly with the east by
Joliet and Northern (cut-off) Railroads. The river affords valuable water
power for mills. It is the center of considerable commerce, several manufactories; and in its vicinity is a rich farming country, and valuable quarries of building stone. The new state penitentiary is in the vicinity. Popuation about 7,000.
Joliet received its name from Mt. Joliet, a mound supposed to be an artificial elevation, situated about two and a half miles S. W. of the court house
in this place, and so called from Louis Joliet, who was born of French parents, at Quebec, in 1673. He was commissioned by M. de Frontenac to
discover the Great River, some affluents of which had been visited by missionaries and traders. Joliet chose, for his companion, Father MI(rqtette,
whose name was thus connected with the discovery of the Mississippi.
The first dwellings erected in this place was a log house built by Charles Reed,
about half a mile north-west of the court house, b.-tck of the bluff. an(l the house
erected by James McGee, from Kentucky, near the National Hotel. The original
plat of the town was laid out by James B. C,Lmpb)ell, in 1834. West Joliet, by
Martin H. Demmond, in Jan. 1835; East Joliet by Albert YW. Bowen, in Feb. 1835,
since which time many additions have been made. Te (city of Joliet was imcor
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ILLINOIS.
orated in 1852. The first house of worship was erected by the Methodists, in
]838, about 15 rods south-west of the court house: it is now used for an engine
house. The Catholic Church, still standing, was commenced the next year. The
first Episcopal Church was organized in 1838, their house was erected in 1857.
The Congregational Church was organized in 1844; the present Congregational
and Methodist Church buildings were erected in 1857. The Universalists
erected their first house in 1845; the Baptists about 1855.
The Joliet Courier, now called Joliet Signal, was first printed by Gregg and
Hudson, about 1836 or'37; the True Democrat, the second paper, was established
in 1847, by A. Mackintosh, from New York. The first regular school house, a
stone building now standing in Clinton-street, was built in 1843, at a cost of
$700, considered at that time an extravagant expenditure. Among the first
settlers on the east side of the river, were Dr. Albert W. Bowen, from N. Y., the
first physician; Edward Perkins, Oneida Co., N. Y.; Robert Shoemaker, Thomas
Blackburn, Richard Hobbs, from Ohio; Joel A. Matteson, since governor of the
state; Daniel Wade, of Penn., and Lyman White, of N.Y. On the west side, Martin H. i)emmond, from N. Y.; James McKee, or Gee, from Kentucky; John Curry, G. H. Woodruff, Deac. Josiah Beaumont, John J. Garland, Deac. Chauncy,
from N. Y. Charles Clement, from New Hampshire, and It. J. Cunningham, from
Maryland.
La Salle, is a flourishing city, on-the right bank of Illinois River, at the
head of steamboat navigation, one mile above Peru, and at the terminus of
the Illinois Canal, 100 miles long, connecting it with Chicago. It has a
ready communication, both with the northern and southern markets, by railroad, canal and river, the latter of which is navigable at all stages of water.
At this point the Illinois Central Railroad crosses the Chicago and Rock
Island Railroad. This place has great facilities for trade and manufactures.
A substantial railroad bridge, 900 feet in length, crosses the Illinois at La
Salle. An extensive establishment for the manufacture of flint glass is in
operation here, under the charge of a French gentleman. Large warehouses
line the river bank, and the dwellings occupy the high bluffs a little back.
The surrounding country is highly productive, and contains extensive beds
of bituminous coal, which is extensively mined. The city of Peru received
its charter in 1851: it is separated from La Salle by only an imaginary line.
Its manufacturing interests are well developed. The two cities are in effect
one, so far as regards advantages of business, and are nearly equal in population. Peru and La Salle have several fine educational institutions, 11
churches, 5 weekly newspapers, and about 7,000 inhabitants.
Dixon, the capital of Lee county, is beautifully situated on the banks of
Rock River, at the junction of a branch of the Galena Railroad, with the
Illinois Central, 98 miles west of Chicago. It has about 5,000 inhabitants.
Dualeith, a smaller town, is the north-western terminus of the Illinois
Central Railroad, on the Mississippi opposite Dubuque.
Kankakee City is a fine town of 3,500 inhabitants, 56 miles south of Chicago, on Kankakee River and Illinois Central Railroad, and at a spot that a
few years since had not a single dwelling.
St. Anne, on the Central Railroad, in Kankakee county, is a colony of
800 French Canadian emigrants, under the pastoral care of Father Chiniquy,
originally a Catholic priest, who, with his people, have embraced Protestantism. Each settler has about 40 acres, and their farms are laid along parallel roads, at right angles to the railroad. They exhibit signs of careful
cultivation, and the village and church of the colony are prettily situated
near the woods on the river side. In the three years prior to 1860, the crops
of these people were cut off, and but for benevolent aid they would have perished from famine.
244
ILLINOIS.
Decatur, in MIacon county, at the junction of the Illinois Central with the
Toledo, Wabash and Great Western railroad, is a substantial, thriving little
city, within a few miles of the geographical center of the state. It is the
seat of a large internal trade and extensive domestic manufactures, and has
about 6000 inhabitants. An effort has been made to create it the state
capital.
TVaidalia, capital of Fayette county, is on Kankakee River and Illinois
Centrall Railroad, 80 miles south-easterly from Springfield. It was laid out
in SS1818, and until 1836 was the capital of Illinois. It is a small village.
S(aLdoval is a new town, on the prairies, 230 miles from Chicago, and 60
from St. Louis. It is a great railroad center, at the point where intersect the
Illinois Central and Ohio and Mississippi Railroads. " Here east meets west7
and north meets south in the thundering conflict of propulsive motion, energy
and speed."
Elyiig, |JZaukeyan, St. Charles, Sterlitg, fioline, N1aperville, Urbana, Belvi(le'ie, ])atavi(t, Aurora, Abibigdo'i, Jfacomb, Be lleville,, Sycamore, and Ottawct are all thriving towns, mostly in the northern part of the state, the largest
of which may have 5,000 inhabitants.
A few miles below Ottawa, on the Illinois River, are the picturesque bights
of the Illinois, called the Starved Rock and the Lover's Leap. Starved Rock
is a grand perpendicular limestone cliff, 150 feet in hight. It was named in
memory of the fate of a party of Illinois Indians, who died on the rock
from thirst, when besieged by the Pottawatomies. Lover's Leap is a precipitous ledge just above Starved Rock, and directly across the river is
Buffalo Rock, a hight of 100 feet. This eminence, though very steep on the
water side, slopes easily inland. The Indians were wont to drive the buffaloes in firightened herds to and over its awful brink.
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246
MISCELLANIES.
THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
The following account of the "Black Hawk war " is taken from Mr. Peck's
edition of Perkins' Annals:
In the year 1804, Gen. Harrison made a treaty with the Sacs and Foxes-two
tribes united as one-by which they ceded the lands east of the Mississippi, to the
United States; but to these lands they had no original right, even in the Indian
sense, as they were intruders on the country of the Santeaurs and Iowas. By this
treaty, they were permitted to reside and hunt upon these lands, until sold for settlement by the government.
This treaty was reconfirmed by the Indians, in the years 1815 and 1816. Black
Hawk, who was n?ever a chief, but merely an Indian brave, collected a few disaffected spirits, and refusing to attend the negotiations of 1816, went to Canada,
proclaimed himself and party British, and received presents from them.
The treaty of 1804, was again ratified in 1822, by the Sacs and Foxes, in "full
council," at Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, on the Mississippi. In 1825, another
treaty was held at Prairie du Chien, with the Tndians, by William Clark and Lewis
Cass, for the purpose of bringing about a peace between the Sacs and Foxes, the
Chippewas and the Iowas on the one hand, and the Sioux and Dacotahs on the
other. Hostilities continuing, the United States, in 1827, interfered between the
contending tribes. This offended the Indians, who thereupon murdered two whites
in the vicinity of Prairie du Chien, and attacked two boats on the Mississippi, conveying supplies to Fort Snelling, and killed and wounded several of the crews.
Upon this, Gen. Atkinson marched into the Winnebago country, and made prisoners of Red Bird and six others, who were imprisoned at Prairie du Chien. A part
of those arrested, were convicted on trial, and in December of the following year
(1828) executed. Among those discharged for want of proof, was Black Hawk,
then about sixty years of age.
About this time, the president issued a proclamation, according to law, and the
country, about the mouth of Rock River, which had been previously surveyed,
was sold, and the year following, was taken possession of by American families.
Some time previous to this, after the death of old Quashquame, Keokuk was appointed chief of the Sac nation. The United States gave due notice to the Indians
to leave the country east of the Mississippi, and Keokuk made the same proclamation to the Sacs, and a portion of the nation, with their regular chiefs, with Keokuk at their head. peaceably retired across the Mississippi. Up to this period,
Black Hawk continued his annual visits to Malden, and received his annuity for
allegiance to the British government. He would not recognize Keokuk as chief,
but gathered about him all the restless spirits of his tribe, many of whom were
young, and fired with the ambition of becoming "braves," and set up himself for a
chief.
Black Hawk was not a Pontiac, or a Tecumseh. He had neither the talent nor
the influence to form any comprehensive scheme of action, yet he made an abortive attempt to unite all the Indians of the west, from Rock River to Mexico, in a
war against the United States.
Still another treaty, and the seventh in succession, was made with the Sacs and
Foies, on the 15th of July, 1830, in which they again confirmed the preceding
treaties, and promised to remove from Illinois to the territory west of the Mississippi. This was no new cession, but a recognition of the former treaties by
the proper authorities of the nation, and a renewed pledge of fidelity to the United
States.
During all this time, Black Hawk was gaining accessions to his party. Like
Tecumseh, he, too, had his Prophet-whose influence over the superstitious savages
was not without effect.
In 1830, an arrangement was made by the Americans who had purchased the
land above the mouth of Rock River, and the Indians that remained, to live as
neighbors, the latter cultivating their old fields. Their inclosures consisted of
stakes stuck in the ground, and small poles tied with strips of bark transversely.
ILLINOIS.
ILLINOIS.
The Indians left for their summer's hunt, and returned when their corn was in
the milk-gathered it, and turned their horses into the fields cultivated by the
Americans, to gather their crop. Some depredations were committed on their hogs
and other property. The Indians departed on their winter's hunt, b)ut returned
early in the spring of 1831, under the guidance of Black Hawk, and committed
depredations on the frontier settlements. Their leader was a cunning, shrewd Indian. and trained his party to commit various depredations on the property of the
frontier inhabitants, but not to attack, or kill any person. HIlis policy was to provoke the Americans to make war on himn, and thus seem to fight in defense of Indian rights, and the "graves of their fathers." Numerous affidavits, from persons
of unquestionable integrity, sworn to before the proper officers, were made out and
sent to Gov. Reynolds, attesting to these and many other facts.
Black Hawk had about five hundred Indians in training, with horses, well provided with arms, and invaded the state of Illinois with hostile designs. These facts
were known to the governor and other officers of the state. Consequently, Gov.
Reynolds, on the 28th of May, 1831, made a call for volunteers, and communicated
the facts to Gen. Gaines, of this military district, and made a call for regular troops.
The state was invaded by a hostile band of savages, under an avowed enemy of
the United States. The military turned out to the number of twelve hundred or
more, on horseback, and under command of the late Gen. Joseph Duncan, marched
to Rock River.
The regular troops went up the Mississippi in June. Black Hawk and his men,
alarmed at this formidable appearance, recrossed the Mississippi, sent a white flag,
and made a treaty, in which the United States agreed to furnish them a large
amount of corn and other necessaries, if they would observe the treaty.
In the spring of 1832, Black IHawk. with his party, again crossed the Mississippi
to the valley of Rock River, notwithstanding he was warned against doing so by
Gen. Atkinson, who commannded at Fort Ariustrong, in Rock Island. Troops, both
regular and militia, were at once lmustered and marched in pursuit of the native
bland. Among the troops was a party of volunteers under Major Stillman, who, on
the 14th of Alay, was out on a tour of observation, and close in the neighborhood
of the savages. On that evening, having discovered a party of Indians, the whites
galloped forward to attack the savage band, but were met with so much energy and
determination, that they took to their heels in utter consternation. lThe whites
were 175 in number; the Indians from five to six hundred. Of this party, twentyfive followed the retreating battalion, after night for several miles. Eleven whites
were killed and shockingly mangled, and several wounded. Some four or five Indians were known to be killed. This action was at Stillman's run, in the eastern
part of Ogle county, about twenty-five miles above Dixon.
Peace was now hopeless, and although Keokuk, the legitimate chief of the nation, controlled a majority, the temptation of war and plunder was too strong for
those who followed Black Hawk.
On the 21st of May, a party of warriors, about seventy in number, attacked the
Indian Creek settlement in La Salle county, Illinois, killed fifteen persons, and took
two young women prisoners; these were afterward returned to their friends, late
in July, through the efforts of the Winnebagoes. On the following day, a party
of spies was attacked and four of them slain, and other massacres followed.
Meanwhile 3,000 Illinois militia had been ordered out, who rendezvoused upon the
20th of June, near Peru; these marched forward to the Rock River, where they
were joined by the United States troops, the whole being under command of Gen.
Atkinson. Six hundred mounted men were also ordered out, while Gen. Scott,
with nine companies of artillery, hastened from the seaboard by the way of the
lakes to Chicago, moving with such celerity that some of his troops, we are told,
actually went 1,800 miles in eighteen days; passing in that time from Fort Monroe, on the Chesapeake, to Chicago. Long before the artillerists could reach the
scene of action, however, the western troops had commenced the conflict in earnest, and before they did reach the field, had closed it. On the 24th of June, Black
Hawk and his two hundred warriors were repulsed by Major Demint, with but one
hundred and fifty militia: this skirmish took place between Rock River and Ga,lena. The army then continued toWmove up Rock River, near the heads of which,
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ILLINOIS.
it was understood that the main party of the hostile Indians was collected; and
as provisions were scarce, and hard to convey in such a country, a detachment was
sent forward to Fort Winnebago, at the portage between the Wisconsin and Fox
Rivers, to procure supplies. This detachment, hearing of Black Hawk's army,
pursued and overtook them on the 21st of July, near the Wisconsin River, and in
the neighborhood of the Blue Mounds. Gen. Henry, who commanded the party,
formed with his troops three sides of a hollow square, and in that order received
the attack of the Indians; two attempts to break the ranks were made by the natives in vain; and then a general charge was made by the whole body of Americans, and with such success that, it is said, fifty-two of the red men were left dead
upon the field, while but one American was killed and eight wounded.
Before this action, Henry had sent word of his motions to the main army, by
whom he was immediately rejoined, and on the 28th of July, the whole crossed the
Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk, who was retiring toward the Mississippi.
Upon the bank of that river, nearly opposite the Upper Iowa, the Indians were
overtaken and again defeated, on the 2d of August, with a loss of one hundred and
fifty men, while of the whites but eighteen fell. This battle entirely broke the
power of Black Hawk; he fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes, and upon the
27th, was delivered to the officers of the United States, at Prairie du Chien.
Gen. Scott, during the months of July and August, was contending with a worse
than Indian foe. The Asiatic cholera had just reached Canada; passing up the,
l,t. Lawrence to Detroit, it overtook the western-bound armament, and thenceforth
the camp became a hospital. On the 8th of July, his thinned ranks landed at Fort
Dearborn or Chicago, but it was late in August before they reached the Mississippi.
The number of that band who died from the cholera, must have been at least seven
times as great as that of all who fell in battle. There were several other skirmishes of the troops with the Indians, and a number of individuals murdered;
making in all about seventy-five persons killed in these actions, or murdered on the
frontiers.
In September, the Indian troubles were closed by a treaty, which relinquished
to the white men thirty millions of acres of land, for which stipulated annuities
were to be paid; constituting now the eastern portion of the state of Iowa, to
which the only real claim of the Sacs and Foxes, was their depredations on the
unoffending Iowas, about 140 years since. To Keokuk and his party, a reserve
tion of forty miles square was given, in consideration of his fidelity; while Black
Hawk and his familv were sent as hostages to Fort Monroe, in the Chesapeake,
where they remained until June, 1833. The chief afterward returned to his native wilds, where he died.
CAVE IN-ROCK.
On the Ohio River, in Hardin county, a few miles above Elizabethtown, near the
south- eastern corner of the state, is a famous cavern, known as Cave-in-Rock. Its
entrance is a semi-circular arch of about 80 feet span and 25 feet in hight, and
ascending gradually from the bed of the river, it penetrates to the distance of
nearly 200 feet. This cave, in early times, was the terror of the boatmen on the
Ohio, for it was one of the haunts of MAason and his band of outlaws, whose acts
of murder upon travelers through the wilderness are elsewhere detailed in this
work. The pioneers of the west suffered greatly from the desperadoes, who infested the country in the early stages of its history. And there have not been
winting, even in more recent times, instances in which bands of villains have been
formed to set all law at defiance by preying upon society.
Al-out the year 1820, the southern counties of Illinois contained a gang of horse
thieves, so numerous and well organized as to defy punishment by legal means, until a company of citizens was formed, called "regulators," who, taking the law into
thieir own hands, at last drove the felons from the neighborhood. In 1841, a gang
of tlhese scoundrels existed in O,gle county and its vicinity, in the Rock River countriv. \Wm. Cullen Bryant was traveling there at the time, and in his published
volume of letters, gives, substantially, this narrative of their operations:
T'he thieves were accustomed to select the best animals from the drove, and these
;,ere passed from one station to another, until they arrived at some distant market,,
248
ILLINOIS.
where they were sold. They had their re~'ular lines of communication fromn Wisconsin to St. Louis, and from the Wabash to the Mississippi. In Ogle county, it is
said tihe had a justice of the peace and a constable aminong their associates. ind
they contrived always to secure a friend on the jury whenever one of their humuer was tried. Tlrial after trial had taken place at Dixon, the county seat, aind- it
nad been found impossible to obtain a conviction on the clearest evidence, until in
Cave-in-]'ock, oil the Ohio.
April of this vear, when two horse thieves being on trial, eleven of the jury threat
eed the twelfth juror with a taste of the cowskin, unless he would bring in a
verdict of nuilty. He did so, and the men were condemned. Before they were
removed to the state prison, the court house, a fine building, just erected at an expense of 890,000, was burnt down, and the jail was in flames, but luckily they
were extinguished without the liberation of the prisoners. Such, at length, became the feeling of insecurity, that 300 citizens of Ogle, De Kalb and Winnebago
counties formed themselves into a company of volunteers, for the purpose of elairing the country of these scoundrels. The patrons of the thieves lived at some
of the finest groves, where they owned large farms. Ten or twenty stolen horses
would be broulghlt to one of these places of a night, and before sunrise, the dlesperadoes employed to steal them were again mounted and on their way to some other
station. In breaking up these haunts, the regulators generally proceeded with
some of the formalities commonly used in administering justice, the accused being
allowved to make a defense, and witnesses examined both for and against him.
At this time, there lived at Washington (Grove, in Ogle county, one Bride, a notorious confederate and harborer of horse thieves and counterfeiters. In July two
horse thieves had been flogged, and Bridge received a notice from the regulators
that he must leave the county by the 17th, or become a proper subject for the
lynch law. Thereupon he came into Dixon and asked for assistance to defend
his person and dwelling from the lawless violence of these men. The people of
Dixon then came together, and passed a resolution to the effect that they fiullv approved of what the association had done, and that they allowed Alr. lrid(ges the
term of four hours to depart from the town. Hie went away immnediately, and in
great trepidation, but made preparations to defend himself Hlie kept 20 aLrmed
men about his place for two days, but thinking, at last, that the retgulators did not
mean to carry their threats into execution, lie dismissed them. The regulators
subsequently removed his family, and demolished his dwelling.
Not long after, two men, mounted and carrying rifles, called at the residence of
249
a Mr. Campbell, living at Whiterock Grbve, in Ogle county, who belonged to tho
company of regulators, and who acted as the messenger to convey to Bridges tihe
order to leave tile county. Meeting Mrs. Campbell without the house, they toid
her that they wished to speak to her husband. Campbell made his appearance't
the door, and immediately both the men fired. He fell, mortally wounded, and died
in a few minutes. "You have killed my husband," said Mrs. Campbell to one otf
the murderers, whose name was Driscoll. Upon this they rode off at full speed.
As soon as the event was known, the whole country was roused, and every man
who was not an associate of the horse thieves, shouldered his rifle to go in pursuit
of the murderers. They apprehended the father of Driscoll, a man nearly 70
years of age, and one of his sons, William Driscoll, the former a, reputed horse
thief- and the latter a man who had hitherto born a tolerably fair chLaracter, and
subjected them to a separate examination. The father was wary in his answers,
and put on the appearance of perfect innocence, but William Driscoll was greatly
a,gitated, and confessed that he, with his father and others, had planned the niurder of Campbell, and that David Driscoll, his brother, together with another asso
ciate, was emiployed to execute it. T'he father and son were then sentenced to
death; they were bound and made to kneel. About 50 men took aim at each, and
in th:'ee hours from the time they were taken, they were both dead men. A pit
was dug on the spot where they fell, in the midst of the prairie near their dwelling.
Their corpses, pierced with bullet holes in every part, were thrown in, and the
earth was heaped over them.
The pursuit of David Driscoll, and the fellow who was with him when Campbell
was killed, went on with great activity, more than a hundred men traversed the
country in every direction, determined that no lurking place should hide them.
The upshot was, that the Driscoll family lost another member, and the horse thieves
and their confederates were driven from the country.
Within a very few years, the thinly settled parts of Iowa have suffered from like
erganized gangs of horse thieves, until the people were obliged to resort to a like
summary process of dispelling the nuisance. To the isolated settler in a wilderness country, living many a long mile from neighbors, the horse is of a peculiar
value, elsewhere unknown. So keenly is the robbery of these animals felt, that,
in the failure of ordinary penalties to stop the perpetration of this crime, public
opinion justifies the generally recognized " Frontier Law," that DEATH is to be
meted out to horse thieves.
2 o 0
ILLINOIS.
M I C H I G A N.
THE discovery and early settlement of Michigan is due to the French
whose motives were the prosecution of the fur trade, and, incidentally, the
conversion of the Indians. To pro mote the latter object, Father Sagard
,p....j' ~'reached Lake Huron in 1632, seven
years after the founding of Quebec,
but the present site of the city of
Detroit appears to have been visited
somewhat earlier. The tract of ter \ EBC ritory now embraced in the state of
~i<~~ TUEBOR! g/, ~ 3 Michigan, derives its name, it is said,
~x~ ~~ from the Indian word, M,ich i-sawy-,ye C~~ ~ h ran, the meaning of which, in the
Algonquin tongue, is, the Lake
Country.
~XV.. ~T~-~ NThe Huron tribe of Indians were
CX.'"_ M ~"'' —-- ~_the aboriginal inhabitants of?dichi gan. They were anciently very nu merous, brave and powerful, and their
~ARMS OF ICOAN. settlements extended as far north as
MOTTO-Tueborsiqttcrispeninsula mamemnam cir- Lake Superior. As early as 1634,
cumspice-If you seek a. beautiful peninsula, look the French Catholic missionaries
tiround you. founded a mission near Lake huron,
and in 1660, a station was established on the rocky and pine clad borders of
Lake Superior. In 1668, the Mission at St. Marys Falls was founded, and
in 1671, Father Marquette gathered a little flock of Indian converts at Point
St. Ignatius, on the main land, north of the island of Mackinaw. The great
body of the IIurons were converted to the profession of Christianity by the
efforts of the missionaries. The Iroquois, or Five Nations, made war upon
them, and massacred or dispersed most of their number.
In 1667, Louis XIV sent a party of soldiers to this territory, to protect
the French fur traders. In 1701, a French colony left Montreal, and begun
the settlement of Detroit, which was a place of resort of the French missionaries at a much earlier period. Having established military posts at this
and other places in Michigan, they soon extended their commerce westward
of Lake Michigan, to the Indians on the Mississippi. They were steadily
opposed by the Iroquois, and the settlements being somewhat neglected by
251
the French government, they never flourished as colonies. At the peace of
1763, all the French possessions in North America came under the dominion
of Great Britain. On the expulsion of the French, the celebrated Indian
chief, PoJ)tiac, seized the occasion to rid the country of the hated whites, by
a general uprising, and simultaneous attacks on all the forts of the English
on the lakes. Mackinaw was taken by stratagem, and the garrison butchered. Detroit was besieged some months, by Pontiac, with 600 Indianls, but
it held out until the Indian allies, becoming weary of the siege, retired, and
left Pontiac no choice but to make peace. At the termination of the revolutionary war, by the peace of 1783, Michigan, being included in the Northwest Territory, was ceded to the United States; the British, however, did
not surrender the post of Detroit until 1796.
Soon after the treaty of Greenville, by Wayne, with the Indians, which
was made in 1795, the settlements upon the Maumee (now wholly included
in Ohio), upon the Raisin and Detroit Rivers, were organized under the
na,ie of Wayne county, and Detroit was the seat of justice. In 1796, the
whole of the North-west Territory was, organized into five extensive counties,
of which Wayne, as described above, was one. The others, with their lonationI, were as follows: "Washington county comprised all that portion of the
present state of Ohio within forty miles of the Ohio River, and between the
Muskingum and the Little Miami; Marietta was the Seat of justice. I-amilton county comprised all that region of country between the Little and
the Great Miamni, within the same distance of the Ohio River; and Cincinnati was the county seat. Knox county embraced thie country near the Ohio
River, between the Great Miami and the Waba,sh Rivers; and Vincennes was
the county seat. St. Clair county embraced the settlements upon the Illinois
and upon the Kaskaskia Rivers, as well as those upon the Upper Mississippi;
and Kaskaskia was the seat of justice."
In 1805, the territory of Michigan was organized, and Gen. Wm. Hlull
appointed governor; Detroit was the seat of government. The census
of 1820 gave it an aggregate population of only 8,900. This included the
]i-toin District, on the west side of Lake Michigan, now known as the state
of Wisconsin. "About the year 1832, the tide of emigration began to set
strong toward Michigan Territory. Steamboat navigation had opened a new
commerce upon the lakes, and had connected the eastern lakes and their population with the Illinois and Upper Mississippi. This immense lake navigation encircled the peninsula of Michigan. It became an object of exploration. Its unrivaled advantages for navigation, its immense tracts of the
niost fertile arable lands, adapted to the cultivation of all the northern grains
and grasses, attracted the attention of western emigrants. The tide soon
begarn to set strong into Michigan. Its fine level and rolling plains, its deep
and enduring soil, and its immense advantages for trade and commerce had
become known and duly appreciated. The hundreds of canoes, pirogues,
and barges, with their half-civilized couriers du bois, which had, annually
visited Detroit for more than a century, had given way to large and splendid
steanm'oats, which daily traversed the lakes from Buffalo to Chicago, froin
the east end of Lake Erie to the southwestern extremity of Lake Michigan.
Nearly a hundred sail of sloops and schooners were now traversing every
part of these inland seas. Under these circumstances, how should Michigan
remain a savage wilderness? New York state and the New England states
began to send forth their numerous colonies, and the wilderness to smile.
At the end of two years more, or in 1834, the population of Michigan had
252
MICHIGAN.
MICHIGAN.
increased to 87,273 souls, exclusive of Indians. The followi,ng year the
number amnounted to more than ninety thousand persons, distributed over
thir'ty-eilght counties, comprised in the southern half of the peninsula, and
the'aittached Huron, or Wisconsin District,' lying west of Lake Michigan.
The town of Detroit, which in 1812 was a stockade'vi]lage, had now become
'a city,' with nearly 2,500 inhabitants.
The humble villages and wigwams of the Indians, sparsely distributed over
a wide extent of wilderness, had now given way to thousands of farms and
civilized habitations. Towns and smiling villages usurped the encampment
and the battle-field. The fertile banks of the'River Raisin' were crowned
with hamlets and towns instead of the melancholy stockade. A constitution had been adopted on the 15th of June, 1836, and the'state of Michigan' was admitted into the Union on the 26th day of January, 1837, and
Stephens T. MIason was made the first governor."
In the war of 1812, the important fortress of Mackinaw, being garrisoned
by only 57 men, under Lieut. Hanks, was surrendered to a party of British
and Indians on July 17, 1812. On the 15th of August, Gen. Brock,
with a force of 1,300 men, of whom 700 were Indians, summoned Gen. Hull
to surrender Detroit, stating that he would be unable to control the Indians
if any resistance should be offered. Although Hull had a force of 800 men,
hle supposed it would be useless to resist, and, to the astonishment of all, he
surrendered the fort, and, in the capitulation, included the whole territory
of 3Iichig,an. The indignation was great against him, and after he was exchalnged, he was tried by a court miartial, sentenced to death, but on account
of his age and services in the Revolution, the president remitted the punishment, but deprived him of all military command. In Jan., 1813, Gen. Winchester, who was encamped at Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, was surprised by a force of British and Indians, under Gen. Proctor. After a severe
contest, Gen. WAinchester surrendered, under the promise of being protected
from the Indians. The promise was broken: a large number of prisoners,
mostly those who were wounded, were murdered by the Indians. The celebrated naval victory of Perry occurred on the waters of Lake Erie, only a
few miles from her shores, and the victory of the Thames, in which the British and Indians were defeated by Harrison, and in which Tecumseh was
slain, took place only a short distance from Detroit, within the adjacent
Canadian territory. A brief outline of these events we present below:
"Perry's Victory.-The grand object of the Americans in the campaign of 1813,
in the west, was to attack Malden and reconquer Michigan from the enemy; but
this could not be effectually done, so long as the fleet of the eneiiiy held possession
of Lake Erie. To further the desired object, a number of vessels had been building at Erie, on the south-east shore of the lake, and were finished early in August.
They consisted of two twenty gun vessels, and seven smaller vessels, carrying from
one to three each-the whole fleet numbering fifty-four guns On the l10thl of Sep
tember, Perry fell in with, and gave battle to, the British fleet near the western
end of the lake, under Commodore Barclay, consisting of six vessels, carrying in
all sixty-four guns. The number of guns in both fleets, in some cases, is surpassed
by those of a single battle-ship of the line. The engagement between these little
fleets was desperate, and lasted three hours. Never was victory more complete;
every British ship struck her colors, and the Americans took more prisoners than
they themselves numbered men.
Gen. Harrison, at this time, lay with the main body of the Americans in the
vicinity of Sandusky Bay and Fort Meigs; the British and their Indian allies, under Proctor and Tecumseh, were at Malden, ready, in case of a successful issue,
to renew their ravages upon the American borders.
253
MICHIGAN.
Battle of the Thames.-tHarrison's army had received a reinforcement of 3,000
Kentucky volunteers, under Gov. Shelby. On the 27th of September, the main
body of the army sailed for Detroit River, intending to enter Canada by the valley
of the Thames. Two days after, Harrison was at Sandwich, and M'Arthur took
possession of Detroit. Poctor retreated up the Thames, was pursued, and come
up with on the 5th of October, by Harrison's army; the Americans numbl)ering
something over 3,000, and their enemy about 2,000. The latter were badly posted
in order of battle. Their infantry was formed in two lines, extending from the
river to a small dividing swamp; the Indians extended from the latter to a larger
swamp. The Kentucky mounted men, under Col. Richard M. Johnson, divided
into two parts. The one under the colonel in person, charged the Indians; the
other under his brother James, charged the infantry. The latter received the
enemv's fire, broke through their ranks, and created such a panic, that they at
once srrendered. Upon the left, the contest with the Indians was more severe;
but there toe impetuosity of the Kentuckians overca,iiie the enemy, Trecumseb,
their leader, being among the slain. The battle was over in half an hour, with a
loss to both armies of less than fifty killed. Proctor fled at the beginning of the
action. In January, 1814, the enemy again took a position near the battle-field of
the Thames. Capt. Holmes, while advancing to meet themrn, learned that a superior
force was approaching. I-lavinr posted himself on a hill, and thrown up intrenchments. he was vigorously attacked, but repulsed the enemy with considerable loss.
AttackC on Jfackitao. In the June following, Col. Croghan attempted to take
the island of Mlackinaw, but his force beiug insufficient, he was repelled with the
loss of twelve men, amon,g whom was Major hiolmnes.
M'Avthtir's Expeditio.-aThe last movement of consequence in the north-west,
during the war, was the expedition of Gen. M'Arthur. He left Detroit on the 26th
of October, with seven hundred cavalry, intending to move to the relief of Gen.
Brown, who was b)esieged by the enemy at Fort Erie, on the Niagara River, opposite Buffalo. When he had proceeded about two hundred and fifty miles, he ascertained theft the enemy were too strong in front, and he changed his course, defeated a body of opposing militia, destroyed several mills, and returned to Detroit,
without the loss of a man, although pursued by about 1,200 regular troops."
"The history of Michigan," says Lanman, "exhibits three distinct and
strongly marked epochs. The first may properly be denominated the roveantic, which extends to the year 1760, when its dominion was transferred firom
France to Great Britain. This was the period when the first beams of civilization had scarcely penetrated its forests, and the paddles of the French fur
traders swept the lakes, and the boat songs of the traders awakened tribes as
wild as the wolves which howl around the wigwams. The second epoch is
the military, commencing with the Pontiac war; and, running down through
the successive struggles of the British, the Indians and the Americans, to
obtain the dominion of the country, it ends with the victory of Commodore
Perry, defeat of Proctor, and the death of Tecumseh, the leader of the Anglosavage confederacy upon the banks of the Thames. The third epoch is the
eaiteipr;siity, the hardy, the practical, the working age of Michigan, and it
commences with the introduction of the public lands into market. It is
the age of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures; of harbors, cities, canals, and railroads."
iIiehigan consists of two peninsulas, lying between latitudes 41~ 45' and
48~ N., and between longitudes 82~ 25' and 90~ 34" W. firoom Greenwich.
It is bounded N., N. E. and E., by Canada, from which it is separated by
ilake Superior, the Sault St. Marie, Lake Huron, the Strait and Lake St.
Clair, Detroit Strait and Lake Erie; on the S. by the states of Ohio and
Indianai; and on the W. by Lake Michigan and the state of Wisconsin.
The total land surface comprises an area of more than 56,000 square miles,
and the area of waters within the constitutional limits of the state, is computed
2 -I') 4
MICHIGAN.
at 36,324 square miles. The lake coast of Michigan is more than 1,400
miles long. The Southern Peainstla, or Michigan proper, comprises nearly
two thirds of the land surface of the state. The Northern Peninsula has
Lake Superior on the north, and Lake Huron and Lake Miichigan on the
south. It is about 220 miles from S. E. to N. W., and about 120 miles in
its greatest width. The Southern Peninsula, about 283 miles from N. to S.,
and 200 from E. to W. in its broadest part.
The Southern Peninsula of Michigan may be considered, generally, as one
vast undulating plain, seldom becoming rough or broken. There are occasional conical elevations from 150 to 200 feet in hight, but generally much
less. The shores of Lake Huron are often steep, forming bluffs; while those
of Lake Michigan are coasted by shifting sand hills of from 100 to 200 feet
in hight. The central part of the peninsula may be regarded as a fertile
table land, elevated about 300 feet above the level the great lakes. To the
traveler, the country presents an appearance picturesque and delightful.
Through a considerable part, it is so even and free from brush as to permit
carriages to be driven through with considerable facility. The lowering
forest and grove, the luxuriant prairie, the numerous crystal lakes and limpid rivulets, are so frequently and happily blended together, especially in the
southern section, as to render this country one of the most beautiful in the
Union.
The part of the Southern Peninsula generally known to travelers, and
containing seven eighths of the population and productive industry of the
state, stretches north 100 miles or so, from the north line of Indiana, reaching firom Toledo on the east to within some 50 miles of Chicago on the west,
embracing some 20,000 square miles of mainly arable land, having the average climate of New York, or Connecticut and Rhode Island, with about the
area of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
Thie Northern Peninsula exhibits a striking contrast to the Southern.
While the latter is level or moderately undulating and quite fertile, the former (sometimes called the Siberia of Michigan) is rugged, mountainous, and
to a considerable extent, sterile in soil. The shores of Lake Superior ate
composed of a sandstone rock, which, in many places, is worn by the action
of the winds and waves into fancied resemblances of castles, etc., forming
the celebrated'Pictured Rocks;" while the shores of Lake Michigan are
composed of a limestone rock.
The Northern Peninsula is primitive in formation, but rich in mineral
wealth. Here are the richest copper mines in the world. A block of almost
pure copper, weighing over a tun, and bearing the arms of the state rests
imbedded in the walls of the national monument at Washington.
Michigan has not advanced with equal rapidity to the prairie states; but
she has enduring elements of solid wealth, which, in time, will render her
among the most prosperous. Among these are her vast forests of valuable
timber, her inexhaustible quarries of the finest of gypsum, her extensive
fisheries; her recently discovered salt springs, and deposits of coal, and of
copper and iron ore, a climate rendered equable and healthy by the vast
bodies of water which nearly surround her, together with a soil that pays
fairly the labors of the husbandman. A popular journalist gives us some
substantial thoughts upon this subject. He says:
At first view, Michigan would seem far less inviting to farmers in quest of a location, than her more western sisters, and accordingly her growth has, for the last
20 years, been far slower than theirs. Her soil is, in the average, not nearly so
wich as that of the prairies, and is generally covered with heatvy timber, while
2;') 5
MICHIGAN.
her untimnbered lands are apt to be swampy. There are some exceptions near
her southern border; but in general, her low levels are covered with bog-grass,
or with a growth of black ash or low spruce, and can not be made productive
of grain nearly so soon, so cheaply, nor so abundantly, as can the prairies of
Illinois or Iowa. Hence it is but natural that the great maiority of eastern Iarmers, in quest of new lands, should push on to the prairie states, there to secure
lands that are readily made, broadly and generously productive.
To buy a heavily timbered quarter section, let daylight in upon it, put up a log
cabin, and move a family into it, with a determination to make there a farm, and
get a living while making it, is an act of genuine courage. Many a man has
been crowned a hero on considerably cheaper terms. He who does it, better deserves a pension than the ex-soldiers, whom congress has seemed disposed to
quarter for life on the treasury. For the first half dozen years or so, the growth
of that farm will be scarcely perceptible, since five days' work must be done elsewhere to every one devoted to the enlargement of the clearing. Making roads,
going to mill, hunting catttle astray in the dense forest, making fences, etc., with
the necessity of working for others to procure those necessaries of life that the
narrow patch of stumpy clearing refuses to supply, consume at least five sixths of
the time; so that the poor man who, from the first, adds five acres per annuml to
the area of arable soil which surrounds his cabin, does very well. But when 15
or 20 acres thus cleared, begin to furnish adequate bread for his family, and grass
for his cattle, the case is bravely altered. Mills are by this time nearer and more
easily reached; roads are better, and require less labor at his hands; each addition to his clearing requires fencing on but two sides, instead of three or four as
at first; the older stumps begin to yield to the plow; wild animals and birds are
less destructive of his growing crops than when the clearing was but a hand's
breadth; so that two or three days per week may now be given to clearing instead
of one. After 40 acres have been cleared, the timber ceases to be an obstacle;
the neig,hboring saw mill or embryo village will take some of it at a price that will
at least pay for cutting and drawing; the black ash swamp supplies in abundance
the best of rail timber; a barn this year, a corn-crib next, and a wagon shed the
year after, absorb a good many trees; the household fires lick up the residue; so
that acres are insensible swept off without an effort; the remaining woods break
the force of the sharp winds, and furnish nuts and other food for swine; and when
the eightieth acre has been cleared, the quarter-section is worth more than if it
were all treeless, and clearing for clearing's sake may be suspended. Local or
personal circumstances must necessarily modify this picture, butt its essential and
general truth will be conceded. And thus a state or section, like a single farm,
when denuded of a portion of its timber, is far more inviting to the settler than if
it had no timber at all.
"Michigan is encompassed by five lakes, four of which are the largest collections of fresh water on the globe. These are, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie, which are connected by
the Straits of Detroit, St. Clair, Michilimackinac, and St. Mary. Nor is this
state merely surrounded by lakes, but the interior is interspersed with them
from one border to the other. The country, indeed, is literally maculated
with small lakes of every form and size, from an area of 1 to 1,000 acres,
though, as a general rule, they do not, perhaps, average 500 acres in extent,
they are sometimes so frequent that several of them may be seen from the
same position. They are usually very deep, with gravelly bottoms, waters
transparent, and of a cool temperature at all seasons. This latter fact is
supposed to be in consequence of springs which furnish them constant supplies. Water fowl of various sorts inhabit their shores, and their depths are
the domain of abundance of fish, trout, bass, pike, pickerel, dace, perch, catfish, sucker, bull-head, etc., which often grow to an extraordinary size. It
is usual to find some creek or rivulet originating in thlese, but what is a singular fact, and not easily accounted for, many of these bodies of living water
2 -0 6
MICHIGAN.
have no perceptible outlet, and yet are stored with fish. A lake of this description, with its rich stores of fish and game, forms no unenviable appendage to a farm, and is properly appreciated. But with all its length of lake
coast, Michigan can boast of but few good harbors, yet there are severl that
afford excellent shelter from the stormns that frequently sweep over these
great island seas, and lash them into turmoil."
The fisheries of Michigan are an important element of her industry. The
proceeds of these amount, annually, to more than half a million of dollars, exceeding, in value, the combined product of the rest of the freshwater fisheries in the Union.
Among them the white fish, Mlackinaw trout, and the muscolonge, are unsurpassed for their delicacy of flavor. Mackinaw has been famous as the
greatest fishing point on the lakes. The work in that vicinity is mostly
done by half-breeds-of French and Indian blood-in the employ of merchants. Of late years colonies of Norwegians have embarked in the business. Trained in the severe school of their rugged northern homes, they
exhibit the greatest daring, g,oiiig out in their tiny craft during the heaviest
gales.
The settled parts of lichigan are well supplied with railroads, and others
ire in progress which will bring her valuable lands on the north into narket. Within the state are an unusually large number of plank roads. In
a country so full of lumber, these are easily constructed, and add miuch to
the increase of business communication.
The great bulk of the present population of MIichigan, is of New EFngla.nd
descent. About one third of its settlers came directly fi'om the state of New
York. The numller of inhabitants in 1810, was 4,762; in 1S30, 31,639;
in lS50, 397,,54: in 18S60, 754,291.
Soutth-easter-n viewe of Detroit.
Showing the appearance of the city as seen from the Great Western Depot, at Windsor, on the Canada
side of the river. The buildings of the Michigan Central Railroad appear on the left.
I)ETROIT, the principal city, and formerly the capital of Michigan, is situated on the N.W. or right bank of D)etroit River, or strait, 82 miles E.S.E
from Lansing, the present capital. The name d'etroit, the French word for
'strait," indicates its location. Tuie city extends more than a mile and a half,
the center of it being about 7 miles from Lake St. Clair, and 18 above the
west end of Lake Erie, 526 from W,ashington, and, by steamboat, 327 fi'ora
17
257
MICHIGAN.
Buffalo. The width between the docks at Windsor, Canada West, and those
of Detroit, opposite, is about half a mile, and the depth of water from 12 to
48 feet. The current in the deepest part of the stream, opposite the city,
flows at the rate of two and a half miles per hour. Such is its depth and
uniformity, that it makes Detroit a secure and accessible harbor in all
seasons.
Bordering the river, and for 1,200 feet back from it, the plan of the city
is rectangular-in rear of this triangular. The streets are spacious, and
among the more noted are eight avenues; three of these are 200 feet, and
five others 120 feet wide. Five of these center at a public ground called the
Grand Circus. In the city are several public squares or spaces, the principal of Which are the Campus Martius and the Circus. A large portion of
the buildings are of wood, but there are many handsome and substantial
brick buildings. Among these may be mentioned, the old state house, now
used for literary purposes; the two Catholic cathedrals; the first Presbyterian church, and several others. There are in all about 30 churches. The
Central Railroad freight depot, is one of the largest in the United States.
The city is supplied with the purest of water fromn the Detroit River; the
reservoir, which is of cast iron, is kept supplied by means of a steam engine.
The business of Detroit is immense. It has several extensive mianufactories,
large steanm saw mills, founderies, machine shops, etc. It is most admirably
situated for trade, and is becoming a great commercial emporium. The navigation of the river and lake is open about eight months in the year; the
arrivals and departures of steam and sailing vessels is very great, and constantly increasing. By this, and the numerous railroad communications,
thousands of emigrants travel annually, and millions of dollars worth of
produce are transported. A direct trade has, of late years, sprung up with
Europe, by means of sailing vessels, from this and other lake ports, via the
Wrelland Canal, of Canada, the St. Lawrence River, and Atlantic Ocean. In
1859, 22 vessels in all sailed for Europe, laden with staves and lumber. The
population of Detroit, in 1830, was 2,222; in 1840, 9,102; in 1850, 21,057;
in 1853, 34,436; and in 1860, 46,834.
Detroit was founded in 1701, by Cadillac, a French nobleman, acting under
a commission from Louis XIV. In June of this year, he left Montreal with
one hundred men, a Jesuit missionary, and all the necessary means for the
erection of a colony; reached Detroit in July, and commenced the foundation of the settlement. Before this period, and as far back as 1620, it was
the resort of the French missionaries: when first visited by them, its site
was occupied by an Indian village, named Teuchsa Grondie. A rude fort
was erected by Cadillac, and surrounded with pickets, which inclosed a few
houses, occupied by the French traders and the soldiers attached to the post
This establishment was, however, rude, frail, and mounted with small cannon.
which were more adapted to overawe the Indians than for solid and effective
defense.*
In May, 1712, the Iroquois, or Five Nations, who were hostile to the
French and friendly Indians, instigated the Ottagamies or Foxes, their allies,
to capture Detroit. They were probably backed by the English, who Mwished
to destroy this post and erect a fort ot their own upon its ruins. At tlhis
period, the French had established three villages of friendly Indians in the
immediate vicinity of the post, occupied by the Pottawatomies, the Ottawas,
*Lanman's History of Michigan.
258
MICHIGAN.
and the Hurons. The Foxes, having laid a secret plan for the destruction
of the French fort, the plot was revealed by one of the friendly Indians, a
convert to the Catholic faith. On the 13th of MIay, Detroit was attacked by
the Foxes. At this critical juncture, the friendly Indians, to whom the
17ieta i;l UIoodward AveTge, Detroit.
Tlhe City Ilall and Mlarket appear on the left; the Russell IHouse in the central part. In the extreme
ist e on the right, at the o,,t of Vood dward Avenue, on tihe oplposite or Caanada side of the river, is seen
thie depot of the Great Western Railroad.
French commander, M. D'Buiisson, had sent for aid, appeared through the
wilderness, naked, painted and armed for battle; they were received into the
fort, and the Foxes were obliged to retreat. They afterward endeavored to
burn out the French, and for this purpose discharged blazing arrows upon
the fort. Many of the roofs of the houses, being thatched with straw, were
set on fire, but by covering the retiainder with wet skins they were preserved.
The French power in Michigan ceased with the conquest of Canada,. In
the fall of 17 60, Major Rogers, with an English detachment, proceeded toward Detroit, to take possession. De Bellestre, when he heard of the advance of Rogers, erected a high flag-staff, with an effigy of a man's head on
top. and upon this head he had placed the image of a crow. He told the
Indians, who are strongly impressed with symbols, that the head represented
Maj. Rogers, and the crow was himself. The interpretation of this group
was, that the French commandant would scratch out the brains of the English. The Indians, however, were skeptical as to the truth of this emblem,
and told him that the reverse would be the tfact. Maj. Rogers, having
pushed his boats up the Detroit River, drew up his detachment in a field
within half a mile of the fort. Lieuts. Lefflie and M'Cormick, accompanied
259,
by thirty-six Royal Americans, were sent forward to take possession of De troit. The French garrison surrendered their arms, and the first British
flag was raised upon the fort, amid the shouts of 700 Indians, collected
around that station, who exulted that their prediction respecting the crow
had been verified.
The next event of importance in the history of Detroit, and, indeed, of
the whole north-west, was the Indian outbreak called the "Pontiac War."
The fort at Detroit was, at this time, garrisoned by 122 men and 8 officers,
under the command of Maj. Gladwyn. Two armed vessels were anchored
in front of the town for defense. The Indians who besieged it were 600 in
number.
" The plan which was devised by Pontiac to destroy the fort at Detroit; exhibited
remarkable cunning as well as strategy. He had ordered the Indians to saw off
their rifles so as to conceal them under their blankets, gain admission to the fort,
and, at a preconcerted signal, which was the delivery of a belt of wampum in a
certain way, to rush upon the troops, massacre the officers, and open the gates to the
warriors on the outside, who should stand ready to co-operate with those within.
In order tecarry this plan into execution; he encamped at a little distance from
Detroit, and sent word to Major Gladwyn that he and his warriors wished to hold
a council with the English commandant on the following day, that'they might
brighten the chain of peace.' This was the 8th of May, 1763. The council was
granted. On the evening of that day, an Indian woman, who had been employed
by Major Gladwyn to make him a pair of elk-skin moccasins, which he intended
to present to a friend, brought them to the fort. These were finished in so handsome a manner, that he requested the woman to take back the remainder of the
skin, and make them into others for himself. He then paid her for those which
she had made, and ordered his servant to see her from the fort. Hlaving arrived
at the gate which looks out upon the Detroit River, she lingered as if her business
had been unfinished; and this conduct excited some remark. T'he servant of the
commandant was ordered to inquire the reason of her delay, but he could procure
no satisfactory answer. At length the commandant called her within the fort, and
inquired why she loitered about the gate, and did not hasten home before they
were shut, so that she might complete the moccasins at the proper time. She replied that the commandant had treated her with great kindness, and that she did
not wish to take the skin away, as he prized it so much, because she could' never
bring it back.' Something seemed to be struggling in her bosom for utterance, and
at length, after a promise that the disclosure should not turn to her disadvantage,
and that, if profitable, she might be rewarded, this Indian woman, named Catharine, developed the plot. Major Gladwyn mentioned his apprehensions to the offier
next in command, but he deemed it a mere trick to frighten him, and not worthy
of consideration. The night was occupied in making the proper preparations; the
ammunition was examined and arranged, and every man within the fort, both trader and soldier, was directed to be prepared for sudden and active service. The
defenses of the fort were strengthened, the arms made ready, and during the night
guards were kept upon the ramparts. The war songs and dances of the Indians,
which generally precede any important enterprise, breaking upon the silence of
midnight, only strengthened his suspicions that the. Indian woman had told the
truth. In the morning of the 9th, about ten o'clock, Pontiac and his warriors repaired to the fort of Detroit, and they were immediately admitted to the councilhouse, where they were received by Major Gladwyn and his officers. During' their
progress toward the fort, the savages had noticed a reinarkable parade of soldiers
upon the ramparts and within the town, and that the officers in the council chamber, and also the governor, had each pistols in their belts. When the Indians were
seated on their skins in the council chamber, Pontiac inquired what was the cause
of this extraordinary military preparation; and he was told that it was necessary
to keep the soldiers to rigid discipline. The council commenced by a speech from
Pontiac, in which he professed the utmost friendship for the English; and as he
approached the period of the concerted signal, the delivery of the belt of warn
. 260
3/IICHIGAN.
MICHIGAN.
pum, his gesticulations became more violent. Near the period which had been
described by the Indian woman as the time when the belt was to be delivered, and
the fire upon the garrison commenced, the governor and his officers drew their
worids firom their scabbards; and the soldiers of the fort, who had been drawn
-round the doors of the council-house, which had been intentionally left open,
:ade a clattering upon the ground with their arms. Pontiac, whose eagle eye had
ie-er quailed in battle, turned pale and trembled, and delivered the belt in the
isull manner; while his warriors looked at each other'with astonishment, but con'inued calm.
I'ontiac's speech having been concluded, Major Gladwyn commenced his answer;
but instead of thanking Pontiac for his professions of friendship, he accused him
3f being a traitor; and in order to convince him of his knowledge of the plot, he
advanced toward the chief who sat nearest, and drawing aside his blanket, dis,losed the shortened rifle. He advised him at the same time, to leave the fort beore his yvoung men should discover the design and massacre the Indians; and as,tred liima tlhat his person should be held safe until he had advanced beyond the
ickets, as he had promised him safety. As soon as the warriors had retired from
he rites of the fort, they gave the yell, and fired upon the English garrison.
After this the fort was closely besieged, and the garrison reduced to great
!istress. On the 29th of July, the garrison was relieved by a detachment
i)f 300 regular troops, under Capt. Dalyell. This officer, supposing that
)ontiae might be surprised in his camp, marched out with 247 men, during
he night of the 30th of July. The Indians, having information of the
,roposed attack, laid in wait for the party, concealed in the high grass, near
place since ca}led the Bloo(dy Bridye, upward of a mile from Detroit on
ie main road. Upon their arrival, a sudden and destructive fire was poured
poen them, Capt. Dalyell and 19 others were killed and 42 wounded; the
est made good their retreat to the fort. Pontiac, having invested Detroit
or about twelve months, hearing that Gen. Bradstreet was advancing with
',000 men, gave up the siege and sued for peace, which was granted.
In 1796, the post of Detroit was delivered up by the British to the United
states, according to treaty.
On the 1 lth day df June, 1805, the sun rose in cloudless splendor, over the little town
.f Detroit. A few minutes after a poor washer-woman kindled a fire in a back yard, to
-egin her daily toil, a spark set fire to some hay. At noon of the same day, but one solitrv dwelling remained, to mark the site of the town. All the others were in ashes, and
he wohole population, men, women and children-the aged and the young, the sick, the
alt, and the blind, were driven into the streets, liouseless and homeless. All the boats,
,irogues and skiffs lying along the beach (as it then was), were loaded with goods, and
,ushed( off into the stream; but burning shingles, driven by the wind, followed and de.roved them even there. The town being built of dry pine, and very compact, the streets
eig but about twenty feet wide (the width of a sidewalk on Jefferson Avenue), the proiless of the fire was extremely rapid, and the heat tremendous. The whole population,
Ike Bedouins of the desert, pitched their tents, by the cooling embers of their late happy
:wellings. Fortunately, Providence permitted the calamity to fall on them in summer.
he Lea-light hearts of the French habitans rose above the pressure of misfortune, and to
ork they went, to repair damages. No grumbling at Providence. Their religion told
em that repining was useless. So they worked, and fiddled, and danced,,and sung, and
ooii a new town began to appear, in its present extended form; and with the regret of the
oment, passed away all sorrow for the losses endured.-Witherell's Reminiscences.
The following account of the invasion of Detroit, by Gen. Brook, and of
ts surrender by Gen. Hull, on the 15th of August, 1812, is from Perkins'
listory of the Late War:
Gen. Brock had been educated in arms, and had sustained a distinguished rank
261
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MICHIGAN.
and character in the army of Egypt. He arrived at Malden with reinforcements
in high spirits on the 13th, just as the American troops retired from the Canadian
shore, dispirited, disappointed and disgusted with their commander. On the 15th,
he planted batteries on the bank of the river opposite the fortress of Detroit, and
sent a summons to the American general to surrender, stating that he should otherwise be unable to restrain the fury of the savages. This was answered by a spirited refusal, and a declaration that the fort and town would be defended to the
last extremity. The firing frox the batteries and the fort immediately coimmenced,
and continued with little interruption, and without much effect, until the next day.
The alarm and consternation of Gen. Hull had now become extreme, and appeared
in a series of irregular and incoherent measures. On the 12th, the field officers
suspecting the general intended a surrender of the fort, had determined on his
arrest. This was prevented in consequence of Cols. Duncan M'Arthur and Lewis
Cass, two very active, intelligent, and spirited officers, being detached on the 13th
with four hundred men, on a third expedition to the River Raisin. They advanced
about fourteen miles, when on the 15th they received orders to return. At daylight on the 16th, the British commenced crossirng the river at Spring Wells, three
miles below the town, under cover of two ships of war. They accomplished their
landing by seven o'clock without opposition, and took up their line of march in
close column of platoons, twelve in front, toward the fort along the bank of the
river. The fourth regiment of United States troops was stationed in the fort; the
Ohio volunteers and a part of the Michigan militia behind the pickets, in a situation where the whole flank of the enemy would have been exposed. The residue
of the militia were in the upper part of the town to resist the incursions of the
savages. Two twent.-four pounders loaded with grape were posted on a commandinr eminence, ready to sweep the advancing columns. Cols. M"Arthur and Cass
had arrived within view of Detroit, ready to act on the rear of the enemy. In this
situation the troops waited in eager expectation the advance of the British, anticipating a brilliant victory.
When the head of the British columns had advanced within five hundred yards
of the line, and the artillery ready to sweep their ranks, orders were given for the
troops to retire into the fort, and for the artillery not to fire. A white flag was
hoisted. A British officer rode up to inquire the cause. A communication passed
between the commanding generals, which soon'ended in a capitulation. The fortress of Detroit, with all the public stores, property, and documents of every kind,
were surrendered. The troops were made prisoners of war. The detachment under M'iArthur and Cass, and the troops at the River Raisin, were included in the
capitulation. On the 17th, Gen. Brock dispatched a flag to Capt. Brush with the
terms. He immediately called a council of his officers, who determined that they
were not bound by the capitulation, and advised to break up the camp and return.
In pursuance of their advice, Capt. Brush immediately broke up his camp, took
with him what public stores and property he could. and commenced his retreat to
Ohio. The Michigan militia who had not joined the army were paroled, on condition of not serving during the present war. No provision was made for the unfortunate Canadians who had joined Gen. Hull, or accepted his protection. They
were left exposed to suffer as traitors; nine were executed at one time, and several
more afterward. Gen. Hull in this measure took counsel only from his own fears.
He held no council of war, knowing that all his officers would be opposed to the
surrender. In his official report he expressly exempts them from any share in the
disgracefill transaction.
The British force at Malden at the time Gen. Hull entered Canada, and until
the 12th of August, consisted of one hundred regular troops, four hundred Cana dian militia, and several hundred Indians. After the arrival of Gen. Brock with
his reinforcements, the whole amounted to three hundred and thirty regulars, four
hundred militia, and six hundred Indians. The troops surrendered by Gen. Ihull
amounted to twentv-five hundred. consisting of two troops of cavalry one compa
ny of artillery, the fourth United States regiment, and detachments from the first
and third; three regiments of Ohio volunteers, and one regiment of Michigan
militia amounting to about twelve hundred. By this capitulation the British ob
tained 2,500 muskets stacked on the esplanade at the time of the surrender, 45C
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MICHIGAN.
brought in by the detachment under I'Arthur and Cass, 700 received from the
M.iehigan niliti.t, thirty-three pieces of ordnance, one thousand rounds of fixed
amlmiuniition, 2'00 tuns of ball, 200 cartridges of,rape shot, 75,000 nmusket cartrid es made up, 24 rounds ill the possession of each man, 60 barrels of gunpowder, 150 tuns of lead, provisions for the army for 25 dtays in the fbrt, and a ltrge
eseJirt it the lliver Raisin. An event so disgr,rceful to the American arins did not
fit. to excite universal indignation. Wthen M'Arthur's sword was demanded, he
in(iignaintly broke it, tore the epaulets from his shoulders, and threw himself on
th,),round.
John Kinzie, Indian trader, so long identified with the annals of Chiecago,
was, at the timne of the surrender, residing, in Detroit. In "Wau-bun, the
'Early Day' in the North-west," is given this narrative, which shows the
conduct of the British to their prisoners in no pleasing light:
It hadl beeir a stipulation of Gent. Hull, at the surrendler of Detroit, that the inhabitants
of that place should be permitted to remain undi-sturb)ed in thleir homes. Accordingly the
fanlilv of MAr. Kit zie took up their quarters with their friends in the old iiiaiision, which
many will still recollect as standing onr the north-east corner of Jefl'ersoll-averlue and
Wa vne-street.
The feelings of indignation and svrnpa(tliv w ere constantly aroused in the hearts of the
citizens during the winter that ensued. 1 ley wecre almost daily called upon to witness the
cruelties ipracticed upon the Aneicucni prisoners brought in by their Indian captors. Thlose
who could scarcely drag thleir wounded, bleeding feet over the frozen ground, were coIImpelled to dance for the amusemenrt of the sarvages, aind these exhibitions sometimes took
place before the Government House, the residence of Col. McKee. Some of the British
oflieers looked on from their windows at these he-rtreirdilig performances; for the lhonor
of hlunranity we will hope such instances w ei e rare.
Ev-ervthilig that could be made avail.able among the effects of the citizens were offered,
to ransom their couiti-vmeni from the hanrds of these inhuman beings.'I ie prisoners
brought in from the River RrisiII-those uniortuntitte ireci who were permitted rifter their
surrelider to Gen. ProctOr, to be tortured anid murdered bv iniches by his savage -llies, excited the sympatlies atiId called for the taction of the whole community. Priv-.ate houses
were ttiried into hospitals. and every one was foi-rward to get possession of.as marry as possible of the survivors.'o effect thlis, even the articles of their apparel were bartered by
tihe la(lies of Detroit, as they watched from their doors or windows the miserable victims
carried about for sale.
In the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie one large room was devoted to the reception of the sufferers. Few of them survived. Among those spoken of as objects of the deepest interest were two young gentlemen of Kentucky, brothers, both severely wounded, and their
wounds aggravated to a mortal degree by subsequent ill-usage anid lhardsl-hips. Their solicitu(le for each other, and their exhibitionl ill variois ways of the most tender fraternal
,iffection, created an impressioni never to be lorgotten.
Mr. Kinzie joined his family at Detroit ill the month of Ja.nuary. A short time after
uspicions arose in the mind of Gen. Proctor that he was ill correspondence with Geri. t.arrison, who was now at Fort Meigs, aind who was believed to be meditating all advance up)n Detroit. Lieut. Watson of the British ailiiy waited upon Mr. Kinzie ouie day, with air
invitation to the quarters of Gen. Proctor, on the opposite side of the river, saying he
wished to speak with him oI1 business. Quite urisuspicious, he complied with the inivitation, wheni to his surprise hie was ordered into confinlemenlt, and strictly guarded in the
house of his former partner, Mr. Patterson, of Sandwicih. Finding that lie did liot return
o his home, Mrs. Kinzie informed some of the Inidian chiiefs, his particuirr friends, who
mmediately repaired to the head-quarters of the commanidino officcr, demanded their
"friiend's" release, and brought him back to his home. After waiting a time until a favoraible opportunitv presented itself, the general sent a detachmerrt of dragoons to arrest
him. Tlrey had succeeded in cairriig himn away, aind crossing the river with him. Just
at this moment a party of fiiendlv Inidians made their appearance.
"NVhere is the Shaw-ilee-aw-kee?" was the first question. "There," replied his wife,
pointing across the river, "in the hands of the red-coats, who are taking him away
agaiin."
The Indianls ran to the river, seized some clinoes that they found there, and crossing
Over to Sandwich, compelled Gen. Proctor a second time to forego his intentions.
A third time this officer was more successful, and succeeded in arresting Mr. Kinzie and
coniveying him heavily ironed to Fort Malden, in Canada, at the mouth of the Detroit
River. Here he was at first treated with great severity, but after a time the rigor of his
263
MICHIGAN.
confinement was somewhat relaxed, and he was permitted to walk on tbohe bank of the
river for air and exercise.
Oil the 10th of September, as he was taking his promenade under the close supervision
of a guard of soldiers, the whole party were startled by the sound of guns upon Lake Erie,
at no great distance below. What could it mean? It must be Commodore Barclay firing
into some of the Yankees. The firing continued. The time allotted the prisoner for his
daily walk expired, but neither he nor his guard observed the lapse of time, so anxio.lsly
were they listening to what they now felt sure was an engagement between ships of war.
At length Mr. Kinzie was reminded that the hour for his return to confinement had arrived.
He petitioned for another half-hour.
"Let me stay," said he, " till we can learn how the battle has gone."
Very soon a sloop appeared under press of sail, rounding the point, and presently two
gun-boats in chase of her.
"She is running-she bears the British colors," cried he, "yes, yes, they are lowering
-she is striking her flag! Now," turning to the soldiers, "I will go back to prison coIltented-I know how the battle has gone."
The sloop was the Little Belt, the last of the squadron captured by the gallant Perry on
that memorable occasion which he announced in the immortal words:-" We have met the
enemy, and they are ours!"
Matters were growing critical, and it was necessary to transfer all prisoners to a place
of greater security than the frontier was now likely to be. It was resolved, therefore, to
send Mr. Kinzie to the mother country. Nothing has ever appeared, which would explain
the course of Gen. Proctor, in regard to this gentleman. He had been taken from the
bosom of his family, where he was living quietly under the parole which he had received,
and protected by the stipulations of the surrender. He was kept for months in confinement. Now he was placed on horseback under a strong guard, who announced that they
had orders to shoot him through the head if he offered to speak to a person upon the road.
He was tied upon the saddle in a way to prevent his escape, and thus they sat out for
Quebec. A little incident occurred,which will help to illustrate the course invariably pursued toward our citizens at this period, bv the British army on the north-western frontier.
The saddle on which Mr. Kinzie rode lhad not been properly fastened, and owing to the
rough motion of the animal on which it was, it turned, so as to bring the rider into a most
awkward and painftl position. His limbs being fastened, he could not disengage himself,
and in this manner he was compelled by those who had charge of him to ride until he was
nearlv exhausted, before they had the humanity to release him.
Arrived at Quebec, he was put on board a small vessel to be sent to England. The vessel when a few days out at sea was chased by an American frigate and driven into Halifax. A second time she set sail, when she sprung a leak and was compelled to put back.
']'he attempt to send hinm across the ocean was now abandoned, and hlie was returned to
Quebec. Another step, equally inexplicable with his arrest, was now taken. This was
l,is release and that of Mr. Macomb, of Detroit, who was also in confinement in Quebec,
and the permission given them to return to their firiends anid families, although the war
was ilot vet ended. It may possibly be imagined that in the treatment these gentlemen
received, the British commauder-in-chief sheltered himself under the plea of their being
"native born British subjects," and perhaps wheni it was ascertained that Mr. Kilzie was
indeed a citizen of the Uniited States, it was thought safest to release him.
Ini the meantime, Gen. Harrisoii at the head of' his troops had reached Detroit. He
ln)ded on the 29th September. All the citizens went forth to meet him-Mrs. Kinzie,
leading her children by the hand, was of the number. The general accompanied her to
her home, and took up his abode there.
Watson visited Detroit in the sunimner of 1818, and has given in his Reminiscences a sketch of his visit, descriptive of what then fell under his notice
here:
Here I am at the age of sixty in Detroit, seven hundred miles west of Albany. I little
d earmed thirty years ago, that I should ever tread upon this territory...
'I'lie location of Detroit is eminently pleasant, being somewhat elevated, and boldly frontii'g it beautiful river. The old town has been burnt, which was a cluster of miserable
s ructures picketed in and occupied by the descendants of Frenchmen, who pitched their
tents lieie earlv iii the seventeenth century in prosecution of the fur trade. The city is
Inow laid out upon a large scale, the streets splcious, and crossing at right angles. rhe
main str,eet is called Jeflerson-avenue, and stretches the whole length of the city. Detroit must always be the emporium of a vast and fertile interior. By the existing estimation of the value of real estate here, it has, I think, been greatly overrated. Commerce
P C, 4
MICHIGAN.
is iangui:h~ng, and.agiicultnre at its lowest degradation. In proof of this, I saw at the
Grand Mrie, four miles north of the city, a large, clumsy, wooden plow, such as doubt
less me.e in use iii Fraiece, at the period of the emigration from that country of the ancestors of this people. It was drawn by two ycke of oxen and two horses, anid was coliducted by three men, who were making as much noise as if they were moving a barn.
The most attractive object I have seen on this beautiful river are its innumerable.lnd
lox elv isSainds, most of which are cultivated. The dense forest approaches in close proxincite to the citv, and spretds over a level surface quite into the interior. From the highest point of elev tion I could attain, I discerned no uplands, all was a dead plain. The land
belongs to the gov ernment, and is of the richest qnality, but has hitherto been represented
as uiihetlthy. The territory of Michigani has not been adequately explored; but while I
was atL Detroit, several parties of enterprising aid energetic young men penetrated into
the woods with packs on their shoulders to investigate, and returned with the most glow.
ilig and flattering accounts of a country of the choicest land, generally undulating, and
requiring nothlilng but the vigorous arm of industry to convert it into the gralnary of
America.
'lhe near approach of the wilderness to Detroit, brings the howling wolvt(e within a
short distance of the citv, alid I was frequeitly clled on to listen to their shrill cries in
the citlm, hot nights. The niiiimerous and large olt orchardts of the finest apples, originally imlpo,rted froini Fiaiice,.iiid thie extensive filsheries of white fish in the vicinity, greatly
augment the wsealth and cmft'ort of the people. Although possessing the most fertile soil
such is the writelted cliitr, ctei of their agriculture, that the inhabitants are mainly depeudeit upon the younllgl ild thriving state of Ohio, toir their supplies of poik, beef,breadstuffs, and even ofi potatoes.
F.s vitew of the State Ihouse at Lanisingq.
The engraviiir slhows the front or the eastern side of the Niclhigan State Capitol. One of the Union
Public Shoots is seenin the distanvce (; the left, aiid the State building containing the office of th ecretary of State, Auditor, etc., on the ui,ght.
I daily notice squaws fighting in the streets like wild-cats, and in conditions too revolting to describe. They lay about the city like swine, begging for cats and dogs,,Which
they devour at the river side half-cooked. The most disgusting and loathsome sight I
ever witnessed, was that of a coarse, fat, half-naked( Indian, as filthy as a beast, uu ler a
tree immediately in fiont of my son's residence, fillino his mouth with whisky uOii"! his
cheeks were completely distended, and then two or three squaws iii succession suckingr it
out of the corners. I called my daughter-in-law to see the revolting sight, but she as
sured me it was nothing unusual, and that the practice was common with this tribe of Indians. I often visited the fort that my old friend liull so fatallv and ignominiously surrendered. Col. Mvers, who was in command of Fort George at its capture, informed me
while a prisoner in Pittsfield, that one half of Brock's army, at the surrender of DetroiT,
wore Cainadian militia dressed in British red coats.
LANSING, the capital of Michigan, is situated on both sides of Grand
River, here a large mill stream, 85 miles N. W. of Detroit, 20 from St. Johns
on the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and 40 from Jackson on the Central
265
MICHIGAN.
Railroad. The town, which is laid out on an extended plan, has at present
a scattered appearance. The state capitol (of wood) was erected in the summer of 1547, at an expense of about $15,000. The state agricultural college
is situated three and a half miles east from the capital, and has a model farm of
about 700 acres: it is crowded with pupils, and the noble example set by
Mlichig'n, in founding this institution, has been followed by several other
states. The house of Correction, for juvenile offenders, opened in 1S56, is
ab)out three fourths of a mile east from the capital. In 1852, a plank road
to Detroit was constructed, at an expense of $130,000. Plank roads also
connect it with Jackson and Marshall. Population about 3,000.
The lands comprising the northern part of Lansing were first entered from the
United States. in 1836, by James Seymour, Frederic Bushnell, and Charles M. Lee,
of Rochester, New York. The first settler was John W. Burchard, a young lawyer,
who bought, on the east side of G(rand River, 109 acres of James Seymiour, situated
at the lower town bridge extending up the river to the school section. He built a
log cablin still standing in the rear of the Seymour IHIouse. This was in 1843; and
in June of the same year, he removed his family to this place, and iummiediately
commenced building a saw-mill and dam. In the spring of 1844, he was drowned
while amusing himself, in a boat, at the sheet of water which fell over the dam,
which lhe had constructed. Approaching too near, his boat was overturned, and
he perished amid the eddying waters. lie was buried at Mason, 12 miles distant,
unnversally lamnented. lie was a man of much promise, and was the first prosecuting attorney in the county. On the death of Mr. Burchard, his fumnily left the
place. and the settlement was, for a short time, abandoned, and the lands and improvements reverted back to Mr. Seymour.
In Augt. 1844, Mr. Seymour employed Joab Page, and his two sons-in-law, Whit.
ney Smith and Geo. D. Pease, all of Mason, to finish the mill, etc. All these
lived in h-urchard's log house for several years.
Ia Jan. 1847, Mr. Seymour madle a proposition to the legislature of Michigan,
that if they would remove the seat of governmnent on to his lands, lie would give
20) acres, erect the capitol and buildings for the use of the state. This offer, however, was not accepted; but they passed an act to locate the capital in the township. A commission was appointed, consisting of the commissioner of the land
office, ftLmes Seymour, and Messrs. Townsend and Brother, of New York, to make
a definite location. The commission selected a spot on which to erect a capitol
building, one mile from the Burchard Mill, on section 16, called the "School Section." The commission, in May of the same year, united in laying out a town
plat, two and one fourth miles long, and one wide, comprising both sides of the
river. At this period there were no settlers on the tract but the Page family, whose
nearest neighbors, on the south and east, were four and a half miles distant, and
one settler, Justus Gilkley, a mile and a half to the north-west. Within a few
weeks after the town was laid out, one thousand persons moved into the
place.
The following are the names of some of the first settlers besides those already
mentioned:
E. B. Danforth, D. L. Case, James Turner, Charles P. Bush, George W. Peck,
John Thomas, Whitney Jones, A. T. Crossman, Henry C. Walker, C. C. Darling,
Dr. B. S. Taylor, J. C. Bailey, M. W. Quackenbush.
Lansing received its name from Lansing in New York, from which some of the
settlers had emigrated. The first public worship in the place was held in the Burchard log house, by the Methodist traveling preachers. In 1849, the Methodists
and Presbyterians united in building the first church in the place, now solely occupied by the Methodists. The first Presbyterian clergyman here, was the Rev.
S. Millard, from Dexter. The first school was kept in a little shanty built in 1847
and stood near the Seymour House. The first physician was a Dr. Smith, who,
soon after his arrival in 1847, died of a fever in Page's lo, house. The first postmaster was George W. Peck, who, for a time, kept the office in Bush and Townsend's store, near the upper town bridge. The first framed house in the township
266
MICHIGAN.
was erected in 1847, by James Turner, a native of New York, whose ancestors
were from New London, Connecticut. This building is now standing, about, 40
rods below the lower town bridge.
Southeirn view of the Penitentiary at Jackson.
Showing its appearance as seen from the railroad.
JACKSON is a large, thriving, and well-built town, on the line of the
Michigan Central Railroad, on and near the head of Grand River, 76 umiles
W. fiomn Detroit, an-l 32 S. from Lansing, the capital. The streams here
afford excellent water power, and, the soil is well adapted to grass or grain.
Coal and an abundance of white sand-stone and lime-stone are found in the
vicinity. The inhabitants are extensively engaged in the manufactures of
flour, leather, iron ware, machinery, etc. It contains the county buildings,
a branch of the state university, the state penitentiary, 7 churches, and several
banks. Its situation and facilities for travel give it a large trade. Population about 9,500.
"In this, Jackson county, the matter of mining coal has recently become
an enterprise of considerable magnitude. There are several'workings' of
coal in the vicinity of Jackson, and companies have been formed for the purpose of mining coal. Considerable coal has been mined and sold firom these
different workings and mines. The principal mine, and one which in all its
arra,ngements and provisions, is equal to any mine in the country, is that of
the D)etroit and Jackson Coal and Minin, Company. The works of this
company are at Woodville station, on the line of the Michigan Central Railroad, about three and a half miles west of Jackson citv. The mine is situated
on the north side of the railroad, and about half a mile from the main track.
The Coal Company have built a side track from the Central Road to the
mouth of their shaft. The shaft from which the coal is taken, is 90 feet
deep, and at the bottom passes through a vein of coal about four feet in
thickness. This vein has been opened in different directions, for several
hundred feet from the shaft, and with a tram road through the different
entries the coal is reached and brought from the rooms to the shaft, and
thei-i lifted by steamn to the surface. This coal has been transported to
dilfferent points in the state, and is rapidly coming into use for all ordinary
purposes, taking the place of many of the Ohio coals, and at a reduced
cost. The existence of valuable beds of coal, in Central Michigan, has
only been determined within the past few years. Beside the openings in
this county, there have been others made at Owesso and Corunna, in Shiawassee county; at Flint in Genesee county, and at Lansing. Most of these
have been upon veins outcropping at the surface of the ground."
267
Aldr&ia, a flourishling town, is situated on a branch of the Raisin River,
and on the Miechigan Southern Railroad, 80 miles S. E. from Lansing; 37T
W. from Monroe, and 70 W. S. W. from Detroit. The Erie and Kalamazoo
Railroad, which was opened in 1836, connects the town with Toledo, 32
miles distant; and the Southern Railroad was extended westward to Chicago,
in 1852. Adrian was incorporated as a city in 1853. Being in the midst
of a fine, fertile, farming region, it has, since the construction of its railroads,
increased with rapidity. It has several flouring mills, foundries, machine
shops, etc.; 10 houses of worship, and about 6,000 inhabitants.
The village was surveyed and platted in 1828, by Addison J. Comstock, who
made a location in 1826, and having erected a shanty, he brought his family here
in the spring of 1827, and was soon joined by Noah Norton and others.'].he first
sermon preached in the place, was in 1827, by Rev. John Janes, of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, at the house occupied by Mr. Norton. in 1830 a Methodist
Church was organized. Other churches were soon after established by the Bap
tists and Presbyterians. The first house of worship was erected in 1832, on Churcl
street, by the Presbyterians: it was afterward sold to the Episcopalians, and i.
now owned by the Methodists.'I'he first framed school house was erected in tht
winter of 1831-2. It stood at the corner of Main and Winter-streets, and was used
for some time, for the double purpose of school and church. Mr. Comstock built
a saw miill in 1827, and soon after a flouring mnill, the only one for many miles
around.'The seat of justice for Lenawee county was removed from T'ecumseh to
Adrian, in 1836. The city received its name from Mrs. Comstock. James Sword
was the first mayor. Mr. S. is a native of the county of Kent, in En(gland; L.ec was
a soldier in the Peninsular war, in Spain, and was in several important battles at
that period. The Leiiacwee Repu?blican and Adi-iami Gazette, R. W. In,gal!s, editor
and proprietor; the first paper in the county, w.is issued Oct. 22. 1834. Its name
has been changfed to"Te Watch Tower." In 1843, the Messrs. Jermain commcnce(d the publication of the "Expositor." The first physician was Dr. Orlisby,
the second Dr. lebee, who died of the smli(l pox, and the third, Dr. P. J. Spalding,
who came to Adrian in 1832.
A,?rt Arbor, the county seat of Washtenaw county, is on Huron River, and
on the Michigan Central Railroad. It is 37 miles W. from Detroit, and 51
southerly from Lanrsing. It is
considered one of the most beau tifully situated places in the
___f l ____state. The site of the city is
elevated, dry, and healthy, and
it is regularly laid out. The
state university, in this place,
________ =was established in 1837, and is
now a flourishing and well en dowed institution. The literary
UNIVESITY OF MICGA. department was opened in 1841;
UIVN1ERSITY OF MICHXIGAN'..
the medical department in 1849,
and in 1853 a scientific course was added. The buildings are large, in an
elevated, commanding, and pleasant situation. Ann Arbor is surrounded by
in excellent farming district, has considerable trade and manufactures of vaiiouts kinds. Population about 6,000.
MONROE is near the head of Lake Erie, on one of the branches of the
Michigan Southern Railroad, 41 miles from Detroit and 24 from Toledo, by
the railroad connecting those cities. It is on both sides of the River Raisin,
2 miles from its entrance into the lake. It has a fine harbor, and the soil
268
MICHIGAN.
MICHIGAN.
i, a limestone formation which fuirnishes inexhaustible quarries for the manu facture of limne. Population about 4,000.
This point formerly called FRENCHTOWN, and sometimes the settlement of
the l'icc Reo;si, is one ot'f the most noted in the history of Michigan. The
following details are communicated
-_, = ~ for this work, by Edwin Willits,
Esq., of Monroe, who has given
much attention to the investigation
of the history of this section:
Monroe was one of the earliest set -g Nil- - - tlements in the state of Michigan, a
X-~ E ~~ A dzsmall body of Canadians and French
having settled there in 1784. In 1794,
Detroit and Frenchtown (Moproe) were
the principal towns on the eastern side
of the peninsula. The latter consisted,
-.....~ however, of only a few log cabins bor WVIN-CHESTER's }IEAD QU,ItTsRs, dering both banks of the River Raisin,
the claims on which they wore situated
On the River Raisin. being narrow and running back from
This house, modernized, is now the Epis,copal par- the river a long distance. The cultisonago iln Monroe. It is oflien logs: the inmneys vated portions of the claims lay next to
were built of stone from the river bed a fw yards,
distant, id the original for of the ose in the the river, and were inclosed by pickets
usual style of the French settlers, with a very steep which were very substantial, bteirng split
roof. The grove of pa-trees i the rear is s- out roughly from logs,and driven or set in
pose,d to be over 70 years old.
the ground closely together. The
first American settlement was established there in ] 793, and soon after a Catholic
chapel w-as erected for the French.
The region around about Frenchtown was originally inhabited and claimed by
the Pottawatomie Indians. At a treaty concluded at Fort McIntosh in 1785, these
Indians and other tribes ceded to the United States a strip of territory six miles
wide, extending from the southern bank of the River Raisin to Lake St. Clair.
As late as the year 1800, the Pottawatomies had a village of a thousand warriors,
beside their wives and children, at what is now called Chase's Mill, on the River
Raisin, eight miles west of the city of Monroe. Their huts were made of bark, and
were thatched with wild grass. This was their permanent dwelling place, save
when they were absent on hunting expeditionis. They cultivated the flat between
the high grounds and the river for their cornfields: they were peaceable when
sober.
At HIull's treaty at Detroit, in 1807, the Indians ceded to the United States about
14 of the present counties in the eastern part of Michiglan, and two and one half
counties in northern Ohlio. After this, therefore, the Pottawatomies abandoned
their village near Monroe, and moved west. They reserved, however, a tract of
land in Monroe county, three miles square, called the Macon Reservation, 14 miles
from the mouth of the River Raisin.
in 1805, there were, according to the report of Judge Woodward, 121 settlements, or firms, on the River Raisin. These, however, must have included the
nei.ghboring settlement on Sandy and other creeks, as there could scarcely have
been that number on the River Raisin, according to the memory of the oldest settlers. At this time there was no village, nor any collection of houses nearer than
they would naturally be on the narrow French claims. In 1807 a block house and
stocka:le were built on the spot now occupied by the residence of Hon. Charles
Noble; they were erected for the protection of the people from the Indians. The
stockade was an acre in size, surrounded with pickets 12 feet high, and 12 to 15
inches through, set closely together, forming a very substantial defense. For some
time the upper part of the block house was used to hold courts in, and the lower
part was the prison.
269
In consequence of the fact, that the settlement of the River Raisin was on the
direct road from Detroit to Ohio, it was deemed a post of considerable importance
during the difficulties that preceded, as well as during the actual hostilities of the
war of 1S12. Detroit depended, in a great measure, on Ohio and Kentucky for
men an(l provisions, and as these, since Gen. htull had cut a narrow waNgon road
through, would pass through Frenchtown, it was of importance that the place
shoul(l be kept out of the hands of the enemy, who could easily cross over from
Canada and cut off the supplies before they reached Detroit. For this reason,
MIonroe became the scene o'f actual warfare, not on a very extended scale, it is true,
but worthy of record among the incidents of the war of 1812.
Just previous to, or about the first of August, 1812, Col. Brush was sent from
Ohio at the head of two companies of Ohio militiia, with 3 or 400 cattle, and a large
stock of provisi ns, and some arms and amnmunition for Gen. H-ull, then in comin and of the American troops, at Detroit. 1:-le (got as fitr as F1'renchtown, but learning that a large partv of British and Indians had been sent out'from i Malden,
Canada, to intercept him at Brownstown, a place some')) miles from Frenchtowri
on the road( to Detroit, iand fearirng to advance fairtherwithout assistance from Geri.
Hlull, le o( cupied the block house and stockade. Two expeditions were sent ou,t
by Gen. 11 il to relie e Col. lBrus-li.'Ihe first consistinr of 2?)0 men under Maj. Van
Horn, fill into an ainbutsc.Lde of Indians at Brownstown, on the 8th of Autiust, and,
after ti litin g4allantlv against a hidden and superior force, lie thought it best, as
his forci, \vits evidently too small, to return to I)etroit, leaving 18 dtead on the field.
Ihe seconl expeditio.l wis made by Col. Miller, on thie 9tli of August, with 600
men, ho inet, f,unglt and dlispersed, after a desperate battle, a large body of
Britisi Lando I ndians at MAon ua,'on,.1 place 15) miles below 1)etroit. TIle British
were eCoil iLn/del b)y IMaj. M-uir, tile Indiains by the cele bralted Indian warrior and(
stlte~smau, I'eeumseh. twho, on that day, lOb(ult with desperate valor, anld ailthlio(ugh
wo'in(led, iiintained his (,roun(i while the British re,,ulars rase way. Col. MIiller
was ol)li,ed to await provisions l)-(")re he couldl advance further toward the Raisin,
an(,l WsIS fin illv ordereid I, i.k lI-)v (,en. hlull, who feared or expecte(-l an attack on
Detroit. A-rra.nfeinents were now inade to convey Col. BIrush and the supplies in
his charg,e by a mor e circuitous and less exposed route, which had been traveled by
JaImes Ki iars, who had carried a letter from Col. Brush to Gen. Ifull. In order
to effect this, Colonels MicAi thur and Cass were sent to his relief with 3.5() of the
best troops on the 13th of August, but tlhey had not arrived at the Raisin before
the surrender of Detroit to the British, which occurred the 16th of August, their
command, as well as that of Col. Brush and his supplies, being included in the
capitulation.
In order to secure the force under Col. Brush and the supplies in his chiargc,
Capt. Elliott, a British officer, accompanied by a Frenchman and a \Vyand(,t In.
dian, was sent to Frenchtown with a copy of the capitulation. Col. ]rtrslh, learning from his scouts that Capt. Elliott was coming, with _ _ woods, aflorded the
- -= Kentucky riflemen a
l,ine opportunity t o
shoot the enemy down
as they were advanc ~ — ~_:- log:_:~ in. An attempt was
Is -~ i~~- - tlien made by the Brit sis to use a field piece
SITE OF THE STOCKADE ON THE I,IVPR RAISIN. just at the edge of the
Thle upper camp and where the wounded prisoners were massacred after woods, by which they
their surrender, was on the site of the large house on the extreme left. hoped to prostrate the
The site of the lower camp appears in the distance below. The view was ikt d
taken from the railroad bridge on the Toledo, Monroe and Detroit R.R. pi Ces a n duatter
down the houses, but
the Kentuckians with their sharpshooters picked the men off as fast as they attempted to load it, so that they were forced to abandon the attack and suffer a repulse.
While these things were happening at the upper camp, a far different state of
things existed at the lower one. The attack of the Indians was so impetuous, the
position so indefensible, and the American force so inadequate, consisting of only
200 men, that, notwithstanding the bravery of Col. Wells and his men, it wals impossible to retain the position. Cols. Lewis and Allen attempted to take a rein
C) -)
i -
MICHIGAN.
forcnent to tihe rilght wilng, to enable Col. Wells to retreat. up the river on the ice,
under c(over of the lhigh bank, to the upper camp. But before they arrived at thlo
lowver camp, the fire of the savages had become so galling that aells was
fbrced to abandon his position. This he attempted to do in good order, 1bit aS soon
as his men be(gan to give way, the Indians redoubled their cries and the iiipetuosity of their attack, so that the retreat speedily became a rout. in this condition
they were met by Col. Allen, who made every effort to call them to order and leiad
them in safety to the upper camp. But, notwithstanding the heroic exertion~ of
Col. Aller, and his earnest protestations and commands, they continued thleir disordered flight, and from some unaccountable reason, probably throughl an irresistible panic, caused by the terrible cries and onslautght of the savagres, instead
of continuing up the river to the upper camp, they fled diagonally across
to the [Iul] road, so called, which led to Maumee, and attempted to escape
to Ohio. And now the flight became a carnage. The Indians seeing the
disorder of the Americans, who thought of nothing save running for their
lives, and escaping the tomahawks of the savages, having warriors posted all
along( the woods whi-ch lined or were within a short distance of the river, now
raised the cry that the Americans were flying, which cry was echoed by thousands
of warriors, who all rushed to the slpt and outstripped the fleeing soldiers. Some
follo-.,,-d tihemi closely in their tracks and brained them with their tonmahaw.ks from
nehind; soine posted th..,ffi ~.OdFrt. Mi.hlmo
/ i Ct~, and sit. oef Ih "'-.~
71/:) = / imassacre of a British I
Garrison in 1763,.
' -11CHIG AN; —SOUT.IIERN
~~ Ad PENIPENINSULA
Map of Mackinaw and vicinity.
the work of destruction, the Indians, about four hundred in number, entertaining
apprehensions that they would be attacked by the English, and the Indians who
had joined them, took refuge on the Island of Mackinaw, Wawatam fearing that
Henry would be butchered by the savages in their drunken revels, took him out to
a cave, where he lay concealed for one night on a heap of human bones. As the
fort was not destroyed, it was subsequently reoccupied by British soldiers, and the
removal to the island did not take place until about the year 1780."
The station on the island was called New Mackinaw, while the other, on
the main land, has since been termed Old Mackinaw. The chapel, fort, and
college, at the latter place, have long since passed away, but relics of the
stone walls and pickets remain to this day. To the Catholic, as the site of
their first college in the north-west, and one of their earliest mission stations,
this must be ever a spot of great interest.
19
I
289
MICHIGAN.
New Mackinaw formerly received its greatest support from the fur trade,
when in the hands of the late John Jacob Astor, being at that time the outfitting and furnishing place for the Indian trade. This trade became extinct
in 1834, and the place since has derived its support mainly from the fisheries.
The Isle of Mackinaw, in modern times, has been a prominent point for
Protestant missions among the Indians. The first American missionary was
the Rev. David Bacon, who settled here in 1802, under the auspices of the
Connecticut Missionary Society, the oldest, it is believed, in America. This
gentleman was the father of Dr. Leonard Bacon, the eminent New England
divine, who was born in Michigan. Prior to settling at Mackinaw, Mr. Bacon
attempted to establish a mission upon the Maumee. The Indians in council
listened to his arguments for this object, with due courtesy: and then, through
one of their chiefs, Little Otter, respectfully declined. The gist of the reply
is contained in the following sentence:
BROT-rHER- Your religion is very good, but it is only good for white people.
It will not do for Indians: they are quite a different sort of folks.
Old Mackinaw, or Mackinack, is the site of a recently laid out town, 3lac7ckimaw City, which, its projectors reason, bids fair to become eventually an important point. Ferris says, in his work on the west: "If one were to point
out, on the map of North America, a site for a great central city in the lake
region;, it would be in the immediate vicinity of the Straits of Mackinaw. A
city so located would have the command of the mineral trade, the fisheries,
the furs, and the lumber of the entire north. It might become the metropolis -of a great commercial empire. It would be the Venice of the Lakes."
The climate would seem to forbid such a consummation; but the temperature of this point, softened by the vast adjacent bodies of water, is much
milder than one would suppose from its latitude: north of this latitude is a part
of Canada which now contains a million of inhabitants. Two important railroads, running through the whole of the lower peninsula of Michigan, are to
terminate at this point-one passing through Grand Rapids, and the other
through Saginaw City. These are building by the aid of extensive land
grants from the general government to the state, and are to give southern Micihigan a constant communication with the mineral region in the upper peninsula,
from which she is now ice locked five or six months in the year, and which,
in time is destined to support a large and prosperous population. The mineral region is also to have railroad communications through Wisconsin south,
and through Canada east to the Atlantic, extensive land grants having been
.made by the American and Canadian governments for these objects, comprising in all many millions of acres.
The Beaver Islands are a beautiful cluster of Islands in Lake Michigan,
in the vicinity of Mackinaw. Big Beaver, the largest of them, contains
about 25.000 acres, and until within a few years was in the possession of a
band,of Mormons.
WVhen the Mormons were driven from Nauvoo, in 1845, they were divided into
three factions-the Twelveites, the Rigdonites, and the Strangites. The Twelveites
were those who emigrated to Utah, the Rigdonites were the followers of Sidney Rigdon, and were but few in number, and the Strangites made Beaver Island their headquarters. Their leader, Strang, ayoung lawyer originally of western N. York, claimed
to have a revelation from God, appointing him the successor of Joe Smith. "These
Mormons heldthe entire control of the main island, and probably would have continued to do so for some time, but from the many depredations committed by-them,
the neighboring fishermen and others living and trading on the coasts, became determined to root out this band of robbers and pirates, as they believed them to be.
MICHIGAN.
After organiizing a strong force, they made an attack upon these Mormons, and
succeeded, though meeting with obstinate resistance, in driving them from the
island. The attacking party found concealed a large number of hides and other
goods, which were buried to avoid detection. The poor, deluded followers of this
monstrous doctrine are now dispersed. Some three or four hundred were sent to
Chicago, and from thence spread over the country. Others were sent to ports on
Lake Erie. Strang was wounded by one of the men he had some time previous to
this attack robbed and beaten. He managed to escape the island, but died in Wisconsin shortly after, in consequence of his wounds."
SAULT DE STE. MARIE, the county seat of Chippewa county, is situated
_~_ ~on St. Marys River, or Strait, 400 miles
1 — m =N.W. of Detroit, ard about 18 from the
l —- ~_~__ _ -=entrance of Lake Superior. The vil lage has an elevated situation, at the
Falls of St. Mary, and contains about
_~_|_ ~ 1,000 inhabitants. It is a famous fish ing place, immense quantities of white
__ =. m _, ~fish being caught and salted here for the
~_ -ye -~! _marklets of the west. The falls are
[I~~~~~~~ merely rapids, having a descent of 22
TUE SAULT OR FALLS OF ST. MARY. feet in a mile. The Sault Ste. Marie is
The view is looin down the Rapids. one of the prominent historic localities
of the north-west.
On the 17th of September, 1641, the Fathers Jogues and Raymbault embarked
in their frail birch bark canoes for the Sault Ste. Marie. They floated over the clear
waters between the picturesque islands of Lake Huron, and after a voyage of seventeen days arrived at the Sault. Here they found a large assembly of Chippewas.
After numerous inquiries, they heard of the Nadowessies, the famed Sioux, who
dwelt eighteen days' journey further to the west, beyond the Great Lake. Thus
did the religious zeal of the French bear the cross to the banks of the St. Mary
and the confines of Lake Superior, and look wistfully toward the homes of the
Sioux in the valley of the Mississippi, five years before the New England Elliott
had addressed the tribe of Indians that dwelt within six miles of Boston harbor."
In 1668, James Marquette and Claude Dablon founded a mission here. During
the whole of the French occupancy of the west, this was a great point for their
missions and fur traders. In the late war with Great Britain, the trading station
of the British North-west Fur Company, on the Canadian side, was burnt by Maj.
Holmes: this was just before the unsuccessful attack on Mackinaw. Fort Brady,
at this place, was built in 1823, and was at the time the most northerly fortress in
the United States.
Before the construction of the great canal, the copper from the Lake Superior mines was taken around the falls by railway, the cars being drawn by
horses. It has added 1,700 miles of coast to the trade of the lakes, and is
of incalculable advantage to the whole of the business of the Lake Superior
country.
St. Marys Strait, which separates Canada West from the upper peninsula of
Michigan, is about 64 miles long, and is navigable for vessels drawing eight feet
of water to within about a mile of Lake Superior. At this point the navigation is
impeded by the Falls-the "satlt " (pronounced soo) of the river. Congress
offered Michigan 750,000 acres of land to construct a ship canal around these
rapids; and the state contracted to give these lands, free of taxation for five years,
to Erastus Corning and others, on condition of building the canal by the 19th of
slay, 1855. The work was completed in style superior to anything on this continent, and the locks are supposed to be the largest in the world. The canal is 12
feet deep, being mostly excavated through solid sandstone rock. It is 100 feet wide
at the top of the water, and 115 at the top of its banks; and the largest steamboats
291
MICHIGAN.
and vessels which navigate the Great Lakes can pass through it with the greatest
ease.
The Upper Peninsula, or Lake Superior country, of Michigan, has, of late
years, at,racted great attention from its extraordinary mineral wealth,
especially in copper and iron. The territory comprised in it, together with
that portion of the Lake Superior region belonging to the state of Wisconsin, has interests so peculiar to itself, that the project of ceding this
whole tract, by the legislatures of Wisconsin and Michigan, to the general
government, for the purpose of erecting a new state to be called SUPERIOR,
has been seriously agitated and may, in some not distant future, be consummated.
Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water on the globe, is an object of interest to the traveler. It is 1,500 miles in circumference, and in some parts more
than a thousand feet in depth. Among its many islands Isle Royal is the largest,
being nearly of the size of the state of Connecticut. The country along the lake
is one of the most dreary imaginable. Everywhere its surface is rocky and broken;
but the high hills, the rugged precipices, and the rocky shores, with their spare
vegetation, are relieved by the transparency and purity of the waters that wash
their base; these are so clear that the pebbles can often be distinctly seen at the
depth of thirty feet. A boat frequently appears as if suspended in the air, so transparent is the liquid upon which it floats. Among the natural curiosities, the Pictured Rocks and the Doric Arch, on the south shore near the east end, are prominent. The first are a series of lofty bluffs, of a light gray sandstone, 3(t) feet
high, which continue for twelve miles along the shore. They consist of a group
of overhanging precipices, towering walls, caverns, waterfalls, and prostrate ruins.
The Doric Arch is an isolated mass of sandstone, consisting of four natural pillars,
supporting an entablature of the same material, and presenting the appearance of
a work of art. The waters of Lake Superior, being remarkably pure, abound with
fish, particularly trout, sturgeon and white fish, which are an extensive article of
commerce. The siskowit of Lake Superior, supposed to be a cross of the trout
and white fish, is considered by epicures to possess the finest flavor of any fish in
the world, fresh or salt, and to which the brook trout can bear no comparison. It
loses its delicacy of flavor when salted; its common weight is four pounds, and
length 16 inches. So exhilarating is the winter atmosphere here, that it is said
that to those who exercise much in the open air, it produces, not unfreqently; an
inexpressible elasticity and buoyancy of spirits, that can be compared to nothing
else but to the effects of intoxicating drinks.
The climate of the Lake Superior region is not, by any means, so severe
as its northern latitude would indicate. A writer, familiar with it says:
"No consideration is, perhaps, more important to those seeking a country suitable for residence and enterprise, than the character of its climate. Health is the
first, and comfort the next great object, in selecting a permanent abode. Tested
by these qualities, the Lake Superior region presents prominent inducements. Its
atmosphere is drier, more transparenaand bracing than those of the other states on
the same parallel. A healthier region does not exist; here the common diseases
of mankind are comparatively unknown. The lightness of the atmosphere has a
most invigorating effect upon the spirits, and the breast of the invalid swells with
new emotion when he inhales its healthy breezes, as they sweep across the lake.
None of the American lakes can compare with Lake Superior in healthfulness of
climate during the summer months, and there is no place so well calculated to restore the health of an invalid, who has suffered from the depressing miasms of the
fever-breeding soil of the south-western states. This opinion is fast gaining ground
among medical men, who are now recommending to their patients the healthful
climate of this favored lake, instead of sending them to die in enervating southern latitudes.
The waters of this vast inland sea, covering an area of over 32,000 square miles
exercise a powerful influence in modifying the two extremes of heat and cold
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MICHIGAN.
The uniformity of temperature thus produced, is highly favorable to animal and
vegetable life. The most delicate fruits and plants are raised without injury;
w hile four or five degrees further south, they are destroyed by the early frosts. It
s a singular fact, that Lake Superior never freezes in the middle; and along the
;bores, the ice seldom extends out more than fifteen to twenty miles. The temperture of its waters rarely, if ever change, and are almost always at 40 deg. Fahrenieit-the maximum density of water. I rarely omitted taking a morning bath
iuring my exploring cruises along the south shore of the lake, in the months of
August and September, and found the temperature of the water near the shore,
nuch warmer than that along the north shore. I also observed a rise and fall in
,he water or a tidular motion, frequently. In midsummer, the elimate is delightul beyond comparison, while. at the same time, the air is softly bracing. The
,Nrinds are variable, and rarely continue for more than two or three days in the
lame quarter. We have no epidemics, no endemics; miasmatic affections, with
,heir countless ills, are unknown here; and the luster of the languid eye is restored,
he paleness of the faded cheek disappears when brought into our midst. The
,urity of the atmosphere makes it peculiarly adapted to all those afflicted with pulooiiai y complaints, and such a thing as consumption produced by the climate, is
N~hollv unknown. Fever and ague, that terrible scourge of Illinois, Kanzas and
owa, is rapidly driven away before the pure and refreshing breezes which come
i-own from the north-west; and thousands of invalids from the states below, have
,lready found here a safe retreat from their dreaded enemy. It is also a singular
ict, that persons suffering from asthma or phthisis, have been greatly relieved, or,
rt some instances, permanently cured by a residence in this climate. Having had
such experience in camping out on the shores of Lake Superior, sleeping contantly on the sandy beach, with and without a tent, a few feet from the water's
adoe. I would say, give me the open air in summer to the confinement of the best
,ouses ever constructed. It is never very dark in this latitude. and the northern
i,hts are usually risible every clear night. Although myself and companions
here exposed to all kinds of weather on our exploring excursions-with feet wet
,very day, and nearly all day, sleeping on the beach, exposed to heavy dew, yet not
,ne of the party ever suffered from exposure! Dr. Owen, the celebrated United
states geologist, says:'At the Pembina settlement (in latitude 49 deg.), to a popuation of firve thousand, there was but a single physician, and he told me, that with)ut an addition al salary:llowed him by the Hudson Bay Company, the diseases of
'ie settlement would not afford him a living.'"
The Copper districts are Ontonagon, Portage Lake and Kewenaw Point. The
,rincipal iron district, Marquette. The principal mines in the Ontonagon district
re the Minnesota, Central and Rockland; in the Portage Lake, Pewa,ubie, Quincry,
ranklin and Isle Royale; and in the Kewenaw Point, Cliff, Copper Falls, North,est and Central. The value of the copper product, in 1860, was about three milions of dollars.
The existence of rich deposits of copper in the Lake Superior region, has beenrno wn from the earliest times. Father Claude Allouez, the Jesuit missionary, who
)unded the mission of St. Mary, in 1668, says that the Indians respect this lake
s a divinity, and make sacrifices to it, partly, perhaps, on account of its magnilide, or for its goodness in furnishing them with fishes. He farther adds, that be.eath its waters pieces of copper are found of from ten to twenty pounds, which
e sav,ages often preserved as so many divinities. Other published descriptions
tpeak of it. Charlevoix, who visited the west in 1722, says that the copper here
so pure that one of the monks, who was bred a goldsmith, made from it several
acramental articles.
Recent developments show that the mines were probably worked by the same
Mysterious race who, anterior to the Indians, built the mounds and ancient works
,f the west. In the latter have been found various copper trinkets bespangled
.ith silver scales, a peculiar feature of the Lake Superior copper, while on the
b.hores of the lake itself, abandoned mines, filled by the accumulation of ages. have
ecently been re-opened, the existence of which was unknown, even to the tradi
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MICHIGAN.
tions of the present race of Indians. There have been found remains of copper utensils, in the form of knives and chisels; of stone hammers to the amount of
cart loads, some of which are of immense size and weight; of wooden bowls for
boiling water from the mines, and numerous levers of wood, used in raising mass
copper to the surface.
t A K E. t l. - G
- U'- - R I 0MAR
ONT, ~ ~ ~ ~ %
.v I
"I~~~~~~~~~~~~~h,i + l
The Copper and Iron Region on Lake Sutperior.
The first Englishman who ever visited the copper region was Alex. Henry, the
trader. In August, 1765, he was shown by the Indians a mass of pure copper, on
Ontonagon River, ten miles from its mouth, that weighed 3,800 pounds; it is now
in Washington City, and forms part of the Washington monument. He cut off a
piece of 100 lbs. weight with an axe, The first mining company on Lake Superior
was organized by this enterprising explorer. In 1770, he, with two others, having
interested the Duke of Gloucester and other English noblemen, built a barge at
P'oint aux Pius, and laid the keel of a sloop of forty tuns. They were in search
of gold and silver, and expected to make their fortunes. The enterprise failed,
and the American Revolution occurring, for a time caused the mineral resources
of the country to be forgotten.
Dr. Franklin, commissioner for negotiating the peace between England and her
lost colonies, purposely drew the boundary line through Lake Superior, so as to
throw this rich mineral region, of the existence of which he was then aware, within the possession of the United States. He afterward stated that future generations would pronounce this the greatest service he had ever given to his country.
The celebrated Connecticut-born traveler, Capt. Jonathan Carver, visited these
regions in 1769, and in his travels dwells upon their mineral wealth. The first
definite information in regard to the metallic resources of Lake Superior, was published in 1841, by Dr. Dou,glas Houghton, geologist to the state of Michigan. In
1843, the Indian title to the country was extinguished by a treaty with the Chippewas, and settlers came in, among them several Wisconsin miners, who selected
large tracts of land,* including many of those now occupied by the best mines in
the country. In the summer of 1844, the first mining operations were commenced
' By an act of cong ress, in 1850, the mineral lands of Lake Superior were thrown into market, with the right of pre-emption, as to occupants of other public lands; and to occupants
and lessees, the privilege of purchasing one full section at the minimum price of $2 50 per
acre.
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MICHIGAN.
on Eag,le River, by the Lake Superior Copper Colmpany. They sold out after two
or three years' labor, and at the very moment when they were upon a vein which
proved rich in copper, now known as the Cliff Mine.
The first mining operations brought to light many masses of native copper which
contained silver. This caused great excitement in the eastern cities, and, with the
attendant exa,ggerations, brought on" the copper fever," so that the next year, 1845,
the shores of Keweenaw Point were whitened with the tents of speculators. The
next year the fever reached its hight, and speculations in worthless stocks continued until 1847, when the bubble had burst. Many were ruined, and the country allmost deserted, and of the many companies formed few only had actually engaged in mining. They were, mostfv, merely stock gambling schemes. Now,
about one third of all the copper produced on the globe comes from this region.
Such is its surprising richness, that the day may not be very distant when its annual product will exceed the present product from all the other mines worked by
man combined.
We continue this subject from a valuable article, published in 1860, in the
Detroit Tribune, on the copper and iron interest of Michigan. The notes
are entirely from other sources:
This great interest of Michiwan was first broghlt into public notice by the enormous speculations and the mad fever of 1845. The large spur of country which projects far out into the lake, h;ving its base resting on a line drawn across from
L'Anse Bay to Ontona,'oin, and the Porcupine Mountains for its spine, became the
El DoraIdo of all copperdom of that day. In this year the first active operations
were commenced at the Cliff Mline just bLack of Eagle River harbor. Three years
later, in 1,848, work was undertaken at the Mlinesota, some fifteen miles back from
the lake at Ontonagon.
The history of the copper mines on Lake Superior shows that even the best mines
disappointed the owners in the beginning. We give the facts relative to the three
mines at presenit in the Lake Superior region to illustrate this. The Cliff Mine
wIas discovered in 1$45, and worked three years without much sign of success; it
chaned(l hands at the very moment when the vein was opened which proved afterward to be so exceedingly rich in copper and silver, producing now on an average
1,500 tuns of staiip, bIarrel, fnd mass copper per annum.
The MIinesota Mine was discovered in 184.8, and for the first three years gave
no very encouraging results. The first large mass of native copper of about seven
tuns was found inii a pit made by an ancient race. After that discovery much money was spent before anv further indications of copper were found. This mine
yields now about 2,000 tuns of copper per annum, and declared for the year 1858
a net dividend of $300,000.''lihe dividends paid since 1852 amount to upward of
$1,500,000 ohn a paid up capital of $66,000.
- The cost to the stockholders of the Cliff Mine was $18 50 per share on 6,000 shares, and
the total cash paid in was $110,905. The highest selling price per share has been $245.
The years 1845, 1846 and 1847 not a dollar of returns came from the enterprise. In 1848
the mine was so far opened as to be worked with profit. Since then the dividends in round
numbers have been, in 1849, 860,000; 1850, $84,000 1851, $60,000; 1852, $60,000; 1853,
$90,000; 1854, $108,000; 1855, $78,000; 1856, $180,000; 1857, $180,000; and 1858, $209,000.
Upl to Jan. 1, 1859, the dividends paid stockholders, added to the cash, copper and copper
ore on hand, amounted to over $3,700,000.
The cost to the stockholders of the Minesota Mine was $3 per share on 20,000 shares, and
the total cash paid in, as above stated, $66,000. The highest selling price per share has
been $110. In 1848, $14,000 was expended, and $1,700 worth of copper produced; in 1849,
expenditures, $28,000, copper produced, $14,000; 1850, expenditures, $58,000, copper produced, $29,000; in 1851, expenditures, $88,000, copper produced, $90,000. In 1852, the fifth
year from the beginning, the mine had been so far opened that ore in greater quantities
could be taken out, and the first dividend was declared; it was $30,000; in 1853, dividend,
$60,000; 1854, $90,000; 1855, 200,000; and in 1856, $300,000; since then the dividends
have been about $200,000 per annum. In all the stockholders have received more than a
million of money for their original investment of $66,000, a fair reward for their five years
waiting on a first dividend.
These statistics, astonishing as they may seem, are equaled in mining experience in other
2 9-'a
MICHIGAN.
The same has been experienced at the Pewabic Mine. That mine commenced
operations in the year 1855, with an expenditure of $26,357, which produced
$1,080 worth of copper; the second year it expended $40,820, and produced $31,492 of copper; in 1857, $54,484 of expenses produced $44,058 worth of copper; in
countries. That correct information should be disseminated upon this subject, is due to the
assistance required for an early development of the immense natural mineral wealth that our
country possesses. Hence we lengthen this note by statistics of successful British mines, as
given by a writer familiar with the subject:
"He has strutck a mine! " is one of those sentences in every one's mouth to indicate extraordinary good fortune. Phrases like these, passing into popular every day use, must originate in some great truth impressed upon the public mind. This expression is doubtless of
foreign origin, for the Americans know so little of mining, that all enterprises of this kind
are by them reproachfully termed speculative. Yet, when conducted on correct business
principles, and with knowledge, few investments are more certain than those made in this
useful branch of industry.
"This statement can now well be believed which has lately been made by the London Mining Journal, that'taking all the investments made in that country (England) in mining enterprises (other than coal and iron) good, bad and indifferent, at home and abroad, the returns
from the good mines have paid a larger interest upon the ettir-e outlay than is realized in any
other sp)ecies of inzrestments.'
"The exact figures are, for mining, at annual interest of 13 1-2 per cent. Other investments 4 8-10 per cent. Amount of dividends paid upon investments in mining, 111 per
cent.
This is doubtless owing to the fact that in England mining is treated as a regular business, and is never undertaken by those who are not willing to devote the same attention,
time, and money to it, that are considered necessary to the success of any other business."
We have before us a list of twenty three English Mining Companies, showing, first, the
number of shares of each; second, the cash cost per share; third, the present selling price
per share; anci fourth, the amount paid in dividends per share. The mines worked are
principally copper and lead.
From this list we gather the following facts, which we express in round numbers: These
twenty-three companies invested in their enterprises one million and forty thousand dollars.
The present value of their property is eight millions of dollars. The'shareholders have received in dividends fourteen millions of dollars. The average cost per share was sixty-five
dollars. The present selling price per share is five hundred and two dollars; and the
amount of dividends received per share, eight hundred and seventy-three dollars.
What other branch of industry will average such returns as these? And is it not owing
to the igqutoratce of the business men of the United States as to the actual facts of mining,
when legitimately pursued, that has, in a measure, prevented our industry from being partly
directed in that channel?
From the list we group some of the most successful of the miles, arranging the statistics
so that they can be seen at a glance. They dwarf by comparison all ordinary investments
by the immensity of their returns.
Jamaica, Lead Mine. No. of shares 76. Amount paid per share $19. Present price per
share, $250. Total amount paid in, $1,444. Present value, $190,000. Increase value on
the original investment, thirteen times.
Wheal Basset, Copper. No. of shares, 512. Amount paid per share, $25 25. Present
price per share, $2,050. Total amount paid in, $12,800. Present value, $1,049,600. Increase in value, eighty times.
South Caradoen, Copper. No. of shares, 256. Cost per share, $12 30. Present price per
share, $1,500. Total amount paid in, $3,200. Present value, $384,000. Increase in value,
one hundred and twenty-two times.
Wheal Buller, Copper. No. of shares, 256. Amount paid per share, $25. Present price
per share, $3,095. Totalcash capital, $6,500. Present cash value, $792,000. Increase value,
one hundred and twenty-four times.
Devons Great Consols, Copper. No. of shares, 1,024. Amount paid per share, $5. Present price per share, $2,050. Total cash capital, $5,120. Present cash value, $2,099,200.
Increase value per share more than four hundred times.
Taking the above five mines together, and the sum of the original cash capital paid in
by the stockholders was, in round numbers, seventy-nine thousand dollars, and the present
combined value of the investments, reckoning them at the present selling price of the shares,
is over four assd a half nmillions of dollars.
Since the foregoing was written, later statistics than these have come to hand from Gryll's
Annual Mining Sheet, containing statistics of the capper mines of Cornwall, for the year
ending June 30, 1859.
It appears from these that during the past year the last mentioned mine-the' Devon
Great Consols,' turned out 23,748 gross tuns of copper. On the 1st of June last, the lucky
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MICHIGAN
1858, the amount expended was $109,152, and the receipts for copper $76:538; the
total expense amour to $235,816, and the total receipts for copper to $153,168.
Ottliiie view of'the.finesota Xine.
The view shows only a small part of the surface works. The aggregate extent of openings under ground
throughlout the mine, by shafts and levels, is 31,893 feet, or over six miles in extent. The deepest shaft is
712 feet. The entire working force at the mine is 718, and the total population su)l)orted there by it 1,215.
It is scarcely ten years that mining has been properly commenced in that remote region. At that time it was difficult, onil account of the rapids of St. Marys
Rliver, to approach it by water with large craft. Being more than a thousand miles
distant from the center of the Union, destitute of all the requirements for the development of mines, every tool, every part of machinery, every mouthful of provision had to be hauled over the rapids, boated along the shores for hundreds of
miles to the copper region, and there often carried on the back of man and beast
to the place where copper was believed to exist. Every stroke of the pick cost
tenfold more than in populated districts; every disaster delayed the operations for
weeks and months
The opening of the Sault Canal has changed all this and added a wonderful impetus to the business, the mining interests, and the development of the Lake Superior country. Nearly one hundred different vessels, steam and sail, have been
shareholders received as their annual dividend $220 per share. That is mine stock worth
having; it cost only $5 per share, fifteen years ago, when the mine was first opened.
It is true that these are the successful mines. Mines to be placed in this class must be
either ordinary mines managed with great skill, or exceedingly rich mines, which possess
naturally such treasures, that they eventually yield immense return in spite of all blunders
in management."
To the above extract we append the remarks that the prominent difficulties in this country, in the way of successful mining, consist in the total ignorance of those who generally
engage in the business, most American mining companies proving but mere phantoms on
which to build airy castles, and most American mines but ugly holes in which to bury money,
which, like Kidd's treasure is never found again. None but those used from youth to the
business of mining, and for the very metals mined for, are fit to conduct the business. Nothing but the mechanical education to open a mine, and the skill to work the machinery,
united with a knowledge of geology and chemistry, and more especially that intricate and
delicate branch, metallurgy, joined to extraordinary executive skill in the business management, will conduct an enterprise of the kind to any but a disastrous issue.
Aside from this, such has been the selfishness, ignorance and neglect of those persons in
this country who have had the control of these enterprises, that let any mine promise ever
so fairly, an investment in its stock is now regarded as silly as a purchase in a lottery.
It is said that six millions of dollars were lost during "the copper fever" on Lake Superior, much of it indirectly stolen by smooth talking gentlemen, regarded as reputable
among their neighbors.
297
engaged the past season in its trade, and the number of these is destined largely to
increase year by year, an indication of the growth of business and the opening up
of the country. For the growth in the copper interest we have only to refer to the
shipments from that region year by year. These, in gross, are as follows: in 1853,
2,535 tuns; 1854, 3,500; 1855, 4,544; 1856, 5,357; 1857, 6,094; 1858, 6,025; 1859,
6,245; and in 1860, estimated, 9,000.
The samne facts of development would hold generally true, with regard to the
other industrial interests of that vast country.
It remains yet almost wholly "a waste, howling wilderness." At Marquette,
Portage Lake, Copper Harbor, Eagle River, Eagle Harbor, and Ontonagon, and
the mines adjacent, are the only places where the primeval forests had given place
to the enterprise of man, and these, in comparison with the whole extent of territory embraced in this region, are but mere insignificant patches. What this country may become years hence, it would defy all speculations now to predict, but
there seems no reason to doubt that it will exceed the most sanguine expectations.
The copper region is divided into three districts, viz: the Ontonagon, the Keweenaw Point, and the Portage Lake. Each district has some peculiarities of
product, the first developing more masses, while the latter are more prolific in
vein-rock, the copper being scattered throughout the rock.
There have been since 1845 no less than 116 copper mining companies organized
under the general law of Michigan. The amount of capital invested and now in
use, or which has been paid out in explorations and improvements. and lost, is estimated by good judges at $6,000,000. The nominal amount of capital stock invested in all the companies which have charters would reach an indefinite number
of millions. As an offset to this, it may be stated that the Cliff and Minnesota
mines have returned over $2,000,000 in dividends from the beginning of their operations, and the value of these two mines will more than cover the whole amount
spent in mining, and for all the extravagant undertakings which have been entered
upon and abandoned. While success has been the exception and failure the rule
in copper speculations, yet it must be admitted that these exceptions are remarkably tempting ones. Doubtless there is immense wealth still to be developed in
these enterprises, and this element of wealth in the Lake Superior region is yet
to assume a magnitude now unthought of.
The copper is smelted mainly in Detroit, Cleveland and Boston, the works in
Detroit being the largest There is one establishment at Pittsburg which does
most of the smelting for the Cliff Mine; one at Bergen, N. Y.,'and one at New
Haven, Ct. There are two at Baltimore, but they are engaged on South American
mineral. The Bruce Mines, on the Canada side of Lake Huron, have recently put
smelting works in operation on their location. Prior to this the mineral was barreled up and shipped to London, being taken over as ballast in packet ships at low
rates.
The amount of copper smelted in Detroit we can only judge by the amount
landed here, but this will afford a pretty accurate estimate. The number of tuns
landed here, in 1859, was 3,088. The copper yield of Lake Superior will produce
between 60 and 70 per cent. of ingot copper, which is remarkably pure. The net
product of the mines for 1859 is worth in the markets of the world nearly or quite
$2,000,000. This large total shows the capabilities of this region and affords us
some basis of calculation as to the value and probable extent of its future developments. Beside this amount, already noticed, as landed at Detroit, there were
1,268 tuns brought there from the Bruce Mines, and sent to London.
There are indications that Michigan is slowly but surely taking the rank to which she
is entitled, in the manufacture as well as production of IRON. The first shipment of pig
iron of any consequence was made by the Pioneer Company in the fall of 1858.
The Lake Superior iron has been proclaimed the best in the world, a.proposition that
none can successfully refute. Its qualities are becoming known in quarters where it would
naturally be expected its superiority would be admitted reluctantly, if at all. It is now sent
to New York and Ohio, and even to Pennsylvania-an agency for its sale having been
established in Pittsburg. For gearing, shafting, cranks, flanges, and, we ought by all
means to add, car wheels, no other should be used, provided it can be obtained.
MICHIGAN.
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MICHIGAN.
A large amount of capital is invested in the iron interest in Michigan-over two millions
of dollars.
IMairquette is the only point on Lake Superior where the iron ore deposits have been
worked. There are deposits of iron in the mountains back of L'Anse, but this wonderful
region leaves nothing more to be desired for the present. At a distance of eighteen miles
fr'om the lake, are to be found iron mountains, named the Sharon, Burt, Lake Superior,
Cleveland, Collins, and Barlow, while eight miles further back lie the Ely and St. Clair
mountains. Three of these mountains are at present worked, the Sharon, the Cleaveland,
and the Lake Superior, and contain enough ore to supply the world forgenerations to come.
The mountains further back embrace tracts of hundreds of acres rising to a hight of from
four to six hundred feet, which there is every reason to believe, from the explorations made,
are solid iron ore. The extent of the contents of these mountains is perfectly fabulous, in
fact, so enormous as almost to baffle computation. The ore, too, is remarkably rich, yielding about seventy per cent. of pure metal. There are now in operation at Marquette three
iron mining companies and two blast furnaces for making charcoal pig iron, the Pioneer
and Meigs. The Pioneer has two stacks and a capacity of twenty tuns pig iron per day;
the Meigs one stack, capable of turning out about eleven tuns. The Northern Iron Company is building a large bituminous coal furnace at the mouth of the Chocolate River, three
miles south of Marquette, which will be in operation early in the summer.
Each of the mining companies, the Jackson, Cleveland and Lake Superior, have docks
at the harbor for shipment, extending out into the spacious and beautiful bay which lie$
in front of Marquette, to a sufficient length to enable vessels of the largest dimensions. to
lie by their side and be loaded directly from the cars, which are run over the vessels and
"dumped" into shutes, which are made to empty directly into the holds. The process of
loading is therefore very expeditious and easy.
The amount of shipments of ore for 1859, from Marquette to the ports below, reaches
75,00()0 gross tuns in round numbers, and the shipments of pig iron, 6,000 gross tuns more.
To this must be added the amount at Marquette when navigation closed, the amount at
the mines ready to be brought down, and the amount used on the spot. This will give a
total product of the iron mines of Michigan, for the past year, of between ninety and one
hundred thousand tuns. These mining companies simply mine and ship the ore and sell it.
Their profit ranges between seventy-five cents and one dollar per tun.
The quality of the iron of Lake Superior is conceded by all to be the best in the world,
as the analysis of Prof. Johnston, which we reproduce, shows. The table shows the relative strength per square inch in pounds: Salisbury, Ct., iron, 58,009; Swedish (best), 58,184; English cable, 59,105; Centre county, Pa., 59,400; Essex county, N.Y., 59,962;
Lancaster county, Pa., 58,661; Russia (best), 76,069; Common English and American,
30,000; Lake Superior, 89,582.
The manufacture of pig iron at Marquette will probably be carried on even more extensively, as the attention of capitalists is directed to it. The business may be extended indefinitely, as the material is without limit, and the demand, thus far, leaving nothing on
hand.
These facts exhibit the untold wealth of Michigan in iron alone, and point with certainty to an extent of business that will add millions to our invested capital, dot our state with
iron manufactories of all kinds, and furnish regulatr employment to tens of thousands of
our citizens, while our raw material and our wares shall be found in all the principal markets of the world.
In the mining regions are the following towns, the largest of which has
1,200 souls. Ontonagon is at the mouth of Ontonagon River, and is the
largest mining depot. It is in the vicinity of the Minnesota Mine, and will in
time have a railroad connection with Milwaukie and Chicago, and eventually
with Cincinnati, heavy grants of land having been made through Michigan
to aid in the enterprise: also with the Canadian railroads. Eagle River is in
the vicinity of the Cliff and several othermines. Eagle Harbor, Copper Harbor,
and Fort WVilkins, the latter a delightful summer resort, all are in the same
neighborhood. Miarquette is the iron city of Lake Superior: a railroad is
constructing and partly finished, to connect it with Little Noquet Bay, 117
miles distant, on Lake Michigan.
We conclude this notice of this district by a description of LIFE AT TIIE
MINES, as given by a visitor to the Cliff.
The situation of the Cliff Mine is one of great picturesqueness. The valley which is
about five hundred feet above the level of the lake, is surrounded on three sides by a range
299
of mountains, which sweeps round in a crescent form, trending in a south-westerly direction, and forming the west boundary of the Eagle River. Toward the valley these mountains present a front of massive grandeur, being mostly perpendicular, and having an elevation of from three to four hundred feet above the valley.
The population of the mine location is set down at about twelve hundred persons. Each
family has a separate cottage, and is required to take four boarders. This system of dividing the population into small families has been found to work better for the mine, and
to be more satisfactory to the miners themselves, than the congregation in large boarding
houses. The population consists principally of Cornishmen, the miners being exclusively
of that class. The mine "captains" are also old and experienced "captains" from the
copper mines of Cornwall, and are a jolly, good tempered set of men. The miners themselves appear to be good humored, sociable, and intelligent in everything relating to their
business
The ordinary labor "at grass" is mostly done by Dutch, Irish, and Canadian French.
The breaking of the rock sent up from below is principally done by the Dutch, the Irish
are the teamsters, and the French are employed in a variety of ways on the surface. From
the intense national antipathy between the Cornish and the Irish, the number of the latter
employed is very small. From the fact of the Cliff being so old and extensive a mine,
most of the newly arrived Cornish make directly for it, thus giving the managers opportunity to select the best. The Cornish miners at this place are therefore good specimens
of their class. Their dialect varies greatly, according to the section of Cornwall from
which they come, some speaking with but a slight variation from the usual manner, and
others having a vocabulary and intonation of voice that render their conversation bewildering to the uninitiated.
The location comprises three churches, Episcopal, Wesleyan Methodist and Catholic.
In addition to the churches there is a well built school house, store, provision warehouse,
and other buildings. No tavern or beer shop stands withint the location, the sale of alcoholic or spiritous liquors being forbidden within the limits. One or two whisky and beer
shops stand beyond the location. Drunkenness is rigidly interdicted anywhere on the
company's property. All persons living on the location are treated as belonging to the
general family, and are subjected to a co(le of rules. The miners have a monthly contribution reserved from their wages for the support of the doctor, who attends the miners and
their families without additional charge.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, ETC.
Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa tribe, was one of the most remarkable and distinguished men of his race who have figured in history. Maj. Rogers, who knew
him and the tribes over whom he held sway, thus speaks of them in ]1765: "The
Indians on the lakes are generally at peace with each other. They are formed
into a sort of empire, and the emperor is selected from the eldest tribe, which is
the Ottawas, some of whom inhabit near our fort at Detroit, but are mostly
further westward toward the Mississippi. Ponteack is their present king or emperor, who certainly has the largest empire and greatest authority of any Indian
chief that has appeared on the continent since our acquaintance with it. Hle puts
on an air of majesty and princely grandeur, and is greatly honored and revered
by his subjects."
"About eight miles above Detroit, at the head of the Detroit River, is Pechee
Island, a green spot, set amid the clearest waters, surrounded by dense forests,
at all times cool from the breezes of the northern lakes, and removed from the rest
of the world. Pontiac made this island his summer residence, and in winter lodged
at the Ottawa village opposite, on the Canadian bank, and which has been described
as having been situated above the town of Detroit. Poetry may imagine him here,
musing upon the inroads of the English and the declining fortunes of his race,
and lo(oking upon the gorgeous domain which was spread around him, and which
nowv constitutes the most beautiful part of Michigan-as a territory which was
soon to pass from his hands. To this land he held a right of pre-emption, the time
whereof the memory of man ran not to the contrary; and superadded to this, a
patent from the Great Spirit, which established his title on solid ground."-Lanman's Michigan.
Pontiac displayed more system in his undertakings than any other of his race
of whom we have knowledge. In his war of 1763, which is justly called "Pon
MICHIGAN.
300
0
MICHIGAN.
tiac's War," he appointed a commissary, issued bills of credit, all of which he
afterward carefully redeemed. He made his bills or notes of bark, on which was
a drawing or figure of what he wanted for it. The shape of an otter, the insignia
or arms of his nation was drawn under the required article. After the conquest
of Canada by the English, Pontiac sued for peace, which was granted. When the
American Revolution commenced, the Americans sent messages to him to meet
them in council. He was inclined to do so, but was prevented, from time to time,
by Gov. Hamilton, of Detroit. He now appeared to have become the friend of the
English, and to reward his attachment, the British government granted him a liberal pension. It is related that his fidelity being suspected, a spy was sent to observe his conduct. As he was acting professedly as a British agent among the
Indians in Illinois, the spy discovered that Pontiac, in his speech, was betraying
the British interests, and thereupon plunged a knife into his heart.
James Marquette, the celebrated explorer of the Mississippi, and one of the most
zealous of that extraordinary class of men, the Jesuit missionaries, was born in
1637, of a most ancient and honorable family of the city of Laon, France, and entered, at the early age of 17, the Society of Jesus; after studying and teaching for
many years, he was invested with the priesthood, upon which he at once sought a
mission in some land that knew not God, that he might labor there to his latest breath,
and die unaided and alone. His desire was gratified. Hlie founded the missions of
St. MIarys, St. Ignace and Mackinaw. For nine years he labored among the Indians, and was enabled to preach to them in ten different languages. "In his various excursions," says Bancroft, "he was exposed to the inclemencies of nature
and the savage. He took his life in his hands, and bade them defiance; waded
through water and through snows, without the comfort of a fire; subsisted on
pounded maize; was freqently without any other food than the unwholesome mnoss
gathered from the rocks; traveled far and wide, but never without peril. Still,
said he, life in the wilderness had its charms —his heart swelled with rapture, as he
moved over the waters, transparent as the most limpid fountain."
In May, 16S5, as he was returning uip Lake Michigan to his little flock at Point
Iglnace, from one of his missions of love to the Indians of the Illinois, he felt that
his final hour was approaching. Leaving his men with the canoe, he landed at the
mouth of a stream running from the peninsula, and went a little apart to pray.
As much time passed and he did not return, they called to mind that he said something of his death being at hand, and on anxiously going to seek him found him
dead where he had been praying. They dug a grave, and there buried the holy
man in the sand.
"The Indians of Mackinaw and vicinity, and also those of Kaskaskia, were in
great sorrow when the tidings of Marquette's death reached them. Not long after
this melancholy event, a large company of Ojibwas, Ottawas, and Hurons, who had
been out on a hunting expedition, landed their canoes at the mouth of Marquette
River, with the intention of removing his remains to Mackinaw. They had heard
of his desire to have his body interred in the consecrated ground of St. Ignatius,
and they had resolved that the dying wish of the missionary should be fulfilled.
As they stood around in silence and gazed upon the cross that marked the place
of his burial, the hearts of the stern warriors were moved. The bones of the missionary were dug up and placed in a neat box of bark made for the occasion, and
the numerous canoes which formed a large fleet started from the mouth of the
river, with nothing but the sighs of the Indians and the dip of the paddles to break
the silence of the scene. As they advanced toward Mackinaw, the funeral cortege
was met by a large number of canoes bearing Ottawas, Hurons, and Iroquois, and
still others shot out ever and anon to join the fleet.
When they arrived in sight of the Point, and beheld the cross of St. Ignatius as
if painted against the northern sky, the missionaries in charge came out to the
beach clad in vestments adapted to the occasion. How was the scene hightened
when the priests commenced, as the canoe bearing the remains of Marquette neared
the shore, to chant the requiem for the dead. The whole population was out, entirely covering the beach, and as the procession marched up to the chapel, with
cross and prayer, and tapers burning, and laid the bark box beneath a pall made
in the form of a coffin, the sons and daughters of the forest wept. After the fune
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MICHIGAN.
ral service was ended, the coffin was placed in a vault in the middle of the church
where, the Catholic historian says,'Marquette reposes as the guardian angel of
the Ottawa missions.'
'He was the first and last white man who ever had such an assembly of the wild
sons of the forest to attend him to his grave.
'So many stirring events succeeded each other after this period-first, the war
between the English Colonists and the French; then the Colonists with the Indians, the Revolutionary war, the Indian wars, and finally the war of 1812, with the
death of all those who witnessed his burial, including the Fathers who officiated
at the time, whose papers were lost, together with the total destruction and evacuation of this mission station for many years, naturally obliterated all recollections
of the transaction, which accounts for the total ignorance of the present inhabitants of Point St. Ignatius respecting it. The locality of his grave is lost, but only
until the archangel's trump, at the last, shall sumnmon him from his narrow grave,
with those plumed and painted warriors who now lie around him.'"
Gen. Wm. Hill was born in Derby, Conn., in 1753, and was educated at Yale
College. Entering the army of the Revolution, he performed most valuable ser.
vices and behaved bravely on many a battle field. Washington regarded him as
one of his most useful officers. In 1805, when Michigan was erected into a territory, he was appointed by congress its governor. On the outbreak of the war, he
was commissioned brigadier general. "In the comparatively weak fort at Detroit,"
says Lossing, "he was invested by a strong force of British and Indians; and, to
save his command from almnost certain destruction, he surrendered the fort, his
army of two thousand men, and the territory to the enemy. For this he was tried
for treason and cowardice, and being unable to produce certain official testimony
which subsequently vindicated his character, lie was found guilty of the latter, and
sentenced to be shot. The president of the United States,'in consideration of his
age and revolutionary services,' pardoned him, but a cloud was upon his fame and
honor. He published a vindicatory memoir, in 1824, which changed public opinion in his favor. Yet he did not live long to en,joyv the effects of that change. He
died at Newton, on the 29th of Noveml)ber, 1825, at the age of seventy-two years.
A Memoir of General Hull, by his daughter and grandson, was publ-)ished in 1848.
It fully vindicates the character of the injured patriot, by documentary evidence."
Stevens Thompson Afason, the first governor of the state of Michigan, was the
only son of Gen. John Mason, of Kentucky, but was born in Virginia in 1812. At
the early age of 19, he was appointed secretary of the territory of Michigan, and
at the age of 22 was acting governor. In 1836, at 24 years of age, he was chosen
governor of the new state. He was again elected in 1838, and died in 1843, when
only 31 years of age.
Gen. Alexa?der JMacomb, was the son of an English gentleman, born in the
British garrison at Detroit, on the 3d of April, 1782, just at the close of the Revolution. His father subsequently settled at New York. He entered the army as
a cornet at an early age, and continued in the service until his death, at Washing
ton in 1841, being at the time general-in-chief. He was succeeded bv Winfield
Scott. He was an excellent officer, and for his services at the battle of Plattsburg,
congress presented him with a vote of thanks and a gold medal.
Dr. Douglas Houghton was born in Troy, in 1809, and educated for the medical
profession. In 1831, he was appointed surgeon and botanist to the expedition sent
out by government to explore the sources of the Mississippi, and made an able report upon the botany of the region through which he passed. Settling in Detroit,
to practice medicine, he was appointed, in 1837, state geologist. In 1842, he was
elected mayor of the city of Detroit, and from its foundation was professor in the
State University. His life was one of incessant labor, and he accomplished more
than any man living in developing the resources of Michigan, especially its mineral wealth. His reports upon the mineral region of Lake Superior, first aroused
the minds of this generation to the vast riches that lie buried beneath its soil. He
was drowned in October, 1845, on Lake Superior. While coming down from a
portage to Copper Harbor, with his four Indian voyageurs, the boat was swamped
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MICHIGAN.
in a storm, near the mouth of Eagle River. Two of the men were saved by being
thrown by the waves upon the rocks ten feet above the usual level of the waters.
He perished, and so greatly was his loss felt to be a public calamity, that he is often
alluded to as "the larntented Houtghton," even to this day.
Gov. Lewvis Cass was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Oct. 9, 1782. "Having received a limited education at his native place, at the early age of seventeen, ho
crossed the Alleghany Mountains on foot, to seek a home in the "great west," then
an almost unexplored wilderness. Settled at Marietta, Ohio, he studied law, and
was successful. Elected at twenty-five to the legislature of Ohio, he originated the
bill which arrested the proceedings of Aaron Burr, and, as stated by Mr. Jefferson,
was the first blow given to what is known as Burr's conspiracy. In 1807, he was
appointed, by Mr. Jefferson, marshal of the state, and held the office till the latter
part of 1811, when he volunteered to repel Indian aggressions on the frontier. iHe
was elected colonel of the 3d regiment of Ohio volunteers, and entered the military
service of the United States, at the commencement of the war of 1812. Having
by a difficult march reached Detroit, he urged the immediate invasion of Canada,
and was- the author of the proclamation of that event. He was the first to land in
arms on the enemy's shore, and, with a small detachment of troops, fought and
won the first battle, that of the Tarontoe. At the subsequent capitulation of Detroit, he was absent, on important service, and regretted that his command and
himself had been included in that capitulation. Liberated on parol, he repaired
to the seat of government to report the causes of the disaster, and the failure of
the campaign. He was immediately appointed a colonel in the regular army, and,
soon after, promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, having, in the mean time,
been elected major-general of the Ohio volunteers. On being exchanged and released from parol, he again repaired to the frontier, and joined the army for the
recovery of Michigan. Being at that time without a command, he served and distinguished himself, as a volunteer aid-de-camnp to Gen. Harrison, at the battle of the
Thames. He was appointed by President Madison, in October, 1813, governor of
Michigan. His position combined, with the ordinary duties of chief magistrate
of a civilized community, the immediate management and control, as superintendent, of the relations with the numerous and powerful Indian tribes in that region
of country. He conducted with success the affairs of the territory under embarrassing circumstances. Under his sway peace was preserved between the whites
and the treacherous and disaffected Indians, law and order established, and the
territory rapidly advanced in population, resources, and prosperity. Hle held this
position till July, 1831, when he was, by President Jackson, made secretary of
war. In the latter part of 1836, President Jackson appointed him minister to
France, where he remained until 1842, when he requested his recall, and returned
to this country. In January, 1845, he was elected, by the legislature of Michigan,
to the senate of the United States; which place he resigned on his nomination, in
May, 1848, as a candidate for the presidency, by the political party to which he
belongs. After the election of his opponent (General Taylor) to that office, the
legislature of his state, in 1849, re-elected him to the senate for the unexpired portion of his original term of six years. When Mr. Buchanan became president, he
invited Gen. Cass to the head of the department of state, in which position he has
acquitted himself with characteristic ability. He has devoted some attention to
literary pursuits, and his writings, speeches, and state papers would make several
volumes."-Lanman's Dictionary of U. S. Congress.
I'D) 0 3
I
0
WISC 0 NSIN.
WISCONSIN derives its name from its principal river, which the Chippewas,
rvho resided on its head-waters, called the Wees-kon-san, which signifies
" gathering of the waters." The
French voyageurs called it Ouisconsin,
the first syllable of which is nearer
the Indian sound than Wis. The
first white men on the soil of Wis consin were two French fur traders,
who passed t he winter of 1659 among
[l \\ p'Nbd ~ ~ the Indians of Lake Superior. Ar 1 A u ~,riving at Quebec the next summer,
; Si>~ ~4b 2 |!; 2 with sixty canoes, loaded with furs,
and manned with 300 Algonquins,
) j F they aroused a spirit of religious
zeal among the Jesuits to bear the
By - 7 cross in the cabins of those distant
tribes. In 1661, Father Mesnard
went on a mission to the south side
of Lake Superior, where he resided
ARmS OF WISCONSIN. more than eight months, surrounded
MOTTo-rorward. by savages and a few French voy ageurs: he finally perished, in some
unknown way, in the rocky pine clad wilderness. Undismayed by his sad
fate a successor was appointed, Father Claude Allouez, who arrived at the
Sault Ste. Marie on the 1st of September, 1668. "He employed the whole
month of September in coasting the southern portion of Lake Superior,
where he met many Christians baptized by Father Mesnard.'I had the
pleasure,' says this venerable man,'of assuring, by baptism, the eternal salvation of many a dying infant.' His success with the adults seems to have
been less. At Chagouamigon, or St. Michael, on the south-western side of
Lake Superior, there were gathered eight hundred warriors of different
nations; a chapel was built; among them were several tribes who understood the Algonquin language. So fine an occasion for exercising his
zeal could not be overlooked.'I spoke in the Algonquin language,' says he,
'for a long time, on the subject of the Christian religion, in an earnest and
powerful manner, but- in language suited to the capacity of my audience. I
20 305
WISCONSIN.
was greatly applauded, but this was the only fruit of my labors.' Among the
number assembled, were three hundred Pottawatomies, two hundred Sauks,
eighty Illinoians. In the year 1668, peace having been established between
the French and the Six Nations, many discoveries were made, and many new
missions established. In this year Fathers Dablon and Marquette went to
the mission of Sault Ste. Marie. In the same year, Father Nicholas, who was
on the mission with Allouez, conducted a deputation of'Nez Perces,' an Algonquin tribe, to Quebec, and Father Allouez went to the mission at Green
Bay. Sault Ste. Marie was made the center of their missionary labors among
the Algonquin tribes."
Father Marquette had been residing at the Straits of Mackinaw and the
Sault Ste. Marie about five years, when, accompanied by M. Joliet, a French
gentleman of Quebec, and five French voyageurs and two Indian guides, he
started from the straits on an exploring expedition. He "had heard of the
great river of the west, and fancied that upon its fertile banks-not mighty
cities, mines of gold, or fountains of youth, but whole tribes of God's children, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come. Filled with the
wish to go and preach to them, he obeyed with joy the orders of Talon, the
wise intendent of Canada, to lead a party into the unknown distance."
Marquette passed down Green Bay to Fox River, which they entered, and
dragged their canoes through its strong rapids to a village of Indians where
Father Allouez had visited, and where " they found a cross, on which hung
skins and belts, bows and arrows, which they had offered to the great Mianitou (God), to thank him because he had taken pity on them during the winter, and had given them abundant chase." Beyond this point no Frenchman
had gone, and here was the bound of discovery.
"Being guided by the friendly Indians, Marquette and his companions came
to the Wisconsin River, about three leagues distant, whose waters flowed
westward. They floated down the river till the 17th of June, 1673, when
they reached the Mississippi, the great'Father of lVaters,' which they entered with'a joy that could not be expressed,' and raising their sails to new
skies, and to unknown breezes, floated down this mighty river, between broad
plains, garlanded with majestic forests and chequered with illimitable prairies
and island groves. They descended about one hundred and eighty miles,
when Marquette and Joliet landed, and followed an Indian trail about six
miles, to a village. They were met by four old men, bearing the pipe of
peace and'brilliant with many colored plumes.' An aged chief received
them at his cabin, and, with uplifted hands, exclaimed:'How beautiful is the
sun, Frenchmien, when thou comest to visit us!-our whole village awaits theein peace thou shalt enter all our dwellings.' Previous to their departure, an
Indian chief selected a peace pipe from among his warriors, embellished with
gorgeous plumage, which he hung around the neck of Marquette,'the mysterious arbiter of peace and war-the sacred calumet-the white man's protection among savages.' On reaching their boats, the little group proceeded
onward.'I did not,' says Marquette,'fear death; I should have esteemed
it the greatest happiness to have died for the glory of God.' They passed
-the mouth of the Missouri, and the humble missionary resolved in his mind,
one day, to ascend its mighty current, and ascertain its source; and descending from thence toward the west, publish the gospel to a people of whom he
had never heard. Passing onward, they floated by the Ohio, then, and for
a brief time after, called the Wabash, and continued their explorations as
far south as the mouth of the Arkansas, where they were escorted to the
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WISCONSIN.
Indian village of Arkansea. Being now satisfied that the Mississippi entered the Gulf of Mexico, west of Florida, and east of California; and having spoken to the Indians of God and the mysteries of the Catholic faith,
Marquette antd Joliet prepared to ascend the stream. They returned by the
;oute of the Illinois River to Green Bay, where they arrived in August.
Marquette remained to preach the gospel to the Miamis, near Chicago.
Joliet, in person, conveyed the glad tidings of their discoveries to Quebec.
They were received with enthusiastic delight. The bells were rung during
the whole day, and all the clergy and dignitaries of the place went, in procession, to the cathedral, where Te Deum was sung and high mass celebrated."
Wisconsin was next visited by La Salle and Father Hennepin, a Fanciscan friar, a man of ambition and energy. These adventurers having passed
down the Illinois, Hennepin paddled up the Mississippi as far as the Wisconsin, where he was taken prisoner by the Indians, who treated him and his
companions kindly. They then took them up to the Falls, which Hennepin
named St. Anthony, in honor of his patron saint. From this point he returned to Canada, by way of Lake Superior, and thence to France. The
first permanent settlement by the whites in Wisconsin, appears to have been
made at Green Bay, about the year 1745, by Augustin De Langlade, a native of France, of noble family, who emigrated to Canada at an early age.
The territory remained under the government of France till 1763, when,
at the treaty of Paris, it was ceded to Great Britain, who retained it until
the independence of the United States was acknowledged by that country, in
1783, when it was claimed by Virginia as part of the Illinois country, conquered by Col. George Rodgers Clark. It remained, however, in the possession of Great Britain till 1796, when it was surrendered in accordance with
Jav's treaty, ratified the previous year. In 1784, it was ceded by Virginia
to the United States; In 1787, a government was provided for the territory
north-west of the Ohio. In 1800, it was divided into two separate governments, the western being called Indiana. In 1809, Indiana was divided and
Illinois organized. When Illinois was formed into a state, in 1818, the territory north of the parallel of Lat. 42~ 30', west of the middle of Lake
Michigan, was attached to the territory of Michigan, which had been set off
from Indiana in 1805.
In 1832, commenced the' Black Hawk War," the most important actions
of which took place within the' "Huron District" of Michigan, as Wisconsin was then called: they will be found detailed on page 1106 of this work.
When Michigan was formed into a state, in 1836, Wisconsin was erected into
a separate territorial government. Wisconsin Territory comprised within its
limits and jurisdiction the whole region from Lake Michigan to Lake Superior, extending westward to the Missouri River, including all the sources of
the Upper Mississippi. Its southern limits were the northern boundaries of
the states of Illinois and Missouri, and its extent from north to south was
580 miles, and from east to west 650 miles. The first "governor and super.ntendent of Indian affairs" was Henry Dodge, and John S. Horner was
territorial secretary. Gov. Dodge convened the first territorial legislature at
Belmnont, now in Lafayette county. The second session was convened in
Burlington, now in Iowa, and the next, in 1838, in Madison, the present
capital.
"The settled portions of the territory were chiefly near the western shore
tf Lake Michigan, and the organized counties extended westward and south
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WISCONSIN.
westwardly to the banks of the Fox River of Green Bay, as far as Fort
Winnebago, and thence down the Wisconsin River, on the south-eastern side,
for thirty miles below the "portage." At the same time, immigrants, by way
of Milwaukie and Racine, were advancing upon the upper tributaries of Rock
River, as far west as the "Four Lakes" and Fort Madison. A few settlements had extended, likewise, westward to the banks of the Mississippi, north
of Galena and the Illinois state line. Others had been slowly, for more than
three years, extending, west of the Mississippi, upon the waters of the Des
Moines, Skunk River, Lower Iowa, and Waubesapinacon, as well as upon
the immediate banks of the Mississippi itself. These settlements, for temporary government, were annexed to the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Territory as the "District of Iowa."
The remainder of the Territory of Wisconsin, north and west of the Wisconsin River and of Fox River, as well as the northern and western portions
of the present state of Iowa, was a savage waste, still in the partial occupancy of the remaining tribes of Indians, and in a great degree unknown to
civilization. Such were the extent and population of the Wisconsin Territory upon its first independent organization.
During the years 1841, 1842, and 1843, emigration from the north-eastern
states began to send its floods into the Wisconsin Territory, both by way of
the lakes and by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, to the banks of the
Wisconsin River. Thousands, especially in the latter years, crowded into
the beautifully undulating lands along the western shore of Lake Michigan,
south of Green Bay, to the Illinois line; and population extended rapidly
from the lake shore westward to the banks of Fox River, and along the region south of the Wisconsin River as far as the banks of the Mississippi.
Settlements soon spread over this delightful country, diversified by lakes and
prairies, in which all the crystal tributaries of Rock River take their rise.
A few years before, this had been called the "Far West," beyond the advance of white settlements and civilized life, in the sole occupancy of the
most degraded and improvident of the savages, the Winnebagoes, Sauks, and
Foxes. Now towns and commerce occupy the seats and haunts of the degraded Indian, upon which the rays of civilization had never beamed. A
large mercantile town, with an active and enterprising community, had sprung
lp at Milwaukie Bay; a town which, three years afterward, in 1845, became
an incorporated city, with extensive powers and privileges, designed to render
it the commercial emporium of the future state of Wisconsin. Other trading towns lined the beautiful shore of the lake for many miles north and
south of this central depot.
During the year 1843, the aggregate number of persons who arrived in
the Wisconsin Territory has been estimated at more than sixty thousand,
embracing all ages and sexes. Of these, about fifty thousandtl arrived by way
of the lake route. The remainder advanced by way of the Mississippi and
Wisconsin Rivers, and comprised a great proportion of foreign emigrants.
from the German states. These emigrants spread over the country south and
east of the Wisconsin River, and opened new settlements upon its northern
and western tributaries. In 1845, Wisconsin Territory contained more inhabitants than any other new state possessed upon her admission into the
Union; yet the people, satisfied with the territorial form of government, desired not, in the recent state of the principal settlements, to incur the additional expense of an independent state government. Hence, with a population of more than one hundred and forty thousand souls, the Wisconsin Ter
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WISCONSIN.
ritory had not, in 1845, made application to congress for authority to establish a state government. In May, 1848, however, Wisconsin was admitted
into the Union."
Wisconsin is bounded N. by Lake Superior, the upper peninsula of Michigan, and Minnesota, W. by Minnesota and Iowa, E. by Lake Michigan, and
S. by Illinois. It lies between 42~ 30' and 46~ 55' N. Lat., and between 87~
and 92~ 50' W. Long. Its greatest extent north and south is 285 miles, and
255 east and west, having a land area of 53,924 square miles, or 34,511,360
acres, of which 1,045,499 only were improved in 1850.
Wisconsin is one of the healthiest of countries, with a dry, transparent,
and bracing atmosphere, and remarkably free from fevers and ague. Writers
familiar with it, say:
"It is, indeed, delightful in speculation to talk of constant spring, of perpetual
verdure, of flowers in bloom at all seasons, of purling brooks never obstructed by
ice, of a mild climate, where Jack Frost never spreads his white drapery over the
surface of the earth; but it is a problem, not yet fully solved, whether a tropical
climate contributes more to one's happiness than the varying seasons of a northern clime. Nay, whatever doubt there is on the subject predominates in favor of
a northern latitude. Industry intelligence, morality, and virtue, are exhibited
more generally among the inhabitants of northern latitudes than those of southern.
If one's physical enjoyment is equally promoted by the bracing air of a cold climate, then, indeed, the argument is in favor of the latter, for vigor of body and
purity of mind are the most essential ingredients in the cup of happiness. The
air of our winters is dry and b)racing. When snow falls it usually remains on the
ground several months, forming an excellent road either for traveling, business, or
pleasure. The rivers are securely wedged with ice, rendering many portions of the
country more accessible at that season than at any other. An excellent oplportunity is afforded to the younger portion of the community for innocent amusements
-sleiglhing, sliding downhill, and skatingf-amusemnents highly exhilarating, and
promotive alike of health and happiness. These observations have been made because a greater value is often set on a mild southern climate, in reference to its
capacity in affording the means of happiness or of health, than it really possesses."
"We have always made it a point to inquire of new settlers in Wisconsin how
they liked the climate, and the answer invariably was, that it was far superior to
that of the states they had left-whvether Eastern, Middle or Southern, One emigrant says:'As the result of mv observations, I would state briefly-and in this
I do but repeat a common sentiment-that I would much ratlher spend a winter in
Wisconsin than in New York or Pennsylvania. True, the weather is cold; but it
is of that settled, steady, clear character, which we here call'bracing weather.'
No damp winds, no sloppy thaw, no uncomfortable rains, but day after day the
same unbroken field of snow, the same clear, bright sunshine, the same untroubled s
air. Winter here holds undisputed sway; it is not a muddled mixture of all seasons, in which the breezy spring, the clear autumn, the sunny summer and the
rigorous winter mingle and mix, and come and go togethller. You will understand
the force of this distinction when I tell you that the first fall of snow in Wisconsin remains on the ground during the whole winter without a crust; so free is the
air from that dampness, which, in other countries produce it. Who among you
has not noticed the penetrating character of dampness in cold-its chilling, searching qualities; or who, on the other hand, has not gone abroad on days of intense
coldness, but when the air was dry and pure, and felt elastic, buoyant, and comfortable. Such is a Wisconsin winter. I suffered less from the cold while here,
than I have many times in Pennsylvania when the thermometer stood much
hig,her."
Wisconsin may be described generally as an elevated rolling prairie, the
highest portion being on the north, and forms the dividing ridge between the
waters flowing S.W. into the Mississippi, and those flowing northward and
eastward into the lakes. Limestone underlies most of the southern part of
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WISCONSIN.
the state; the northern part is composed of primitive rocks, mostly granite,
slate and sand stone. The country south of the middle is a fine agricultural
region, producing from 30 to 50 bushels of wheat to the acre. The prairies
of Wisconsin are generally small, and being skirted and belted with timber,
are adapted to immediate and profitable occupation, the soil being a dark,
rich vegetable mold. One peculiarity in southern Wisconsin strikes the
traveler-the high degree of culture, thrift, and cleanliness of the farms,
which is attributed principally to the fact, that almost every quarter section,
in its natural state, is ready for plowing and fencing, and also to the character of the settlers, off shoots from the hardy and industrious people of the
Eastern states and northern Ohio. A large number of Norwegians and other
emigrants from northern Europe, have emigrated to this young and thriving
State.
Vast quantities of pine lumber are obtained from the northern sections of
the state, ranging from five to eight millions annually in value, though the
business is in its infancy. The agricultural staples are wheat, Indian corn,
oats, potatoes, butter, live stock, etc. The wheat crop of 1860 was about 26
millions of bushels. Beside the great lakes, Superior and Michigan, on its
northern and eastern shores, Wisconsin has vast numbers of small lakes
within its borders, generally characterized by clear water, bold, picturesque
shores, with excellent fish.
The mineral resources of Wisconsin are important, but as yet imperfectly
known. The great lead region, mostly in the south-western part of the
state, contain mines supposed to be inexhaustible, and decidedly the richest
in the known world. Valuable copper and zinc ores are found at Mineral
Point and in its vicinity, also iron ore in various places. The bulk of the
population of the state is in its southern part, most of the country in the
north being an unexplored wilderness. If as densely settled as Massachusetts, Wisconsin would contain more than seven millions of inhabitants.
Population in 1820, 1,444; in 1830, 3,245; in 1840, 30,945; in 1850, 305,566; in 1855, 552,109; and in 1860, 768,585.*
Ritchie, inr. his work on Wisconsin, says: "The number of inhabitants in Wisconsin
does not exhibit their relative strength and power. Our population are nearly all in the
prime of life. You rarely meet a woman past fifty years of age; still more rarely as old a
man; and large numbers are too young to have had many children. The Milwaukie Amer ican says:' It is a fact, noticed and remarked by nearly every eastern visitor to the west,
that no small amount of the business of the west and north-west is conducted by young men.
* Go where you will, in every city, town and village, you will find more youthful countenances
elongated with the cares and anxieties of business pursuits, than those unacquainted with
the peculiar circumstances attaching to western life and enterprise could be made to believe.
Youth and energy are found conducting and managing our railroads and our banking in stitutions. Beardless youngsters are seen behind the desks-their desks-of our counting
houses, and in our manufactories, mixed up with our commerce, and, in short, taking active
parts in every field of business enterprise. A year's experience as a clerk, or an agent for
others, gives him an insight into the nodu,s operandi of'making money,' and his wits are
set in motion, and his industrious ingenuity brought to bear in his own behalf, and he de sires to'go into business for himself.' Frequently with a small capital, oftener with none,
he engages in some branch of traffic, and in a few years is' well to do in the world.' Such
is the history of many of the young merchants and business men in our state, and we do
not believe that a more enterprising, intelligent, and thorough-going business community
can be found than that of Wisconsin. Youth, energy, and a laudable ambition to rise in
the world, are characteristic elements of the west: they have made her what she now is,
and give glorious promise of her future.'
In one of our village or town hotels, crowded with moneyed boarders-the merchants,
bankers, and chief mechanics of the place-two thirds of them will be found to be between
twenty-five and thirty years of age; their wives, of course, still younger. Our population
of 1,000,000 are equal in industrial capacity to at least twice that number either in Europe
or in the Atlantic states."
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WISCONSIN.
MILWAUKIE, a port of entry, and the largest city in Wisconsin, is built
on the west side of Lake Michigan, 75 miles east of Madison, and 85 north
of Chicago. Lat. 43~ 04', Long. 87~ 57'. The city is built on the fiats of
the Milwaukie River, and on the bluffs near the lake. The largest lake boats
ascend the river two miles. The shore on Lake Michi,,an consists of a bank
__ T h~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~z
South-eastern river view in Miluaukie.
The engraving shows a river or harbor view in MNilwaukie, as seen from near the point of the entrance
of IIenominee River. The swing bridges across tie river appear in the central part. The ternuinus of
the Alilwaukie and Mississippi Railroad is near the building on the extreme left.
of clay from 20 to 100 feet high, and as nearly perpendicular as the nature
of the material will admit. The city contains about 20 founderies and machine shops, employing about 1,000 men, and 26 breweries, employing about
500 men. Ship building is extensively carried on; great quantities of lumber are exported; and it has a large commerce on the lakes, and does an extensive business with the interior by its railroads, one of which crosses the
state to the Mississippi. It is noted for its splendid blocks of buildings, and
for its superior brick. which have become a valuable article of export, being
used even as far east as New York city. They are hard, smnooth, and of a
beautiful straw color. It has also in its vicinity quarries of a beautiful light
colored stone. Population, in 1840, 1,751; in 1850, 20,035; and in 1860,
45,254.
A foreign traveler describes Milwaukie as one of the most picturesquely
situated towns he had seen in the west. Says he: "It is placed on both
siles of a river which falls into a fine bay of Lake Michigan, the town rising
from the valley of the river on either side to high bluffs facing the lake.
The river is navigable from the lake, and vessels discharge and land their
cargoes direct into, and from, the granaries and warehouses which line its
banks. Tramways from the various lines of railroad run along the other
sides of these warehouses, so that the greatest facilities are afforded for the
311
to
transport and handling of produce and merchandise. The extent to which
labor is economized in this way both here and at Chicago is really wonderful.
By the aid of steam power half a million bushels of grain can be daily received and shipped through the granaries of Chicago, the whole of it being
weighed in draughts of 400 bushels at a time, as it passes from the railroad
to the vessel. This can be done at a cost of a farthing a bushel, and so quiet
is the whole process that there is little external evidence of much business
going on. The finest church in Milwaukie is the Roman Catholic Cathedral,
with the palace of the bishop on one side of it, and an orphan asylum on
the other. There are many handsome private residences, some built of white
marble, and the principal hotel of the city, the Newhall House, is very little
inferior either in size, architecture, or interior fittings and arrangements, to
the Hotel de Louvre in Paris. This city, which only twenty-three years ago
was the site of a single log cabin, now, in the one month of October, ships
a million bushels of wheat! From the bluffs the lake looks exactly like the
sea, as no opposite shore can be seen, and the white-crested waves come rolling into the harbor just as they do on the Atlantic. There are numerous
schools in the city, free to all, and well endowed by the state."
Milwaukie derives its name from Me-ne-aw-kee, an Indian word, said to
signify rich or beautifj'ul land. The first white person who located at Milwaukie appears to have been Alexander Lafran,boise, from Mackinaw, who
established a trading house here about the year 1785. He soon returned to
Mackinaw, and gave his business to his brother to manage for him: the latter
remained here for several years, and raised a family. Laframboise failing
in business, his trading house was closed about the year 1800. At this period
another trader established himself here, employing as clerk S. Chappue, who
had previously been with Laframboise. J. B. Beaubien established a trading
post in Milwaukie at this time. Some four or five years later Laurent Fily
was sent with a supply of goods, by Jacob Franks, of Green Bay, to carry
on a summer trade at Milwaukie, buying deer skins inl the red. Previous to
this Jacques Vieau, of Green Bay, commenced trading here, and continued it
regularly every winter, excepting. that of 1811-12, until 1818, when his sonin-law, SOLOMON JUNEAU emigrated here from Canada, first as his clerk, and
then on his own account, and he may be considered as the first regular set,
tler and founder of Milwaukie.
In the publications of the State Historical Society, Mr. Alex. F. Pratt
gives this sketch of Mr. Juneau, and of the early history of the place:
"Solomon Juneau emigrated to Milwaukie in the fall of 1818, and built
him a log cabin among the natives. At that time his family consisted of a
wife and one child. His nearest white neighbors were at Chicago, Green
Bay and Prairie du Chien. He kept a few goods suitable for the Indian
trade, and for the first seventeen years he was not only the only merchant in
the place, but the only white man. During that period, a few Indian traders
were occasionally there, but not permanently located. In the spring of 1835,
a land office having been previously established at Green Bay, this land was
brought into market, and Mr. Juneau purchased a small tract, consistin, of
about 130 acres, lying on the east side of the river, directly north of Wisconsin-street. Previous to this time, Geo. H. Walker, Esq., had come and
made a claim on what is now called "Walker's Point," which he subsequently
obtained a title to. Byron Kilbourn, Esq., about that time purchased a tract
on the west side of the river, which has from that time been known by the
name of'Kilbourn Town.' Daniel Wells, Jr., W. W. Gilman, George D.
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A.
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Dousman, E. W. Edgerton, T. C. Dousman, Geo. O. Tiffany, D. H. Richards,
William Brown, Jr., Milo Jones, Enoch Darling, and others, immigrated
about the same time, and made large purchases of lands. In the course of
the summer of 1835. a number of good buildings were erected, and a great
many eastern speculators came and bought lands at high prices. Mr. Juneau,
about this time, sold an undivided interest in his lands to Morgan L. Martin.
He built a fine dwelling house on the lot where Mitchell's banking house now
stands; also a large store and warehouse on what is now known as'Ludington's corner.' In 1836, when we came, he was doing a large business both
in selling goods and lots. During that season, some two or three hundred
thousand dollars' worth of goods had been brought there to sell. Ground
rent was nearly as high as it is now. A merchant with a stock of goods
would arrive one day, and by the next day noon he would have a store completed to open in. Things were done on the California principle. They
were usually built of rough boards with a'grass floor,' and in several instances a blanket was hung up for a partition, and one half of the tenement
rented to another for a dollar a day. The town was flooded with speculators,
and all made money until the non-residents left and navigation closed, when
a sudden change'came o'er the spirit of their dreams.'
The town was left with a large stock of goods, and but few inhabitants.
Merchants and other business men enjoyed the winter in the best possible
manner. During the fall quite a large number of actual settlers had arrived,
of the right stamp, among whom were H. N. Wells, J. E. Arnold, Henry
Williams, Hans Crocker, J. H. Tweedy, L. Blossom, J. W. Pixley, S. H.
Martin, Geo. P. Delaplaine, Geo. Reed, Cyrus Hawley, Fred. Wardner, A. O.
T. Breed, Eliphalet Cramer, Rufus Parks, Curtis Reed, Orson Reed, Wir.
MI. Dennis, Truman L. Smith, Edmond D. Clinton, A. A. Bird, and many
others, whom time will not allow us to mention. All had been doing a' land
office business,' and had plenty of money left to winter on. At this time our
old friend Juneau was supposed to be worth at least $100,000, with a fair
prospect of its being doubled by the rise of land in the spring. We have
often seen him in those days go into his store, after business hours were over,
and take from the drawers the money that his clerks had received during the
day for goods and lots, amounting often to 8 or 10,000 dollars, and put it
loose in his hat; and upon one occasion we recollect of his hat being knocked
off in a playful crowd, when some $10,000 flew in various directions. In
short, money seemed to be of no earthly use to him. If a man called upon him
to subscribe for either a public improvement or a charitable object, whatever
was required he subscribed, without asking why or wherefore. In the mean
time he had looked on and seen others get rich on the rise of property that
he had sold, and he commenced buying back lots and paying thousands for
those he had previously sold for hundreds. We recollect very well one circumstance: his re-purchasing the corner lot, near Youngs' Hall, for $3,700,
which he had sold the year previous for $475. He was truly, in the language of the poet,'The noblest work of God, an honest man.' Hie had
implicit confidence in every body.
The spring of 1837 disappointed all our anticipations. A general stagnation in business prevailed in all directions. Immigration had almost entirely
fallen off. Our currency, which was mostly of the Michigan'Wild Cat'
stamp, was no longer a legal tender. There was no sale for real estate. The
second payments were becoming due on purchases of real estate, and all who
supposed themselves rich in lands, were not only destitute of money, but the
813
means to raise it. Some who were able to hold on, kept their property until
tb y could get a handsome advance; while the majority were compelled to
sell for what they could get, and bankruptcy was the inevitable result.
At this time, there were but few settlements in the interior; but the hard
times which continued through the years 1837 and 1838, induced many to
leave Milwaukie and locate a'claim.' The lands between Milwaukie and
Rock River were then surveyed, but were not brought into market until the
fall of 1839. During this time they had become thickly settled, and many
of them quite valuable. The hard times at the east had led many to seek
a home in the west; and in the fall of 1839, when these lands caine into
market, many of them had been so improved that they were worth from $10
to $100 an acre, while the occupants had not the first'red cent' to buy them
with. Consequently, a large proportion of the settlers were compelled to
either sell their improvements for what they could get, or pay from 25 to 50
per cent. for money to enter their lands with.
About this time, Alex. Mitchell, Harvey Birchard, the Messrs. Luding tons, E. Eldred, and other capitalists, came to Milwaukie, and purchased lots
at $100 each, that had previously been sold from $1,000 to $1,500, and are
now selling from $5,000 to $15,000 each. From that day to this,'the rise
and progress' of Milwaukie has been steady and onward. The price of land
has continued to advance with the increase of business, and nearly all who
commenced in business there at that time, and continued to the present, have
become wealthy and independent. In 1846, the legislature passed an act
to divide Milwaukie county, and establish the county of Waukesha; also
another to incorporate the city of Milwaukie. At the first charter election
in the new city, Solomon Juneau was elected mayor, which was a well merited compliment to the'old pioneer.' ".
Mr. Juneau subsequently removed to Dodge county, where by hard labor
he earned a comfortable living, until a few years since, when he was "gathered to his fathers."
Mir. Pratt also gives these amusing reminiscences of the judiciary of the
Territory of Wisconsin:
" The Territory of Wisconsin was organized in July, 1836. It was divided
into three judicial districts. Judge Dunn was appointed for the western
district, Judge Irwin for the middle, and Judge Frazier, of Pennsylvania,
for the eastern. Judge Frazier arrived in Milwaukie on a Sunday evening,
in June, 1837. He put up at the small hotel which stood where' Dickerman's Block' now stands, which was called the * * * * * * * Tavern, kept
by Mr. Vail. On his arrival, he fell in with some old Kentucky friends, who
invited him to a private room, for the purpose of participating in an innocent game of'poker.' The party consisted of the judge, Col. Morton, register of the land office, and two or three others-friends of the judge. They
commenced playing for small sums at first, but increased them as the hours
passed, until the dawn of day, the next morning-when small sums seemed
beneath their notice. The first approach of day was heralded to them by
the ringing of the bell for breakfast. The judge made a great many apologies, saying, among other things, that as that was his first appearance in the
territory, and as his court opened at 10 o'clock that morning, he must have
a little time to prepare a charge to the grand jury. He therefore hoped that
they would excuse him, which they accordingly did, and he withdrew from
the party. The court met at the appointed hour-Owen Aldrich acting as
sheriff, and Cyrus Hawley as clerk. The grand jury was called and sworn.
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WISCONSIN.
The judge, with much dignity, commenced his charge; and never before did
we hear such a charge poured forth from the bench! After charging them
upon the laws generally, he alluded to the statute against gambling. The
English language is too barren to describe his abhorrence of that crime.
Among other extravagances, he said, that'a gambler was unfit for earth,
heaven, or hell,' and that'God Almighty would even shudder at the sight
of one.'
At that time, we had but one session of the legislature, which had adopted
mostly the statutes of Michigan, which allowed the court to exercise its discretion in granting stays of executions, etc. A suit came up against a man
in the second ward, who had no counsel. The judge ordered the crier to call
the defendant. He did so, and the defendant appeared. The judge asked
him if he had anything to say against judgment being rendered against him.
He replied, that he did not know that he had, as it was an honest debt, but
that he was unable to pay it. The judge inquired what his occupation was.
lie replied that he was a fisherman. Says the judge, I'an you pay in fish?'
The defendant answered, that'he did not know but he could, if he had time
to catch them.' The judge turned to the clerk, and ordered him to'enter up
a judgment, payable in fish, and grant a stay of execution for twelve
months;' at the same time remarking to the defendant, that he must surely
pay it at the time, and in good fish; for he would not be willing to wait so
long for' stinking fish.' The next suit worthy of note, was against Wm. M.
Dennis, our present bank comptroller. He, like his predecessor, had no
counsel. His name was called, and he soon made his appearance. He entered the court-room, wearing his usual smile, whittling, with his knife in
the left hand. The court addressed him in a loud voice,'What are you
grinpiiig about, Mr. Dennis?' Mr. D. replied, that he was not aware that he
was laughing. The court inquired if he proposed to offer any defense? He
replied, that he did, but was not ready for trial.'No matter,' said the judge,
'there's enough that are ready; the clerk will enter it'continued." The
next case, about which we recollect, was the trial of two Indians, who were
indicted for murdering a man on Rock River. They were also indicted for
an assault, with intent to kill, upon another man, at the same time. The
trial for murder came off first. They were found guilty, and sentenced to
be hanged. On the day following, they were tried for the assault, etc., found
guilty, and sentenced to five years' imprisonment, and to pay a fine of five
hundred dollars each. Governor Dodge, however, deeming it too severe to
fine and imprison a man after he was hanged, commuted it to imprisonment
for life. The Indians were confined in jail a year or two, but were finally
pardoned by the governor.
Judge Frazier soon afterward went to Green Bay, and held a court, from
whence, for want of a jail in which to confine prisoners, he sentenced a man,
for some trifling offense,'to be banished to Turkey River.' After the court
adjourned, he returned to Milwaukie on the steamboat Pennsylvania. She
anchored in the bay, and the judge, who was dead drunk at the time, was
lowered by means of a tackle into a boat, and rowed to the landing at
W1alker's Point. From the effect of this bacchanalian revel he never recovered. His friend, Col. Morton, took him to his own house, called to his aid
our best physicians, and all was done that human skill could devise, for the
restoration of his health; but it was too late; the seeds of death had been
sown; he lingered in great distress for four or five days, and breathed
his last. The members'of the bar, generally, neglected to attend the
315
funeral; and having no relatives in the state, he hardly received a decent
burial."
Green Bay, the county seat of Brown county, is situated at the mouth of
Fox River, at the head of Green Bay,* 120 miles N.E. from Madison, and
114 N. of Milwaukie. It is the oldest town in Wisconsin, and occupies an
important location. It has a good harbor, and is an important place of deposit and transit for the imports and exports of northern Wisconsin. It is a
great lumber mart, immense quantities being annually exported. The town
has a beautiful situation, and contains several spacious warehouses, fine
churches, and elegant residences. By the canal between Fox and Wisconsin
IRivers, there is steam navigation between Green Bay and the Mississippi
River. Fort Howard, named from Gov. Benj. Howard, of Missouri, is on
. - est side of Fox River, on a commanding eminence. Population about
i.. 2}0.
About 1745, the Sieur AUGUSTIN DE LANGLADE, his son CHARLES, and
probably some others, left Mackinaw and migrated to Green Bay, where they
became the principal proprietors of the soil. They settled on the east side
of Fox River, near its mouth, somewhat above and opposite the old French
post, and on or near the site of the residence of Judge Arndt, at the upper
end of Green Bay. At this time there appears to have been a small French
garrison here, of whom Capt. De Velie was commander. Such was the influenee of Charles De Langlade, that he was appointed, by Vaudreuil, the
governor of Canada, to command the border forces of the French and Indians in the north-west, and it was by his management that the British were
defeated and Gen. Braddock slain at Du Quesne, or Pittsburg, in 1755.
Langlade was also at the capture of Fort William Henry, and also at the
battle of Quebec, where Montcalm was killed. He received a pension from
the British government, for his services in the American Revolution. He
died at Green Bay, in Jan., 1800, at the age of 75, and was buried by the
side of his father, in the cemetery at this place.
The Green Bay settlement, from its inception in 1745 to 1785, a period of
forty years, made but little progress. Mr. Grignon, in his "Recollections,"
published by the State Historical Society, says, "in 1785, there were but
seven families, who, with their engages and others, did not exceed fifty-six
souls." In 1'792, Charles Reaumne arrived and took up his residence at the
Bay. About this period others began to arrive, almost invariably from Canada. About the year 1812, the population amounted to nearly 250 persons.
Previous to the advent of the Americans, in 1816, there were no schools.
The earliest mill erected in the country was by Jacob Franks, about the year
1809. He first built a saw mill, then a grist mill, on Devil River, three
miles east of Depere. Previous to this, grinding was done by hand mills.
In the summer of 1816, a body of American troops were sent to Green Bay,
in three schooners, where they arrived about the 16th of July. Grignon, in
his Recollections, says:
"Col. Miller, the commander, the very day of his arrival, accompanied by CoL
"Green Bay, which gives name to the town, is an arm of Lake Michigan, of about 100
miles in length, and from 10 to 15 in breadth. The name, Green, was given by the early
explorers, and it is supposed, from this fact, that they must have visited it in the spring,
and have found the vegetation of the shores of the bay far in advance of other parts of the
country, as is now sometimes the case, the trees being clothed with young leaves, rich in
the velvet green of spring, while far to the south, even as low as the latitude of the south
end of Lake Huron, all nature is in the cold sombre hues of winter.
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WISCONSIN.
Chambers, Ma;. Gratiot, Capt. Ben. O'Fallon, and other officers, visited Tomah at
his village, less than half a mile distant. Col. Miller asked the consent of the
Alenonmonees for the erection of a fort. Tomah said:
'My Brother! How can we oppose your locating a council-fire among us? You are
too strong for us Even if we wanted to oppose you, we have scarcely got powder and
shot to make the attempt. One favor we ask is, that our French brothers shall not be disturbed or in any way molested. Yoi: can choose any place you please for your fort, an(
we shall not object.'
Col. Mliller thanked him and his people for their friendly consent to his request,
and added that he had some spare provisions, and supposed a little pork and flour
would not hurt him, as they seemed to be scarce articles with the Indians, and invited him to call and get a supply. Some of the Indians prompted Tomah to ask
their new father for a little broth also. Tomah expressed his thanks for Col. Miller's kind offers, and added that he and his people would be very glad to have, if
possible, a little broth to use with the pork and flou'r. Col. Miller said, that although
it was contrary to orders, he would take it upon himself to give them a littleenough for a dram apiece, and hoped they would be moderate in its use.
The people of Green Bay were generally well pleased with the advent of the
Americans, a home market was furnished for their surplus provisions, and a new
impetus was given to the settlement. Vessels now began to arrive with supplies
for the garrison, and we began to experience the benefits and convenience of lake
commerce and navigation."
We continue the history of Green Bay from the Recollections of lton.
Henry S. B'aird. The article is valuable as a vivid description of the manners and customs of these early French settlers of Wisconsin:
In the month of July, 1824. 1 first lan(led upon the shores of the Fox River. In
September following, I came with my wife from Mackinaw, having resided at the
latter place for two years previously. MIy knowledge of the early history of the
state commenced at that period, and has continued uninterrupted until the present
time.
In 1824, Green Bay, as well as the entire country, presented a far different view
from its present al-pearance. Old Fort Howard then occupied its present site.
The grounds around it were used mostly for fields of grain and gardens. A port ion
of the present town of Fort Howard was used by the troops as a parade and drill
ground. The garrison consisted of four companies of the third regiment of' (nite(-]
States Infantry, and commanded by the late Gen. John MeNiel, the brtlher-inlaw
of ex-President Pierce. The "settlement," so-ealled, extended from Fort Howard
on the east, and from the premises now occupied by our venerable fellow-citizen,
Fudge Arndt, on the east side of Fox River, to the present village of I)epere, then
known as Rapide des Peres. The lands on either side of the river were divided
into small farms, or more particularly known to the old settlers as "claims."
These claims are limited in width, generally from two to seven arpents, or French
acres, but what they lacked in width they made up in depth, being on the average
eighty arpents, or about two and three quarter miles long, and contained from one
hundred to six hundred and forty acres each. Like those at St. Louis, Kiskaskia,
Detroit, Prairie du Chien and other early settlements, these claims were generally
" squatted" upon by traders and early pioneers, but were subsequently, by a series
of acts of congress, "confirmed" and granted to the occupants on certain conditions. Their peculiar shape of "all long and no wide," has often been a matter of
wonder to the shrewd Yankees, who love to have their farms in a square form, and
take it all in at one view. Many laugh at what they deem the folly and shortsightedness of the old settlers in thus limiting their locations. But when apprised
of the reasons which induced this manner of location, they may cease to marvel.
In my opinion, the reasons were two-fold: first, security against the hostile attacks
to be apprehended from the native Indians, who Were the sole occupants and proprietors of the country in the early years of its settlement by the traders, and
whose passions were often inflamed by jealousy and hatred of the whites in their
encroachments upon the soil and freedom of the original owners. It is evident
that it would be much easier to repel attack by a speedy union of the whites thus
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WISCONSIN.
living in close proximity to each other, and concentrating their whole force and
means of defense, at some eligible point of security, than it would have been if
living in spots remote and scattered over a hlarge extent of country. Another reason was, that in those days the traders or whites who settled in the country were
not influenced by the same motive of cupidity that governs the "squatters" or
"claimants" of the present day, in the desire to acquire large landed possessions,
But few of those who came into the country at that early period, say about ono
hundred years ag,o, designed to make it their permanent abode. Their principal
object was to traffic with the Indians, and to obtain the rich furs and peltries, with
which this whole region then abounded. Agriculture and the cultivation of the
soil were, with them, secondary considerations. But very small portions of the
small tracts of land thus occupied by the adventurers were cultivated by them.
Small patches of Indian corn, a few acres of potatoes or other vegetables, scattered
here and there through the settlement, comprised the farming interest of the country; and it was not until the arrival of more enterprising and grasping settlers, the
keen and speculating Americans (a class feared and hated by the former class),
that these claims were considered of any value, or worth the trouble and expense
of obtaining titles to them.
As before stated, the "settlement" at this place extended on both sides of the
river from Fort Howard to Depere, a distance of about six miles, here and there
interspersed with patches of timber, the cultivated land extending back from the
river but a few acres. Beyond Depere, south or west, there was no white settlements for many years, except two or three families at the Grand Kaukauna, until
we reached Prairie du Chien, on the Mississippi River, and distant about 250 miles;
where was a garrison of United States troops, and a few hundred inhabitants. All
north, east or west of Green Bay was a dense forest, an unbroken wilderness, peopled only by the red man, and roamed by wild beasts. Depere, or rather "Rapide
des Peres," is supposed to be the spot first located by the Jesuits or early missionaries, in or about the year 1671.* An old building, formerly occupied by these
Revereied Father-s, was situated very near the spot on which now stands the new
grist mill of Messrs. Wilcox & Wagter. I frequently visited the spot, and the old
foundation of the venerable edifice was visible for some time after I came here,
and until, in cultivating the ground, the stones were removed or covered over.
The trade and business of the settlement was principally carried on at what was
then called by the unpretending and not very pleasing name of "Shantv Town."
Three or four stores were locatcd at this point, and together with the sutler store
at Fort Howard, and two or three at other places in the settlement, supplied the wants
of the community. In addition to the "regular merchants" were several fur
traders, who carried on a regular traffic with the Indians; but these had no per.
manent places of trade here. In the autumn of each year, they received, eithe.
from MNackinaw (then the great depot and head-quarters of the American Fur Co="
pany), or from Canada, their "outfit" of goods and merchandise, consisting of ar.
ticles adapted to the wants of the natives, and departed for their distant "wintering grounds," situated in the wilderness. The principal trading posts, at that
period, in northern Wisconsin, were the following: Milwaukie, Shebovgan, and
l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Y
MNanitowoc, on Lake Michigan; Menomonee River, Peshtigo and Oconto, on Green
Bay; Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Oshkosh, on Winnebago Lake; Wolf River, Lake
Shawano, and the Portage of the Fox and Wisconsin. At all of these points Indian villages were located, and it is a remarkable feature in the settlement of Wis consin, that all or nearly all of the principal cities, towns and villages which now
in all directions meet our view, were originally sites of Indian villages; showing that
to the sagacity and foresight of the aborigines, rather than to the judgment and dis crimination of the whites, are we indebted for the beautiful and eligible locations
of the towns throughout the state.
These traders conveyed the goods, which, however, were not all dry goods, in
boats called batteaux, being of light draught of water, and constructed so as to
meet with the least opposition from the current in rapids or swift streams, or in
X The Mission of St. Francis Xavier, at DePere, was established in 1669: See Jesuit Relations, 1669-70; Shea's Hist. Catholic Mi88ions; Smith'8 Hi8t. Wisconsin.
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WISCONSIN.
birch bark canoes, which latter were constructed by the Indians. The boat or
canoe was manned, according to size and capacity, by a crew consisting of from
four to ten Canadian voyageurs, or by half-bloods, their descendants. This class.
which once occupied so prominent a position in the early recollections of the
times, but which has now nearly disappeared from the country they were the first
to visit, deserves a passing notice. The Canadian voyageurs, as the name indicates,
came originally from Canada, principally from Quebec and Montreal. They were
emploved by the principal traders, under written contracts, executed in Canada,
for a term of from three to five years-their wages from two hundred and fifty
livres (fifty dollars) to seven hundred and fifty livres (one hundred and fifty dollars) per year, to which was added what was termed an "outfit," consisting of a
Mackinaw blanket, two cotton shirts, a capote or loose sack coat, two pairs of coarse
pants, shoes and socks, and some other small articles, including soap. Their food,
when in the "wintering ground," consisted, for the greater portion of the time, of
corn and tallow, occasionally enriched by a piece of fat pork-or venison and bear
meat, when they happened to be plenty; yet with this spare and simple diet, they
were healthy and always cheerful and happy. Their powers of endurance were
astonishing. They would row or paddle all day, and when necessary would carry
on their backs, suspended by a strap or band crossing their breast or forehead,
large packs of furs or merchandise, weighing from one hundred to one hundred
and thirty pounds, for whole days, and when night came, enjoyed their frugal meal
and joined in merry jokes. recounted stories of their many hair-breadth escapes
by "flood and forest," or perhaps joined in the dance to the music of the violin,
if among their companions any were capable of "sawing sweet sounds." In the
spring of the year, they returned to the settlements or principal trading-posts, to
spend the summnier months in comparative ease, and in the enjoyment of the pastimes and frolics they so highly prized. Always improvident, open-hearted and
convivial, they saved nothing, nor thought of the wants of the future, but spent
freely the whole of their hard-earned and scanty wages in a few weeks of their
stay among their friends, and again returned in the fall to pass through the same
routine of toil, hardship, and privation. Intermarriages frequently took place between them and the native women. These marriages were encouraged by the
traders, as it not only increased the influence of the traders and their eqgagees over
the Indians, but was the means of securing their trade, bound the men more closely
to the country, and insured their continuance in the fur trade, with which they
had then become familiar. The half-bloods were the descendants of the early
vcyageurs, and in character and manners closely resembled their sires.
The commerce of the country was carried on through the medium of a few sail
vessels plying between this place and the ports on Lake Erie. These vessels were
generally of from twenty-five to seventy tuns burden. Occasionally, perhaps once
or twice in the season of navigation, a steamer from Buffalo would look in upon
us; but these were fair different in structure and capacity from the splendid "floating palaces" which have visited our waters in later years. All kinds of provisions
and supplies were brought here from Ohio and Michigan, and the inhabitants were
solely dependent upon those states for everything like provisions, except a limited
quantity of grain and vegetables raised by the miserable farmers of the country.
The buildings and improvements in the country were then few, and circumscribed
within a narrow compass, and in a great degree partook of the unpretending and
simple character of their occupants. Some constructed of rough or unhewn logs,
covered with cedar bark, here and there a sprinkling of lodges or wigwams, formed
by long poles stuck in the ground in a circular form, and brought together and
united at the top by a cord, thus forming an inclosure perhaps twelve or fifteen
feet in diameter at the base, and covered with large mats composed of a kind of
reed or grass, called by the Indians "Puckaway." The mode of ingress and egress
was by raising a smaller mat, covering an aperture left in the side for that purpose.
Light was admitted from the top of the structure, through an opening which served
as well to emit the smoke from the fire, which was made directly in the center of
the habitation.'these wigwams were sometimes occupied by families of the half.
blood Canadians and indians, sometimes by the natives.
The inhabitants of the settlement, exclusive of the native Indians, were mostly
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WISCONSIN.
Canadian French, and those of mixed blood. There were, in 1824, at Green Bay,
but six or eight resident American families, and the families of the officers stationed at Fort Howard, in number about the same. The character of the people
was a compound of civilization and primitive simplicity-exhibiting the polite and
lively characteristics of the French and the thoughtlessness and improvidence of
the aborigines. Possessing the virtues of hospitality and the warmth of heart
unknown to residents of cities, untrammeled by the etiquette and conventional
rules of modern "high life," they were ever ready to receive and entertain their
friends, and more intent upon the enjoyment of the present than to lay up store
or make provision for the future. With few wants, and contented and happy hearts,
they found enjoyment in the merry dance, the sleigh-ride, and the exciting horse
race, and doubtless experienced more true happiness and contentment than the
plodding, calculating and money-seeking people of the present day.'T'his was the
character of the settlers who occupied this country before the arrival of the Yankees-a class now entirely extinct or lost sight of by the present population; but
it is one which unites the present with the past, and for whom the "old settlers"
entertain feelings of veneration and respect. They deserve to be remembered and
placed on the pages of history as the first real pioneers of Wisconsin. Several of
these persons have left descendants who still survive them; and the names of Lawe,
Grignon, Juneau, Porlier, and others of that class, will survive and serve as memorials of the old race of settlers, long after the last of the present generation shall
have been "gathered to their fathers."
During the early years of my residence here, the social circle, although limited,
was by no means insignificant. It was composed of the families of the garrison
and the Americans, and several of the "old settlers." If it was small, it was also
united by the ties of friendship and good feeling. Free from the formalities and
customs which are observed by the ton of the present day, we met to enjoy ourselves, more like members of one family than as strangers. The young people of that
period (and all felt young then) would assemble on a few hours' notice at the house
of a neighbor, without form or ceremony. Young ladies were then expected to
appear at an early hour in the evening, and not at the usual hour of retiring to
rest, nor were they required to appear in either court or fancy dresses. The merry
dance succeeded, and all enjoyed themselves until an early hour in the morning.
One custom prevailed universally, among all classes, even extending to the Indians:
that of devoting the holidays to festivity and amusement, but especially that of
"calling" on sNew Year's day. This custom was confined to no class in particular; all observed it; and many met on News Year who perhaps did not Qai_n meet
till the next. All then shook hands and exchanged mutual good wishes —Lll old
animosities were forgotten-all differences settled, and universal peace estallished.
lMay this good old custom be long observed, and handed down to future generations as a memento of the good olden time. During the winter season, Green Bay
wras entir'ely insulated. Cut off from communication with all other parts of the
civilized world, her inhabitants were left to their own resources for nearly half the
year. Our mails were "few and far between," sometimes but once a month-never
more than twice, did we receive them, so that the news when received here was no
longer new. The mails were carried on a man's shoulders from Chicago to Green
Bay, through the wilderness, a distance of about two hundred and fifty miles, and
could not contain a very great quantity of interesting reading matter. Under such
circumstances it became necessary that we should devise some means to enliven
our time, and we did so accordingly; and I look back upon those years as among
the most agreeable in my life.
The country, at that early day, was destitute of roads or places of public entertainmrent-nothing but the path, or "Indian trail," traversed the wide expanse of
forest and prairie from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, and the travel by land
was performed on foot or horseback; but there was then another mode of locomotion, very generally adopted by those who took long journeys-now become obso,
lete, and which would doubtless be laughed at by the present "fast going" genera.tion-that of the Indian or bark canoe. I will not take time to describe the vessel,
as most of you have doubtless seen such, and perhaps many, now present, have
taken voyages in these frail barks. The canoe was used in all cases where coin
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WISCONSIN.
fort and expedition were desired. You may smile at the use of the terms "com fort and expedition," where the traveler sat cooped up all day in a space about four
feet square. and at night encamped on the bank of the stream, cooked his own
supper, and slept on the ground, with no covering but a tent and blanket, or, often
times, nothing but the wide canopy of heaven-having, after a day of toil and labor by his crew, accomplished a journey of thirty to forty miles I But these journeys were not destitute of interest. The voyageur was enlivened by the merry
song of his light-hearted and ever happy Canadian crew-his eye delighted by the
constant varying scenery of the country through which he passed-at liberty to
select a spot for his encampment, and to stop when fatigued with the day's travel
-and, above all, free from care and from the fearful apprehensions of all modern
trav elers on railroads and steamboats, that of being blown up, burned, or drowned.
I can better illustrate this early mode of travel, by giving an account of a "party
of pleasure," undertaken and
,a_..............= = accomplished by myself. In
... ~=- - _May, 1830, being obliged to
/ - = Igo on the annual circuit to
I~{~!] ~~~l m BPrairie du Chien, to attend
1';~..... | _ 1 | |court, I concluded to make it
a matter of pleasure as well
;,, as business. 1 accordingly
obtained a good sized and sub \! \\ stantial north-west bark canoe
-about five fathoms, or thirty
feet, in length, and five feet
wide in the center-a good
- tent, or "markee," together
THEi PORTAGE. with mattresses, blankets,
bedding, mess basket. and all
The engraving represents a party of voyagenrs carrying their t I
bark cai,ne and pseking their " plunder" over a portage. The oer titns requre as an
term "portage" is applied to those points where the canoes; outfit on such expeditions.
are carried by land around rapids or other obstructions in a The party consisted of my
river, or from the head-waters of one strean to those of another,
as between those of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. wife, self, two small children,
two young ladies as companions, and a servant girl; my crew, of four Canadians-experienced men and good
singers-and two Menomonee Indians, as bow and steersmen. The canoe was
propelled both by oars and paddles.
We ascended the Fox River to Fort Winnebago, and descended the Wisconsin to
the Mississippi, and thence up the latter four miles to Prairie du Chien. The voyage
occupied eight or nine days in going, ad about the same length of time in returning- during which the ladies "camped out" every night save two. They did all
the cooking and household work; the former was no small item-for, with appetites
sharpened by pure air and exercise, and with abundance of fresh venison, with
fowl and fish, to satisfy them, the quantity of viands consumed by the party would
have astonished modern epicures, and perhaps shock the delicate tastes of city
belles. We frequently encamped early in the afternoon-at some spot which attracted our attention from its natural beauty, or romantic appearance-and strolled
alone the bank of the streamn, plucking beautiful wild flowers, which abounded, or
clambering up some high bluff or commanding headland, obtained a view of the
surrounding country, and traced the meandering stream through its high banks,
far in the distance. It was in the merry month of May, when the forest was
clothed in its deepest verdure-the hills and prairies redolent with flowers, and
the woods tenanted by melodious songsters. It was truly a "trip of pleasure" a,nd
enjoyment. Many trips for pleasure have been undertaken, where the parties may
have experienced the refinements and accommodations, and enjoyed the luxuries
to be found, in the present day, in old and long settled countries —but I believe
few, if any, realized more true delight and satisfaction, than did this "Party of
I'leasure in a Bark Canoe."
The present "State of Wisconsin," although formerly a part of the Territory of
~:'higan, was for many years rather an appendage than a component part of that
21
321
WISCONSIN.
territory. In 1824, things had assumed a more orderly and regular character; justice was administered according to the established rules and practice of other
states, and of the common law. But in the subordinate, or justices' courts, many
singular incidents transpired.
I happened to be present at a trial which took place in a justice's court in Iowa
county. The court was held in a small log school-house. The suit was brought
to recover the amount of a note of hand. The defendant plead either payment or
want of consideration-each party had employed counsel, and a jury of six were
impanneled to try the issue. A witness was called and sworn. In the course of the
examuination, one of the counsel objected to some leading question put bythe opposite
side, or to some part of the witness' answer as improper testimony. The justice
overruled the objection, and the witness proceeded; but ere long another objection
similar to the first was made from the same side. On this second objection being
made, the foreman of the jury, a large and portly individual, who bore the title of
colonel, and, probably owing to his exalted military rank, was permitted to wear
his hat during the trial, manifested a good deal of impatience, shown by fidgeting
in his seat and whispering to his fellow jurors; but the justice again overruled the
objection and told the witness to proceed. This he did for a short time, when he
made a statement which was clearly irrelevant and contrary to every rule of evidence and common sense. The attorney who had so often and so unsuccessfully
attempted to exclude this sort of evidence, could no longer silently submit-he
again rose from his seat and most respectfully appealed to the court, protesting
against such statements going to the jury as testimony. Thereupon the worthy
foreman rose from his seat, and swore he would no longer sit there to hear the objections of that fellow. That hlie had taken an oath as a juitror, to decide the case
Voyageur's Camp.
The day'S toil ended, they rest from labor.
according to the evidence, and if he could not hear the whole story from the wit
ness, he should leave. Accordingly he made several strides toward the door, when
the justice rose from the bench, and approaching the juror, placed his hand upon
the colonel's shoulder, and begged that he should return to his seat, promising that
the troublesome attorney should not again interfere. After some persuasion, ho
Consented to do so-at the same time, while pressing his hat more firmly upon his
322
WISCONSIN.
head, he exclaimed, "Well, I'll try it once more, but if I will stand any lor,
nf that fellow's nonsense." The attorney gave up in despair, and the opposite
eoansel had it all his own way.
Sotuth-westerne view of Mfadisoii.
Shows the appearance of the city. as seen fiol Wa/thington-aveo,e, near tie railroad station; the (ity
Hall appears on the left; the Court Hon.se on the right; the Episcopal Clhurch, State Capitol, the Baptist
and Catholic Churches in the central part.
31ADISON, the county seat of Dane county, and capital of Wisconsin, is 80
miles W. of Milwaukie, about 100 E. firom Prairie du Clien, and 154 N.W.
of Chicago. It is generally pronounced to possess the finest natural site of
any inland town in the Union. It is situated on rising ground, an isthmus
between Third and Fourth Lakes of the chain called Four Lakes.'EOn the
northwest is Lake MIendota, nine miles long and six wide; on the east Lake
MAonona, five miles long and threewide. The city is celebrated for the beauty,
health and pleasantness of its location; commanding, as it does, a view of
nearly every characteristic of country peculiat to the west-the prairie, oak
opening, mound, lake, and woodland. The surface of the ground is somewhat uneven, but in no place too abrupt for building purposes. The space
between these lakes is a mile in width, rising gently as it leaves their banks
to an altitude of about seventy feet, and is then alternately depressed and
elevated, making the site of the city a series of gently unldulating swells.
On the most elevated ground is the state house, a fine structure of limestone,
ini the center of one of Nature's Parks of fifteen acres, overlooking the
"Four Lakes" and the surroundinog city. From this the streets diverge in
every direction, with a gradual descent on all sides. To the west, about a
mile distant, is the State University, in the midst of a park of 40 acres,
crowning a beautiful eminence, 125 feet above the lake. This institution was
founded in 1848, and has an anniual income of $30,000. On the south side
of Lake MAonona is a spacious Water-Cure establishment, surrounded by an
extensive grove, and presenting a very striking appearance on approaching
323
WISCONSIN.
the city. Around Madison, in every direction, is a well-cultivated, and beautiful undulating country, which is fast being occupied by pleasant homes."
Madison possesses many handsome buildings and several churches of a
superior order. Beside the State University, it has other literary institutions,
male and female, of the first order, about 20,000 volumes in its public libraries, and is generally regarded as the literary emporium of the state, beiiing
the point for the assemblage of conventions of all kinds, and a favorite resort for the literary and scientific men of Wisconsin. The town is a thriving business place, and has ample railroad connections with all parts of the
country. Population, in 1860, 6,800.
The "STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONsIN," organized in Madison in 1849, is the most valuable and flourishing institution of the kind west
of the Alleg,hanies. By an act, most honorable to this growing state, the
sum of one thousand dollars annually has been granted to promote its objects. This society, although in its infancy, has already secured a most valuable collection of books and papers; also an interesting collection of original paintings of distinguished men, ancient relics, etc. The following article
upon the history of Madison, is from the pen of Lyman C. Draper, Esq.,
Cor. Sec. Wisconsin Historical Society, a gentleman who has probably collected more original unpublished materials for western history, than any person living in this state or in any other:
"The site of Madison attracted the attention of Hon. James D. Doty, as
early as 1832. In the spring of 1836, in company with Hon. S. T. Mason,
of Detroit, he purchased the tract of land occupied by the present city. The
first cost of this tract was about $1,500. The territorial legislature which
met at Belmont, Lafayette county, the next winter, passed an act locating the
capital here, and John Catlin and Moses M. Strong staked out the center of
the village in February of the same winter. In the mean time commissioners were appointed by the general government, to construct the capitol edifice: Messrs. James D. Doty, A. A. Bird, and John F. O'Neil, were the commissioners. Eben Peck was sent on with his family to erect a house, where
the men employed in building the capitol might board and lodge, and was
the first settler at Madison. He arrived on the 14th of April, in 1837, and
put up a log house, which remains standing to this day, upon its original
site, on block 107, Butler-street. This was, for about a year, the only public
house in Madison.
On the 10th of June succeeding, A. A. Bird, the acting commissioner for
constructing the capitol, accompanied by a party of thirty-six workmen, arrived. There was nQ road, at that time, from Milwaukie to the capital, and
the party were compelled to make one for their teams and wagons as they
came along. They left Milwaukie on the 1st of June, with four teams. It
rained incessantly, the ground, drenched with water, was so soft that even
with an ordinary road, their progress would have been slow, but when to this
are added the obstructions of fallen trees, unbridged streams, hills whose
steepness labor had not yet mitigated, and the devious course which they ne cessarily pursued, it is not surprising that ten days were spent in accomplish ing a journey, which, since the advent of the iron horse into the Four Lake
country, we are able to perform in a little more than three hours. They
forded Rock River near the site of the present city of Watertown, and the
Crawfish at Milford. The first glimpse they had of the sun during their
journey was on the prairie, in this county, now known as the Sun Prairie t name given it at the time, as a compliment to the luminary which beamed
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WISCONSIN.
forth so auspiciously and cheerfully on that occasion, and possibly to encourage Old Sol to persevere in well doing.
Among the party that came with Bird was Darwin Clark, Charles Bird,
David Hyer, and John Pierce; the latter accompanied by his family, being
the second settler with a family. On the same day that this party reached
here, Simeon Mills, now a resident of Madison, and well known through the
county, arrived from Chicago. John Catlin had been appointed postmaster,
but was not here, and Mr. M. acted as his deputy. He erected a block building, fifteen feet square, and in this opened the postoffice and the first store
in Madison. The building is yet extant, and at present stands in the rear
of a blacksmith shop, and is used as a coal house. During the following
month John Catlin arrived, and was the first member of the legal profession
that settled in Madison. William N. Seymour, another old settler and well
known citizen, came here the same season, and was the second lawyer in the
place. The workmen upon the capitol proceeded at once to getting out stone
and timber for that edifice, and, on the Fourth of July, the corner stone was
laid, with due ceremony. Speeches were made on the occasion and toasts
drunk, whether in cold water, or some stronger beverage, tradition does not
mention.
The first framed building erected was a small office for the acting commissioner; the first framed dwelling was built by A. A. Bird. This still stands
upon its original site, on the bank of Lake Monona, back of the Capital
House. The boards used in these buildings were sawed by hand. A steam
saw mill, to saw lumber for the capitol, was built during the latter part of the
same season, on the shore of Lake Mendota, just below the termination of
Pinkney-street. In the month of September, of the same year, John Stoner
arrived, being the third settler with a family. A Methodist clergyman, the
Rev. Mr. Stebbins, the presiding elder of the territory, preached the first sermon delivered in Madison, during the same month. Four families, with
their inmates and guests, constituted the entire population of Madison, and
with two or three families at Blue ltounds, the whole population of Dane
county during the winter of 1837-8. In the spring of 1838, Messrs. A. A.
Bird, Simeon MIills, William A. Wheeler, and others, who spent the winter
here, brought on their families and became permanent residents. During the
summer the Madison Hotel was built, and the first session of the supreme
court of the territory was held in July, in the sitting room. Judge Dunn,
of Lafayette county, was then chief justice, with Judges Frazier and Irwin
as associates. The work on the capitol went on somewhat slowly. On the
8th of November, the Wisconsin Elquirer, by J. A. Noonan, made its appearance, being the pioneer paper at the capital.
The resident population of Madison, the second winter, was about one
hundred souls. The first female child born in Madison was Wisconsinia
Peck, born in the fall of 1837; the first male child was Madison Stoner,
born in 1838. Dr. Almon Lull, the first physician, settled here during the
same year.
The Wisconsin Enquirer of May 25, 1839, contains an article respecting
Dane county, in which the population of the county is estimated at over
three hundred, more than half of whom resided in Madison. This was,
doubtless, too high an estimate, as the population by the census of 1840 was
but 314. The village then contained two stores, three public houses, three
groceries, and one steam mill-iin all, thirty-five buildings. The same article
states that prices had ranged during the year then past as follows: corn, $1 25
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per bushel; oats, 75 cents; potatoes, $1 00; butter, 37~ to 621 cents; eeggs,
371 to 75 cents per dozen; pork and beef, from 7 to 12 cents per pound. The
anniversary of our national independence was celebrated in due style, for the
first time in Madison, this season. John Catlin, Esq., was president of the
day; A. A. Bird and Simeon Mills, vice presidents. The Declaration was
read by Geo. P. Delaplaine, and the oration pronounced by William T. Ster ling. Hon. E. Brigham acted as marshal.
For a number of years the growth of the village was slow. Immediately
after the location of the capital, all the lands in the vicinity were entered
by speculators, and lots and land were held at a prospective value. The lo cation being at a central point between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan,
the advancing army of immigrants, on either hand, found a wide, fertile and
beautiful extent of country, at that time nearer market, and therefore holding
*out superior attractions to the agriculturist. They did not consequently care
to indulge the speculator's appetite for fancy prices. This condition of affairs
continued until 1848. In the meantime the fertile valley of Rock River had
been filled with settlers, and immigration began to turn into Dane county,
which possesses a soil as bountiful and a surface of country as attractive as
any county in the state, but which, before it was tapped by railroads, was too
far from market to render agriculture remunerative.
The beginning of the real prosperity and growth of Madison commenced
with the admission of the state into the Union, in 1848. The constitutional
convention then permanently located the capital here; until that time there
had been fears of its removal, and capitalists had hesitated to invest their
money in the vicinity. Since that period its progress in wealth and popula tion has been rapid and constant.
In 1847, L. J. Farwell, of Milwaukie, attracted by the beauty of the lo cation, and foreseeing its advantages as the natural business center of the in terior, the point of convergence of the principal lines of travel, and the cap ital of the state, made an extensive purchase of real estate, comprising a
portion of the village plat and of lands lying adjacent, which included the
unimproved water power between L'kes Monona and Mendota. To the
active enterprise, the liberal policy, and the public spirit of this gentle man, Madison is largely indebted for her present prosperity and growing
greatness."
We conclude this sketch of Madison with Child's account of the first ses sion of the territorial legislature in the place, which met Nov. 26, 1838:
The new capitol edifice was not yet in a suitable condition to receive the legis lature; so we had to assemble in the basement of the old American House, where
Gov. Dodge delivered his first message at the new seat of government. We ad journed from day to day, until we could get into the new capitol building. At
length we took possession of the new Assembly Hall. The floors were laid with
green oak boards, full of ice; the walls of the room were iced over; green oak
seats, and desks made of rough boards; one fire-place and one small stove. In a
few days the flooring near the stove and fire-place so shrunk on account of the
heat, that a person could run his hands between the boards. The basement story
was all open, and James Morrison's large drove of hogs had taken possession; they
were awfully poor, and it would have taken two of them, standing side by side, to
have made a decent shadow on a bright day. We had a great many smart mem bers in the house, and sometimes they spoke for Buncombe. When members of
this ilk would become too tedious, I would take a long pole, go at the hogs, and stir
them up; when they would raise a young pandemonium for noise and confusion.
The speaker's voice would become completely drowned, and he would be compelled
to stop, not, however, without giving his squealing disturbers a sample of his swear ing ability.
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The weather was cold; the halls were cold, our ink would freeze, everythingc
froze-so when we could stand it no longer, we passed a joint resolution to adjourn
for twenty days. I was appointed by the two houses to procure carpeting for both
halls during the recess; I bought all I could find in the territory, and brought it to
Madison, and put it down after covering the floor with a thick coating of hay.
After this, we were more comfortable. The American Hotel was the only public
house in Madison, except that Mr. Peck kept a few boarders in his old log house,
which was still standing not long since. We used to have tall times in those
days-times long to be remembered. The Forty Thieves were then in their infancy; stealing was carried on in a small way. Occasionally a bill would be fairly
stolen through the legislature; and the territory would get gouged a little now and
then.
- A _
______________ __ T() jt _______
<$1}
The Foutr Lakes.
The "FOUR LAKES," in the midst of which Madison is so beautifully
placed, is a striking feature of the country, which is called the "garden spot"
of Wisconsin. The land around them is undulating, and consists mostly of
prairies and "oak openings," bearing in some respects a resemblance to English park scenery. Fourth Lake, or Lake Mendota, is the largest of the
chain, and from 50 to 70 feet deep. It is navigable for small steamers.
"The land around this lake rises gradually from its margin, and forms, in the
distance, the most beautiful elevations, the slopes of which are studded with
clumps of woods, and groves of trees, forming the most charming natural
scenery. The water of all these lakes, coming from springs, is cold and clear
to a remarkable degree. For the most part, their shores are made of a fine
gravel shingle; and their bottoms, which are visible at a great depth, are
composed of white sand, interspersed with granite bowlders. Their banks,
with few exceptions, are bold. A jaunt around them affords almost every
variety of scenery-bold escarpments and overhanging bluffs, elevated peaks,
and gently sloping shores, with graceful swells or intervals, affording magnificent views of the distant prairies and openings; they abound in fish of a
great variety, and innumerable water-fowl sport upon the surface.'Persons
desiring to settle in pleasant locations, with magnificent water views and wood
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land scenery, may find hundreds of unoccupied places of unsurpassed beauty
upon and near their margins."
The term "Four Lake Country," is applied to Dane county, in which these
lakes are situated. This county contains about 1,250 square miles, nearly
equal to the entire state of Rhode Island, which has 1,300 square miles.
Oily one sixth of the land is yet settled, and all is susceptible of culture.
' Were Dane county as thickly settled as the French departments of Rhone,
Nord, and Lower Rhine, it would sustain a population of 700,000 souls."
The first permanent American settler, within the limits of Dane county, was
Ebenezer Brigham, of Blue Mounds. "He journeyed from Massachusetts to St.
Louis in 1818; thence, in the spring of 1828, he removed to Blue Mounds, the
most advanced outpost in the mines, and has resided there ever since, being, by
four years at least, the oldest white settler in the county. The isolated position he
thus settled upon will be apparent from the statement of a few facts. The nearest
settler was at what is now Dodgeville, about twenty miles distant. Mineral Point,
and most of the other diggings, where villages have since grown up, had not then
been discovered. On the south-east, the nearest house was on the O'Plaine River,
twelve miles west of Chicago. On the east, Solomon Juneau was his nearest neighbor,
at the mouth of the Milwaukie River; and on the north-east, Green Bay was the
nearest settlement-Fort Winnebago not then being projected. T'he country at
this time was part of Michigan Territory.
For several years after his coming the savages were sole lords of the soil. A
large Indian village stood near the mouth of Token creek; another stood on the
ridge between the Second and Third Lakes, in plain view of Madison; and their
wigwams were scattered all along the streams, the remnants of their gardens, etc.,
being still visible. Then there was not a civilized village in the state of any considerable size. When the capital was located, he was the nearest settler to ittwenty-four miles distant! He stood on the ground before its selection as the seat
of government was thought of, and from the enchanting beauty of the spot, predicted that a village would be built there."
WVatertown, Jefferson county, is finely situated on both sides of Rock River,
on the Fond du Lac and Rock River Railroad, 40 miles easterly from Madison, at the great bend of the river, at the foot of Johnson's Rapids, where a
dam across the river creates a great water power, which is extensively used
for manufacturing purposes. It was settled in 1836, and has had a rapid
growth. Population, in 1860, 5,800.
PRAIRIE DU CHIIIEN, the county seat of Crawford county, stands upon
the left bank of the Mississippi, at the terminus of the Milwaukie and Mississippi Railroad, about three miles above the mouth of Wisconsin River. 96
miles W. of Madison, 192 from Milwaukie, 529 above St. Louis, and 296
below the Falls of St. Anthony. "It is beautifully situated on a dry alluvial prairie, about six miles in length along the river, by two miles wide.
The southern and widest portion of the prairie is gently undulating, and so
high above the river as never to be subject to inundation, and it is one of the
best sites for a town on the river. The water is deep, affording natural and
spacious harbors. On the opposite side of the river the bluffs rise directly
from the water, are covered with a thick growth of forest trees, and are only
broken by ravines, which afford roadways into the country west from the
river. There is no room for any considerable town to be built on the river
elsewhere, nearer than Dubuque, seventy miles south of this place, and for
a distance of nearly one hundred miles north, on account of the high bluffs
which rise, like the highlands of the Hudson, from the water's edge. Prairie
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du Chien can never have a competitor for the western trade between those
limits."
There are two landings here, one at the terminus of the Milwaukie and
Mississippi Railroad, on the slough around the eastern side of an island in
the Mississippi, the other, McGre-or's landing, about 1~ miles northward of
South-vesternl view of Fort Crauford, at Prairie du Chieln.
The Hospital is situated on the right. The high grounds sen bank fror thle fort, with the horizontal
ranges of stone cropping out fron the surface, is characteristic of the alpI)earaice of the bluffs on this
side of thle Mississippi.
the railroad depot. Fort CU'twford, now occupied by several laborers and
their families, is delightfully situated on a gentle elevation of the prairie,
about half a mile from the shore. Water is obtained within the walls of the
fort from a well 65 feet deep. Population is about 5,000.
According to tradition, Prairie du Chien was named from an Indian chief
by the name of Chieit, or Dog, who had a village on the prairie, near where
Fort Crawford now stands-Chicn, or Dog, is a favorite name among the Indians of the north-west. About the year 1737, the French established a
trading post at this place, and built a stockade around their dwellings to
protect them from the Indians, and from that day to modern times it continued to be a trading and military post, though occasionally a worn out voyageur got married and settled down upon the spot. The land at this point
was not purchased from the Indians, and none surveyed except the private
claims on the prairie, for many years after the government took possession
of it as a military post. There were not, until 1835, any Americans that
emigrated to the prairie for settlement.
In 1819, Lewis Cass, the governor of Michigan Territory, sent blank commissions for the different officers of the counties, to be filled up by the inhabitants. These were taken by Lieut. Col. Leavenworth, then on his way,
with the fifth regiment, to occupy Forts Crawford and Armstrong, and to
build a fort at the mouth of St. Peters. Two companies of this regiment,
under Maj. Muhlenberg, were detached to Prairie du Chien. Soon after receiving the blank commissions, the principal inhabitants assembled at the
house of Nicholas Boilvin, and appointed John W. Johnson, U. S. factor, as
chief justice of the county court; Wilfred Owens, judge of probate; N.
Boilvin, J. W. Johnson, and James H. Lockwood, justices of the peace; J.
S. Findley, clerk; J. P. Gates, register; and Thomas McNair, sheriff.
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The following extracts are copied from vol. 2 of the "Collections of the
State Historical Society of Wisconsin," from an article entitled "Early Times
and Events in ITVisconsin," by Hon. James H. Lockwood:
"In the year 1820-'21, the county authorities of Crawford erected a jail
in the old village of Prairie du Chien, in the rear of village lot No. 17 of
that village, made of hewn oak logs of about one foot square; the house
was 25 by 16 feet, and divided by the same kind of logs into a debtors' and
criminals' apartments.
There is a tract of land nearly opposite the old village of Prairie du Chien
in Iowa, which was granted by the Spanish lieut. governor of Louisiana to
one Bazil Girard, and running through it was a small stream or brook, usually
called Girard's creek; but, in 1823, the commandant of Fort Crawford had
a body of men detailed to cultivate a public garden on the old farm of Girard, on said creek, and Martin Scott, then a lieutenant of the fifth infantry,
and stationed at Fort Crawford, was directed to superintend the party. Fond
of shooting, and a great shot generally, he took his dogs and gun every
morning, got into his little hunting canoe, and spent the day in shooting
woodcocks which were plenty in the marshes about there, and returning in
the evening would boast of the number that had bled that day. After a
while he gave the creek the name of Blood1y Run, which name it still bears.
The name generally suggests to strangers the idea of some bloody battle
having been fought there. and I have been frequently questioned as to the
tradition relative to it. and a few years since the editor of our village paper
hlad somewhere picked up the same romantic idea, and published a long traditionary account of a bloody battle pretended to have been fought there
years ago. But the creek is indebted for its name to the hunting exploits of
Major Martin Scott, when a lieutenant, and stationed at Fort Crawford.
On the 16th of September, 1816, I arrived at Prairie du Chien. a traders'
village of between twenty-five and thirty houses, situated on the banks of
the Mississippi, on what, in high water, is an island. The houses were built
by planting posts upright in the ground with grooves in them, so that the
sides could be filled in with split timber or round poles, and then plastered
over with clay, and white-washed with a white earth found in the vicinity,
and then covered with bark, or clapboards riven from oak.
The village, now called the old village of Prairie du Chien, was designated
by Lyons as the main village, as it was so at the time he surveyed the private
land claims of Prairie du Chien.
There were on the prairie about forty farms cultivated along under the
bluffs, where the soil was first rate, and inclosed in one common field, and
the boundaries generally between them marked by a road that afforded them
ingress and egress to their fields; the plantations running from the bluffs to
the Mississippi, or to the slough of St. Freole, and from three to five arpents
wide. The owners did not generally live immediately on their farms, but
clustered together in little villages near their front, and were much the same
description of inhabitants as those of Green Bay, except that there were a
number of families of French extraction, entirely unmixed with the natives,
who came from the French villages of Illinois. The farmers' wives instead
of being of the Indian tribes about, were generally of the mixed blood.
They were living in Arcadian simplicity, spending a great part of their time
in fishing, hunting, horse racing or trotting, or in dancing and drinking.
They had little or no ambition for progress and improvement, or in any way
bettering their condition, provided their necessities were supplied, and they
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could often collect together and dance and frolic. With these wants gratified. they were perfectly satisfied to continue he same routine and habits of
their forefathers before them. They had no aristocracy among them except
the traders, who were regarded as a privileged class.
It was said, that about 1809 or 1810, a trader, an Irishman by birth, of
the name of Campbell, was appointed by the U. S. government sub-Indian
agent at Prairie du Chien, and bv the governor of the Territory of Illinois
a justice of the peace. The currency of Prairie du Chien was at that time
flour, and Campbell charged for celebrating the-rites of matrimony 100
pounds of flour, and for dissolving it 200 pounds, alleging that when people
wanted to get unmarried, they would willingly give double what they would
originally to form the matrimonial connection.
In speaking of the courts of justice of the country, and of their county
seats, Mr. Brisbois related to me, that sometime previous to the war of 1812,
he and Mr. Campbell had a dispute about a heifer that was worth at the
time perhaps eight dollars; and as each believed it to be his property, they
applied to the lawyer at Cahokia to assist them in finding out who was the
real owner. The mode of traveling in those days was in a canoe, manned
with six or eight men to paddle, and taking with them some flour, tea, and
sugar for the Burgeois; and some hulled corn and deer tallow, enough to
season the soup, for the men, depending upon shooting game by the way, or
buying wild fowl or venison from the Indians. The parties litigant were
obliged to take their witnesses with them, paying them for their time and expenses, from their departure until their return home. The parties were also
obliged to take a bundle of beaver skins, and dispose of them at St. Louis to
pay the expenses of lawyers, etc.; and the lawyers. as usual, were disposed
to oblige the parties by putting over the case from time to time, and the
parties continued the suit in this manner until it had cost them about fifteen
hundred dollars each, when they took it out of court and settled it. But
which retained the heifer, if I ever heard, I do not now recollect.
The coutiime de Paris so far prevailed in this country generally. that a part
of the ceremony of marriage was the entering into a contract in writing, generally giving, if no issue, the property to the survivor; and if they desired
to be divorced, they went together before the magistrate, and made known
their wishes, and he, in their presence, tore up the marriage contract, and
according to the custom of the country, they were then divorced. I was
once present at Judge Abbott's at Mackinaw, when a couple presented themselves before him, and were divorced in this manner. When the laws of
Michigan were first introduced at Prairie du Chien, it was with difficulty that
the justice of the peace could persuade them that a written contract was not
necessary, and some of them believed that because the contract of marriage
gave the property to the survivor, that they were not obliged to pay the debts
which the deceased owed at the time of his death.
There was an instance of this at Prairie du Chien. A man by the name
of Jean Marie Quen (de Lamouche), who had been married by contract, died
without issue, leaving a widow, some personal property, and a good farm, but
was indebted to Joseph Rolette about $300, which his widow refused to pay,
alleging that the contract of marriage gave her all the property; nor could
she be convinced to the contrary, until I had brought a suit against her and
obtained a judgment."
"In speaking of the early settlers, and their marriage connections, 1 should perhaps explain a little. In the absence of religious instructions, and it becoming so
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common to see the Indians use so little ceremony about mairiage, the idea of a
verbal matrimonial contract became familiar to the early Fren h settlers, and they
generally believed that such a contract was valid. without any other ceremony.
MIany of the women, married in this way, believed, in their simplicity and ignorance, that they were as lawfully the wives of the men they lived with, as though
they had been married with all the ceremony and solemnity possible. A woman
of Prairie du ChieD, respectable in her class, told me that she was attending a ball
in the place, and that a trader, who resided on the Lower Mississippi, had his
canoe loaded to leave as soon as the ball was over, proposed to marry her; and as
hle was a trader and ranked above her, she was pleased with the offer, and as his
.anoe was waiting, he would not delay for further ceremony. She stepped from
thle ball-room on board his canoe, and went with him down the Mississippi, and
they lived together three or four years, and she had two children by him. She
assured me that she then believed herself as much the wife of this man as if she
had been married with all the ceremony of the most civilized communities, and
wras not convinced to the contrary, until he unfeelingly abandoned her and married
another; and from her manner of relating it, I believed her sincere."
The traders in the British interest, in the war of 1812, resorted to Mackinaw as their head-quarters. In order to obtain the whole control of the
Indian trade, they fitted-out an expedition under Col. McKay, consisting of
three or four companies of Canadians, commanded by traders and officered
by their clerks, all in red coats, with a body of Indians. Having made a
secret march, they arrived on the prairie without being expected. Making
a formidable show, and the Americans being out of ammunition and provisions, they surrendered, and the British kept possession during the war.
"In the spring of 1817, a Roman Catholic priest from St. Louis, called Pere
Priere. visited Prairie du Chien. He was the first that had been there for many
years, and perhaps since the settlement, and organized a Roman Catholic Church,
and disturbed some of the domestic arrangements of the inhabitants. He found
several women who had left their husbands and were living with other men; these
he made by the terror of his church to return and ask pardon of their husbands,
aad to be taken back by them, which they of course could not refuse.
Br-evet General-Smyth, the colonel of the rifle regiment, who came to Prairie du
Chien to erect Fort Crawford, in 1816, had arrived in June, and selected the mound
where the stockade had been built, and the ground in front, to include the most
thicklv i,thal)ited part of the village. The ground thus selected encroached upon
the,ancient burying ground of the prairie, so that the inhabitants were obliged to
remove their dead to another place.
During the winter of ]816, or early in the spring of 1817, Lieut. Col. Talbot
Chambers arrived at Fort Crawford, and assumed the command, and the houses in
the village being an obstruction to the garrison, in the spring of 1817, he ordered
those houses in front and about the fort to be taken down by their owners, and removed to the lower end of the village, where he pretended to give them lots."
'When I first came to the country, it was the practice of the old traders and
interpreters to call any inferior article of goods American, and to speak to the In.
dians in a contemptuous manner of the Americans and their goods, and the goods
which they brought into the country but too generally warranted this reproach.
But after Mr. Astor had purchased out the South-west Company and established
the American Fur Company, he succeeded in getting suitable kinds of goods for
the Indians, except at first the North-west Indian gun. Hlie attempted to introduce
an imitation of them, manufactured in Iholland, but it did not succeed, as the Indians soon detected the difference.
At that time there were generally collected at Prairie du Chien, by the traders
andi T. S. factors, about three hundred packs of one hundred pounds each of furs
and peltries, mostly fine furs. Of the different Indian tribes that visited and traded
more or less at Prairie du Chien, there were the Menomonees, from Green Bay,
who frequently wintered on the Mississippi; the Chippewas, who resided on the
head waters of the Chippewa and Black Rivers; the Foxes, who had a large village
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where Cassville now stands, called Penah, i. e. Turkey; the Sauks, who resided
about Galena and Dubuque; the Winnebagloes, who resided on the Wisconsin
River; the Iowas, who then had a village on the Upper Iowa River; Wabashaw's
band of Sioux, who resided on a beautiful prairie on the Iowa side of the Mississippi, about one hundred and twenty miles above Prairie du Chien, with occasionally a Kickapoo and Pottawatomie.
The Sauks and Foxes brought from Galena a considerable quantity of lead,
molded in the earth, in bars about two feet long, and from six to eight inches wide,
and from two to four inches thick, being something of an oval form, and thickest
in the middle, and generally thinning to the edge, and weighing from thirty to forty
pounds. It was not an uncommon thing to see a Fox Indian arrive at Prairie du
Chien, with a hand sled, loaded with twenty or thirty wild turkies for sale, as they
were.very plenty about Cassville, and occasionally there were some killed opposite
Prairie du Chien."
"In tile year 1828, Gen. Joseph M. Street was appointed Indian agent at Prairie
du Chien, and arrived alone in the fall of that year to assume the duties of his
office; and, in the winter, returned to Illinois, and brought his family to Prairie
du Chien in the spring of the following year, being the first family who settled in
Prairie du Chien that made a profession of the Protestant faith of any of the different sects."
"In 1830, the present Fort Crawford was commenced, and in 1831, it was occupied with a part of the troops, leaving the sick in the old hospital, and the surgeon
in the old fort. The fort, I think, was finished in 1832. In 1833, the authorities
of Crawford county concluded to build a court house and jail, and commenced
raising funds by increasing the taxes; and, in 1836, constructed a stone building
of sufficient size to have on the ground floor a room each for criminals and debtors,
and two rooms for the jailer, with a court room and two jury rooms on the second
floor. The taxable inhabitants then in the county were confined to the prairie.
We were then attached to Michigan Territory, and so well were our county affairs
managed, that the taxes were not raised more than five mills on a dollar to pay for
this improvement; and this was the first court house erected in Wisconsin."
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in a small graveyard, in a grove of locust trees, a short distance north of Fort Crawford:
Sacred to the memory of CAPT. EDGAR M. LACY, 5th Reg. U. S. Inft., who died at Fort
Crawford, April 2, 1839, aged 33 years. He awaits the last REviEw. Erected by the 5th
Infantry.
Sacred to the memory of WILLOUGHBY MORGAN, Col. 1st Infy, U. S. Army, who died at
Fort Crawford, April 4, 1832. Erected by the 5th Infantry.
RACINE is on the W. shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of Root River,
73 miles E.S.E. from Madison, 23 S.E. from Milwaukie. and 62 N. from Chicago. The Chicago and Milwaukie Railroad, connecting with the Racine and
Mississippi Railroad, here opens a vast extent of prairie country to its trade.
The outlet of Root River at this place gives it great commercial advantages;
the average width in the city being 230 feet, and for more than half a mile
it is 12 feet deep. Lake Michigan is 70 miles wide opposite Racine; the
harbor is one of the most commodious on the entire chain of lakes. The
city is finely located upon the high banks of the lake and river. Its broad,
straight, and beautifully shaded avenues extend along the lake for miles. It
contains several splendid buildings, 18 churches, among which are 4 German,
3 Welsh, and 1 Scandinavian; 4 newspapers are published here. Population,
in 1840, 300; in 1850, 5,111; in 1860, 7,600.
The Racine College buildings are located in a delightful grove, overlooking a lake front of uncommon beauty. The college was founded by the citi
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zens of Racine, under the patronage of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of
WVisconsin, at the instance of the Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemiper, D.D. The site
on which the college stands, comprising ten acres of valuable land, was given
by Charles S. and Truman G. Wrig,ht. The college was incorporated in 1S52-.
The first Episcopal clerytrian who preached in Rlacine was Rev. Lemuel B.
Hull, of Miilwaukie, in the spring of 1840.
rthe? n view of R,acine.
The above shows the appearance of the central part of Racine, as entered from the west. The swing
bridge over Root River is in the cenltral part. Tile eastern terminls of the Racine and ]lississippi Railroad appears on the left. The lake is a few rods leyond the buildings in the distance.
In 1834, Antoine Ouilmnette came, with his Indian family, from Grosse
Point. and located himself one mile from Racine. In November, of the same
year, the east fractional half of section 9, was claimed by Capt. Knapp, of
Racine. G. S. Ilubb.Lard, of' Chicago, and J. A. Barker, of Buffalo, surveyed
and laid out lots in S1836. The Root River postoffice was established in the
same year, but discontinued in May, and the Racine postoffice established,
Dr. B. B. Carey postmaster. The first regular inhabitants located themselves
near the mouth of the river. The first house of worship was erected by the
Presbyterians, on Wisconsin-street, and in a building lately used as a school
house. The Rev. Mr. Foot was the first minister. The first school is believed to have been at the foot of Main-street, near the river.
Kenosha, the county seat of Kenosha, the most southern lake port of
Wisconsin, is on the W. shore of Lake Michigan, 10 miles S. of Racine.
It has a good harbor and piers. It commands the trade of one of the finest
farmning districts of the west. Two small creeks empty into the lake, one
above, the other below the port. Population is about 4,000.
Kenosha was known at first by the name of Pike River. In 1841, it was
incorporated a village by the name of Southport; when incorporated a city,
in 1850, it received the name of Keiiosha, the Indian word for Pikce. In Feb.,
1835, a company was organized in Hannibal, Oswego county, N. Y., under the
name of the "Western Emigration Society," for the purpose of procuring a
town site and effecting a settlement on the new lands of the west. An ex
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WISCONSIN.
ploring committee being appointed, they proceeded to the west, and on the
6th of June arrived at Pike Creek, where they selected a site for settlement.
As soon as the news of the selection reached Oswego county, about fifteen
families, mostly from the town of Hannibal, came on during the summer and
fall of 1835. "Eight families, members of the company, settled at Pike
Creek, viz: David Doolittle, Waters Towslee, I. G. Wilson, Hudson Bacon,
David Crossit, Amos Grattan, Samuel Resique, and Michael Van De Bog(art.
These, with the members of their households, thirty-two persons in all, coinprised the population of Pike Creek during the first winter of its settlement.
Their habitations were rude shanties, built of logs and covered with bark.
N. H. Allen and John Bullen erected a frame building in the tall of 1835,
being the first frame building in the place; this building, however, was not
completed until the following year; it was located on the lake shore, near
the south pier of the harbor."
Janesvile, capital of Rock county, is on both sides of Rock River, 45
miles S.E. of Madison, at the intersection of the Milwaukie and Mississippi
with the Fond du Lac and Rock River Railroad. It is one of the most important cities in the state, and is built principally on a level plain between
the river and the bluffs, which are about 100 feet high. It has several large
mills, for which the falls of the river at this point afford excellent sites. It
is the center of an active and increising trade. It was settled about the year
1836, and incorporated a city in 1853. It has 8 churches, the State Institution for the Blind, and, in 1860, 7,500 inhabitants.
Beloit, a few miles below Janesville, in Rock county, on the railroad from
Chicago to Madison, near the Illinois state line, is also on Rock River, which
affords power for manufactories and mills of every description. The town
was incorporated in 1845, and is adorned with fine churches and dwellings,
spacious streets, and is the seat of that well knownii and popular institution,
Beloit College. Population about 5,000.
31io'eral Poiat, the capital of Iowa county, is 47 miles W. S.W. of MadisonI, and 40 from Galena, Illinois. It stands on a point of land between two
small streams, and is in the heart of the rich lead region. Immnense quantities of lead are exported from this place, which is a point of active business, anid has about 3,000 inhabitants. The following places in this section,
are also connected with mining- operations: Dodgeville, Platteville, thazel
Green, Lancaster, Highland, Mifflin and Potosi. The last named, Potosi, is
on Grant River, near its mouth, 15 miles above Dubuque, and is the principal mineral depot of Wisconsin, large quantities of lead being shipped from
here in steamboats. Cassville, 28 miles above Dubuque, on the Mississippi,
is another important shipping point for lead.
This whole region is rich in lead, and numerous smelting furnaces are in
operation. Many lodes of mineral have been worked that have produced
$100,000 clear of all expenses. The price of mineral in 1838 averaged
about $30 per 1,000 lbs. It has been sold as high as $40, and as low as $6.
These fluctuations are not frequent, and a fair estimate may be made that
mineral will not, for any length of timne, be less than $25.
The great lead region of the north-west lies principally in this state, including, in Wisconsin, 62 townships of its south-western corner, about 10 in
the north-western corner of Illinois, and about 8 in Iowa. Dr. Owen, in
his Report of the Geolog,y of Wisconsin, says:
"This lead region is, in general, well watered; namely, by the Pekatonica Apple,
Fever, Platte and Grand Rivers, the head-waters of the Blue River and q'3gar
335
Creek: all these streams being tributaries of the Mississippi. The northern boundary of the Wisconsin lead region is nearly coincident with the southern boundary
line of the blue limestone, where it fairly emerges to the surface. No discoveries
of any importance have been made after reaching that formation; and when a
mine is sunk throtugh the cliff limestone to the blue limestone beneath, the lodes
of lead shrink into insignificance, and no longer return to the miner a profitable
reward for his labor.
All the valuable deposits of lead ore, which have as yet been discovered, occur
either in fissures or rents in the cliff rock, or else are found imbedded in the recent
deposits which overlie these rocks. These fissures vary in thickness from a wafer
to even fifty feet; and many of them extend to a very great, and at present unknown depth. Upon the whole, a review of the resources and capabilities of this
lead region, taken in connection with its statistics (in so far as it was possible
to collect these), induces me to say, with confidence, that ten thousand miners
could find profitable employment within its confines. If we suppose each of these
to raise daily one hundred and fifty pounds of ore, during six months of each year
only, they would produce annually upward of one hundred and fifty millions
pounds of lead-more than is now furnished by the entire mines of Europe, those
of Great Britain included. This estimate, founded upon reasonable data, presents
in a striking point of view, the intrinsic value and commercial importance of the
country upon which I am reporting-emphatically the lead region of northern
America. It is, so far as my reading or experience extends, decidedly the richest
in the known world."
In the Reports of the State Historical Society, Mr. Stephen Taylor has
given some interesting items upon the origin of lead mining by the first settlers of the country, with a sketch of.the state of society among the early
miners. Says he:
"For some time prior to the settlement of the lead mines, the miners, under the
regulations of the war department, were licensed to explore and occupy the mineral lands in that region, though in consequence of the hostility of the Indians to
the explorations and encroachments of the whites, they seldom ventured far beyond that protection which numerical strength and the defensive organizations
near Galena secured.
It was in the autumn of 1827, upon the cessation of the Winnebago disturbances,
that the more daring and enterprising, prompted by the hope of discovering vast
mineral treasures, the existence of which over a wide extent of territory, the many
flattering accounts had so truthfully pictured, banded together in well armed
squads, overrun the country prospecting in all directions. They were usually, in
those times, governed by certain surface indications, the most infallible of which
were the old Indian diggings, which were found in almost every direction, and
their locations were marked by the many small aspen groves or patches indigenous
to the upturned clay of the prairies in the lead region. By the rude and superficial mode of excavation by the red men, much mineral remained in the dig,rings,
as well as among the rubbish; mining in these old burrows, therefore, not only at
once justified the labor, but frequently led to the discovery of productive mines.
'Gravel mineral,' carbonized so as to be scarcely distinguished from water-worn
pebbles, and occasionally lumps weighing several pounds, were exciting evidences
of the existence of larger bodies upon the highlands in the vicinity. The amo)-pha
canescens, or'masonic weed,' peculiar to the whole country, when found in a cluster of rank growth, also attracted the attention of the Indian as well as the more
experienced miner, as it was supposed to indicate great depth of clay or thle existence of crevices in the rock beneath. By such means were the mineral resources
of Wisconsin explored and developed, and thus was the manner of the discoverv
of the productive mines at Mineral Point-a piece of land elevated about two
hundred feet, narrowing and descending to a point, situated in the midst of a valley, as it were-a ravine bounding the same both eastward and westward, through
which tributaries of the Pekatonica River flow, uniting in a wider valley to the
southward. it was upon this point that the'leads were struck,' the fame of which.
spread, and so quickly became the center of attraction, the miners flocking to them
336
WISCONSIN.
WISCONSIN.
from every quarter. It was customary, upon the discovery of new diggings, to distinguish them by some appellation, so this locality, on account of its peculiar position and shape, was formerly called'Mineral Point,' and hence the name of the
present village, the nucleus of which was formed by the erection of a few lo,
cabins, and huts built with square cut sods, covered in with poles, prairie grass
and earth. These very comfortable though temporary shelters were located in the
vicinity of the intersection of what are now called Commerce and High-streets, at
the margin of the westerly ravine, and in view from the diggings on the point.
Females, in consequence of the dangers and privations of those primitive times,
were as rare in the diggings as snakes upon the Emerald Isle, consequently the
bachelor miner, from necessity performed the domestic duties of cook and washerman, and the preparation of meals was indicated by appending a rag to an upright
pole, which, fluttering in the breeze, telegraphically conveyed the glad tidings to
his hungered brethren upon the hill. Hence, this circumstance. at a very early
date, gave the provincial sobriquet of'Shake Rag,' or'Shake Rag?inder the Iill,'
which that part of the now flourishing village of Mineral Point, lying under the
hill, has acquired, and which in all probability it will ever retain. So much for
the origin of MIineral Point. I will now venture a few remarks regarding the
manners and customs of its inhabitants in days of yore.
The continued prosperity of the mines, in a comparatively brief period, increased
the population of the villagre to several hundred, comprised, as is usual in mineral
regions, of representatives from every clime and country, and in such congloineration, it is fair to presume. of every stripe of character. This increase of population, including many of those expert in the'profession,' warranted the establishment of numerous gamblina saloons, groceries-a refined name for groggeriesand other like plices of dissipation and( amusement. where the unwary, and those
flushed with success in dig,in, could be'taken in and done for,' or avail themselves of opportunities voluntarily to dispose of their accumulated means, either
in drownincg their sorrows in the howl, or'fighting the tiger' in his den.
N\otwithstanding such were the practices almost universally, more or less, indulged in by the denizens, yet the protracted winters in this then secluded, uncultivated and sparsely populated country, and, for that reason, the absence of those
more reputable enjoyments which mellow and refine sociality in other regions, in
'.i measure justified a moderate participation in this mode of driving dsall cares
away. These congenial customs, peculiarly western, were as firmly based as the
laws which (overned the MAedes and Persians, and wo to those, from lands of
steadier habits, wvho would endeavor to introduce innovations adverse to the established policy of those days! Hence the propriety and necessity of harmonizing
with, and following in the trail of the popular will. But such, I am happy in the
conviction, is not now the case-virtue, in -the progress of events, has naturally
succeeded profligacy, and Mineral Point, freed from contamination, stands redeemed of her former errors."*
La Ci-osse, the capital of La Crosse county, is beautifully situated on the
Mississippi, at the mouth of La Crosse River, 200 miles N.W. of Milwaukie
by railroad, and 303 miles below St. Paul, by the river. It contains a large
"Among the most distinguished of the earliest pioneers of Mineral Point, are Col. Robt.
C. Hoard, Col. Robert S. Black (now of Dodgeville), Col. Henry M. Billings, Col. Daniel
M. Parkison, Col. Abner Nichols, Francis Vivian, Parley Eaton, Levi Sterling, Edward
Beouehard, Josiah Tyack, James James, Samuel Thomas, Mrs. Hood, Amzi W. Comfort,
0. P. Willi,ms (now of Portage City), M. V. B. Burris, Milton Bevans, Peter Hartman,
John F. O'Neill, William Sublett, John Phillips, John Milton, George Cubbage, James
Hitchins, John Caserly, Edward Coode, and William Tregay. And the following, who
have since paid the debt of nature, viz: Col. John D. Ansley, Col. John McNair, Robert
Dougherty, Capt. William Henry, Stephen Terrill, Mark Terrill, Dr. Edward McSherry, Dr.
Richard G. Ridgley, Nicholas Uren, Richard Martin, James S. Bowden, John Hood, Lord
Blaney. Joseph Sylvester, Matthew G. Fitch, Thomas McKnight, Stephen B. Thrasher,
Robert W. Gray, Joseph Morrison, James Hugo, Hugh R. Hunter, Edward James (late U.
S. Marshal), William Prideaux, Joseph James, Benjamin Salter, and "Cadwallader, the
keg-maker."
337
22
number of saw mills, and considerable quantities of pine lumber are manu
factured. It is a place of rapid increase and prosperity, and its merchants
transacet a heavy business with the adjacent country, which is rapidly filling
up. Population, in 1853, 300; and in 1860, about 4,000.
The place possesses peculiar advantages from being the terminus of the
Milwaukie and La Crosse Railroad. "It is probably the most northerly east
and west road that will be built in the state for many years, and has, consequently, as tributaries, all northern Wisconsin, west of Lake Winnebago,
with the exception of a narrow strip on the borders of Lake Superior, and
the greater portion of Minnesota, extending far away to the Red River of
the North, the Sascatchawine, and, ultimately, the North Pacific Railroad."
About 60 miles above La Crosse is that beautiful expansion of the Mississippi,
known to all travelers as Lake Pepin. For about 25 miles the river is expanded
to a width of from two to three
miles, with majestic bluffs of lime =...........___ _ =stone on each shore. On the Wis consin shore, rising about two hun =/ —~ ~-~~=~_ ~ dred feet above the water, is the
_______________c ~noted Mlaiden's Rock, the scene
= = =!___/___:___ -~ __of the Indian legend of Winona,
______: /,U__ jthe daughter of an Indian chief.
:_il~ ~~~~ 5 ~ She was betrothed by her father
to a favorite warrior; but her af __ _[ ~~~~~~~~~feetions were fixed on one v ounger
____ _ _ though not less brave. On the
day appointed for her wedding, she
THE IADEN' Rock, wandered from the gay assemblage
TIIE iMAIDEN'S ROCIK, 1
under pretense of searching for
On Lake Pepin, an expansion of the Mississippi. some berries that grew in profu sion on this bluff, when her companions, to their surprise, heard from her lips a low, plaintive sound: it was the
death song, and in a moment more, ere they could interfere, she cast herself headlong from the rock, and was buried in the deep, cold waters below.
Prescott and HudsoTi are two flourishing towns in this part of the state.
The first is at the junction of the St. Croix River, with the Mississippi-the
last on that expansion of the St. Croix, called Lake St. Croix.
The St. Croix River which separates Wisconsin from Minnesota, is celebrated for its pineries, the value of its trade in lumber exceeding three millions of dollars per annum.
"The lumbermen of the St. Croix, durin(, the sessions of the Wisconsin and
Minnesota legislatures of 1850-1, procured the incorporation of the'St. Croix
Boom Company,' with a capital of $10,000. This work was considered absolutely
necessary, to facilitate the business of driving, assorting, and rafting logs. The
stock was speedily taken; and by the following season the boom was built and
ready for service. The work is substantial and permanent. Piers of immense
size are sunk at proper distances, fromn the Minnesota shore to the foot of a large
island near the center of the stream, and again from the head of the island to the
Wisconsin shore. The boom timbers are hung from pier to pier, and the whole
river is entirely commanded, with no possibility of scarcely a single log escaping.
The charter of the company compels them, however, to give free passage to all
-boats, rafts, etc., ascending or descending the river. This duty is rather difficult
to perform at certain times, particularly when the logs are running into the boom
briskly, and hands are not to be had to raft and run them out: sometimes a barrier
of three or four miles intervene, and thus temporarily closes navigation. With a
full complement of men the boom can always be kept clear at the point where it
crosses the main channel of the river. The importance of the lumber business of
the St. Croix River would hardly be estimated by a stranger. Large quantities are
338
WISCONSIN.
WISCONSIN.
floated down the Mississippi to St. Louis. The business of getting out the timber
is carried on in the winter, and affords employment to large numbers of young
men.
Fond du Lac, the capital of Fond du Lac county, is 72 miles N.N.WV. of
Milwaukie, with which it has railroad connections. It stands at the southern
extremity of Lake Winnebago, the largest of the inland lakes of the state,
being about 30 miles long and 10 broad, forming a link in the chain of navigable waters which connect the Great Lakes with the Mississippi. The
Portage Canal, on this water way, between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, was
opened in 1856, and steamers pass from the lake to the Wisconsin River.
Anciently it was a French trading post, established here for the purpose of
traffic with the Winnebagoes, who had a village where Taychudah now is,
three miles east of the site of the place. The town has grown up within a
very few years. Population 1860, 5,450.
A traveler here in the fall of 1859, discourses thus agreeably upon the
town and country:
"I like the west, and especiallv Wisconsin. The country has captivated methe prairies, the pure air, clear sky, fine farms, the perfectly rural air of the whole
and the hospitality of the people. What splendid farming land around Fond du
Lac-how easy to till to a New England farmner; smooth fields without a rock,
scarce a stone, that when first cultivated yield 40 bushels of wheat to the acre, and
afterward S18 or 20; garden rround unequaled for vegetables, and a good market in
the city for all that is for sade. (orn planted in June ripens before the last of
iAugust. Apples, pears, grapes and plums thrive well, and all the small fruits yield
abundantly. Here is a wild plum of fine flavor, and much used to make a sauce
for meat, with spices added. All the fruit trees 1 saw looked healthy and vigorous,
and free from the rtavages of insects.
The winters are longer than ours, and the thermometer indicates greater cold,
but residents say the cold is not so severe as at the east, from the absence of wind.
Long storms are very uncommon, and a clear air and bright sun belong to their
winter, and the dry, pure atmosphere render this climate advantageous to those
afflicted with pulmonary complaints. It seemed to me especially good for nervous
people and those troubled with neuralgic pains. Fever and ague are not known
here; accounts of its good effects in consumptive cases are authenticated.
Fond du Lac, the city offoitittaiiis, named from the Artesian wells which supply
it with water, bears the promise of a great city. The site is part prairie and part
woodland, a river dividing it. Twelve years ago it had but one chimney, and the
pockets of most of its early settlers, were as deficient in means as the houses of
this most necessary appurtenance; now it has a population of thousands, churches
of various kinds, some fine stores, and one especially fine block, containing a hall
which is said to be the handsomiest in the west, and capable of accommodating
three thousand people. The hall has a center dome of stained glass, and the effect
is very pleasing. From the top of the building an incomparable view is to be had
of the city, lake, prairie, river and woods. The foreign element here is German,
and an intelligent class of people, obedient to law, and comprehending the opportunities a free country offers to them and their children. The people look healthy
and happy, and there is anl appearance of comfort and thrift about them and their
dwellings. There are no showy houses, but neat, well-arranged buildings, with
yards, in which stand the forest trees found there, and enlivened by flowers and
shrubs. The settlers have shown a taste and respect for the forest trees leaving
them unmolested, and clumps of oaks and hickories in the cultivated fields are
pleasant to look upon, and their shade must delight the cattle in summer. The
beauty of this country is indescribable, the whole having the appearance of a well
cared for park.
A ridge of limestone runs firom Green Bay to the end of Lake Michigan, numerous streams run from this, and vast quantities of limestone sLabs ready for use can
be taken from the quarries and furnished to the city at two cents a squaire foot
339
Gravel is abundant and accessible, and the city is removing the planks from the
road, laying on gravel, and will in time have fine sidewalks and good roads. On
this ridge are some fine farms, and the aspect of the country reminds me of
Dutchess county, New York. From the high peaks, views of the city, prairie and
lake are to be had, and in the clear air everything is so distinct that the eye seeks
in vain for the horizon."
Oshktosh, is named from an Indian chief of the Menomonee tribe, the word
signifying "brave." It is a thriving city, with great facilities for trade,
where but a few years since all was a dense wilderness. It stands on the
western bank of Lake Winnebago, at the mouth of the Fox River, and
has railroad connections with the east, west and south. The city contains 6 churches, 4 newspapers, a large number of grist and other mills,
manufactures annually about 30 millions of feet of lumber, and has about
6,000 inhabitants.
When the Fox River Improvement is completed, this city will be on the
direct line of steamboat navigation between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi. This enterprise is described as follows in Ritchie's work on the state:
"The Fox River, or, as it is- called by the Indians, Neenab, is one of the most
important rivers in the state. It rises in Marquette county, and flows nearly southwest, toward the Wisconsin; when within one and a half miles of that river, it
changes its direction to the north; after flowing a few miles, it passes through Lake
Winnebago, and falls into Green Bay. Its whole length is estimated at two hundred miles.
The whole length of canal necessary to secure a steamboat communication from
Green Bay to Lake Winnebago, is about five miles. It is 100 feet wide on the bottom, and 120 at the top (two feet wider than the famous Welland Canal). The
locks are 40 feet wide, by 160 long, and built in the most permanent manner, of
solid stone masonry, and in a style that will not suffer in comparison with any
similar work in the eastern states. It is calculated that with the improved manner of
working these locks, a steamer can pass each in the short space of three minutes.
This will afford a rapid transit for the vast amount of freight that must and will
seek an outlet through this thoroighfare to an eastern market. The capacity of
the river for all purposes of navigation is undoubted; at no season of the year can
there be any failure of water.
Twelve miles above Oshkosh, westward, is the mouth of the Wolf River, a tributary of the Fox, and navigable for steamers for one hundred and fifty miles.
Forty miles above the mouth of Wolf River is the town of Berlin; sixty miles
further is Portage City and the town of Fort Winnebago; above which places, for
sixty miles, and below for one hundred and thirty-five miles, the Wisconsin is now
navigable for steamers.
Through these, a ready communication will be secured with the Mississippi and
its tributaries; and it is confidently calculated that, at no distant dav, steam tugs,
with between 200 and 500 tuns burden in tow, each, from St. Petery's River, from
St. Paul, and other places in that direction, will land their cargoes at Green Bay,
to be shipped to an eastern market. The objection to be urged to this route, from
so remote a locality, is, that it will take too long to make the transit. To this we
have to reply, that it is estimated by those who know better than we, that this
great distance can and will be overcome by just these kinds of crafts in from four
to six days, and by passenger boats in much less time. This improvement will
open about 1,000 miles to steam navigation, between Lake Michigan and the Mis
sissippi River, including the navigable streams in the interior of northern Wiscon
sin, Iowa and Minnesota. This stupendous work, when completed, will do far
more for the prosperity and advancement of the vast regions, opened to the advantages of connection with the Atlantic market, than any other improvement contemplated."
PORTAGE CITY is at the head of navigation on the Wisconsin River, about
200 miles from its mouth, and on the ship canal one and a half miles long,
340
WISCONSIN.
WISCONSIN.
connecting it with the Fox or Neenah River. It is a flourishing town, and
is a great depot for pine lumber. By means of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, there is now uninterrupted steamboat navigation between this
place and New Orleans. The Wisconsin is the largest river that intersects
the state. Its whole length is
_ ____ __, ~estimated at 600 miles, and in
( ____________8~ ~ ~its upper portion it is bordered
by immense forests of pine.
Fort Winnebago, which stood
on or near the site of Portage
C City, was coimanimenced in 1828.
:~%~::~/~y::~:?~:~.: ~ under the superintendence of
Major Twiggs and Captain Har hey. This Twiggs was the
Gen. David Twiggs who reaped
.,,' w.,........~ ~S:. eternal infamy by his base sur render of the American army,
in Texas, at the be inning of the Rebellion. It was anl important post at an
early day, affording protection to emigriants. Another officer, here at that
period, was a young lieutenant, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, who afterward became the president of the so-called Confederate States of America.
Mrs. John H. IKinzie, in " TVWa-bun, the'Early Day' in the North-west,"
gives a graphic narrative of her experiences at Fort Winnebago, where she
passed the winter of 1830-31, the first months of her wedded life. This
winter was one of unusual severity, and in some parts of the country, particularly the lead miining district, the snow was of an unheard of depthfive or six feet upon a level. Toward the beginning of March the weather
moderated, and Mrs. Kinzie prepared to make a journey on horseback to
Chicago with her husband. This was then through a wilderness country, and
the undertaking so perilous that the commandant, Major Twiggs, endeavored
to dissuade them irom it: but the brave-hearted, high spirited young
woman remained resolute. The story of their experience by the way, we
abridge from Mrs. Kinzie's narrative. The route selected was south by
Dixon's, then called Ogie's Ferry, where was to be found the only means of
crossing the broad and rapid stream of Rock River; and it was calculated
that the entire distance would be traveled over in six days:
The morning of the 8th of March, having taken a tender leave of their friends,
they mounted and were ready for the journey. The party consisted of Mr. and
Mirs. Kinzie and two French Canadians, Pierre Roy and Plante, the latter to act
as a guide, on the assurance that he "knew every mile of the way, from the Portage
to Ogie's Ferry, and from Ogie's Ferry to Chicago.
Some of the young officers escorted them as far as Duck Creek, four miles distant. In attempting to cross this stream in a canoe, a couple of favorite greyhounds sprang in upon Mrs. Kinzie, and the canoe balanced a moment-then
yielded-and quick as thought, dogs and lady were in deepest of water. That evening the party camped out on the edge of the timber, under the shelter of a tent;
but so intense was the cold that, although Mrs. Kinzie's riding habit was placed to
dry over against the log on which their fire was made, it was in a few minutes
frozen so stiff as to stand upright, giving "the appearance of a dress out of which
a lady had vanished in some unaccountable manner." Says Mrs. Kinzie:
"At break of day we are aroused by the shout of'the bourgeois,'
'How! how! how!'
341
WISCONSIN.
All start from their slumbers. The fire which has been occasionally replenished
through the night, is soon kindled into a flame. The horses are caught and saddled
while a breakfast is preparing- the tent is struck-the pack-horse loaded-' toutt
demnaiche,' as the Canadian says.
Our journey this day led us past the first of the Four Lakes. Scattered along
its banks was am encampment of Winnebagoes. How beautiful the encampment
looked in the morning sun! The matted lodges, with the blue smoke curling from
their tops-the trees and bushes powdered with a light snow which had fallen
through the night-the lake, shining and sparkling, almost at our feet-even the
Indians, in their peculiar costume, adding to the picturesque!
Our road, after leaving the lake, lay over a'rolling prairie,' now bare and desolate enough. The hollows were filled with snow, which, being partly thawed, furnished an uncertain footing for the horses, and I could not but join in the ringing
laughter of our Frenchmen, as occasionally Brunet and Souris, the two ponies,
would flounder. almost imbedded, through the yielding mass. It was about the
middle of the afternoon when we reached the'Blue Mound.' I rejoiced much to
have got so far, for I was sadly fatigued, and every mile now seemed two to me.
It was my first journey on horseback, and I had not yet become inured to the ex.ercise. When we reached Morrison's I was so much exhausted that, as my husband attemnpted to lift me from the saddle, I fell into his arms.' This will never
do,' said he.'To-morrow we must turn our faces toward Fort Winnebago again.'
The door opened hospitably to receive us. We were welcomed by a lady with
a, most sweet, benignant countenance, and by her companion, some years younger.
The first was Mrs. Morrison-the other, Miss Elizabeth Dodge, daughter of Gen.
I)bodge.
My husband laid me upon a small bed, in the room where the ladies had been
sitting at work. They took off my bonnet and riding-dress, chafed my hands, and
prepared me some warm wine and water, by which I was soon revived. A half
hour's repose so refreshed me that I was able to converse with the ladies, and to
relieve my husband's mind of a,ll anxiety on my account. Tea was announced soon
after, and we repaired to an adjoining building, for Morrisoii's, like the establishment of all settlers of that period, consisted of a group of detached log-houses or
cabin??s, each containing one or at most two a,partmeniits.
The table groaned with good cheer, and brought to mind some that I had seen
amoug the old-fashioned D)utch residents on the banks of the Hudson.
I had recovered my spirits, and we were quite a cheerful party. Mrs. Morrison
told us that during the first eighteen months she passed in this country, she did
not speak with a white woman, the only society she had being that of her husband
and two black servant women.
The next morning, after a cheerful breakfast, at which we were joined by the
Rev. Mr. Kent, of Galena, we prepared for our journey. I had reconciled my husband to continuing our route toward Chicago, by assuring him that I felt as fresh
and bright as when I first set out from home.
We had not proceeded many miles on our journey, however, before we discovered
that Monsieur Plante was profoundly ignorant of the country, so that Mr. Kinzie
was obliged to take the lead himself, and make his way as he was best able, according to the directions hlie had received. We traveled the live-long day, barely making
a halt at noon to bait our horses, and refresh ourselves with a luncheon. The ride
was as gloomy and desolate as could well be imagined. A rolling prairie, unvaried
by forest or stre,am-hillock rising after hillock, at every ascent of which we vainly
hoped to see a distant fringe of'timber.' But the same cheerless, unbounded prospect everywhere met the eye, diversified only here and there by the oblong openings, like gigantic graves, which marked an unsuccessful search for indications of
a lead mine.
Just before sunset we crossed, with considerable difficulty, a muddy stream,
which was bordered by a scanty belt of trees, making a tolerable encamping-ground;
and of this we gladly availed ourselves, although we knew not whether it was near
or remote from the place we were in search of.
We had ridden at least fifty miles since leaving'Morrison's,' yet I was sensible
of very little fatigue; but there was a vague feeling of discomfort at the idea of
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being lost in this wild, cold region, altogethler different from anything I had ever
before experienced.
The exertions of the men soon made our'camp' comfortable, notwithstanding
the difficulty of driving the tent-pins into the frozen ground, and the want of trees
sufficiently large to make a rousing fire. The wind, which at bed-time was sufficiently high to be uncomfortable, increased during the night. It snowed heavily
and we were every moment in dread that the tent would be carried away; but the
matter was settled in the midst by the snappi'ng of the poles, and the falling of the
whole, with its superincumbent weight of snow, in a mass upon us.
The next morning the horses were once more saddled for our journey. The
rospect was not an encourtag,ing one. Around us was an unbroken sheet of snow.
Ve had no compass, and the'air was so obscured by the driving sleet, that it was
often impossible to tell in what direction the sun was. 1 tied my husband's silk
pocket handkerchief over my veil, to protect my face from the wind and icy particles with which the air was filled, and which cut like a razor: but although shielded
in every way that circumstances rendered possible, I suffered intensely from the
cold. WVe pursued our way, mile after mile, entering every point of woods, in
hopes of meeting with, at least, some Indian wigwa-m, at which we could gain intelligence. Every spot was solitary and deserted, not even the trace of a recent
fire, to cheer us with the hope of human beings within miles of us. Suddenly, a
shouit from the foremost of the party made each heart bound with joy.
' Une clotlire! iie cloture!' —(a fence, a fence.)
It was almost like life to the dead. We spurred on, and indeed perceived a few
stragg,ling rails crownin g a rising ground at no great distance. Never did music
sound so sweet as the crowing of a cock which at this moment saluted our ears.
Followiug the course of the inclosure down the opposite slope, we came upon a
group of log-cabins, low, shabby, and unpromising in their appearance, but a most
welcome shelter from the pelting storm.'\VWhose cabins are these?' asked Mr.
Kinzie of a man who was cutting wood at the door of one.'Hamilton's,' was the
reply; and he stepped forward at once to assist us to alight, hospitality being a
matter of course in these wild regions.
We were shown into the most comfortable looking of the buildings. A large
fire was burning in the clav chlimney, and the room was of a genial warmth, notwithstainding, the apertures, many inches in width, beside the doors and windows.
A woman in a tidy calico dress, and shabby black silk cap, trimmed with still
shabbier lace, rose from her seat beside a sort of bread-trough, which fulfilled the
office of cradle to a fine, fat baby.
Before dinner MAr. Hamilton caine in and was introduced to me, and was as
agreeable and polite as the son of Alexander Hamilton would naturally be. The
housekeeper, who was the wife of one of the miners, prepared us a plain comfort
atble dinner. The blowing of a horn was the signal for the entrance of ten or
twelve miners, who took their places below us at the table. They were the roughest looking set of men 1 ever beheld, and their language was as uncouth as their
persons. They wore hunting shirts, trowsers, and moccasins of deerskin, the former being ornamented at the seams with a fringe of the same, while a colored belt
around the waist, in which was stuck a harge huntin-knife, ave each the appearance of a brigand.
Mr. Hamilton passed most of the afternoon with us, for the storm raged so without that to proceed on our journey was out of the qliestion. He gave us many
pleasant anecdotes and reminiscences of his early life in New York, and of his adventures since he had come to the western wilderness. When obliged to leave us
for a while, he furnished us with some books to entertain us, the most interesting
of which was the biography of his father.
TI'he next day's sun rose clear and bright. Refreshed and invigorated, we looked
forward with pleasure to a recommencement of our journey, confident of meeting
no more mishaps by the way. Mr. Hamilton kindly offered to accompany us to
his next neighbor's, the trifling distance of twenty-five miles. Theminer who owned
the wife and baby, and who, consequently, was somewhat more humanized than
his comrades, in taking leave of us' wished us well out of the country, and that
we might never have occasion to return to it! I pity a body,' said he,'when I
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WISCONSIN.
Bee them making such an awful mistake as to come out this way, for comfort never
touched this western country.'
There was no halting upon the route, and as we kept the same pace until three
o'clock in the afternoon, itwas beyond a question that when we reached'Kellogg's,'
we had traveled at least thirty miles.'Kellogg's' was a comfortable mansion, just
within the verge of a pleasant'grove of timber,' as a small forest is caldled by westerr travelers. We found Mrs. Kellogg a very respectable looking matron, who soon
informed us she was from the city of New York. She appeared proud and delighted to entertain Mr. Hamilton, for whose family, she took occasion to tell us,
she had, in former days, been in the habit of doing needle-work. We had intended
to go to Dixon's the same afternoon, but the snow beginning again to fall, obliged
us to content ourselves where we were. In the meantime, finding we were journeying to Chicago, Mr. Kellogg came to the determination to accompany us, having, as he said some business to accomplish at that place.
No great time was required for Mr. Kello,gg's preparations. He would take, he
said, only two days' provisions, for at his brother-in-law Dixon's we should get our
supper and breakfast, and the route from there to Chicago could, he well knew, be
accomplished in a day and a half. Although, according to this calculation, we had
sufficient remaining of our stores to carry us to the end of our journey, yet Mr.
Kinzie took the precaution of begging Mrs. Kellogg to bake us another bag of biscuits, in case of accidents, and he likewise suggested to Mr. K. the prudence of
furnishing himself with something more than his limited allowance; but the good
man objected that he was unwilling to burden his horse more than was absolutely
necessary. It will be seen that we had reason to rejoice in our own foresight.
It was late on the following day, when we took leave of our kind hostess. We
journeyed pleasantly along through a country, beautiful in spite of its wintry appearance. Just at sunset, we reached the dark, rapid waters of the Rock River.
All being safely got across, a short walk brought us to the house of Mr. Dixon.
We were ushered into Mrs. Dixon's sitting-room; and seated by a glowing fire,
while Mrs. Dixon busied herself in preparing us a nice supper, I felt that the comfort overbalanced the inconvenience of such a journey.
A most savory supper of ducks and venison, with their accompaniments, soon
smoked upon the board, and we did ample justice to it. Traveling is a great sharpener of the appetite, and so is cheerfulness, and the latter was increased by the
encouraging account Mr. Dixon gave us of the remainder of the route yet before
us.' There is no difficulty,' said he,'if you keep a little to the north, and strike
the great Saiek trail. If you get too far to the south, you will come upon the Winne)bago Swamp, and once in that, there is no telling when you will ever get out
again. As for the distance, it is nothing at all to speak of.'
T,he following morning, which was a bright and lovely one for that season of the
year, we took leave of MAr. and Mrs. Dixon, in high spirits. We traveled for the
first few miles along the beautifil, undulating banks of Rock River, always in an
easterly direction, keeping the beaten path, or rather road, which led to Fort Clark
or Peoria. The Sauk trail, we had been told, would cross this road, at the distance
of about six miles. After having traveled, as we judged, fully that distance, we
caine upion a trail, bearing north-east, which we followed till it brought us to the
great bend of the river with its bold rocky bluffs, when, convinced of our mistake,
we struck off from the trail, in a direction as nearly east as possible. The weather
had changed and become intensely cold, and we felt that the detention we had met
with, even should we now be in the right road, was no trifling matter. But we
were buoyed up by the hope that we were in the right path at last, and we journeyed on until night, when we reached a comfortable'encampment,' in the edge
of a grove near a small stream.
We were roused at peep of day to make preparations for starting. We must
find the Sauk trail this day at all hazards. What would become of us should we
fail to do so? It was a question no one liked to ask, and certainly one that none
could have answered. On leaving our encampment, we found ourselves entering
a marshy tract of country. MAyriads of wild geese, brant, and ducks rose up
screaming at our approach. The more distant lakes and ponds were black with
them, but the shallow water through which we attempted to make our way was
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WISCONSIN.
frozen by the severity of the night, to a thickness not sufficient to bear the horses,
but just such as to cut their feet and ankles at every step as they broke through it.
Sometimes the difficulty of going forward was so great that we were obliged to retrace our steps and make our way round the head of the marsh.
This swampy region at length passed, we came upon more solid ground, chiefly
the open prairie. But now a new trouble assailed us. The weather had moderated,
and a blinding snow storm came on.'Without a trail that we could rely upon, and
destitute of a compass, our only dependence had been the sun to point out our direction. but the atmosphere was now so obscure that it was impossible to tell in
what qaarter of the heavens he waus. We pure-ed our way, however, and a devious
one it must have been. After traveling in this way many miles, we came upon an
Indian trail, deeply indented, running at right angles with the course we were
pursuing. The snow had ceased, and the clouds becoming thinner, we were able
to observe the direction of the sun, and to perceive that the trail ran north and
south. What should we do? Was it safest to pursue our easterly course, or was
it probable that by followving this new path we should fall into the direct one we
had been so long seeking? If we decided to take the trail, should we go north or
south? MAr. Kinzie was for the latter. He was of opinion that we were still too
far north. Finding himself ill the minority, my husband yielded, and we turned
our horses' heads north, much a-gainst his will. After proceeding a few miles,
however, he took a sudden determination.'You may go north, if you please,' said
he,'but I am convinced that the other course is rilght, and I shall face about-follow who will.' So we wheeled round and rode south again, and many a long and
wearv mile did we travel. The road, which had continued many miles through the
prairie, at lengthl, in winding round a point of woods, brought us suddenly upon
an Indian village. A shout of joy broke from the whole party, but no answering
shout was returned-not even a lbark of firiendly welcome-as we galloped up to
the wigwamns. All was silent as the grave. WVe rode round and round, then dismounted and looked into several of the spacious huts. They had evidently been
long deserted.
Our disappointment may be better imagined than described. With heavy hearts
we mounted and once more pursued our way, the snow again falling and adding to
the discomforts of our position. At length we halted for the night. We had long
been aware that our stock of provisions was insufficient for another day, and here
we were —nobody knew where-in the midst of woods and prairies-certainly far
from any human habitation, with barely enough food for a slender evening's meal.
T'he poor dogs came whining around us to beg their usual portion, but thley were
obliged to content themselves with a bare bone, and we retired to rest with the
feeling that if not actually hungry then, we should certainly be so to-morrow.
The morrow came. Plante and lov had a bright fire and a nice pot of coffee
for us. It was our only breakfast, f(or on shaking the bag and turning it inside out.
we could make no more of our stock of bread than three crackers, which the rest
of the party insisted I should put in my pocket for my dinner. We still had the
trail to guide us, and we continued to follow it until about nine o'clock, when, in
emerging from a wood, we came upon a broad and rapid river. A collection of
Indian wigwains stood upon the opposite bank, and as the trail led directly to the
water, it was fair to infer that the streamni was fordable. We had no opportunity
of testing it, however, for the banks were so lined with ice, which was piled up
tier upon tier by the breaking-up of the previous week, that we tried in vain to
find a path by which we could descend the bank to the water. The men shouted
again and again in hopes some straggling inhabitant of the village might be at
hand with his canoe. No answer was returned save by the echoes. What was to
be done? 1 looked at my husband and saw that care was on his brow, although
he still continued to speak cheerfully.'We will follow this cross-trail down the
bank of the river,' said he.'There must be Indians wintering near in some of
these points of wood.' I must confess that I felt somewhat dismayed at our prospects, but I kept up a show of courage, and did not allow my despondency to be
seen. All the party were dull and gloomy enough.
We kept along the bank, which was considerably elevated above the water, and
bordered at a little distance with a thick wood. All at once my horse, who was mor.
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tally afraid of Indians, began to jump and prance, snorting and pricking up his
ears as if an enemy were at hand. 1 screamed with delight to my husband, who
was at the head of the file,'Oh John! John! there are Indians near-look at
Jerry!' At this instant a little Indian dog ran out from under the bushes by the
roadside, and began barking at us. Never were sounds more welcome. We rode
directly into the thicket, and descending into a little hollow, found. two squaws
crouching behind the bushes, trying to conceal themselves from our sight.
They tppeared greatly relieved when Mr. Kinzie addressed them in the Pottowatomnie language.
The squaw, in answer to Mr. K.'s inquiries, assured him that Chicago was'close
by.'
' That means,' said he,'that it is not so far off as Canada. We must not be too
sanguine.'
The men sat about unpacking the horses, and I in the meantime was paddled
across the river. The old woman immediately returned, leaving the younger one
with me for company. I seated myself on the fallen trunk of a tree, in the midst
of the snow, and looked across the dark waters. I am not ashamed to confess my
weakness-for the first time on my journey I shed tears. The poor little squaw
looked into my face with a wondering and sympathizing expression.
' WVhat would my friends at the east think,' said 1 to myself,'if they could see
me now? What would poor old Mrs. Welsh say? She who warned me that if I
came awayQ so fa} to the west, I should break my heart? Would she not rejoice to
find howv likely her prediction was to be fulfilled?'
These thoughts roused me. I dried utp my tears, and by the time my husband
with his party, and all his horses and luggage, were across, I had recovered my
cheerfulness, and was ready for fresh adventures.
We followed the old squaw to her lodge, which was at no great distance in the
woods. The master of the lodge, who had gone out to shoot ducks, soon returned.
He was a tall, finely formed man, with a cheerful, open countenance, and he listened to what his wife in a quiet tone related to him, while he divested himself of
his accoutrements in the most unembarrassed, well-bred manner imaginable' Soon
my husband joined us. He had been engaged in attending to the comfort of his
horses, and assisting his men in making their fire, and pitching their tent, which
the rising storm made a matter of some difficulty. From the Indian he learned
that we were in what was called'the Big Woods,' or'Piche's Grove,'* from a
Frenchman of that name living not far from the spot-that the river we had crossed
was the Fox River-that he could guide us to Piche's, from which the road was
perfectly plain, or even into Chicago if we preferred-but that we had better remain encamped for that day, as there was a storm coming on, and in the mean
time he would go and shoot some ducks for our dinner and supper. He was accordingly furnished with powder and shot, and set off again for game without de
lay.
Thie tent being all in order, my husband came for me, and we took leave of our
friends in the wigwam with grateful hearts. The storm was raging without. The
trees were bending and cracking around us, and the air was completely filled with
the wild-fowl screaming and quacking as they made their way southward before
the blast. Our tent was among the trees not far from the river. My husband took
me to the bank to look for a moment at what we had escaped. The wind was
sweeping down from the north in a perfect hurricane. The water was filled with
masses of snow and ice, dancing along upon the torrent, over which were hurry
ing thousands of wild-fowl, making the woods resound to their deafening clamor.
Had we been one hour later, we could not possibly have crossed the stream, and
there seems to have been nothing for us but to have remained and starved in the
wilderness. Could we be sufficiently grateful to that kind Providence that had
brought us safely through such dangers?
The storm raged with tenfold violence during the night. We were continually
: Probably at what is now Oswego. The name of a portion of the wood is since corrupted
into Specie's Grove.
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WISCONSIN.
startled by the crashing of the falling trees around us, and who could tell but that
the next wvould be upon us? Spite of our fatigue, we passed an almnost sleepless
night. When we arose in the morning, we were made fully alive to the perils by
which we had been surrounded. At least fifty trees, the giants of the forest, lay
prostrate within view of the tent. When we had taken our scanty breakfast, and
were mounted and ready for departure, it was with difficulty we could thread our
way, so completely was it obstructed by the fallen trunks.
Our Indian guide had joined us at an early hour, and after conducting us carefully out of the wood, about nine o'clock brought us to Piche's, a log-cabin on a
rising ground, looking off over the broad prairie to the east. We had hoped to
get some refreshment here, Piche being an old acquaintance of some of the party;
but alas! the master was from home. We found his cabin occupied by Indians
and travelers-the latter few, the former numerous.
There was no temptation to a halt, except that of warming ourselves at a bright
fire that was burning in the clay chimney. A man in Quaker costume stepped forward to answer our inquiries, and offered to become our escort to Chicago, to which
place he was bound-so we dismissed our Indian friend, with a satisfactory remuneration for all the trouble he had so kindly taken for us.
The weather was intensely cold. The wind, sweeping over the wide prairie, with
nothling to break its force, chilled our very hearts. I beat my feet against the saddle to restore the circulation, when they became benumbed with cold, until they
became so bruised I could beat them no longer. Not a house or wigwam, not even
a clump of trees as a shelter, offered itself for many a weary mile. At length we
reached the west fork of the Du Page. It was frozen, but not sufficiently so to
bear the horses. Our only resource was to cut a way for them through the ice.
It was a work of time, for the ice had frozen to several inches in thickness, during
the last bitter night. Plante went first with an axe, and cut as far as he could
reach, then mounted one of the hardy little ponies, and with some difficulty broke
the ice before him, until he had opened a passage to the opposite shore.
How the poor animals shivered as they were reined in among the floating ice!
And we, who sat waiting in the piercing wind, were not much better. We were
all across at last, and spurred on our horses, until we reached Hawley's*-a large,
commodious dwelling, near the east fork of the river.
The good woman welcomed us kindly, and soon made us warm and comfortable.
We felt as if we were in a civilized land once more. We found, upon inquiry,
that we could, by pushing on, reach Lawton's, on the Aux Plaines, that night-we
should then be within twelve miles of Chicago. Of course we made no unnecessary delay, but set off as soon after dinner as possible. The crossing of the east
fork of the Du Page was more perilous than the former one had been.
It was almost dark when we reached Lawton's. The Aux Plainest was frozen,
and the house was on the other side. By loud shouting, we brought out a man
from the building, and he succeeded in cutting the ice, and bringing a canoe over
to us; but not until it had become difficult to distinguish objects in the darkness.
A very comfortable house was Lawton's, after we did reach it-carpeted, and with
a warm stove-in fact, quite in civilized style. Mrs. Lawton was a young woman,
and not ill-looking. She complained bitterly of the loneliness of her condition, and
having been'brought out there into the woods; which was a thing she had not
expected, when she came from the east.' We could hardly realize, on rising the
following morning, that only twelve miles of prairie intervened between us and
Chicago le Desire, as I could not but name it.
Soon the distance was traversed, and we were in the arms of our dear, kind
friends. A messenger was dispatched to'the garrison' for the remaining members of the family, and for that day at least, I was the wonder and admiration of
the whole circle,' for the dangers 1 had seen.'"
'. It was near this spot that the brother of Mr. Hawley, a Methodist preacher, was killed
by the Sauks, in 1832, after having been tortured by them with the most wanton barbarity.
t Riviere Aux Plaines was the original French designation, now changed to Desplaines,
pronounced as in English.
North of 3Iilwaukie, on the shores of Lake Michigan, are several thriving
city-like towns, containing each several thousand inhabitants. They are
Oza,ikee, Sheboyyan, Manitowoc, and Two Rivers.
City qof' Superior is at the head of Lake Superior, on the Bay of Superior
and Nemnadji River. It was laid out in 1854, by a company of gentleinen
who judged from its site that it must eventually be a large city. It has a
splendid harbor, six miles long and one broad, admirably sheltered firom storms,
and capable of containing the shipping of the entire chain of lakes. In
three years, its population had increased to 1,500 souls, and many buildings
had been constructed.
La Pointe, one of the oldest towns in the north-west, was first occupied
by the French Jesuits and traders, in 1680. It is on Madeline Island of
Lake Superior, which is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel.
It has an air of antiquity, in its ruined port, dilapidated pickets, that formerly inclosed the place, and the old Fur Company's buildings, some of which
are still standing. Here was the scene of the labors of Fathers Claude
Allouez and Jean Marquette, and of an Indian battle between the warlike
Dacotalhs and Algonquins, in which the chapel of the Hioly Spirit, erected
by these devoted missionaries, was destroyed. Near it, on the mainland, is
the newly laid out town of Bayfield.
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WISCONSIN.
M I N N E S OT A.
-.TlNNF.o'r, dcrivces its name firom the Minnesota River. The water of this
river is clear, but has at blueisl hue, owing to the peculiar colored clay of its
bed. The name, Minnesota, indicates
this peculiarity, and signifies "sky./,^'xO~ C O W \tinted water." In 1679, Fathler Hen /-t g. 9in epin, a Dutch Franciscan friar, and
/ —-____-__~- two others, of La Salle's expedition,
/'x. 5,, I.-_ ____ i_ (ccompanied the Indians to their
- ~....",~~ — "- i \ villages, 180 miles above the Falls
of St. Anthony. "IIe was the first
E "iuropean who ascended the Mlissis sippi above the mouth of the Wis nconsin; the first to name and describe
the Falls of St. Anthony; the first
\ -@3 - to present an en,graving, of the Falls
of Niagara to the literary world.*
The first white man who visited
the soil of Minnesota was a French ARMIS OF MIINN7ESOT'A. mlan, Daniel Greysolon du Luth, who
d u * Stoein 1678 left Quebec to explore the
MOTTO —eloile du Norca-TIe Star of the North. country of the Assineboines. On the
2d of July, of the next year, he planted the king's arms in Kathio, the great
village of the Dakotahs, and, in the succeeding September, convened a council of the Indian nations at the head of Lake Superior. Hle built a fort, a
trading post at the mouth of Pigeon River, and advanced as far as Mille Lac.
In June, 1680, leaving his post, he met Hennepin among the Dakotahs, and
descended the Mississippi with him. Before the termination of that century,
other Frenchmen also visited Minnesota.
In 1689, Perrot, accompanied byLe Sueur, Father Marest, and others, took
formal possession of Minnesota, in the name of the French king. They also
built a fort on the west shore of Lake Pepin, just above its entrance-the
* From "The History of Minnesota, from the Earliest French Exploration to the Present
Time; by Edward Duffield Neill, Secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society. Philadelphia, T. B. Lippincott & Co., 1858."
849
MINNESOTA.
first French establishment in Minnesota. Le Sueur, in 1695, built a second
post, on an island below the St. Croix.
At this period, Le Sueur discovered, as he supposed, a copper mine on
Blue Earth River, a tributary of the Minnesota. He returned in 1700, built
a fort on the Minnesota, remained during the winter, and in the spring, descended the Mississippi, with one hundred tuns of blue and green earth
destined for France: but it is not known that he ever returned.
WAVithin the next 60 years, Minnesota was visited by the French fur traders.
In 1763, Capt. Jonathan Carver, a native of Connecticut, visited the country,
and subsequently published his travels in England, in which he first called
the attention of the civilized world to the existence of the ancient monumnents in the Mississippi valley, which he dis,over-dl the vicinity of Lake
Pepin, and described. Re al.;o described a cave near St. Paul, which bears
his name to this day. He designed to have returned to the country, with
which he was greatly delighted: but the American Revolution intervening
prevented.
"After the French carme the British fur traders.'The British North-west Fur Company
occupied tradtliing posts,it Sztiidy Lake, Leech Lake, and other central points within tilhe
limits of' Minniesota.'hat at Sandy Lake was built in 1794, the year of Wavre's.,ctorv. It was a large stockade, and contained two iows of buildings used 1s dwellings, provisioi stoire,,and worksho()ps. For t William, oni the iioirtl si(le of(t Like Sul)erlior, eveictually becanme tlheir prlilncipal depot. T'I'liis f't was on so large a scale as to acciinmodate
forty p artakcrs, with their clerks and fimilies. About these posts were mavny iall'-Lb)eccds,
whose members were constantly increasing b thi es of the French trtaders
with the It(tiain women. Their goods, consisting prilciiptallI of blankets, cutlerv, printed
calicoes, ribbous,'l'tss bearls, ad otlher triiiket, were ftrwarded to the posts fiomn MonItreal, iii plckatges of about 9') pounds eacli, and exchligiiied in winter foi furs, which inii
the sumnmer wee con-e ed to Moiitieal in caiioes, carrying each n bout 65 )ackages iand 10
men. TIlhe Mickiiaw ornipity, also English nmei(chaiits,l h(d their headquarters at Mackinaw, while their trading posts were ovel a tllousand miles distant, onl the head waters of'
the Mlississippi. Between the Northl-west and the Hu(lsoii's Bay Compiny I powerful ivalry existed. The bounidaries of the latter Inot beiig estLblis-ied, desperate collisions
often took place, and the posts of each were fiequently att.clke(l. When Lieut. Pike
ascended the upper Mississip)pi in 18-5, lhe tfoulid the fur ti ade in the exclusive possession
of the North-west Conipiy), which was composed whollv of folreigners. Althoullh the
lake posts were surreudeted to our governimecilt in 1796, American authority was not felt
in that quarter until aftei the war of 1812, owing to the influeuce the English exercised
over the Indians. It was from fear of Americtian rivalry that the British fur traders iiistigated the Indians to border wars against the early settlements. In 1816, congress passed
a law excluding foreigners from the Indian trade."
In 1800, when the'lerritorv of Indiana was organized, that part of Minnesoti east of
the Mlississippi was included within it; and inI 103, when Louisiani was purchased, that
part of Minllnesota west of the Mis issitpi forthe first time became Uiiited States territory.
The first American officer who visited Minnesota onl public buLsiness, was Zebulon Iontgomery Pike, a native of New Jersey, then a young lieutenant in the army. His eirand
was to explore the country, foirm alliances with the Indiins, and expel the British traders
found violating the laws of the Uliited States. He was well treated by them; but as soon
as he had departed, they disregarded the regulations he had established. Pike purchased
the site of Fort Siielling, where, in 1819, barracks were erected, and a garrison stationed
by the United States, w hich was the first American estatblishment in the country. Further
explorations were made in 1820, by Gov. Cass; in 1823, by Major Long, and iII 1832, by
Heinrv R. Schlooleraft, the last of whom discovered the source of the Mississippi.
From 1836 to 1839, M. Nicollet (under whom was Jolhn C. Freimonit), was engaged in
mtking geographical surveys in this region, and tell years later, a scientific corps under
Dr. Dale Owen, by their explorations, revealed much additional information respecting the
topography and geology of this northern country: as also have the published journals of
Stanisbury, Pope and Marcy, officers of the U. S. corps of topographical engineers. All
these surveys and explorations were by order of government.
Thle first settlers in Mivnesota, aside from the missionaries, fur traders, and military,
were a few Swiss emigrants from Pembina, the colony of Lord Selkirk, in the valley of the
Red River, uipward of 600' miles north of Fort Snelling. In the years of 1837 and 1838,
350
MINNESOTA.
they opened farms on the site of St. Paul and vicinity. At this time the American emi
grailts had made no settlements oil the Mississippi above Prairie du Chien. Ill October,
1833, Rev. W. T. Boutwell established, at Leech Lake, the first Protestant mission in
MuIiluesot.a west of the Mississippi. Ill May, 1835, the first church in Minnesota -was organ -
ized ill the galrrison at Fort Snelling, by Rev. Tlios. S. Williamson and Rev. J. D. Steenls,
missionaries of thle American Board of Foreigii Missions to the D.akot.ihs. Ill,4:3, a
settlemeut was begun on the site of Stillwater, a mill and other improvemenlts conine~ed.
The next year the first mill in Minnesota, above Fort Snelling, was built by B13. Geitvis,
five miles 1north-east of St. Paul, at a poilnt later known as Little Canada. InI the veair
1642. t store and some other trading shops were opened at St. Paul1, which miadie it tlhe
nucleus of a settlement.
Previous to the organization of Wisconsin as a state, that part of MIinnesota east of the Mississippi was included within it, and that part west in the
Territory of Iowa.
"OnI the 3d of March, 1849, a bill was passed organizing the Territory of Miiinesota,
whose boundary onI the west extended to the Missouri River. At the time of the passaLge
of the bill, organlizing the Territory of Minnesota, the region was little more than a wilderness. The west bank of the Mississippi, from the Iowa line to Lake Itasca, was iinceded
by the In(liaiis.
At Wapasha'w was a trading post in charge of Alexis Bailly, and here also resided the
ancient v,,gageur, of fourscore vears, A. Rocque. At the foot of Lake Pepinii was a storehouse keit by Mr. F. S. Richairds. Oni the west shore of the lake lived the eccentric
Wells, whlose wife was a bois brule-a daughter of the deceased trader, DIuncaii Gri-Lalml.
The two unfinished buildings of stone, on the beautiftl banik opposite the renowned Alaiden's Rock, and the suIrIrounding skiii lodges of his wife's relatives and friclds, presented a
rude but picturesque scene. Abov e thle l.ike was a cluster of bark wigwams, the Dklkotahl
village of Ra miieeclha, now RIed Wing, at which was a Presbyterian missionl house. The
next settlemenit w as Kaiposia, also al Iiidia.ii village, and the residence of a Presbyterian
missioniiar, the Rev. T. S. Williamnson, M.D.
Oil the east side of the Mississippi, the first settlement, at the mouth of the St.-Croix,
was Poiiit Dou,lIas, then, as now, a small hamlet. At Red Rock, the site of a former
MIethodist mission station, there were a few fa rmers. St. Paul was just emnerging from a
collection of Indian wihisky shops, and birch-roofed cabins of half breed voyag.euis. Here
and there it fime tenement was elected; and, under the auspices of the Hoii. H. M. Rice,
wlho had obtainied all interest in the tow-n, some warehouses were beiiing constructed, and
the fotundations of the American House werie laid. Il 1849, the population had increased
to two hunldred and fifty or three hundred inhabitants, for rumors had gone abroad that it
might be mentioned in the act, creating the territory, as the capital."
1'he officers appointed by President Ta lor for the territort wveie, Alex. Ramsay, of Pa.,
govelrior; C. K. Smnith, of Ohio, secretitv; A. Goodrich, ot Tenn., chlief jutstice; B. B.
Meeker, of Kv, anlld Dti(l Cooper, of Pit., associate judges; H. L. Moss, U. S. district
attorrney; and A.M. Mitchell, of Ohio, m,.rshal. 1'he governor and other officecs soon
after arrived:it St. Paul, tind oiI the 1st of June the territorial government was organi.ied.
Ienrv H. Sibley, of Mich., was slihortly after elected the first delegate to congress. The
territoritl legislature met on the 3d of' September, and elected David Olninted presidernt
of the council, and Joseph W. Furbet as speaker of the house. TI'he next dlv thev assembled in the dining room of the town hotel, and, after a prayer by Rev. E. D. Nell, the governior delivered his message. One of the first acts of the body was to incorporate "the
Historical Societv of Minnesota." The total population of the territory, oil the 11th of
June, 1849, was 4,049.
Oii the 33d of Feb., 1856, the U. S. senate authorized the people of Minnesota to form
a state constitution, preparatory to admission into the Union. T'his was efl'ected in the
succeedinii October, and oli the 7th of April, 1858, the senate passed the bill admittilg
Minnesota ilnto the Union. Henry M. Rice and James Shields were the first represeiltati-es ('of tle new state in the national senate. InI a census taken ill 1857, preliminary to
admission, the population was ascertained to be 150,037.
Like all new states, Minnesota has been injured by the spirit of speculation in land,
espeeitlly in town sites. Prior to the commercial revulsion of 1857, it was estimated that
868 towln sites had been recorded, enough to accommodate a town population of over two
million.
Minnesota extends from latitude 43~ 30' to 48~, and in longitude from
80~ 29' to 91~ 12': it is bounded on the E. by Lake Superior and Wiscon
351
sin; on the N. by the British Possessions; on the W. by Dakotah Territory, and on the S. by Iowa: its greatest length north and south is 380 miles,
and it has a breadth varying from 183 to 358 miles: total area 81;259 square
miles.
Minnesota occupies the elevated plateau of North America. At the "highth of
land," or Hauteurs des Tcrres, in the northern part of the state, lat. 47 deg. 7 min.
and long. 95 deg., "are the sources of the three great river systems of the continent. The slopes of the adjacent valleys, meeting upon this central ridge, give to
the surftace of Minnesota, with the general aspect of an undulating plain, the shape
of a pyramidal roof, down whose opposite sides the waters descend to their ocean
outlets." Two thirds of this surface feeds the Mississippi with its waters, which
thus find their way to the Gulf of Mexico, while the remainder of the surface contributes in about equal proportions to the Red River of the North, flowing into
Hudson's Bay, and to Lake Superior, whose final outlet to the ocean is through the
Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Ilighth of Land is about 1,500 feet above the Gulf
of Mexico, and is the only hilly region, excepting the trap summits north of Lake
Superior.
The majestic Mississippi takes its rise among the hills of Lake Itasca, and flows
for 797 miles through the state. The Minnesota, 470 miles long, empties into the
Mississippi five miles above St. Paul, and is now navigabl)le for steamers for 238
miles, to the mouth of the Yellow Medicine.'The 1ied River has a length of 379
miles, to the British line. The St. Croix River, so valuable for its pineries, is navigable for 52 miles. Lake Superior washes 167 miles of the border of the state,
and the St. Louis River, at its extreme west end, is navigable 21 miles.
Hon. B. B. Meeker, a ten years' resident in Minnesota, writing in 1860, gives a
description of its climate, soil and general resources, which we copy in an abridged
form;
The climate of Minnesota is already proverbially good. Its complete exemption from
all those diseases and maladies local to most new countries, and so justly a terror to all new
comers, is conceded by all who have tested it by actua,l residence. There is hardly a town,
or city, or neighborhood in the state, that is not able to bear testimony to more than one
complete restoration from chronic disease of the lungs or some of the varied types of colnsumptioni assumed by that most subtile of all the agents of the fell destroyer.
Perhaps no locality on our continent has less of fever and ague. Indeed, if there be any
cases of this kind, their origin is readily traced to some other states or territories, and but
a short residence is necessary to eradicate it entirely. Hundreds and hundreds of families
are annually driven from other western states to take up their residence in Minnesota, to
escape this offensive and troublesome foe to the emigrant and his family. This is not only
true of one, but of every portion of the state; and what is very remarkable, it is just as
healthy around the lake shores and along the valleys of our water courses, as upon the
prairies and table lands of the interior. In no part of America are the seasons better defined or more empbatically marked.
We will commence with the spring. This season usually begins about the middle of
March, when the snow begins to melt and disappear suddenly. April is fickle and fiuctuating-May tranquil, warm, and genial. The latter part of April the farmers plant potatoes and sow their spring wheat. About the first of May they sow their oats, and about
the tenth plant their corn. After the first of M.ay frosts rarely ever appear, certainly not
to the same extent they do in states further south and east. This is avery remarkable fact,
and is demonstrated yearly. I was informed by an aged missionary, in the spring of 1849,
that he had lived in the country then sixteen years, and that he had observed the appearance of frost averaged two weeks earlier in northern Illinois than in Minnesota. Why this
difference in favor of a more northern state, is an interesting problem for philosophers and
geologists, with whom I leave the solution-the fact, however, is incontestable.
Summer in this state is indeed hot, sometimes even overpowering; but always succeeded
by cool, breezy, delicious nights. Sleep here is repose indeed, and not exhaustion, as in
more southern states. In no part of the world do crops grow more rapidly than in Minnesota, owing chiefly to two causes, the intense heat of summer days and the warm nature of
the soil. This peculiarity of the soil and climate explains the hurried and swift maturity
of the various species of corn, that many who have not witnessed the fact, believe can not
ripen with any degree of certainty north of Ohio or Illinois. This quick action of the sun
and soil on vegetation and grain, is necessarily a spur to the farmer, who is hurried from
one department of his labor to another without much time for rest or relaxation. At first
he will be apt to conclude that the planting of corn is too close on the sowing of wheat,
oats, and barley; and the weeding of the former too near the harvesting of the latter. But
MINNESOTA.
352
MINNESOTA.
he will soon learn by observation and experience to keep them separate and apart by taking
time by the forelock.
The autumns of Minnesota are bright, clear, and dry-well adapted to the cutting and
culing of hay, and the in-gathering of the crops. It is also the best season for sport, as
hunting, fishing, and driving. No state in the Union has better natural roads and thorough fares, and at this season you can safely drive a carriage to the Red River-thence down
that rich valley of land to the British interior-or westward to the Rocky Mountains, or
southerly to Iowa or Missouri. A good team road you can find at this season in almost
any direction, and perfect health by the way.
The winter here is cold, dry, and severe. Snow falls for sleighing generally about the
twentieth of November, and from that time to Christmas. After that but little snow falls,
nnd it is uniform winter till spring comes, when it makes its exit rather unceremoniously.
But let no one suppose that winter here is cheerless and void of social interest. In no part
of the country are there more social appliances and social pleasures than in Minnesota.
Lyceuims, lecture-rooms, social and dancing parties, sleighing excursions by day and by
moonlight, are common sources of pleasure from the capitol to the country hamlet. This,
too, is the season for harvesting the pine forest-an employment half business and half
pleasure-a crop gathered in the winter and manufactured and sold in the spring and
summer.
Minnesota, like all the other states, has more or less of poor or indifferent soil; at the
same time few states in the Union have more productive or remunerating lands than Min nesota, and these are admirably distributed so as ultimately to equalize the population
through the several important districts marked by the physical geography of the country.
The great natural subdivisions of the state are:
I. The Lake Superior region or the region extending some sixty miles around the head
of the great lake that bears that name. This district is for the most part woodland. Most
of the soil is thin, low, and wet, with here and there a fertile locality of hard wood, asash,
sugar maple, and elm, having a clay or hard-pan subsoil. But little of this region is at
present settled, and it is generally unknown to the emigrating public, as no road has yet
been completed-from Superior City to the Mississippi-a distance of eighty miles only.
It is to be regretted, and the government is to be blamed, that it has never constructed this
roa(l either for military or postal purposes, as well as for calling into requisition and settlement a large tract of the public domain, thus uniting, by a comparatively small expense,
the two great valleys of the continent, the Lake and Mississippi. It would be essentially
a n,tionlll highway, and would speedily force into settlement all the cultivable lands between the two mighty waters. This, too, is the mineral, the copper and iron district of
MIinnesota-the olty region in America where copper is found in mcass.ive purity. When the
s'umbering wealth of this region shall be appreciated, and capital and operatives shall have
found a lodgment in this portion of Minnesota, agriculture in this vicinity will find an inexhaustible market and a rich reward at the head of the lake.
II. In the north-west of the state, heads the great valley or basin of the Red River of
the North. This is almost a distinct region of country, and has many peculiarities in soil
and population. The valley proper, is about thirty miles in width, being timbered and
prairie and of the very richest soil, composed of a deep black loam, resting upon a clayey
foundation. This is a vast luxuriant grass region-the ancient paradise of the buffalo herds
-from which they have just been driven by the vanguard and outpost of our progressive
population. This great valley is admirably adapted to the cultivation of hemp, barley,
maize, wheat, oats, and potatoes.
III. The Upper Mississippi. By this I mean so much of the valley of the Upper Miss,issippi as lies north of the Falls of St. Anthony. On the east side or left hand of this
river, from its source to the falls, the soil is generally inferior, and yet there are many portions of it are good and yield well. On the west side, however, the soil is not only good
but generally excellent. The Sauk River valley, the Crow River valley and its branches,
are not surpassed in fertility and productiveness in any western state. This region is not
only well settled but populous, and is very productive in wheat, rye, oats, corn, and potatoes, which are shipped in large quantities from the falls to St. Louis, the most accessible
and best market.
IV. The St. Peter's or Minnesota valley. This is an immense district of agricultural and
grazing lands, stretching south-westerly first, and then north-westerly, embracing a tract
of some five hundred miles, fertile in corn, wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes, all of which
are easily and cheaply floated to the Mississippi, thence south to the best market.
V. Lower Minnesota, or all that country lying west of the Mississippi and south of the
St. Peter's or Minnesota River, including the very rich and fertile country drained by the
Blue Earth. This whole country is well settled, and very fertile in corn and wheat.
The crops that do best in Minnesota are wheat, rye, barley, oats, potatoes, and cornthe latter not always a certain crop. The average yield of wheat this year is supposed tobe twenty-five bushels to the acre, the largest average of any state of the Union.
There is no mineral coal in Minnesota, but the country is otherwise well supplied with
fuel and means for manufacturing. For a prairie state, it is by far the best wooded and
23
353
MINNESOTA.
timbered of them all. All the region between the Upper Mississippi and the Great Lake is
a wildlerness of wood, (except a narrow belt of prairie along the river. All the great val
leys above described have an abundaince of wood for fuel, fencing, and building purposes.
I think it is the best watered c.untry in the world. A settler can hardly select him a
farm in any part of the state that will not be near a spring, a creek, or lake. Cascades and
S t. Paul.
waterfalls, too, are to be found all over the state, and are valued for their beauty and utility. Water-power, as it is called, is inexhaustible in Minnesota, and is rapidly being appropriated to various branches of manufacturing. Flour and lumber have already becomo
important staples, and command high and cash prices, froni the Falls of St. Anthony to
New Orleans. Other manufacturing will soon spring up, and make Minnesota, in this respect, the New England of the northwest.
The more intense periods of cold in the winter of Minnesota, are shorn
of their severity, by the absence of winds and the peculiar dryness of the
atmosphere, which imparts an elasticity and buoyancy to the spirits. It has
been ascertained by theometrical observations, continued for many years a,
Fort Snelling,, that its spring temperature is identical with that of Massa
chusetts; its summer with that of northern Ohio; its autumn with that of
northern Vermont, and its winter is like that of Montreal. The populatior
of Minnesota, in 1850, was 6,075, and in 1860, 17G,535: and farms nuder
cultivation, 19,075.
ST. PAUL, the capital of Minnesota, derives its name from the Catholi.
church which had been organized there six years previous to the laying ou
of the town. St. Paul stands on the left or east bank of the Mississippi
but at this particular point the course of the river is from south-west t,
north-east: the town is 8 miles below the Falls of St. Anthony, and 5 belo:
Fort Snelling and the mouth of the Minnesota: distance, by the Mississippi
above New Orleans, 1,900 miles; above the mouth of the Ohio, 860; abov
St. Louis, 688; above Galena, 280; above La Crosse, 114; and about 40'
354
MINN ESOT A.
from Chicago by the usual route of travel. The main part of St. Paul stands
upon a plain of land about 80 feet above the river, and 800 above the Gulf
of Mexico, on one of the most beautiful and commanding of sites. " Com mercially, it is the key to all the vast region north of it, and, by the Minne sota River, to the immense valley drained through that important tributary
to the Mississippi. The approach to it from below is grand and imposing.
The traveler, after leaving Dubuque nearly 300 miles below, sees nothing to
remind him of a city until he rounds the bend in the river below St. Paul,
when her tall spires, substantial business houses, and neat dwellings burst
upon his view." St. Paul is near the geographical center of the continent,
and is the prominent business point of one of the most beautiful, fertile,
and healthy of countries. Population 1860, 10,401.
The first settlers at St. Paul were the Swiss, originally from Pembina, Lord Selkirk's
coloniy, on the Red River of the North. In the spring of 1825, the colonists there were driven
from their homes by a terrible freshet in the river, consequent upon the melting of the
snows. "After the flood, they could no longer remain in the land of their adversity, and
they became the pioneers in emigration and agriculture in the state of Minnesota. At one
time a party of' 243 departed for the United States, who found homes at different points on
the banks of the Mississippi. Before the eastern wave of emigration had ascended beyoiid Prairie du Chien, the Swiss had opened farms on and near St. Paul, and should be
recognized as the first actual settlers in the country." They first located on the land on
the east side of the Mississippi, between St. Paul and Fort Snelling, and commenced improvements. In March, 1838, the commander at the fort selected this land as a part of
a militarv reservation. It was, therefore, withheld from sale. The settlers, who were
principally the Swiss, were ordered to be removed by the war department. On the 6th and
7th ot' May, 1840, the troops from the fort, with undue haste, removed these unfortunate
people, and destroyed their cabins: they then removed to the site of St. Paul: among
them were Messrs. Massey, Perry, Garvis and Pierrie.
The year [1838] that the Dakotahs ceded the land east of the Mississippi," says Neill
in his History of Miinnesota, "a Canadian Frenchman, by the name of Parant, the ideal
of an Indian whisky seller, erected a shanty at what is now the principal steamboat landing in St. Paul. Ignorant and overbearing, he loved money more than his soul. Destitute of one eye, and the other resembling that of a pig, he was a good representative of
Caliban.
In the year 1842, some one writing a letter in his groggery, for the want of a more
euphonious name, designated the place as' Pig's Eye,' referring to the peculiar appearance
of the whisky seller. The reply to the letter was directed in good faith to' Pig's Eye,'
and was received in due time.
In 1842, the late Henry Jackson, of Mahkato, settled at the same spot, and erected the
first store on the hight just above the lower landing; and shortly after, Roberts and Simpson followed, and opened small Indian trading shops. In the year 1846, the site of St.
Paul was chiefly occupied by a few shanties, owned by' certain lewd fellows of the baser
sort," who sold rum to the soldier and Indian. It was despised by all decent white men,
and known to the Dakotahs by an expression in their tongue, which means, the place
whern thev sell minne-wikan."*
St. Paul was laid off as a town into lots in July, 1847, by Ira B. Brunson, of Prairie du
Chien, in the employment of residents. "The naimes of those who were then sole proprietors, barring Uncle Sami's prior lien, were Vetal Guerin, Alex. R. M'Leod, Henry
Jackson, Hartshorn & Randall, Louis Roberts, Benj. Gervais, David Farribault, A. L. Lar
penteur, J. W. Simpson, and J Demarrais." For a year or two the place showed no signs
of a promising future, until the Hoii. Henry M. Rice bought in, and by his energy and
reputation for forec1st, " infused new life into the place." When the territorial bill for
the organization of Minnesota was passed, St. Paul, through the exertions of lion. Henry
H. Sibley, was named as the temporary capital. The act was signed ol the 3d of March,
184'). Savs Neill:
"More than a month after the adjournment of congress, just at eve, on the 9th of April,
amid terrific peals of thunder and torrents of rain, the weekly steam packet, the first to
force its way through the icy barrier of Lake Pepin, rounded the rocky point, whistling
loud and long, as if thie bearer of glad tidings. Before she was safely moored to the landing, the shouts of the excited villagers announced that there was a Territory of Minnesota,
* Supernatural Water.
355
and t}ltts St. Paul was the seat of government. Every successive steamboat arrival poured
out on the landing men big with hope, and anxious to do something to mold the future of
the riew state.
Nine days after the news of the existence of the Territory of Minnesota was received,
there arrived James M. Goodhue with press, types, and printing apparatus. A graduate
of Amherst College, and a lawyer by profession, he wielded a sharp pen, and wrote editoria]s, which, more than anything else, perhaps, induced emigration. Though a man of
some glaring faults, one of the counties properly bears his name. On the 28th of April, ho
issued the first number of the' Pioneer.'
On the 27th of May, Alexander Ramsey, the governor, and family arrived at St. Paul,
but, owing to the crowded state of the public houses, immediately proceeded in the steamer
to the establishment of the fur company known as Mendota, at the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi, and became the guest of the Hon. H. H. Sibley.
For several weeks there resided, at the confluence of these rivers, four individuals who,
more than any other men, have been identified with the public interests of Minnesota, and
given the state its present character. Their names are attached to the thriving counties of
Ramsey, Rice, Sibley, and Steele.
'As unto the bow, the cord is,
So unto the man is the woman,
Though she bends him, she obeys him,
Though she draws him, yet she follows,
Useless each without the other.'
Fort Sselling, originally called Fort St. Anthony, is a noted point in th(
....=... history of Minnesota. It
stands on a lofty bluff, 5 miles
. ____ __=\ above St. Paul, on the west
:.::"bank of the Mississippi, at the
__ ____~ ~ junction of the Minnesota, and
_-i;.~~~ =on the north bank of the lat ter. It is composed of large
barracks and numerous edifices,
surrounded by thick walls.
Previous to the organization
i; ~ ~ ~~_ ~of Minnesota, in 1849, it was
the only important point north
FORT SNPLLING. of Prairie du Chien, and was
for years the rendezvous of missionaries, of scientific explorers, and of mercantile adventurers, on their way to the Dakotahs. The scenery at this
point, up the valley of the Minnesota, is surpassingly beautiful. The fort
was named from Col. Snelling. He was a brave officer of the war of 1812,
and particularly distinguished himself at Tippecanoe and Brownstown. He
died in 1828.
In Feb., 1819, the war department ordered the 5th regiment of infantry to concentrate
at Detroit, for the -urpose of transportation to the Mississippi, to garrison Prairie du Chien
and Rock Island, and to establish a post as the head-quarters of the corps at the mouth
of the Minnesota.
Col. Leavenworth ascended the Mississippi with his soldiers in keel boats, and erected
temporary barracks above the present village of Mendota, on the south side of the river,
where they wintered. Col. Snelling subsequently assumed command of the garrison. On
the 10th of September of the next year (1820), the corner stone of Fort Snelling was
laid.
The wife of Colonel Snelling, "a few days after her arrival at the post, gave birth to
the first infant of white parents in Minnesota, which, after a brief existence of thirteen
months, departed to a better land. The dilapidated monument which marks the remains
of the' little one,' is still visible in the graveyard of the fort. Beside Mrs. Snelling, the
wife of the commissary, and of Captain Gooding, were in the garrison, the first American
ladies that ever wintered in Minnesota."
The Minne-ha-ha Falls, the existence of which the genius of Longfellow
MINNF.,qO. TA -
356
MINNESOTA.
has perpetuated in living lines, is within a few minutes drive from Fort Snelling, or St. Anthony, being between these two points.
"AVaterfalls, in the Dakotah tongue, are called ha-ha. The'h, has a strong gu tural sound, and the word is ap ___ —: _ ~ plied because of the curling or
_-_-____________::laughing of the waters. The
g=_____ = ==____ verb I-ha-ha primarily mneans to
___~~_ -. ___ curl; secondarily to latugh, be. -_1- — ~~ ~%;~?-~~ ~ cause of the curlin g motion of
the mo uth in l aughter. The
L - q-:~~J~ noise of Ila-ha is ca lled by the
Dakotahs 1-ha-ha, becau se of i ts
(~U~11~~ i ~ I __ sxy etresembl ance to laughter. A
I~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~' f ~ ~small rivulet, the outlet of Lake
111lirriet and Calhoun, gentl y
gliding over the bluff into an aim plithieater, forms th is gr aceful
waterfall It has but little of
'the cataract's thunder.' o iaga -i a svmbolizes the sublime; St.
Anthony the picturesque; lpa-ha
the beautiful. The fall is about
sixty feet, presenting a parabolic
curvei which drops, without the
sippi,-~ a~~least deviation, unt il it has reach efI its lower le el, w hen the
latteraboxe~~ortelii. gTei str goes on its,way rejoicing,
the autumn of ~curling alongr in,latughing, child MiNNE-H.-HA FAi,I,s. ish glee at the graceful feat it has
"lirte tohe Fails of Mtfirne-i..ha performed in bounding over the
Fbh a,I~d gleami umo.g tile oak tirees, precipice."
LUniers ty and i,p int o the valley." St. 4ettho,iy is beautifull y
situated, on a geitly rising prairie, on the left or east bantk of the Mississ;.ppi, at the Falls of St. Anthon y S miles by land above St. Paul, 2 miles
further north, and 12 by the windings of the river, and also 7 miles by the
latter above Fort Snelling. " The f irst dwelling was e rected in this city in
th e autumn of 1847, and Mrs. Ard Go dfrey claims the honor of having givewa
birth to the first of the fair dsaughters of St. Anthony." Here is located the
University of the State. "Minnesota see,s determinied to be in advance of
other states in education, for two sections in every tow nshi p have been appropriated for th e sup port of' c ommon schools, no other state haviung previously
obtained more than or e section in ea ch of its townships for such a purpose."
The celebrated Falls of St. Anthony were named, in 1680, by their discoverer, Louis Hennepin, in hon or of his p atron sai nt.
"They are only twenty feet in hight; but the scenery does not derive its interest from their grandeur, but from the perfect grouping of rock and wood and water
on a magnificent scale. The Mississippi is upward of six hundred yards wide
above the falls. These are quite perpendicular, and the water drops in beautiful
single sheets on either side of a huge mass of white sandstone, of a pyramidal
form, which splits the stream. The rapids below extend for several hundred yards,
and are very broad, divided into various channels by precipitous islands of sandstone, gigantic blocks of which are strewn in grotesque confusion at the base of
lofty walls of stratification of dazzling whiteness. These fantastically-shaped
islands are thickly wooded, and birch and maple cling with desperate tenacity to
nooks and crannies in the perpendicular Cliffs. The banks of the river are of a
character similar to the islands in its stream. The snowy-white houses of St. Anthony are almost hidden by the thick foliage of the left bank."
357
MINNESOTA.
Situated at the head of navigation on the Mississippi, with an unlimited
water power, St. Anthony has a fine prospect of becoming an important manufacturing and commercial city. It has abundance of building stone, is in a
rich agricultural region, and with abundance of lumber in its vicinity.
Immediately opposite St. Anthony is the thriving town of Minneapolis.
An elegant suspension bridge connects the two places. "As a work of
beauty and art it can hardly be surpassed, while it has the appearance of
great solidity; its massive cables being firmly anchored on either side in the
solid rock. The work was undertaken in the spring of 1854, and finished
the next year, at an expense of over $50,000, being the first suspension
bridge ever built in a territory, and the first to span the Father of Waters."
The two places, St. Anthony and Minneapolis, have unitedly about 7,000
inhabitants.
Travelers visiting this region are apt to be eloquent in their descriptions. Part
of this is no doubt to be attributed to the pure, dry, b)racing atmosphere, which not
only imparts a wondrous distinctness to the whole landscape, lending unwonted
charms to the skies above, and to the earth beneath, but so braces up the system
with the sensation of high health, that the stranger looks upon all things around
him with most pleasing emotions.'lhe effect of this elastic, life-giving atmosphere
has, indeed, been described by some, as at times producing in them a buoyancy
of feeling, that they could compare to nothing but the exhilaration occasioned by a
slight indulgence in ardent spirits! Here the weak man feels a strong man, and
the strong man a giant! The enthusiastic Bond, in his work on Minnesota, says
that, owing to the strengthening nature of the climate, the labor of one man will
produce more, and yield a larger surplus above his necessities, than in any other
western state or territory. "We have," says he, "none of the languor, and debility, and agues, that turn men into feeble women in the harvest field, as they have
south of us. Labor here stands firmly on its legs, the year round, and drives thiigs
through!"
Among the travelers in this region, who have spoken in its praise, is the
celebrated savant Maury, superintendent of the National Observatory, at
Washington. Says he:
At the small hours of the nicrht, at dewy eve and early morn, I have looked out
with wonder, love, and admiration upon the steel-blue sky of Minnesota, set with
diamonds, and sparkling with brilliants of purest ray. The stillness of your small
hours is sublime. I feel constrained, as I gaze and admire, to hold my breath, lest
the eloquent silence of the ni(hlt should be broken by the reverberations of the
sound, from the seemingly solid but airy vault above.
Herschell has said, that in Europe, the astronomer might consider himself highly
favored, if by patiently watching the skies for one year, he shall, during that period
find, all told, one hundred hours suitable for satisfactory observations. A telescope, mounted here, in this atmosphere, under the skies of Minnesota, would have
its powers increased many times over what they would be under canopies of a
heaven less brilliant and lovely.
Col. F. A. Lumsden, of the New Orleans Picayune, writing from St. Anthony, two weeks before his death and that of his family by shipwreck, on
the ill-fated steamer Lady Elg,in, on Lake Michigan, thus gives vent to his
admiration:
I have missed much by not having visited this section of country before, and one can
have no correct idea of this region by anything they may hear or read about it. The
scenery-the country-the lakes and the rivers-the crops and the climate are the finest
in the world.
Such scenery as the Upper Mississippi presents I have never beheld: its beauties, its
romantic grandeur can never be justly described. On either shore of this vast river, for
miles on miles, stand the everlasting bills, their slopes covered with the emerald carpeting
of spring.
358
MINNESOTA.
As a place of summer resort, abounding in all the requisites of pleasure and health, St.
Anthony excels all the watering places of the tashioiiable and expensive east. As for
the Falls of St. Anthony, they are ruined by Yankee enterprise, and all their beauty has
departed. Mills, foundrics, dams and lumber rafts have spoilt all of natture's romantic
loveliness by their innovations, and you would be astonished to see the huindieds of houses
recently eireted here, some of which are beautiful and costly specimens of architecture,
thiat would prove ornaments to any citv. The Winston House, at St. Anithoiny, is one of
the largest itid most elegant hotels of the nor th-west, built of stoile at a cost of $110,000,
and furnishel in princely style. It is now filled with southlierni people.
This is my fourthl dat here, and I already beg in to experience the fine effects of the invigorating climate and stinmulating atmosphere. I have been houting and fishing, and
fouiil the sport excellent. Tliee are plentv of deer in the neighborhlood, but I lhav-e seen
nlone of them y-et. The chief shooting is thle prairie chicken, and they are in abuindan.ce
in the plains and stubble fields. For fishing onie can hirdlv go amiss. Within a range of
from six to tweity miles from the town, are,ev-eral magnificenit l.tkes. In all of these,
the greate t quatiiity of fisl is to be, found, such as perch, of various kinds, pickerel, bass,
trout, etc., wli1e in numerous small streamns, hundreds of trout-thle reqular specklel trout
-are taken daily. A gaty and joyous pIatrt of us lester(lav visited Lake Minnetonka,
where we got up Ia very handsome picnic, and had a good time. A party of six gentlemcen, i,1l fioni the south, are to start to-morrow for the buffalo grounds of the Red River
of the North, on a grantd ihunting expedition.
Th'e tine iott RIiver aid Fort Siellinr, as well as the pretty little Falls of Mitine-halia, lie beta'ee-i St. Plul and thlis place. From the iighlts of Fort Suelling a most encit tatit, gView oi the rich valley ot' tie NtMinnesota is had; and the traveler looks out upon
the v-ast 1lin, stretching attwav beneath lii vision, withl emnotions of surprise-alrnost of
bewilderment —at the stupetidous scene. What wealth, what riches have the United( States
not ucqoired iii the possession of this yreat domtai, o/ the north?
TitVoii(a, is on the Mississippi Rive, 150 miles below Saint Paul,
and has 4,000 inhabitants. It was naimed firom the Indian maiden
Winona, who, accordig to the le-end, threw herself firon a cliff into Lake
Pepin, and found a grave in its waters, rather than wed an unongeniial
brave. 11ed l( iut and ]aftbgli_s are smaller towns, on the Mississippi, the
first the seat of Hamlin University, a methodist institution, and on that
beautiful expanrsion of the Mississippi, Lake Pepin: Hastings is 25 miles below St. Paul.
Jfettelaota is on a beautiful island, at the junction of the Minnesota with
the MIississippi. It possesses great advantages in position, and was for a
long time a noted trading post of the American Fur Comipany. Immnediately in the rear of Mecndota rises the lofty Pilot Knob, which is much
visited.
Beside thle above there are numerous other rising towns in Minnesota, of
which we have not descriptions at hand, as TIV(bashaw, Shakopee, Le Sueu7,
Aticollet, Stillwater, Lake City, etc. Whatever descriptions mnay be given
of the rising towns in the west are of doubtful value, excepting as a matter
of history, for often is the rapidity of their increase so great, that the statistics of one season are of no reliability as a basis of knowledge a few seasons
later.
359
360
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
_h7icholas Perrot was one of those master minds whose enterprises mark the history of their times. Ile was by birth a Canadian, bred to the excitements of a
frontier life. Educated by service to the Jesuits, he became fiamiliar with the customs and languages of the savages of the lakes of the far west. Years before La
Salle launched the Griffin on Lake Erie, he was sent by government on an errand
to the tribes of the north-west, and penetrated even as far south as Chlicago. He
was the first man known to have built a trading post on the Upper Mississippi,
which he did on the shores of Lake Pepin. According to the Dakotah tradition,
he gave seed and corn to their people, through the influence of which the D)akotahs
began to be led away from the rice grounds of the Mille Lac region.
Louis Ileisnepin was born in Ath, Netherlands. He was bred a priest of the
Recollect branch of the Franciscans. From his youth he had a passion for travel
and adven and sought out the society of strangers, "who spent their time in
nothing elk t either to tell or hear some new thing." In 1676, he welcomed
with joy the:rder from his superior to embark for Canada. Ile accompanied La
Salle in his celebrated expedition to explore the far west. In Feb., 1680, hlie was
dispatched by La Salle, with two voyageurs in a canoe, on a voyage of discovery
up the unknown regions of the Upper Mississippi. It was on this journey that
he discovered and named the Falls of St. Anthony. In 1683, he published, at
Paris, a tolerably correct account of his travels in Minnesota. In 1698, he issued
an enlarged edition, dedlicaited to Kin, William, in which he falsely cltimed to
have descended the Mississippi to its mouth. htis descriptions were stolen from
the works of other travelers. Wishing to return to Canada, the minister of Louis
XlV wrote, "As his majesty is not satisfied with the conduct of the friair, it is his
pleasure that if he return thither, that they arrest and send hinm to the inten(idant
at Rochefort." "In the year 1701, hlie was still in Eiurop)e, attached to a convent
in Italy. He appears to have died in obscurity, unwept and uinhonored."
Jean Nr. -icollet was born in 1790, in Cluses, Savoy. So poor were his parents
that he was obliged, at the early ag,e of nine years, to gain a subsistence by playing upon the flute and violin. VWhen ten years old, he was apprenticed to a watchmaker, and turned his leisure hours to the study of mathematics. He eventutlly
moved to Paris and entered the normal school, later became a college professor,
and gained distinction as an astronomer, receiving the decoration of the I,Legion
of Hlonor. In 1832, he emigrated to the United States, poor and honest. Iri the
summer of 1836, he came to Minnesota, and explored the so)urces of the Upper
Mississippi, with scientific exactness. Soon after he received a commission from
the United States to explore the sources of the MAlinniesota, and at this time was
assisted by John C. Fremont. "T''he map which he constructed, and the astronomical observations which he made, were invaluable to the country." Ilon. II.
H11. Sibley, in his notice of Nicollet, says:
"His health was so seriously affected after his return to Washington in 1839, that from
that time forward he was ircapacitated from devoting himself to the accomplishment of
his work as exclusively as he had previously done. Still he labored, but it was with depressed spirits and blighted hopes. He had long aspired to a membership in the Academy
of Sciences of Paris. His long continued devotion and valuable contributions to the ca.u.e
of science, and his correct deportment as a gentleman, alike entitled him to such a distinlction. But his enemies were numerous and influential, and when his name was presentea
in accordance with a previous nomination, to fill a vacancy, he was black-balled and rejected. This last blow was mortal. True, he strove against the incurable melancholy
which had fastened itself upon him, but his struggles waxed more and more faint, until
death put a period to his sufferings on the 18th of September, 1844.
Even when he was aware that his dissolution was near at hand, his thoughts reverted
back to the days when he roamed along the valley of the Minnesota River. It was my
fortune to meet him for the last time, in the year 1842, in Washington City. A short time
before his death, I received a kind but mournful letter from him, in which he adverted to
the fact that his days were numbered, but at the same time he expressed a hope that he
would have strength sufficient to enable him to make his way to our country, that he might
yield up his breath and be interred on the banks of his beloved stream.
It would have been gratifying to his friends to know that the soil of the region which
had enmployed so much of his time and scientific research, had received his mortal remains
MINNESOTA.
MINNESOTA.
into his bosom, but they were denied this melancholy satisfaction. Hle sleeps beneath the
sod far away, in the vicinity of the capital of the nation, but his namne wvill continue to be
eherished in Minnesota as one of its early explorers, and one of its best friends. The astronomer, the geologist, and the christian gentleman, Jean N. Nicollet, will long be remembered in connection with the history of the north-west.
'Time shall quench full many
A people's records, aid a hero's acts,
Sweep empire after empire into nothing;
But even then shall spare this deed of thine.
And hold it up, a problem few dare imitate.
And none despise.'"
Lake Itasca is one of the multitude of those clear, beautiful sheets of water
which do so abound in Minnesota. that the aboriginal inhabitants were called, by
the early French voyaqeurs,
the "Peop)le of the Lakes."
~ _ -_ ~_~_~_ It is estimated by Schooleraft,
=_____ ~ that within its borders are ten
__________ _~ ~ thousand of these, and it is
thought, i.t is measurably to
==_____~~~~ ~them that the husbandman of
=Minnesota is so blessed with
= _ abundance of summer rains.
_T he weaters, pure, sweet, and
*~ __~ ~cold, abound with fish of' de licious flavor.'Ie lIditns
often reared their t habitations
on the min-tr',ins of thre most
— = --- ___~ ~beautiful a is d pieturesq(ie.
-e /'1T h e greater number a r e
__ Ad= < AD/ isolated and destitute of out lets; usually of an oval forni,
and firom one to two and three
miles in (liameter, "with clear
white sandy shores, gentle,
grassy slopes, or rimmed with
walls of rock, their pebbl)ly
L.~KE ITASCA. beaches, sparkling with cor The Source of the Mississippi. nelians and agates, while the
oak grove or denser wood
which skirts its margin, completes the graceful outline."
Among all these sheets of water that by day and by night reflect the glories of
this northern sky, the lake named Itasca, from an Indian maiden. is especially
honored. For here, from the lap of encircling hills, in latitude 47 deg. 13 min.
35 sec., 1,575 feet above the ocean, and ),527 miles from it, by its own meanderin,rs, the Mississippi, the Father of Waters, finds his birth-place.
Lake Itasca was first brought to the notice of the civilized world as the source
of the Mississippi, by Mr. Henry R. Schooleratft, Indian agent at Sault Ste. Marie.
In the summer of 1832, he was given charge of an expedition to visit the Indians
toward the source of the Mississippi. Attached to the expedition was a military
escort, under Lieut. James Allen, Dr. Houghton, geologist of Michigan, and Rev.
W. T. Boutwell, who wais sent out by the American Board, preliminary to establishing missions among the Indians. They crossed over from the west end of Lake
Superior, and at two o'clock on the afternoon of the 13th of July, reached the
Elk Lake, named Itasca by Mr. Schooleraft. "With the exception of traders, no
white men had ever traced the Mississippi so far.']'he lake is about eight miles
in length, and was called Elk by the Ojibways, because of its regularities, resembling the horns of that animal. Lieut. Allen, the commander of the military detachment, who made the first map of this lake, thus speaks:
'From these hills, which were seldom more than two or three hundred feet high
361
MINNESOTA
we came suddenly down to the lake, and passed nearly through it to an island near
its west end, where we remained one or two hours. We were sure that we had
reached the true source of the great river, and a feeling of great satisfaction was
manifested by all the party. Mr. Schooleraft hoisted a flag on a high staff on the
island, and left it flying. The lake is about seven miles long,, and from one to
three broad, but is of an irregular shape, conforming to the bases of pine hills,
which, for a great part of its circumference, rise abruptly from its shore. It is
deep, cold, and very clear, and seemed to be well stocked with fish. Its shores
slow some bowlders of primitive rock, but no rock in place. The island, the only
one on the lake, is one hundred and fifty yards long, fifty yards broad in the highest part, elevated twenty or thirty feet, overgrown with elm, pine, spruce, and wild
cherry. There can be no doubt that this is the true source and jbountain of the
longest and largest branch of the Mississippi."'
THE INDIANS OF MINNESOTA
"Alinnesota, from its oarliest discovery, has been the residence of two powerful
tribes, the Chippewas or Ojibways, and the Sioux-pronounced Sooz-or Dahkotahs.* The word Chippewa is a corruption of the term Ojibway, and that of
Dahkotli signifies the allied tribes. The Winnebago from Iowa, and the Menonomies from WVisconsin, have recently been removed to Minnesota. They are both
sin iall tribes compared to the above.
The Dahkotahs claim a country equal in extent to some of the most powerful
empires of Europe, including the greater part of the country between the Upper
Mississippi and the Missouri. The country from Rum River to the lRiver De Corbeau has been alike claimed by them and the Ojibways, and has been the source
of many bloody encounters within the last two hundred years. The Dahkotahs
have destroyed immense numbers of their race, and are one of the most warlike
tribes of North America. They are divided into six bands, comprising in all,
2,0(0)O souls. Besides these, a revolted band of the Sioux, 8,000 strong, called
()sinipoilles, reside just east of the Rocky Mountains, upon Saskatchawan River
of British America.
The Dahkotahs subsist upon buffalo meat and the wild fruits of their forests.
The former is called pemmnican, and is prepared in winter for traveling use in the
following manner: The lean parts of the buffalo are cut into thin slices, dried over
a slow tire in the sun, or by exposing it to frost-pounded fine, and then with a
portion of berries, mixed with an equal quantity of ftit from the hump and brisket,
or with marrow in a boiling state, and sowed up tightly in sacks of green hide, or
packed closely in baskets of wicker-work. T'his'pemmican' will keep for several
years.
They also use much of the wild rice, which grows in great abundance in the
lakes and head streams in the Upper Mississippi country. The rivers and lakes
of the Dahkotah and Ojibway country are said to produce annually several millions of bushels of it. It is said to be equally as nutritious and palatable as the
Carolina rice. It grows in water from four to seven feet deep, which has a muddy
bottom. The plant rises from four to eight feet above the surface of the water,
about the size of the red cane of Tennessee, full of joints and of the color and
texture of bulrushes. The stalks above the water, and the branches which bear
the grain, resemble oats. To these strange grain fields, wild ducks and geese resort
for food in the summer; and to prevent it being devoured by them, the Indians tie
-~ " The Dahkotahs in the earliest documents, and even until the present day, are called
Sioux, Scioux, or Soos. The name originated with the early' voyageurs.' For centuries
the Ojibways of Lake Superior waged war against the Dahkotahs; and, whenever they
spoke of them, called them Nadowaysioux, which signifies enemies. The French traders,
to avoid exciting the attention of the Indians, while conversing in their presence, were
accustomed to designate them by names which would not be recognized. The Dahkotahs
were nicknamed Sioux, a word composed of the two last syllables of the Ojibway word for
foes.'-Necill's Minnesota.
362
MINNESOTA.
it, when in the milky state, just below the head, into large bunches. This arrangement prevents these birds from pressing the heads down when within their reach.
When ripe, the Indians pass among it with canoes lined with blankets, into which
they bend the stalks and whip off the grain with sticks; and so abundant is it
DOG DANCE OF THE DAHKOTAHS.
[!
J
-o r,...........
J II1 I1~ ill II Ii Ifil,.~ jll
vwC JJ', C I. 55 j C J J. j j
OJTBWAY SCALP DANCE.
It 1 I &111i iii iii. ile
The notes marked with accents are performed with a tremulous voice,
sounded Highyi-yi, ~'.
that an expert squaw will soon fill a canoe. After being gathered it is dried and
put into skins or baskets for use. They boil or parch it, and eat it in the winter
season with their pemmican. Beside the pemmican and wild rice, the country
abounds in sugar-maple, from which the Indians make immense quantities of sugar.
Their country abounds with fine groves, interspersed with open plains clothed with
rich wild grasses-their lakes and rivers of pure water are well stored with fish,
and their soil with the whortleberry, blackberry, wild plum, and crab apple; so
that this talented and victorious race possess a very desirable and beautiful territory.
363
The Ojibvways inhabit the head-waters of the Mississippi, Ottertail and Leach,
De Corbeau and fled Rivers, and Winnipeg Lake. They are a powerful tribe, almost equaling the Dahkotahs in numbers: they speak a copious language, and ire
of low stature and coarse features. The women have an awkward side-at-a-time
gait; which proceeds from their being'accustomed, nine months of the year, to
wear snow-shoes, and drag sledges of a weight from two hundred to four hundred
pounds. No people are more attentive to comfiort in dress than the Ojibways. It
is composed of deer and fawn-skins, dressed with the hair on for winter, and without the hair for summer wear.
They are superstitious in the extreme. Almost every action of their lives is influenrced by some whimsical notion. They believe in the existence of a good and
an evil spirit, that rule, in their several departments, over the fortunes of men;
and in a state of future rewards and punishments."
EFFECT OF THE CLIMATE OF MINNESOTA OX LUNG DISEASES.
[From the Letters of the Rev. Dr. HIoracre Bushnell.]
I went to Minnesota early in July, and remained there until the latter part of
the Mlay following. I had spent a winter in Cuba without benefit. I had spent
also nearly a y-ear in California, minaking a gain in the dry season, and a partial
loss in the wet season, returning, however, sufliciently improved to resume my labors. s —reakini down again fiom this only partial recovery, I made the experinent now of Minnesota; and submitting myself, on returning, to a very rigid exainination, by a physician who did not know at all whaitt verdict had been passed
by other phyis,iians before, hlie said, in atccordance with their opinion, " You hae
had a diflicuitv in the iighlit lun, but it is healed." 1 had suspected fiom i.y
syniptomns the; it miglit be 0o, and the fact appears to be confirined by the furtiter
fict that I have been slow ly, thlough irregularly gaining all thle summer
This iimpro(enoment, or partial recovery, I attribute to the climate of Minnesota.
But not to thi,s alone-other think,s have concurred. Flirst, I had a naturally fir-m,
en(llIring' constitution, which had only given way under excessive burdens of labor,
aied had no vestige of hereditary disease upon it. Secondly, 1 had all my burdens
thrown off, and a state of complete, uncaring( rest. Thirdly, I was in such vigor
as to be out in the open air, on horseback and otherwise, ai good part of the time.
It does not follow, bv any means, that one who is dving under hereditary consumption, or one who is too far gone to haive any power of endurance, or spring
of recuperative energy left, will be recovered in the same manner.
A great many such go there to die, and some to be partially recovered and then
die: for I knew of two young men, so far recovered as to think themselves well, or
nearly so, who by overviolent exertion brought on a recurrence of bleeding, and
dlied, one of them almost instantly, and the other in about twenty-four hours; both
in the same week. The general opinion seemed to be that the result was attributable, in part, to the overtonic property of the atmosphere. And I have known of
very remarkable cases of recovery there which had seemed to be hopeless. One
of a entleman who was carried ashore on a litter, and became a robust, hearty
man. Another who told me that he had even coughed up bits of his lung, of the
size of a walnut, and was then, seven or eight months after, a perfectly soundlooking, well-set man, with no cough at all. I fell in with somebody every few
lytvs who had come there and been restored; and with multitudes of others whose
disease had been arrested, so as to allow the prosecution of business, and whose
lease of life, as they had no doubt, was much lengthenied by their migration to
that region of the country. Of course it will be understood that a great many are
sadly.v disappointed in going thither, and that as the number of consumptives
making the trial increases, the funerals of the consumptive strangers are becoming
sadly frequent.
The peculiar benefit of this climate appears to be from its dryness. There is as
much, or even a little more of rain there than elsewhere, in the summer months;
but it comes more generally in the night, and the days that follow brighten out in
a firesh, tonic brilliancy, as dry almost as before. The winter climate is intensely
364
MINNESOTA.
MINNESOTA.
cold, and yet so dry, and clear, and still, for the most part, as to create no very
great suffering. One who is properly dressed finds the climate much more enjoyablle than the amphibious, half-fluid, half-solid, sloppy, grave-like chill of the east.
The snows are light; a kind of snow-dew that makles an inch, or sometimes three,
in a night. RIeal snow-storms are rare; there were none the last winter. A little
more snow to make better sleighing would be an improvement. As to rain in the
winter, it is almost unknown. There was no drop of rain the last winter, from the
latter part of October to the middle, or about the middle of March, except a slight
drizzle on thanksgiving day. And there was not snow melting enough for more
than about eight or ten days to wet a deerskin moccasin (which many gentlemen
wear all the winter). The following statement will show the comparative rain-fall,
whether in the shape of rain or snow, for three different points, that may be taken
to represent the whole country; being on the two coasts, and St. Paul in the middle of the continent: San Francisco, spring, 8 inches; summer, 0; autuman, 3;
winter, 10; mean, 21. St. Paul, spring, 6 inches; summer, 12; autumn, 6; winter, 2; mean, 26. Hartford, spring, 10inches; summer, 11; autumn, 10; winter,
] 0: Imean, 41.
The San Francisco climate stands first, here, in dryness, it will be observed; but
it requires to be noted, in the comparison, that while there is no rain-fall there for
a whole six months, there is yet a heavy sea fog( rolling( in every day, which makes
the St. Paul climate really the driest of the two. The beautiful inversion, too, of
the California water-season, at St. Paul, will be noticed; the water falling here in
the stummer, when it is wanted, and ceasing in the winter, when it is not,
365
IOWA.
IOWA derived its name from the Iowta Indians, who were located on the
Iowa River. They at last became incorported with other tribes, principally
among the Sauks, or Siacs and Foxes.
These tribes had the reputation of
/ __~ _ - o\being the best hunters of any on the
/__ borders of the Mississippi or Missouri.
/___ At the time the first white traders
/~~ _-~ \went among them, their practice was
to leave their villages as soon as their
corn and beans were ipe and secured,
to go on to their wintering grounds, it
God'~~ — being previously determined in coun, —f ~ oil on what particular -round each
\~$'<%~ y party should hunt. Tlie old men,
\ m_ ffiN\)< / women, and children embarked in
canoes; the young men went by land
with their horses; and on their arri val, they commenced their winter's
hunt, which lasted about three
ARMS Or IOWtA. mo s In the month of April,
3MOTTO-Our liberties we prize, and onr rights we they returned to their villages to eul's,ill maintain.
tivate their lands. Iowa was originally a part of the French province of Louisiana. The first white settlemnent
was made at Dubuque. As early as 1800, there were mines of lead worked
at this place by the natives, assisted by Julien Dubuque, an Indian trader,
who had adopted their habits, married into their tribe, and became a great chief
among them. In 1830, a war among the Indians themselves was carried on with
savage barbarity. Some 10 or 12 Sac and Fox chiefs, with their party, were
going to Prairie du Chien from Dubuque, to attend a treaty conference with
the U. S. commissioners, when they were attacked at Cassville Island by a
large war party of the Sioux, and literally cut to pieces, only two of all their
number escaping. The tribe, now in great confusion and alarm, left Dubuque, mostly never to return, leaving the mines and this part of the country vacant, and open to settlement, as when occupied by them, they would
allow no one to intrude upon their lands. In June of this year, MIr. L. H.
Langworthy, accompanied by his elder brother, crossed the Mississippi in a
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canoe, swimnming their horses by its side, and landed for the first time on the
west bank of the stream. Soon after this, a number of miners crossed over
the river, possessed themselves of these vacant lands, and commenced suecessfuil mining operations. "This was the first flow or the first tide of civiliza tion in Iowa." The miners, however, were soon driven off by Capt.
Zachary Taylor, then commanding at Prairie du Chien, and a military force
stationed at Dubuque till 1832, when the "Black Hawk War" commenced.
After the Indians were defeated the miners returned.
Until as late as the year 1832, the whole territory north of the state
of MIissouri was in undisputed possession of the Indians. After the
Indians were defeated at the battle of the Bad Ax, in Wisconsin, Aug.,
1832, partly to indemnify the government for the expenses of the war, the
Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States a strip of country west of the
Mississippi, extending nearly 300 miles N. of Missouri, and 50 miles wide,
commonly called the'Black Hawk Purchase." Further purchases were
?eade in 1836 and 1837; and in 1842, by a treaty concluded by Gov. Chambers, a tract of about fifteen million acres was purchased of the Sacs and
Foxes, for one million of dollars. This tract, comprising some of the finest
counties of the state, is known as the "New Purchase."
The Pottowatomies, who inhabited the south-western corner of the state,
and the Winnebagoes, who occupied the "Neutral Ground," a strip of country on the northern borders, have been recently peaceably removed, and the
Indian title has thus become extinct within the limits of Iowa. The territory now comprised within the limits of the state was a part of the Missouri
Territory from 1804 to 1821, but after that was-placed successively under the
jurisdiction of Michigan and Wisconsin Territories. The following conclulding details of its history are from 3:oinette:
The first white settlement in the Black Ilawk Purchase was made near
the close of the year 1832, at Fort Madison, by a colony introduced by
Zacharialh Hawkins, Benjamin Jennings, and others.
In the summer of 1835, the town-plat of'Fort Madison' was laid off by
Gen. John H. Knapp and Col. Nathaniel Knapp, the first lots in which were
exposed to sale early in the year 1836. The second settlement was made
in 1833, at Burlington, seventy-nine miles below Rock Island. About the
same time the city of Dubuque, four hundred and twenty-five miles above
St. Louis, received its first Anglo-American population. Before the close of
the year 1833, settlements of less note were commenced at many other points
near the western shore of the Mississippi, within two hundred miles of the
northern limits of the state of Missouri. It was in the autumn of 1834,
that Aaron Street, a member of the' Society of Friends,' and son of the
Aaron Street who emigrated from Salem, in New Jersey, founded the first
Salem in Ohio, and subsequently the first Salem in Indiana, on a tour of exploration to the Iowa country, in search of'a new home,' selected the'beautiful prairie eminence' south of Skunk River as the site of another Salem in
the'Far West.' In his rambles thirty miles west of Burlington, over the
uninhabited regions, in all their native loveliness, he was impressed with the
great advantages presented by the'beautiful and fertile prairie country,
which abounded in groves of tall forest trees, and was watered by crystal
streams flowing among the variagated drapery of the blooming prairies.'
Transported with the prospect, the venerable patriarch exclaimed,' Now have
mine eyes beheld a country teeming with every good thing, and hither will
I come, with my children and my children's children, and my flocks and
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iherds; and our dwelling-place shall be called'Salem,' after the peaceful city
of our fathers.'
Next year witnessed the commencement of the town of Salem, on the
frontier region of the Black Hawk Purchase, the first Quaker settlement in
Iowa. Five years afterward this colony in the vicinity of Salem numbered
nearly one thousand souls, comprising many patriarchs bleached by the
snows of seventy winters, with their descendants to the third and fourth generations. Such was the first advance of the Anglo-American population
west of the Upper Mississippi, within the'District of Iowa,' which, before
the close of the year 1834, contained nearly five thousand white inhabitants.
Meantime, for the convenience of temporary government, the settlements
west of the Mississippi, extending more than one hundred miles north of the
Des Moines River, had been by congress erected into the'District of Iowa,'
and attached to the District of Wisconsin, subject to the jurisdiction of the
Miechilan Territory.
The District of Iowa remained, with the District of Wisconsin, attached
to the jurisdiction of Michigan Territory, until the latter had assumed an
independent state government in 1836, when the District of Wisconsin
was erected into a separate government, known as the Wrisconsin Territory,
exercising jurisdiction over the District of Iowa, then comprised in two
large counties, designated as the counties of Des Moines and Dubuque. The
aggregate population of these counties in 1836 was 10,531 persons. It was
not long before the District of Iowa became noted throughout the -west for
its extraordinary beauty and fertility, and the great advantages which it afforded to agricultural enterprize.
Already the pioneer emigrants had overrun the first Black Hawk Purchase,
and were advancing upon the Indian country west of the boundary line.
Settlements continued to extend, emigration augmented the population, and
land-offices were established at Dubuque and Burlington for the sale of such
lands as were surveyed.
MIeantime, the District of Iowa, before the close of the year 1838, had
been subdivided into sixteen counties, with an aggregate population of 22,860
souls, distributed sparsely over the whole territory to which the Indian title
had been extinguished. The same year, on the 4th of July, agreeably to
the provisions of an act of congress, approved June 12, 1838, the District
of Iowa was erected into an independent territorial government, known as
the'Territory of Iowa.' The first'territorial governor and superintendent
of Indian affairs' was Robert Lucas, formerly governor of Ohio, with James
Clark secretary of the territory. Charles Mason was chief justice of the
superior court, and judge of the first judicial district; Joseph Williams was
judge in the second district; and Thomas S. Wilson in the third. The first
delegate elected by the people to represent them in congress was Augustus
C. Dodge.
The Iowa Territory, as first organized, comprised'all that region of country north of Missouri, which lies west of the Mississippi River, and of a
line drawn due north from the source of the Mississippi, to the northern
limit of the United States.'
The first general assembly of the Iowa Territory made provision for the
permanent seat of government, On the first of May, 1839, the beautiful
spot which is now occupied by the'City of Iowa' was selected.
During the year 1839, emigration from New England, and from New York
by way of the lake route from Buffalo to the ports on the western shore of
24
Lake Michigan, and from Ohio, Indiana, and.Illinois, began to set strongly
into the Iowa Territory, and numerous colonies advanced to settle the beautiful and fertile lands on both sides of the Des Moines River and its numerous tributaries, as well as those upon the small tributaries of the Mississippi
for two hundred miles above.
Population increased in a remarkable manner; aided by the unbounded
facilities of steam navigation, both on the great lakes and upon the large
tributaries of the Mississippi, the emigration to the Iowa and Wisconsin Territories was unprecedented in the history of western colonization. The census of 1840 exhibited the entire population of Iowa Territory at 43,017 persons, and that of the Wisconsin Territory at 30,945 persons.
Such had been the increase of emigration previous to 1843, that the legislature of Iowa made formal application for authority to adopt a state constitution. At the following session of congress, an act was passed to' enable
the people of the Iowa Territory to form a state government.' A convention assembled in September, and oil the 7th of October, 1844, adopted a
constitution for the proposed'state of Iowa;' it being the fourth state organized within the limits of the province of Louisiana.
By the year 1844, the population of Iowa had increased to 81,921 persons;
yet the people were subjected to disappointment in the contemplated change of
government. The constitution adopted by the convention evineed the progress of republican feeling, and the strong democratic tendency so prominent
in all the new states. The constitution for Iowa extended the right of suffrage to every free white male citizen of the United States who had resided
six months in the state, and one month in the county, previous to his applieation for the right of voting. The judiciary were all to be elected by the
people for a term of four years, and all other officers, both civil and military, were to be elected by the people at stated periods. Chartered monopolies
were not tolerated, and no act of incorporation was permitted to remain in
force more than twenty years, unless it were designed for public improvements or literary purposes; and the personal as well as the real estate of the
members of all corporations was liable for the debts of the same. The legislature was prohibited from creating any debt in the name of the state exceeding one hundred thousand dollars, unless it were for defense in ease of
war, invasion, or insurrection; and in such case, the bill creating the debt
should, at the same time, provide the ways and means for its redemption.
Such were some of the prominent features of the first constitution adopted
for the state of Iowa. Yet the state was not finally organized under this
constitution, and the people of Iowa remained under the territorial form of
government until the close of the year 1846.
The constitution of Iowa having been approved by congress, an act was
passed March 3, 1845, for the admission of the'state of Iowa' into the Federal Union simultaneously with the'state of Florida,' upon the condition that
the people of Iowa, at a subsequent general election, assent to the restricted
limits imposed by congress, in order to conform with the general area of
other western states; but the people of Iowa refused to ratify the restricted
limits prescribed for the new state, a majority of nearly two thousand in the
popular vote having rejected the terms of admission. Hence Iowa remained
under the territorial government until the beginning of 1846, when the people, through their legislature, acquiesced in the prescribed limits, and congress authorized the formation of another constitution, preparatory to the
admission of Iowa into the Union.
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The people of Iowa, in 1846, assented to the restriction of limits, and the
formation of a territorial government over the remaining waste territory lying
north and west of the limits prescribed by congress. Petitions, with numerous signatures, demanded the proposed restriction by the organization of a
separate territory, to be designated and known as the'Dacotah Territory,'
comprising the Indian territory beyond the organized settlements of Iowa.
Congress accordingly authorized a second convention for the adoption of
another state constitution, and this convention assembled in May, 1846, and
adopted another constitution, which was submitted to congress in June fol
lowing. In August, 1846, the state of Iowa was formally admitted into the
Union, and the first state election was, by the proclamation of Gov. Clarke,
to be held on the 26th day of October following. In the ensuing December,
the first state legislature met at Iowa City."
Iowa is bounded N. by Minnesota and Dacotah Territory, W. by Missouri
River, S. by the state of Missouri, and E. by Mississippi River. It is situated between 40~ 30' and 43~ 30' N. Lat., and between 90~ 20' and 96~ 50'
WV. Long. Its greatest width, from E. to W., is 307 miles, and 186 from N.
to S.; included within its limits is an area of 50,914 square miles.
The face of Iowa is moderately uneven, without any mountains or very
high hills. There is a tract of elevated table land, which extends through
a considerable portion of the state, dividing the waters which fall into the Mississippi from those falling into the Missouri. The margins of the rivers and
creeks, extending back from one to ten miles, are usually covered with timber, while beyond this the country is an open prairie without trees. The
prairies generally have a rolling surface, not unlike the swelling of the ocean,
and comprise more than two thirds of the territory of the state: the timbered lands only one tenth. The soil, both on the prairie and bottom lands,
is generally excellent having a deep black mnold intermingled with a sandy
loam, sometimes of red clay and gravel. It is watered by streams of the
clearest water, and its inland scenery is very beautiful. It is studded in parts
with numerous little lakes of clear water, with gravelly shores and bottoms.
In the north-eastern part of the state are very extensive lead mines, being
continuations of those of Illinois and Wisconsin. Vast coal beds exist, extending, it is stated, upward of ttwo hundred miles, in the direction of the valley
of the Des Moines River alone, which centrally intersects the state. The
entire area of the coal fields in this state, is estimated to be not less than
35,000 square miles, nearly two thirds of the entire state. The beds of coal
are estimated by geologists to be of the average thickness of 100 feet. Iron
ore, zinc and copper are also found. Iowa is also rich in agricultural resources, its fertile soil producing all kinds of fruit and grains raised in northern climates. "As a general rule, the average quantity of snow and rain in
Iowa is much less than in New York and New England. There are much
fewer clouds. The cold weather in winter is about the same as in similar
latitudes in the east; winter commences about the saiie time, but the spring
generally opens much earlier. The intense cold weather is comparatively
short. For a period of years the spring will average from two to four weeks
earlier than in central New York. This difference is due to several causes.
In the east the proximity of large bodies of water gives rise to an immense number of very dense clouds, that prevent the spring sun from having the same effect as is experienced in the west. The altitude of the country, and the warm quick nature of the Iowa soil, are circumstances going far
toward accounting for this difference. The heat of summer is much greater
371
than in the same latitude in New York and New England, though a person
may work in the open sun in Iowa when the thermometer is 100 deg,rees
above zero more comfortably than he can when it is at 90 decrees in New
York. An atmosphere saturated with water is more sultry and disagreeable
with tile thermometer at 90, than a dry atmosphere with the thermonmeter at
100."
Iowa is blessed with abundance of water power, and the noblest of rivers;
the Mississippi is on the east, the Missouri on the west, while numerous streams
penetrate it, the finest of which is the Des Moines, the great central artery
of the state, which enters it from the north and flows south-east through it
for 400 miles: it is a beautiful river, with a rocky bottom and high banks,
which the state is making navigable, for small steamers, to Fort Des Mloines,
200 miles from its mouth.
By the census of 1856, the number of paupers was only 132 out of a pop
ulation of more than half a million. Population, in 1836, 10,531; in 1840
42,017; in 1850, 192,214; in 1856, 509,000 in 1860, 674:948.
Eastern vieto of Dubuque, from Dunleith, 111l.
The view shows the appearance of Dubuque, as seen from the terminus of the Illinois Central Railroan
on the eastern side of the Mississippi. On the left is the terminus of the Pacific and Dubuque Railroad.
On the right the Shot Tower. Back of the principal part of the city are the bluffs, rising to a hight of
about 200 feet.
DDUBUQUE, the largest city, and the first settled place in the state, is on the
right or western bank of the Mississippi, 1,638 miles above New Orleans,
426 above St. Louis, and 306 below the Falls of St. Anthony. The city
proper extends two miles on a table area, or terrace, immediately back of
which rise a succession of precipitous bluffs, about 200 feet high. A small
marshy island is in front of the city, which is being improved for business
purposes. The beautiful plateau on which the city was originally laid out,
being too limited for its growth, streets have been extended up and over the
bluffs, on which many houses have been erected of a superior order, among
which are numerous elegant residences. The Dubuque Female College is
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designed to accommodate 500 scholars. The Alexander College, chartered
in 1853, is located here, under the patronage of the Synod of Iowa. Several important railroads terminate at this place, which is the head-quarters
and principal starting place for steamboats on the northern MIississippi.
Nearly one third of the inhabitants speak the German language. Populationl 1860, 13,021.
MIr. J. L. Langworthy, a native of Vermont, is believed to have been the
first of the Anglo-Saxon race who erected a dwelling, and smelted the first
lead westward of the Mississippi. He first came here in 1827. The first
act resembling civil legislation, within the limits of Iowa, was done in Dubuque. Mir. Langwortlhy, with four others, H. P. Lander, James MePheeters, and Samuel H. Scales, having obtained permission to dig for mineral,
entered into an agreement, dated July 17, 1830, by which each man should
hold 20()0 yards square of ground, by working on said ground one day in six,
and that a person chosen by a majority of the miners present, should hold
the agreemient, "and grant letters of arbitration.' It appears, from an indorseimeut on the paper, that Dr. Jarrote held the articles, and was the first
person chosen by the people in the territory to be clothed with judicial
powers. In Oct., 1833, Mr. Langworthly and his brothers, with a few neighbots, erected the first school-house built in Iowa. It stood but a few rods
floriom the Female College. The first brick building erected in Dubuque was
in the summer of 1837, by Le RPoy Jackson, from Kentucky. This house
is now standing on the corner of Iowa and Eleventh-streets, and is owned
and occupied by W'illiam lebhman, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to
D)ul)uque in 1836, when a lad of 14 years, and acted as hodman, to the masons who erected the building. When Mr. Pt. came to this place, there were
some 30 or 40 dwellings, many of them log cabins. The first religious services were held in a log structure, used by various denominations. The first
school was kept by Rev. Nicholas S. Bastion, a Methodist preacher; the
school house stood on the public square, near the Centennial Methodist
Church. It is said that the first lead discovered here was by Peosta, an Indian chieftain or the wife of one, who presented it to Capt. Dubuque.
The site of Dubuque was anciently known as the cornfields and place of
mounds of the "Little Fox Village." It was named, in 1834, after Julian
])ibiTque, an Indian trader, who settled here in 1788, and is generally considered as the first white settler in Iowa. He is said to have been of French
and Spanish parentage. He married into the Indian tribe, adopted their
habits and customs, and became a great chief among them. He was of small
stature, addicted to the vices incident upon the commingling of Spanish and
Indian races in,America, and a great medicine man. "He would take live
snakes of the most venomous kind into his arms and bosom, and was consequently regarded by the Indians with superstitious veneration. He died a
victim to his vices, and was buried on a high bluff that overlooks the river.
near the Indian village at the mouth of Catfish Creek." When his grave
was visited by L. H. Langworthy, Esq., in 1830, a stone house, surmounted
by a cedar cross, with a leaden door, stood over the spot. The remains of
two Indian chiefs were also deposited within. The cross had a French inscription, of which the following is a translation:
"Julien Dubuque, miner, of the mines of Spain. Died this 24th day of March, 1810,
aged 45 years 6 mo."
The Indians, being instructed by Dubuque, worked the rminies of lead here
as early as 1800. About the year 1830, an Indian war, between the Sioux
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and the Sacs and Foxes, caused the latter to forsake their village here
Upon this the whites entered upon these lands, and several made their fortunes in a single day, by striking upon a large lode. They were, however,
soon ordered to recross the river by Zachary Taylor, commanding the United
States forces at Prairie du Chien, as the territory had not yet been purchased
of the Indians. After the Black Hawk purchase, the west side of the Mississippi was opened for settlement. By 1834, several stores were erected;
the mines increased in richness, and emigration rapidly advanced. For a
time " Lynch Law" was the only one recognized. The first execution for
murder was that of a man who shot his partner. "Upon this event a court
was organized, jury impanneled, trial had, criminal found guilty, and after a
short time being allowed the prisoner to prepare for death, he was executed.
The gallows was erected upon the south-west corner of White and Seventhstreets, upon a mound, which was only removed for the large block that now
fills its place. The population, at that time, amounted to over 1,000. nearly
the whole of which were witnesses to the final act of that dreadful tragedy."
The first newspaper issued here was by John King, Esq., under the following title:
"DUBUQUE VISITOR, Truth our Guide-the pueblic good our aim. Dubuque
Le,ad iinaes, Wisconsin Territory, May 16, 1836."
In 1838, some attention was paid to agricultural pursuits. The soil proving good, the prosperity of the place greatly increased. The exportations of
lead that year exceeded 6,000,000 lbs. In 1846, the lands adjoining Dubuque were brought into market, and the next year Dubuque was reincorpoi ated under its present charter. The population at that time was less than
3,000.
'":Beow the' Little Fox village,' is the bluff where the Sioux made their last and
final stand against the Sacs and Foxes. It stands close upon the shore of the Mississippi, with its perpendicular walls about two hundred feet in hight, andl sloping
back toward a low prairie, by which it is surrounded and terminates with an ab.
rupt descent to this prairie. Here and there, scattered around it, are castellated
r(ocks, which make it one of nature's fortifications. The Sioux were encamped on
the summit of this bluff. In the night the Sacs and Foxes commenced aseending,
and when near their enemy, by a fierce encounter, they secured the outposts, and
in a very short time had so reduced the number of the Sioux, that those remaining,
rather than have their scalps hang at their enemies' girdles, threw themselves
headlong from the precipice and were dashed to pieces. At the present time, a
few of the bones of those devoted warriors may be found in this their last resting
place; and of late years, when the Indians visit this spot, they cast pebbles and
twigs from the summit upon the remains of those below."
To the foregoing outline we annex these details from the Lectures of Lucius H. Laingworthy, Esq., upon the History of Dubuque:
In 1827, the speaker came to the mines, in company with a brother and two
sisters, together with Mr. Meeker, on his return from Cincinnati, Maj. Hough,
Capt. Donney and lady, and five or six others.
We embarked at Quincy, Illinois, in a pirogue, and were thirty days on the voyage. A pirogue is a kind of intermediate craft, between a canoe and a keel boat.
The name is French, and signifies the kind of boats used by the early voyageurs
to transport their furs and effects over the shoal waters and rapid streams of the western wilderness. I mention the time occupied in our journey hither, in order to show
some of the difficulties of settling this new country at that early period. Think
of a boat's crew, with several ladies on board, all unaccustomed to the river, being
compelled to work a boat up with poles and oars, against the swollen current of
this mighty stream, in the hot weather of June, sleeping on sand bars, or anchored
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out in the river at night, to avoid the musqjuitoes, or lurking Indians, living upon
salt pork and dry biscuit, coffee without cream or sugar, and withal making only
about eight miles average per day. But this was then the land of promise, as California has since been. In July of that year, tile Winnebago war comnmenced.
Much alarm was spread over the country, and the people erected forts and block
houses for defense, abandoning all other employments for the time. Col. Henry
DodTet led a company of miners against the India.ns, at their town on Rock River.
The village, however, was found deserted, and they returned after taking one lad
prisoner.
We crossed over the Mississippi at this time, swimming our horses by the side
of a canoe. It was the first flow, or the first tide of civilization on this western
shore. There was not a whit.e settler north of the Des Moines, and west of the
Mississippi, to Astoria, on the Columbia River, with the exception of Indian traders.
The Indians had all along guarded this mining district with scrupulous care. They
would not allow the white people to visit the place, even to look at the old grassgrown diggings of Dubuque, which were known to exist here, much less would
they permit minining to he done, or settlements to be made.
The country had just been abandoned by the red men, their moccasin tracks
were yet fresh in the prairie trails along which the retiring race had fled on their
mysterious mission westwar(d, and the dec,ying embers were yet cooling on their
des(erted healrths within their now lonely and silent wigwams. Where Dubuque
nowv stands, cornfields stretched al()nh the bluffs, up the ravines and the Coule valley, and a thousand acres of level land skirting the shore, was covered with tall
grass, as a field of waminx rin. But the stalks ef the corn were of the last year's
growthl, the ears had been )pltucke(l, and they were withered and blighted left
stan(itii, alone mournful representatives of the vanished race. A large village was
then standing at the mouth of ( atfish Creek, silent, solitary, deserted —nothin(r remained to greet us, hut the myst.ic shadows of the past. Ab)out seventy buildiugs,
constr ucted with poles and the bark of trees, remained to tell of those who had so
recently inhabited them. Their council house, though rude, was ample in its diniensions, and contained a great number of furnaces, in which kettles had been
placed( to pr epare the feasts of peace or war. But their council fires had gone out.
On the inner surfaee of the bark there were paintings done with considerable
artistic skill, representing the buffalo, elk, bear, panther, and other animals of the
chase; also their wild sports on the prairie, and even their feats in wars, where
chief meets chief and warriors mix in bloody fray. Thus was retained a rude
record of their national history It was burned down in the summer of 1830, by
some visitors in a spirit of vtandalism, much to the regret of the new settlers.
When the Indians mined, which was on special occasions, there were often fifty
or a hundred boys and squaws at work on one vein. They would dig down a
square hole, covering the entire width of the mine, leaving one side not perpendicular, but at an angle of about forty-five degrees, then with deer skin sacks attached to
a bark rope they would haul out along the inclining side of the shaft the rock and
ore. TI'heir mode of smelting was by di,gging into a bank slightly, then put up flat
rocks in a funnel shape, and place the ore within, mixed with wood; this all burnt
together, and the lead would trickle down into a small excavation in the earth, of
any shape they desired, and slowly cool and become fit for exportation.
rl'he lead manufactured here in early times, by Dubuque and the natives, found
its way to St. Louis, Chicago, Mackinaw, and other trading ports, and some even
into the Indian rifle in the war of 1812, in the woods of Indiana and Michigan.
The mode of smelting adopted at first, by the white people, was by building a furnace somewhat like two large chimney places, set in a bank of earth, leaving an
aperture in the lower side, for a circulation of air. In these, large logs of wood
were placed like back-logs, back-sticks and fore-sticks all fitting together, then the
mineral was placed on the logs, covered with finer wood, and the whole set on fire.
Thus, in twenty-four hours, the lead would be extracted and run into cast-iron
molds. About fifty per cent. of lead was obtained in this way, leaving scoriae and
a waste of small pieces of ore to be run over in another furnace differently constructed. In this last process, about fifteen per cent. was added to the first product. Now, by the improved mode, of blast furnaces, about eighty-five per cent. is
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obtained, showing that the ore is nearly pure, except only the combination of sul phur with it, which is the inflammable material, and assists in the process of sepa ration.
As I have said, the speaker and an elder brother, in June of 1827, crossed the
Mississippi in a canoe, swimming their horses by its side, landed for the first time
on the western bank of the stream, and stood upon the soil of this unknown land.
Soon after this, a number of miners crossed over the river, and possessed them selves of these lands, thus left vacant; their mining operations proved eminently
successful.
About the fourth of July, Zachary Taylor, then commanding at Prairie du Chien,
called upon the miners, in a formal and public manner, forbade their settlement,
and ordered them to recross the river. This land was not yet purchased of the
Indians, and, of course, came under the control of the war department. " Captain
Taylor, as he was then called, told the miners that it was his duty as a government
officer, to protect the lands; that such were the treaty stipulations, and that they
must be off in one week. They declined doing this, telling the captain that he
must surrender this time. They urged that they had occupied a vacant country,
had struck some valuable lodes, that the land would soon be purchased, and that
they intended to maintain possession; to which Zachary Taylor replied, "We shall
see to that, my boys."
Accordingly a detachment of United States troops was dispatched, with orders
to make the miners at Dubuque walk Spanish. Anticipating their arrival, they had
taken themselves off, for at that early day they believed that "rough" would be
"ready" at the appointed time. The miners were anxiously peering from the high
bluffs on the east side of the river as the steamer came in sight bringing the soldiers, who were landed on the west shore. Three of the men, who had lingered
too long, were taken prisoners. They were, however, soon released, or rather took
themselves off. It is said that one of them, a large, fat man, by the name of Leimons, made his escape from the soldiers while at Galena, and taking the course of
the high prairie ridge leading northerly, exhibited such astonishing speed, that the
race has lonr been celebrated among the miners, as the greatest feat ever performed
in the diggings.
T''he military force was stationed permanently at Dubuque, and the Indians, venturin,r back to the place, sure of safety and protection against their inveterate enemy, the Sioux, and other intruders, were encouraged to mine upon the lodes and
prospects which the white people had discovered. From one mine alone the Indians obtained more than a million pounds of ore, in which they were assisted by
the traders and settlers along the river, with provisions, implements, and teams.
While the discoverers, those who had opened these mines again, after they were
abandoned by them and the Spanish miners more than twenty years, were compelled to look across the water and see the fruits of their industry and enterprise
consumed by the Indians. We lost, in this manner, more than twenty thousand
dollars worth of mineral, which was taken from one lode by them.
In September, 1832, a treaty was held at Rock Island, by General Scott and
others, on the part of the government, and the Black Hawk purchase was agreed
to. It included all the country bordering on the west side of the Mississippi River,
comprising the eastern portion of our state. About this time, those who felt an
interest in the mines of Dubuque, returned to take possession of their former discoveries.
Mlany fine lodes and prospects were discovered, and considerable lead manufactured up to about January 25, 1833. I could here name many others who settled
during this fall: Thomas McCraney, Whitesides, Camps, Hurd, Riley, Thomas
Kelly, etc. In fact there were more than two hundred allured here by the flattering prospects of the country during this fall. But, in January, the troops were
again sent down from Prairie du Chien, and removed the settlers the second time,
merely because the treaty by which the land was acquired had not been ratified
by the United States senate, a formal act that every one knew would take place at
the earliest opportunity. This was a foolish policy on the part of the government,
and operated peculiarly hard upon the new settlers, who were thus obliged to leave
their cabins in the cold winter of 1832-3, and their business also until spring.
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In June, 1833, Mr. John P. Sheldon, arrived with a commission from the department at Washington, as superintendent of the mines, the military force lhaving
been previously withdrawn, and the treaty confirmed. He proceeded to grant
written permits to miners, and licenses to smelters. These permits entitled the
holder to the privilege of staking off two hundred yards square of land wherever
he chose, if not occupied by others, and have peaceful possession, by delivering his
mineral to a licensed smelter, while the smelter was required to give a bond to the
agent, conditioned to pay, for the use of the government, a fixed per centage of all
the lead he manufactured. Air. Sheldon continued to act in this capacity only
about one year, for he could not be the instrument of enforcing this unjust and unwise policy. He saw that these men, like all other pioneers, who, by their
enterprise were opening up a new country, and fitting it for the homes of those
who follow their footsteps, should be left, by a wise and judicious system, to the
enjoyment of their hard earnings. The hidden wealth of the earth, its pine forests and surface productions, should alike be offered freely to all those who penetrate the wilderness, and thus lay the foundation of future societies and states.
It has been the policy of our government, at various times, to exact rent for all
mineral, or pine lumber, taken fiom the public lands; which policy is wrong and
should be forever abandoned; for the early settlers have privations and hardships
nou,gh, without encountering the opposition of their own government, especially
these miners, many of whom had labored for years on the frontiers, cut off from
she enjoyments of home and all the endearments of domestic life. Your speaker
vas, himself, one of these, being thrown in early life upon the crest of the wave
..,f western emigration, often beyond the furthest bounds of civilization, and not
tinfrequently amid the tragical scenes of border strife. Twenty-three years he labored, mostly in the mines, in different capacities, and during about half that period he has toiled in the deep, narrow caves and crevices, in the cold, damp ground,
workingl upon his knees, sometimes in the water, and living like many other miiners
in "Bachelor's Hall," cooking his own food, and feeling secluded from society and
far fhoim the circle and associations of youthful friendship. Under such privations,
he felt the demand of a heavy tax, by the governTnent, to be oppressive indeed, and
he would be wanting in consistency and spirit, if he had not, on all proper occasions. protested against a system that seems much more regal than republican, and
which degrades the western pioneer to the condition of a tenant at will of the general government.
In 1833-4, the town of Dubuque continued to improve. It now first received its
name by a public meeting held for that purpose, and began to assume the appearance of a prosperous business place.
At this time there were but very few men in the whole country who did not indulge( in drinking and gambling,. "Poker" and " brag" were games of common
pastime, while the betting often run up to hundreds of dollars in a single sitting.
It pervaded all classes; the inercharots and other passengers, to and from St. Louis,
while on the steamboats occupied their time chiefly in this way, and it was considered no disgrace to gamble. Balls and parties were also common, and it was not
an unfrequent occurrence for one to treat his partner in the dance at the bar, if he
'id not, he generally performed that delicate and flattering attention to himself
*'he Sabbath was regarded as a holiday, and vice and immorality were prevalent in
every form. Yet amidst all this there were occasional gleams of moral sunshine
breaking through the clouds of dissipation, and a brighter future lay before us.
Upon the establishing of courts here, first under the jurisdiction of Michig,an,
then under that of Wisconsin Territory, matters assumed a more peaceful and quiet
aspect.
But there were even then occasions of turbulence and bloodshed, in quarrels
about lands and claims. Mir. Woodbury Massey lost his life in one of these difficulties. There were no courts of competent jurisdiction to try cases of crime, or
rights to property. A long time intervened between the withdrawal of the government protection and the establishment of civil laws by local authority.
No survey of the public lands had yet been made, and in the transition from the
old to the new state of things, misunderstandings naturally arose. Under the government rules and regulations for the control of the mines, it was necessary to
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work and have mining tools almost continually on the land claimed, in order to secure possession; under the new order of things there were no uniform customs prevailinK, regarding possession of property; each man formed his own standard andt
was governed by his own opinions. It was not surprising, then, that difficulties
should arise. He who has passed through all the scenes and trials incident to the
settlement of a new country, will not readily seek another distant frontier as a
home.
Woodbury Massey was the eldest of several brothers and a sister, all left orphans
in early life. Himself and family were members and the chief founders of the
first Methodist Church erected in this city; a man of fine education, polite and
amiable in his disposition, one of our first merchants, and possessing a large share
of popular favor. He was enterprising in business, and upright in all his dealings.
Had he lived, he would no doubt have proved a main pillar and support in our
young community. But in an evil hour he became the purchaser of a lot or lode,
called the Irish lot, near where Mr. McKenzie now lives.
It appeared that a Mr. Smith, father and son, had some claim on this lot or lode.
Thev were the exact opposite to Mr. Massey, in character and disposition. A suit
before a magistrate grew out of this claim, and the jury decided the property to
belong to Mr. Massey. It being a case of forcible entry and detainer, the sheriff,
as was his duty, went with the latter to put him again in possession of the premises.
When they arrived upon the ground, the two Smiths, being secreted among the
digg,ings, rose up suddenly, and firing their guns in quick succession, Mr. Massey
wits shot through the heart. His family, living near by, saw him fall, thus early
cut down in the prime of his life and usefulness, a victim to the unsettled state of
the times, and the ungoverned passions of turbulent men. The perpetrators of
this deed were arrested and held in confinement until the session of the circuit
court, at Mineral Point, Judge Irving presiding. Upon the trial, the counsel for
the defense objected to the jurisdiction of the court, which was sustained by the
jiudge, and accordingly the prisoners were discharged and let loose upon society
'iThey, however, left this part of the country for a time.
One of the younger brothers of Mr. Massey, highly exasperated by this transacti'on, thiat no trial could be obtained for such offenders, had determined, it seems,
that should the elder Smith ever come in his way, hlie would take the punishment
for the murder of his brother into his own hands. One day, while sitting in his
shop at Galena, he chanced to see Smith walking the public streets of the place,
wllen, instantly snatching a pistol and hastening in the direction, he fired upon
him with fatal aim. Thus Smith paid the forfeit of his life by intruding again
among the friends of the murdered man, and in the community which had witnessed the scenes of his violence.
For this act of the younger brother, there seems to have been the broadest charity manifested. He was never tried, or even arrested, and still lives in the country, a quiet man, and greatly respected by all who know him.
The death of the father, of course, soon brought the younger Smith to the mines.
It was understood privately that he determined to shoot one or the other of the
surviving brothers at the very first opportunity. He was known to be an excellent
shot with a pistol, of imperious disposition and rash temper. These rumors finally
reached the ears of the fair haired, blue eyed sister, who was thus made to believe
that he would carry his threats into execution. She was just verging into womanhood, with fresh susceptibilities, and all of her deep affections awakened by the
surrounding difficulties of the family. One day, without consulting others, she determined, by a wild and daring adventure, to cut off all chances of danger in that
direction. Disguising herself for the occasion, and taking a lad along to point out
the person she sought, having never seen him herself, she went into the street
Passing a store by the way side, the boy saw Smith and designated him from the
other gentlemen in the room by his clothing. On seeing him thus surrounded by
other men, one would suppose that her nerves would lose their wonted firmness.
He was well armed and resolute in character, this she knew; yet stepping in
amidst them all, in a voice tremulous with emotion and ominous in its tones, she
exclaimed, "If you are Smith, defend yourself." In an instant, as he arose, she
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pointed a pistol at his breast and fired; he fell, and she retired as suddenly as she
appeared. It was all done so quickly, and seemed so awful that the spectators stood, bewildered at the tragical scene, until it was too late to prevent the disaster.
It so-happened that Mr. Smith had, at the time, a large wallet filled with papers
in his breast pocket. The ball striking about its center did not of course penetrate all of the folded leaves, and thus providentially his lif- was spared.
Smith, soon recovering from the stunning effects, rushed into the street to meet
his assailant; but she had fled and found shelter at the house of Mr. Johnson, a
substantial merchant of the town, and was subsequently sent away, by her friends
here, to some relatives in Illinois, where she was afterward married to a Mr. Williamson, formerly of this place. Her name, Lotlisa, has been given to one of the
counties in our State. Smith lived several years, but the wounds probably hastened his death. She is also dead, and it is to be hoped that God's mercy has folly)wed them beyond earth's rude strifes, and that they dflwell in peace in a purer
and better world.
The west has, at various periods of its history, been subject to severe tornadoes, which have carried ruin and devastation in their course. The mIost
terrible ever known, was that which swept over eastern Iowa and western Illinois, on the evening or Sunday, June 3, 1860. It commenced about five
miles beyond Cedar Rapids, in Linit county, Iowa, and stopped near Elgin,
Illinois, thus traversing a distance of nearly 200 miles. It varied in width
from half a mile to two miles. It was of the nature of a whirlwind, or as some
eye witnesses aver of two whirlwinds, moving in the same direction and near
each other, which in shape resembled a funnel. The larger villages between
Cedar Rapids and the Mississippi, were out of the course of this fearful destroyer; but much property was damaged, and more than fifty lives lost before reaching the river. The town of Camanche, on the Mississippi, in Clinton county, about 70 miles below Dubuque, was utterly destroyed, and New
Albany, opposite it on the Illinois side, nearly ruined. It was stated in the
33
Ruii1s of Camanche, Clinton couinty.
After the Great Tornado of June 3, 186,0. Engraved from a view taken by photograph.
379
prilts of the time, thlat, by this terrible calanmity,',500 persons had been
rendered houseless and homeless. and about 400 killed and wounded. The
account of this event is thus given in the Fulton Courier:
The storm reached Camanchle at 7.30 P.M., with a hollow, rumbling noise heraiding its approach which sounded like a heavy train of cars passing over a bridge.
Mloving with the velocity of lightning, it struck the devoted town, and the fearful
work of havoc commenced. The scene that followed, as given by eye witnesses,
can neither be imagined nor described. Amidst the roar of the tempest, the rusts
ling of the wind, the reverberating peals of thunder, the vivid flashes of lightning,
the pelting of the rain, the crash of falling buildings, the agonizing shrieks of terror stricken women and children, the bewildered attempts to escape, and the
moans of the dying, but little opportunity was left to observe the general appearance of the blow.
Parents caught their children in their arms and rushed frantic for any place that
seemed to promise safety. Many found refuge in cellars, which to others proved
graves. So sudden was the shock that many in the upper parts of buildings were
left no time to flee to other parts.
To go outside was as hazardous as to remain within. The turbulent air was filled
with fragments of lumber, furniture, and trees, flying in every direction, with the
force of cannon balls.
Amidst such intense excitement, attended with such fatal consequences, moments
seem years. But from statements, that beyond doubt are correct, the storm did not
rage less than two and a half, nor more than five minutes. It would seem impossible, on looking at the devastation, to suppose it the work of so short a time.
Darkness immediately closed over the scene, and left a pall over the town only
equaled by the darker gloom that draped the hearts of the survivors of the
disaster.
At Albany, heavy warehouses were lifted entire, and removed some considerable
distance, strong brick and stone buildings entirely demolished, while the lighter
framne dwelling houses were, in most cases, entirely swept away. We could not
estimate the whole number of buildings injured, but could learn of not over three
houses in the whole town that were not more or less damaged-most of them destroyed. The ground was strewed with fragments of boards. The hotel kept by
Captain Barnes was not moved from its foundation, but part of the roof and inside
partitions were carried away. The brick (Presbyterian) church was leveled to
the round, and the Congregational much injured. The brick and stone houses
seemed to afford but little more protection than the frame, and when they fell gave,
of course, less chance of escape. But one place of business (Mr. Pease's) was left
in a condition to use. The buildings, household filrniture, provisions, and everythin,, in fact, in most instances, were swept beyond the reach of recovery. The
ferry-boat was lifted from the water and laid upon the shore. Cattle, horses, and
hogs, were killed or driven away by the irresistible element. The loss of life, however, was far less than could have been expected. But five persons were killed, and
perhaps fifty or sixty injured.
Camanche was almost completely destroyed. A very few buildings were, as if
by miracle, left standing, but even these were more or less injured. - The ground
was covered with splinters, boards, furniture, etc., completely shivered to pieces.
Nothing perfect or whole was to be seen, but everything looked as though it
had been riven by lightning. The larger trees were blown down: while on the
smaller ones that would yield to the wind, were to be seen tattered pieces of clothing, carpets, pillows, and even mattresses, nearly torn to shreds. The river below
was covered with marks of the storm, and much property was lost by being swept
into the water. The general appearance of the ground was much like the traces
left by a torrent where flood-wood is left lying in its path. Where buildings once
stood is now a mass of unsightly ruins. It is with difficulty that the lines of the
former streets can be traced. Frame houses were swept away or turned into every
conceivable variety of positions. Dead animals were left floating in the river or
lying among the ruins. The feathers on the poultry were even stripped fiom their
bodies. Everything was so completely scattered and destroyed that it was useless
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to attempt to recover anything, and the citizens could only sit down in despair.
Until 12 MA. of Monday, the work of exhuming the bodies from the fallen ruins was
still progressing. In one room that we visited, the bodies of children and femalcs
were lying (ten or twelve in number), clothed in their white winding shleets. It
was a sight that we pray may never again be ours to witness. The little children,
in particular, had but few face injuries, and lay as if sleeping.
In all, thirty-eight persons were reported missing at Camanche, and thirty-two
bodies have been found. About eighty were reported as wounded, some of whom
have since died. Information has been received which furnishes us with reliable
accounts of 139 deaths caused by the tornado along the line of the Iowa and Nebraska road, including Camanche. On the Illinois side of the river the loss of
life has not been quite so great, but we think we are safe in putting the total nuinmber of killed at 175. The wounded are by far more numerous, while the loss of
property can not be definitely estimated. We hear of 150 cattle in one yard in
Iowa that were all destroyed. Farm houses, fences, crops, railroad cars, and all
property that fell in the path of the tornado, were left in total ruin. There were
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property destroyed, much of which will
never be reported.
The tornado commenced in Linn county, Iowa, and stopped, as near as we can
learn, in the vicinity of Elin, Illinois. It, of course, would carry objects sometimes in opposite directions, moving as it did with the motion of a whirlwind. 7 We
saw one house that had been lifted from its foundation, and carried two hundred
feet in a course directly contrary to the regular course of the tornado.
The escapes in all the plaes where the storm passed, were often truly miracu.
lous. In All)ny, Mr. Slavmn.iker had repaired to the church for the purpose of
riIginL- the bell for worship, but seeing the appearance of a heavy rain approachingr, conclided not to rino it. Had the congregation been called together it would
have been certaiin death to all, as the walls of the church, being built of brick, fell
on the inside. W e saw a small house that had been carried several rods with three
persons in it. and set (idown awitliout damage to the house or inmates. A little
daughlter of MAr. Swett was lying, on a bed, and w4sl blown with it twenty rods into
a (rove, from whence it camen unharmed, calling for its mother. An infant son of
Mrs. Joseph JRiley was ou. ied beneath her, and it is thought that her own weight
upon it was the cause of its deaith One family took refuge in a meal chest, which,
fortunately, proved strong enoiiu'h to protect them from a mass of rubbish that
covered them. Mrs. Oliver M'MaIhan fell in a place where the floor of the first
story had been previouslv partly broken, producing a sag orbend(l. The joists fell
over her, but were lon,g enolugh to reach over the bend, and thus saved her life.
SMr. iEffner had at one time been safely secure in his cellar, but going up for something to shield his child from the cold, was killed instantly. We saw two children
who were killed in the arms of their mothers. At Camanehe, the first story of a
hardware store, with its contents, was carried into the river and lost, while the upper part of the building dropped down square upon the foundation as though
placed there by mechanics. A child was blown from fifteen miles west of Camanche
to that place and landed uninjured. One man in Iowa was taken up 200 feet. A
family on a farm took refuge in a "potato hole," where they remained secure; but
the house they left was completely demolished. Pieces of boards were picked up
eight and ten miles from Albany, in both north and south directions. A wagon
was lifted into the air, broken to pieces, and the tire of one of the wheels twisted
out of all shape. Nine freight cars, standing on the track at Lisbon, were blown
some distance from the place they were standing. The tornado raised immediately
over the house of Mr. Minta, in Garden Plain, and descended to strike the next
house beyond. We noticed that those living in frame houses metwith less loss of
life than the inmates of brick or stone houses.
A passenger from the west informs us that a small boy was blown across Cedar
River, and his mangled body left in the forks of a tree. In one family all that
was left were three little girls, the father and mother and two children having been
instantly killed. We saw where a fence board had been forced clear through the
side of a house, endwise, and hundreds of shingles had forced themselves clear
through the clapboards of a house.
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Another eye witness says: A chimney, weighing about two tuns, was broken off
at its junction with the roof, lifted into the air, and lhurled down into the front
vard, burying itself in the ground a depth of three feet, without breaking or crackin, a sin,gle t)rick. A light pine shingle was driven from the outside through the
clLpb,ards, lath and plaster, and projects two inches fromn the inside wall of a dwellin, house. No other known tforce could hlave accomplished this. A common trowel,
such as is use(l by mnasons, w as driven through a pine knot in the side of a barn,
p)r,:ecting full two inches. In one spot was found a large pile of book covers,
everyv leaf from which V as gone, and twisted into a thousand shapes. Leaves were
stritp)e(l of their tissue, leavin(, the fibers clean and bare as if a botanist had
ne-ttly picked it off. TIree trunks were twisted several times round until they were
b)roken off The Millard ITouse, a three story brick structure, fronting north, was
lifted lip from its foundation and turned completely round, so that the front door
faced the south. It then collapsed, and seemed to fall outwa.rdly as if in a vacuum,
and, strange to relate, out of seventeen persons in the house, ortly two were killed.
One house upon the bank was lifted firom its foundation and whirled into the river,
crushing as it fell and drowning three persons, the inmates.
A pianlo was taken out of a house in the center of the town, and carried some
distance to the river bank without breaking! it.
The effects upon some of the houses near Camanm he, which were in the outer
elgie of the iornlid(o. were very curious. Upon somne roofs the shingles were
stripped off in f;ciful shopes, a bare spot upon one roof exactly reseiibling, a figure. Some roots were entirely unshingled, and in some ciases every clfaploard
was torn off. the sides of somne houses were literally perforated with boards,
splinteredl timbers and sharp stakes. In some)e parts of Ca,manclie, where houses
stoo,l thickly clustered together there is not a vestige of one left. Another tract
of about forty acres is covered with splinters about two feet in length. The lower
stories of some houses were blown out entirely, leatring the upper story upon the
ground. The town is entirely ruined, and we do not see how it can ever be rebuilt. There are whole blocks of lots that are vacant entirely, with nothing but
the cellar to indicate that a house ever stood there.
The whole atmosphere around the place is sickening, and a stench is pervading
the whole path of the storm that is almost impossible to endtire.
DAVENPORT, a flourishing city, the county seat of Scott, is beautifully
situated on the right bank of the Mississippi, at the foot of the upper rapids,
opposite the town of Rock Island, with which it is connected by a most magnificent railroad bridge, the first ever built over the Mississippi. The great
railroad running through the heart of the state, and designed to connect the
Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, has its eastern terminus at Davenport. The
city is 330 miles above St. Louis, and 100 below Galena. The rapids extend 20 miles above this place. and the navigation of the river is somewhat
obstructed by them during the time of low water. The city is built on
ground which rises gradually from the water, with a chain of rounded hills
in the back ground. Pop 1860,11,268.
The city derived its name from Col. George Davenport, who was born in
England, in 1783. He came to this country when a young man, entered
the U. S. army as sergeant, and saw considerable service, on the frontier, in
the war of 1812. After the war, he settled on Rock Island, opposite this
town, and engaged in trading with the Indians. That vicinity was densely
settled by them. The village of Black Hawk was there in the forks of
Rock River and the Mississippi. He carried on the fur trade very extensively for many years, establishing trading posts at various points. On the
4th of July, 1845, a band of robbers entered his beautiful residence in the
middle of the day, in the absence of his family, and in robbing, accidentally
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shot him. He died the same night. All of the murderers were tlken, tlirce
were hung and two escaped. Mr. Davenport was of a very free and geii,rous disposition, jovial and fond of company. Wherever he went a crowd
assembled around him to listen to his anecdotes and stories. He never sued
Soulther)a vbiev of D(vetIport, fioiom the iock Island FeIr?-y.
The Stoamloat Ln,ling, and Floring Mill is seen in the central part. The Rtilr)road Depot andi A. LeClhtiie's residentce, oh an, elevation in the distance, on the right. The Iowa Co(llege building on the left.
any one in his life, and could not bear to see any one in distress without trying to relieve them. The biographer of Col. Davenport gives these incidents:
During the Black Hawk war AMir. Davenport received a commission from Gov.
Reyvnolds. appointinog him acting quartermaster general, with the rank of colonel.
In the latter part of the stnummer of 1S32, the cholera broke out among the troops
on the island, and ran ed fearfully for about ten days; one hundred died out of a
population of four hundred; every person was dreadfully alarmned. An incident
occurred during this time which will show the state of feeling Mr. Davenport
Mr. LeClaire, and a young officer were standing together in firont of the store one
morning. The officer had been giving them an account of the number of deaths
and new eases, when an orderly came up to them with a message from Gen. Scott
to Mr. LeClaire. requesting him to come down to the fort as soon as possible. Mr.
LeClaire looked at Mr. Davenport to know what excuse to make. Mlr. Davenport,
after a moment, replied to the orderly to tell Gen. Scott that Mr. LeClaire could
not come, as he was quite sick. The officer and orderly laughed heartily at Mr.
Davenport and Mr. LeClaire being so much alarmed; but next morning the first
news they received from the fort, was, that these two men were dead.
At the time the cholera broke out at Fort Armrstrong, there were two Fox chiefs
confined in the guard-house for killing the Menomonies at Prairie du Chien, and
had been given up by their nation as the leaders, on the demand of our government, and were awaiting their trial. Mr. Davenport interceded for them with the
commanding officer, to let them out of their prison, and give them the range of
the island, with a promise that they should be forthcoming when they were wanted.
The Indians were released, and they pledged their word not to leave the island
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until permitted to do so by the proper authorities. During all the time the fearful
epidemic raged on the island, and every person was fleeing from it that could get
away, these two chiefs remained on the island, hunting and fishing, and when the
sickness had subsided, they presented themselves at the fort to await their trial,
thus showing how binding a pledge of this kind was with this tribe of Indians.
Air. Davenport, for many years, was in the habit of crediting the chiefs of the different villages for from fifty to sixty thousand dollars worth of goods annually,
having nothing but their word pledged for the payment of them, which they
alwvays faithfully performed.
The following extracts relative to the early history of Davenport, are from
Wilkie's History of the city:
" In the year 1833, there were one or two claims made upon the lands now
occupied by the lower part of the city. The claim upon which the city was
first laid out was contended for by a Dr. Spencer and a Mr. McCloud. The
matter was finally settled by Antoine LeClaire buying them both out: giving them $150.... Having fenced in this portion, Mr. LeClaire cultivated it until it was sold to a company in 1835. In the fall of this year, a
company was formed for the purchasing and laying out a town site. They
met at the house of Col. Davenport, on Rock Island, to discuss the matter.
The following persons were present: Maj. Wm. Gordon, Antoine LeClaire,
Col. Geo. Davenport, Maj. Thos. Smith, Alex. McGregor, Levi S. Colton, and
Philip Hambaugh. These gentlemen, with Capt. James May, then in Pittsburg, composed the company which secured the site.
In the spring of the next year, the site was surveyed and laid out by Maj.
Gordon, U. S. surveyor, and one of the stockholders. The cost of the eiitire site was $2,000 or $250 per share. In MIay the lots were offered at auction. A steamboat came up from St. Louis, laden with passeingers to attend
the sale, which continued for two days. Some 50 or 60 lots only were sold,
mostly to St. Louis speculators, at from $300 to $600 each. The remaining
portion of the site was divided among the proprietors. The emigration this year was small, only some half dozen families comining in. The first
tavern was put up this year and opened by Edward Powers, on the corner
of Front and Ripley-streets. It was built by Messrs. Davenport and LeClaire, and was called "Davenport Jlotel." A log shanty drinking saloon was
also put up, which stood on Front-street, below the Western-avenue. It was
long a favorite resort of the politician and thirsty...
James Mackintosh opened the first store, and commenced business in a
log house near the U. S. House, corner of Ripley and Third-streets.
Lumber at that time was brought from Cincinnati, and almost everything
else from a distance. Flour at $16 per barrel; pork at 16 cents per pound,
were brought from that city. Corn was imported firom Wabash River, and
brought $2 per bushel.... The ferry dates its existence firom this
year-it being a flat bottomed craft, technically called a "mud-boat." This,
in 1841, was superseded by a horse-boat, which in time gave way to steam..
The first child born in Davenport, was in 1841, a son of L. S. Colton...
The first law office was opened by A. McGregor. The first religious discourse was delivered by Rev. Mr. Gavitt, a Methodist, at the house of D. C.
Eldridge. Preaching also from an Episcopalian the same spring,. IReligious services were held occasionally, in which a priest from Galena
officiated.... The pioneer ball was held at Mr. LeClaire's, Jan. 8,
1836. Some forty couples were present, consisting of frontier men offi(cers
from the island, and others. The music was furnished by fiddles, from which
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no contemptible strains were occasionally drawn by Mr. LeClairc himself...
The party danced till sunrise, then broke up —the gentlemen being, as a
general thing as genial as all the "punches" they could possibly contain,
would make them.
In the summer of 1836, Mr. A. LeClaire was appointed postmaster. MaIils came
once a week from the east, and once in two weeks from Dubuque. The postmaster used to carry the mail across the river in his pocket, and the per centage for
the first three months was seventy:five cents. In September, a treaty was held at
East D)avenport, between Gov. Dodge, U. S. commissioner, and the Sacs and Foxes.
The object of the treaty was to secure possession of the land bordering on the
Iowa River, and known as "Keokuk's Reserve." About one thousand chiefs and
warriors were present, and were encamped during the time just above Renwick's
mill.... This was the last treaty ever held in this vicinity. There were
seven houses at the close of this year. There was a frame dwelling partly finished
and owned bv a MAIr. Shields. It has been since known as the "Dillon Ihouse"
(of uwhich a.qentleman, since governor of the state, was once hostler). The year
(S135) closed with a population of less than one hundred. Stephenson (now Rock
Island) whichl had been laid out in 1834, had at this time a population of nearly
five hundred.
The first duel "on record" in Iowa, was fought, in the spring of 1837, between
two AWinnebago Indians. These young men, in a carousal at Stephenson, comnienced quarreling, and finally resorted to the code of honor. One had a shot gun,
the other a rifle. On the Willow Island, below the city, at the required distance
they fired at each other. The one with the shot gun fell, and was buried not far
from the graveyard below the city. The survivor fled to his home in the Rock
Rliver countrv. The friends and relations of the slain clamored for the blood of
the slaver, and the sister of the latter went for the survivor. She found him —entreated him to come back to Rock Island and be killed, to appease the wrathful
manes of the deceased. Ile came-in a canoe paddled by his own sister-singing
his death song. A shallow grave was dug, and kneeling upon its brink, his body
tumbled into it, and his death song was hushed, as the greedy knives of the executioners drank the blood of his brave heart.
Dr. A. E. Donaldson, from Pennsylvania, came in July, 1837, and was, it is stated,
the first regular physician. The religious services, for this year, and for a year or
two afterward, were held in a house belonging to D. C. Eldridge. Clergymen of
various denominations officiated. In 1838, during the summer, the first brick house
was erected by D. C. Eldridge, standing on the S.E. corner of Main and Thirdstreets. Nearly at the same time, the brick building now used by the Sisters, in
Catholic block, was completed as a church. A long controversy between Rockingham and Davenport, respecting the location of the county-seat, was terminated in
favor of the latter, in 1840, by the citizens of Davenport agreeing to construct the
court house and jail, free of expense to the county.
The celebrated "Missouri War" is ascribed to about this date. It arose from a
dispute in regard to boundary-two lines having been run. The northern one cut
off a strip of Iowa some six or eight miles in width, and from this portion Missouri endeavored to collect taxes. The inhabitants refused to pay them, and the
Miissouri authorities endeavored, by sending a sheriff, to enforce payment. A fight
ensued, and an Iowan was killed, and several taken prisoners. The news spread
along the river counties, and created intense excitement. War was supposed to be
impending, or to have actually begun.
Col. Dodg-e, an individual somewhat noted as the one who, in connection with
Thleller, had been imprisoned by the Canadian authorities for a participation in
the "Patriot War," had lately arrived here, after breaking jail in Canada. Ilis
arrival was opportune-a call for volunteers to march against Missouri was circulated, and was responded to by some three hundred mnien, who made Davenport
their rendezvous on the proposed day of marching. A motley crowd was it! Arms
were of every kind inaginable, from pitchforks to blunderbusses, and Queen Anne
muskets. One of the colonels wore a common rusty grass scythe for a sword
while Capt. igginson, of company A, had been fortunate enough to find an old
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385
sword that a,n Indian had pawned for whisky, which hie elegantly belted around
him with a heavy log chain.
The parade ground was in front of the groundl now occupied by; the Scott House.
Refreshments were plenty, and'- steam" was being rapidly developed for a start,
when word came that peace was restored-Missouri having resigned her claim
to the disputed ground. The army was immediately disbanded, in a style
that would do honor to the palmiest revels of Bacchus. Speeches were made,
toasts drunk, and a host of maneuvers, not in the military code, were performed,
to the great amusement of all. Some, in the excess of patriotism and whisky,
started on alone to Missouri, but lay down in the road before traveling far, and
slept away their valor.
St. Anthony's Church, the first erected, was dedicated May 23,1839, by Rt. Rev.
Bishop Loras, of Dubuque. The Catholic Advocate thus states, "Mr. Antoine LeClaire, a wealthy Frenchman, and a zealous and exemplary Christian, in partnership with Mr. Davenport, has granted to the Catholic congregation, in the very center of the town, a whole square, including ten lots, erecting, partly at his own expense, a fine brick church with a school room attached."..... The Rev.
Sr.Pelamourgues, who first assumed charge of the church, still retains it.
The First Presbyterian Church was established in the spring of 1838, pastor,
James D. Mason; the Davenport Congregational Church was organized July 30,
1833, by Rev. Albert Hale; their present church building was erected in 1844.
The first re,ular services of the Protestant Episcopal Church were commnienced
here Oct. 14, 1841, by Rev. Z H. Goldsmith. The corner stone of the present
edifice of Trinity Church was laid, by Bishop Kemper, May 5, 1852. The Mtethodist Episcopal Church was established June 1, 1842; the First Baptist Church was
established in 1839, N. S. Bastion, pastor; the German Congregation was established July 19, 1857, A. Frowein, pastor; "Church of Christ,' or Disciples Church
established July 28, 1839.
The first newspaper was the " Iowa Sun and Davenport and RPock Island News,"
issued in Aug., 1838, by Alfred Sanders. It was continued till 1841, when it was
succeeded by the "Davenport Weekly Gazette." The "V'Weekly Banner" was
started in 1848, by A. Montgomery; in 1855, it was bought by Messrs. Iildreth,
Richardson & West, and was changed to the " Iowa State Democrat." The " Evening News," daily and weekly, was started by Harrington & Wilkie, Sept., 1856.
The "Der Demokrat" (German) was established, by T. Guelich, in 1851.
Bellevue, the capital of Jackson county, is on the Mississippi, 12 miles
below Galena. It is one of the oldest towns in the state, having been first
settled in 1836, by J. D. Bell. The location being a beautiful one, had long
been a favorite spot with the Indians. The population in 1860 was about
1,500.
The following interesting narrative of some incidents which took place
here in the early settlement of the place is given to us by Wm. A.
Warren Esq. He was the sheriff in command of the posse of citizens,
some of whom it will be seen lost their lives in their efforts to restore law
and order.
In the year 1836, was organized a band of horse-thieves, counterfeiters, and highway robbers, having their head-quarters near Elk Heart, Michigan, and extending
their ramifications in all directions from that point, many hundred miles. The
Rock Rlliver valley, Illinois, and the settled portions of what is now Iowa, were the
chief points of their operations, although the band extended through Kentucky,
Missouri, and even to the Cherokee Nation.
Their organization was complete. They had their pass words, and other means
of recognition. No great master spirit controlled the whole organization, as is
usually the case in criminal associations of that nature. The leaders were those
whose education rendered them superior to the instincts of the half savage settlers
with whom they were associated.
Their method of doing business, and escaping detection, was as follows: B.'s
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band, in low.v, would "spot" certain lhorses and other "plunder," and arrange to
make a foray on,omtne particular night. A., in Missouri, having obtained thie
knowledge of this, would start his band on,t marauding expedition the same night.
But those who were to do the plunder ing would make a. feint to go north or south
on a trad(ling expedition, a day or two b)efore the time fixed upon, and returning' at
night, would be carefully concealed until the proper time, when tlhey wotuld sallv
forth on the expedition in earnest. The two bands then meeting half way, would
exchan,e the stolen property, and returning, dispose of the plunder, perhalps to
the very persons whom they had robbed a few nights before.
Storm,nf of the Bellerite Ihtoel, by the Citizens.
Tlhe engravin g ill,,,tr:tt..s a scene in t,e earvl hist(.'v ot'elivl,we. lhe hotel of the town was ocwri,
hy a tand of otitians. rho had bean th,e terr,r of tile ohle c(Iontry for bundfireds of f,iles distot. fs
they defied the tthoritihe te citizenrs w..,r e c ompo e llr d to rptsort to arms. Tle stronghold w Vas carriedl ty
storm, in wihich several were siain on each sidle.
Those of the band who were merely accomplices, were careful to i)e visiting
somne honest neilghbor on the night of the ro)lery, and thus avert suspicion firomi
tliemselves. By this means, it will )e seen. that detection was almost imipossi)le,
and suspicion unlikelv to rest upon the real perpetrators.
'rilte then frontier village of Bellev,tie, as a central point on this route, an, also
the headquarters of one of the most nulmerouls anrid powerful of the Iands. its
leader, William Ilrown. was a man remarkable in many respects. Ile came to
ltellevue in thle sprin-, of 18;, and so(iin after brought out his f.milv and ot),ne,l
a pu)lic hoise. which was (lestined( to efht)mo e fiLnous in the villIage hIistotry.
lt-'rown, physicaliv. was a pitwerfil man. andt ill educattin superior to those aollltlI
himit. He possesse( a ple:tsa(nt. kin(lv address, and wa-s scrupulously honest in hIis
every datv's dealinrs with his nei,ghbors. It is said that nolie who reposed con'iienc in him in a business transaction ever regretted( it. tie was,ably setcon-dideld
b-; hit wife. t wtnomi.n of about 24 years of age. and of more than ordinary natural
z'apac ty. They had )ut one child, a little girl of somine four years of ag,e. Ever
re'Ltdy to assist the destitute, the foremnost in public improvements, this family soon
boe.amt idolized bv the rude populattion of that early day, so that nothing but positive proof finally fastened suspicions of dishonesty upon them. Ilaving, by his
387
wiles, seduced a larger part of the young men into his band, and being daily reinforced from other quarters, Brown became more bold in his operations, then threw
off the mask, and openly boasted of his power and the inability of the authorities
to crush him out. It was no idle boast. Fully two thirds of the able bodied men
in the settlement were leagued with him. He never participated in passing counterfeit money, stealing horses, etc., but simply planned.
Any man who incurred the enmity of the "gang," was very certain to wake
some morning and find his crops destroyed, his horses stolen, and the marks of his
cattle having been slaughtered in his own yard; in all probability the hind qlarters of his favorite ox would be offered for sale at his own door a few hours thereafter. If one of his gang was arrested, Brown stood ready to defend him, with an
argument not now always attainable by the legal profession-he could, at a moment's notice, prove an alibi. Thus matters went on, until it became apparent to
the honest portion of the community that the crisis had arrived.
As an instance of the boldness which they evinced, now the band had become
so powerful, we give an incident of the stealing of a plow from a steamboat. In
the spring of 1839, a steamboat landed at Bellevue to wood; the boat was crowded
with passengers, and the hurricane deck covered with plows. It being a pleasant
day, the citizens old and young, according to custom, had sallied forth to the river
side, as the landing of a steamboat was then by no means a daily occurrence. The
writer of this, standing near Brown, heard him remark to a man, named Hapgood,
and in the presence of numerous citizens, "that, as he (H.) had long wanted to
join Brown's party, if he would steal one of those plows, and thus prove his qualifications, he should be admitted to full fellowship." Hapgood agreed to make the
trial, and thereupon, to our surprise, as we had supposed the conversation to be
merely in jest, he went upon the hurricane deck, and in the presence of the captain, passengers, and citizens on shore, shouldered a plow and marched off the
boat and up the levee. When on the boat, Hapgood conversed with the captain
for a few minutes, and the captain pointed out to him which plow to take. In a
few moments the boat was gone, and Hapgood boasted of the theft. It was supposed that he had bought the plow and paid the captain for it, but the next day,
when the boat returned, there was great and anxious inquiry, by the captain, "for
the man that took that plow," but he had disappeared, and remained out of sight
until the boat was gone. About the same time another bold robbery occurred
near Bellevue, the incidents of which so well illustrate the character of these
ruffians, that we can not forbear recounting them.
One Collins, a farmer, living about eight miles from town, came in one day and
sold Brown a yoke of cattle for $80. Being a poor judge of money, and knowing
Brown's character well, he refused to take anything in payment but specie. On
his return home that evening, he placed his money in his chest. About midnight
his house was broken open by two men, upon which he sprang from his bed, but
was immediately knocked down. His wife coming to his rescue was also knocked
down, and both were threatened with instant death if anv more disturbance was
made. The robbers then possessed themselves of Collins' money and watch and
departed. In the morning he made complaint before a justice of the peace, accusing two men in the employment of Brown with the crime. They were arrested
and examined. On the trial, Collins and his wife swore positively to the men, and
also identified a watch found with them as the one taken. In their possession was
found $80 in gold, the exact amount stolen. A farmer living near Collins, testified
that about 11 o'clock, on the night of the robbery, the accused stopped at his
house and inquired the way to Collins'. Here the prosecution closed their evidence,
and the defense called three witnesses to the stand, among whom was Fox, afterward noted as the murderer of Col. Davenpor-t, all of whom swore positively that,
on the night of the robbery, they and the accused played cards from dark till daylight, in Brown's house, eight miles from the scene of the robbery! In the face
of the overwhelming testimony adduced by the state, the defendants were discharged!
Another laughable instance, displaying the shrewdness and villainy of these fellows, occurred early in the spring of 1838. Godfrey (one of the robbers of Collins) came into town with a fine span of matched horses, with halter ropes around
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their necks. From the known character of their possessor, the sheriff thought best
to take the horses into his custody. Brown's gang remonstrated against the proceedings, but to no effect. Subsequently a writ of replevin was procured, and tho
horses demanded-the sheriff refused to give them up. A general row ensued.
The citizens, being the stronger party at that time, sustained the sheriff, and he
maintained the dignity of his office. HIandbills, describing the horses accurately,
were then sent around the county. A few days afterward, a stranger appeared in
town, anxiously inquiring for the sheriff, and upon meeting him, he announced his
business to be the recovery of a fine span of horses, which had been stolen from
him a short time before, and then so accurately described those detained by the
sheriff, that the latter informed him that he then had them in his stable. Upon
examining them, the man was gratified to find that they were his; turning to the
crowd, he offered $25 to any one who would produce Godfrey, remarking that, if he
met him, he would wreak his vengeance upon him in a summary manner, without
the intervention of a jury. Godfrey was not. however, to be found, and the horses
were delivered to the stranger.
Iroag,ine the consternation of the sheriff, when, two days later, the true owner
of the horses appeared in search of them! The other was an accomplice of Godfrey, and thev had taken that method of securing their booty. Similar incidents
could be detailed to fill pages, for they were of continual occurrence.
On the 2oth of March, 1S'(), the citizens of Bellevue, not implicated in the
plins of thle horse-thieves andl counterfeiters, held a meeting to consider the
wr')ngs of the community. But one opinion was advanced, that the depredators
must leave the place or sumimary vengeatnce would be inflicted upon them all. It
was resolved that a warrant should be procured for the arrest o'the whole gang,
from.lustice Watkins-father of our present sheriff-and, upon a certain dlay, the
sherilf, accompanie.,l by all the honest citizens as a posse, should proceed to serve
the samle. The warrant was issued upon the affidavit of Anson Ilarrington, Esq.,
one of our most respectable citizens, charging about half the inhabitants of the
townv-Brown's men- with the commission of crimes.
A posse of S80 men was selected by the sheriff from among the best citizens of
the county, who met in Bellevue on the first day of April, 184(), at 10 o'clock, A M.
Brown, in the mean time, had g(ot wind of the proceedings, and had rallied a party
of 2' men, whose namles were on the warrant, and proceeded to fortify the Bellevue
Itotel, and prepare fo)r a vig,orouts defense. On the.shleriff's arriving in Bellevtue
with his party, he found a red flag streaming from the hotel, and a portion of
Brown's men marching to and fro in front of their fort, armed with rifles, present
ing a formidable appearance.
A meeting of the citizens was then convened to consult upon the best method
of securing the ends of justice, of which NMajor Thos. S. Parks was chairman. It
was resolved that the sheriff should go to Brown's fort, with two men, and demand
their surrender, reading his warrant. and assuring them that they should be protectel in their persons and property. It was also resolved, if they did not surrender, to storm the house, and that Col. Thos. Cox, then a representative in the Iowa
legislature, should assist the sheriff in the command of the party selected for this
purpose.
The sheriff then went to the hotel, accompanied by Messrs. Watkins and Magoon. When near the house, they were suddenly surrounded by Brown and a
party of his men, all fully armed. They captured the sheriff, and ordered Watkins
and Magoon to return and inform the citizens, that at the first attempt to storm
the house, they would shoot the sheriff. Being conducted into the house, the sheriff
read his warrant and informed them of the proceedings of the meeting. Just then
it was discovered that Col. Cox, with a party of citizens, was rapidly advan(cing
on the hotel. Upon the sheriff's promise to stop them and then return, he was released by Brown. Hle met the party, and accosting Cox, requested him to delay
the attack one hour, and if he (the sheriff) did not return by that time, for them
to come on and take the house.
Cox was determined the Sheriff should not return, saying that he should not
keep his word with such a band of ruffians. Better counsels, however, prevailed,
and the sheriff went back. On his return he found that Brown's men had been
"389
drinking freely to keep up their courage. After some parleying, Brown determined no t to surrender, commanding the sheriff to return to his men and tell them
to come (in, and if they succeeded in carrying the hotel, it should only be over their
dead bodies.
The slteriff returned and disclosed the result of his interview. Mrs. Brown, in
the mean time, and a fellow called Buckskin, paraded the streets with a red flag.
The citizens were then addressed by Cox and Watkins, and it was finally determined that a body of forty men should be selected to make the attack, upon lwhich
the posse started and charged upon the house at a full run. As our men entered
the porch, the garrison commenced firing, but we being so near they generally overshot their mark. At the first fire one of our best men. Mr. Palmer, was killed, and
another, Mr. Vau,ghn, badly wounded. Brown opened the door and put out his
gun to shoot, when he was immediately shot down by one of our men. The battle
then became desperate and hand to hand. After considerable hard fighting, the
"balance" of the gang commenced their retreat through the back door of the
house. They were surrounded and all captured but three. The result of the
filght was, on the part of the counterfeiters the loss of five killed and two badly
wounded; on the part of the citizens, four killed and eleven wounded.
The excitement after the fight was intense. Many of the citizens were in favor
of putting all the prisoners to death. Other counsels, however, prevailed, and a
citizens' court was organized to try them.
During the fight, Capt. Harris anchored his boat in the middle of the river, and
remained there until the result was known, when the passengers ascended to the
upper deck and gave three hearty cheers. D)ctors Finley, of Dubuque, and Crossrman, of Galena, were sent for, and were soon in attendance on the wounded of
both parties.
Much joy was manifested by the citizens at the breaking up of one of the most
desperate gangs of housebreakers, murderers and )counterfeiters, that ever infested
the western country. The next morning a vote of the citizens was taken as to the
disposal of the prisoners.
As the district court was not to meet for three months, and there being no jail
in the county, and in fact none in the territory that was safe, and surrounded as
we were on all sides, by offshoots of the same band, who could muster 200 imen in
a dov's time to rescue them, it was deemed the merest folly to attempt to detain
them as prisoners, and it was resolved to execute summary justice upon them.
The question was then put, whether to hang or whip them. A cup of red and
white beans was first passed around, to be used as ballots. the red for hanging, and
the white for whipping.
A breathless silence was maintained during the vote. In a few moments the
result wtas announced. It stood forty-two white and thirty-eight red beans. The
resolution to whip them was then unanimously adopted. Fox, afterward the murJerer of Davenport, and several others made full confessions of many crimes, in
wvhich they had been engaged. The whole crowd of prisoners was then taken
out and received from twenty-five to seventy-five lashes apiece, upon their bare
backs, according to their deserts. They were then put into boats and set adrift in
the river, without oars, and under the assurance that a return would insure a
speedy death.
Animated by the example of Bellevue, the citizens of Rock River, Ill., Linn,
Johnson, and other counties, in Iowa, arose en masse, and expelled the gangs of
robbers from their midst, with much bloodshed.
Thus ended the struggle for supremacy between vice and virtue in Bellevue,
which, from this day forth, has been as noted, in the Mississippi valley, for the
morality of its citizens, as it was once rendered infamous by their crimes.
BURLINGTON, a flourishing commercial city, the seat of justice for Des
Moines county, is on the western side of the Mississippi, 45 miles above
Keokuk, 24:8 above St. Louis, and 1,429 above New Orleans. The city was
organized under a charter from the Territory of Wisconsin, in 1838. It is
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regularly laid out and beautifully situated. Part of the city is built on the
high grounds or bluffs, rising in some places about 200 feet above the
river, affording a beautiful and commanding view of the surrounding country: with the river, and its woody islands, stretclhing far away to the
SO?uth-easter;i vieilC of B1I)lllgton.
The viewIs the ap,ear'rce of the citey, as seon from near the Soutlt Blluf: the eastern tern-iiius of
the'3urli n.ton an( 31is)"- ri Rtilroad, til, C ftr, H ise, and other public buildings, on the elevated ground
in the distanuce, apIp)ear in tlhe central part; the North Blulf and Steamboat Landing on the right
north and south. It has a variety of mechanical and manufacturing establishmients. The pork packing, business is carried on extensively. It is the
seat of the Burling,ton University, and contains 12 churches, in 1860, 6,706.
inhabitaints.
The coulntry for sixty miles around Burlington, sometimes called the "garden of Iowa," is very fertile. Near the city are immense quantities of gray
limestone rock, suitable for building purposes.
The first white person who located himself in Burlington, appears to have
been Samuel S. WThite, a native of Ohio, who built a cabin here, in 1832,
close to the river at the foot of the upper bluff. The United States, according to the treaty with the Indians, not being then entitled to the lands west
of the Mississippi the dragoons from Fort Armstrong came down, burnt
White out, and drove him over to the Illinois side of the river. lIe remained on Hloney Creek till the 1st of the next June, when, the Indian title
being extinguished, he returned and rebuilt his cabin near its former site.
3ir. White was soon afterward joined by Amzi Doolittle, and in 1834, they
laid out the first part of the town on the public lands. The survey of White
and Doolittle was made by Benjamin Tucker and Dr. Wm. R. Ross. Their
bounds extended down to Hawkeye Creek. White and Doolittle afterward
sold out all their lands and removed. The first addition to this tract wits
made by Judge David Rorer, a native of Virginia, in April, 1836, who had
emigrated the month previous. In July of this year, he built the first brick
building ever erected in Iowa. Judge R. laid the first brick with his own
hands. This building stood on what is now lot 438, the next corner north
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of Marion Hall. This dwelling was taken down by Col. Warren, in 1854 or
'55. The first location made outside the town, was by a settler named Tothero, whose cabin was about three miles from the river; this was previous
to June, 1833. He was consequently driven of by the drag,ons, and his
cabin destroyed.
The town was named by John Gray, a native of Burlington, Verinont, and
brother-in-law to White, the first set tler. The Flint Hills were called by
,_________ the Indians Shokokcon, a word in their
___________ ~~language signifying "flint hills; " these
___________ ~ bluffs are generally about 150 feet
,=___~ ~above the river. Burlington became
~ ________ ~ the county seat of Des Moines in
1834, under the jurisdiction of Michi gan. In 1836 it was made the seat of
government of Wisconsin Territory,
-,l | ~ and in the fall of 1837, the legislature
of that territory first met at Burling _.>~ i~ O[ r ton. When Iowa Territory was formed
in 1838, Burlington became the seat
l _... _ of government. The building in which
the legislative assembly first met stood
JUDc.E RORER's Hous. on the river bank, just north of Colurin Thle first brick buildiig erected in Iowa. bia-street. It was burnt down ~oon
afterward. At the first court lhed in
Burlington, three divorces were granted, one conviction for assault and battery, and one fine for contempt of court. The record does not show the
grounds of contempt, but froin other sources we learn i,t was a reneounter in
open court, in which the tables of the judges, being dry goods boxes and
barrels with planks laid across, were overturned. Thie hero of thle occasion
was afterward taken prisoner in the Santa Fe expedition from Texas.
Dr. I1oss and Maj. Jeremiah Smith, who came to Burlington in 1S33, were
the first merchants. The first church (the Methodist Old Zion) witis erected
the same year, and is believed to have been the first house of worship erected
in Iowa. In this venerable structure, which is still standing(, the le'islative
body have met and courts have been held. The "Iowa Territorial Gazette,"
the first newspaper, was issued in the summer of 1837, by Jaumes Clarke,
fromnt Pennsylvania, who was subsequently governor of the territory. The
second paper was the "Iowa Patriot," afterward the "Hawkeye," by Jalmes
G. Edwards, of Boston. The Iowa Historical ae(1 Gcoloyical Socie(!y was organllized in 1843, and is the oldest literary society in the state.
The following inscriptions are from monuments in the Aspen Grove Ceinetery, at the N.W. border of the city:
Here lie the mortal remains of JAS. CLARKE, founder of the first Newspaper in Burlington, Mer.ber of the first Constitutional Convention, Secretary and Governor of the Territory of Iowa. Born July 5, 1812; died July 28, 1850
'Mv I-Ihsband and our Father, AB.,ER LEONARD, minister of the Gospel, born Dec.13,1787,
in WashinIgton Co., Pa.; died Oct. 30, 1856.
Now with my Savior, Brother, Friend,
A blest Eternity I'll spend,
Triumphant in his grace.
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In memory of REV. HORACE HUTCHINSON, late Pastor of the Congregational Church, of
Burlington. He was born at Sutton, Mass., Aug. 10, 1817. Graduated at Amherst College%
18:39, and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1843. lHe died March 7, 1846.
Sacred to the memory of REV. SAMUEL PAYNEF, Missionary, native of New Jersey, who
departed this life, Jan. 8, 1845, aged 38 years, 6 mo. and 17 days. Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea saith the spirit, that they may rest from their
labors; and their works do follow them. Rev. xiv, 13.
In memory of REV. THOM.AS SCHULTZ, German Missionary of the Methodist Church; born
July 11, 1821; died March 18, 1848. i-Christus ist mein Leben und sterben ist mein Gewin.
In memory of REv. WILLIAM-F HEMINGHAUS, German Missionary of the M.E. Church;
born Jan. 26, 1808; died Jan. 24, 1848.
Wo ich bin da soll mein, diener auch sein.
Where I am, there shall be my servant. Jan. 12, 1826.
East view of Keokukc.
The view shows the appearance of Keokuk, as seen from the higlhts above the Ferry landing, on the
Illinlois side of the Mississippi. The Keokukl, Fort Des Moines and Minnesota Railroad is onil the extreme
left; the Keokluk, Mount Pleasant and'Iuscatine Railroad on the right.
KEOKUK, and semi-capital of Lee county, is a short distance above
the confluence of the Des Mioines with the Mississippi, on the west side of
the MIississippi, 200 miles above St. Louis, 1,400 above New Orleans, and
about 1O0 from Des Moines, the capital. It is at the S.E. corner of the
state, at the foot of the "Lower Rapids," and being the only city of Iowa
having uninterrupted communication with all the great tributaries of the
"Father of Waters," it has not inaptly been called the "Gate City " of,Iowa.
The site of Keokuk is remarkably fine. It covers the top and slopes of a
large bluff, partially around which the Mississippi bends with a graceful
curve, commanding a fine prospect to the south and north. The city stands
393
upon an inexhaustible quarry of limestone rock, forming ample material for
buildings. A portion of the great water power at this point is used in
various manufactories, flouring mills, founderies, etc. The Mississippi, up
ward from this place, flows over a rocky bed of limestone, called the Rapids,
12 miles in extent, falling, in that distance, 24~ feet, making it difficult for
the larger class of steamboats to pass. The city contains several splendid
public buildings, the medical department of the State University, hospital,
some eight or nine churches, and about 13,000 inhabitants.
The plat of the village of Keokuk was laid out in the spring of S1837, and
in the ensuing June a public sale of town lots was held, and attended by a
very large crowd. One boat was chartered in St. Louis, and numbers came
up on other boats. Only two or three lots, the south-west corner of Mainstreet and the levee, and one or two others lying contiguous, were sold. The
corner lot went for $1,500, and a New York company still hold the deed of
trust on it to secure the payment.
In 1840, the main portion of Keokuk was a dense forest, and where Mainstreet now is, were thick timber and underbrush. It was so swampy and
roug,h between Third and Fourth-streets, as to be rather dangerous riding
on horseback after a heavy rain. About a dozen cabins comprised all the
imnprovements. In the spring of 1847, a census of the place gave a popular
tion of' 620. Owing to the unsettled state of the titles, but little progress
was made till 1849. From that timne until the autumn of 1857 it had a
rapid growth.
Keokuk derived its name from Keokuk (the TWatchful Fox), a chieftain
of the Sac tribe, distinguished for his friendship to the Americans during
the Black Hawk war. He often lost his popularity with his tribe by his
efforts to keep them at peace with the United States, and nothing but his
poweri,ul eloquence and tact sustained him. He was once deposed by his
tribe, and a young chief elected in his place. He, however, soon attained
his former position. Keokuk was born about the year 1780. He was not
a hereditary chief, but raised himself to that dignity by the force of talent
and enterprise. He was a man of extraordinary eloquence; fertile in resources on the field of battle; possessed of desperate bravery; and never at
a loss in any emergency. He had six wives, was fond of display, and on his
, isits of state to other tribes, moved, it is supposed, in more savage magnificenee than any other chief on the continent. He was a noble looking
man, about five feet ten inches in hight, portly, and over 200 pounds in
weight. He had an eagle eye, a dignified bearing, and a manly, intelligent
expression of countenance, and always painted and dressed in the Indian
costume. He supplanted Black Hawk as chieftain of the Sacs and Foxes.
He died in Missouri a few years since, and was succeeded in the chieftainship by his son.
The Des Moines River, which terminates at Keokuk, is one of the noblest
of streams. Keokuk is the principal port of its valley, in which half the
population and agricultural wealth of the state are concentrated. On the
banks of the Des Moines stood the village of the celebrated chief Black
Jlb.ck, who there breathed his last, Oct. 3, 1840. He was buried near the
banks of the river, in a sitting posture, as is customary with his tribe. His
hands grasped his cane, and his body was surrounded by stakes, which united
at the top.
Iowa is noted for the extent and magnificence of her prairies. These are
of great advantage to the rapid and easy settlement of a country. When,
IOWA.
394
IOWA.
however, too extensive, without a sufficiency of timber, a prairie country has
some serious drawbacks. Fortunately, in Iowa, the immense beds of coal
partly supply the deficiency in fuel, and the prairie country there is remarkably healthy. It is generally rolling, often even hilly, the streams mostly
fresh running water, with sandy or gravelly beds, which condition prevents
the orisoin of miasma, the great scourge of fiat, prairie districts, where sluggish streams, winding their snaky shaped course through rich alluvial soils,
gencertle disease and death from their stagnant waters, green and odious with
the slime of a decaying vegetation. The prairie farms of Iowa, large, smooth
and unl)r()kien by stump or other obstruction, afford an excellent field for the
introduction of mowing machines and other improved implements of agriculture.
Prairie Scenery.
The wonderful fertility of the prairies is accounted for by the fact that we have
a soil "which for thousands of years has been beariing annual crops of grass, the
ahes or decayed stems of which have been all that time adding to the original fer
395
tility of the soil. So long back as we have any knowledge of the country, it had
been the custom of the Indians to set fire to the prairie grass in autumn, after frost
set in, the fire spreading with wonderful rapidity, covering vast districts of country, and filling the atmosphere for weeks with smoke. In the course of ar, es a soil
somewihat resembling an ash-heap must have been thus gradually created, and it
is no won(lder that it should be declared to be inexhaustible in fertility. In Europe
such triacts of fertile country as the plain of Lombardy are known to have yielded
crops for more than 2,000 years without intermission, and yet no one says that the
soil is exhausted. Here we have a tract naturally as rich, and with the addition
of its own crops rotting upon its surface, and adding to its stores of fertilitv all
that time. It need occasion no surprise therefore, to be told of twenty or thirty
crops of Indian corn being taken in succession from the same land, without manure, every crop, good or better, according to the nature of the season."
A distinguished English chemist analyzed some of the prairie soils of the west.
'His analysis, which was of the most scrutinizing character, bears out completely
the high character for fertility which practice and experience had already proved
these soils to possess. The most noticeable feature in the analysis is the very large
quantity of nitrogen which each of the soils contains, nearly twice as much as the
mnost fertile soils of Britain. In each case, taking the soil at an average depth of
ten inchies, an acre of these prairies will contain upward of three tuns of nitrogen,
and (:s a heavy crop of wheat with its straw contains about fifty-two pounds of nitroei-ni, there is tlhus a natural store of ammonia in this soil sufficient for more
thorn a hundred wheat crops. In Dr. Vo)elcker's words,'It is this large amount of
nitrogen, and the beautiful state of division, that impart a peculiar character to
these soils, and distinguish them so favorably. They are soils upon which I
imagrine flax could be grown in perfection, supposing the climate to lbe otherwise
favor.ldle. I have never b)efore anlalyed soils whicli contained so much nitrogen,
nor do I find any record of soils richer in nitro, en than these.'
"The novelty of the prairie country is striking,, and never fails to cause an exclamati'on of surprise from those who have lived amid the forests of Ohio and
Kentuckl,- or along the wooded shores of the Atlantic, or in sight of the rocky barriers of the Allegheny ridge.'The extent of the prospect is exhilarating. The
outine of the landscape is undulating and gratcefil. ilie verdure and the flowers
ire beautifiul; and the absence of shade, and consequent appearance of a profusion of lilht, produces a gayety which animates every beholder.
Th'ese plains although preserving a general level in respect to the whole countrv, aire eot, in themselves, not flat, but exhibit a gracefully waving surface, swellin, itad sikiikpf with easy, graceful slopes, and full, rounded outlines, equally avoidin, thei unmea,ning horizontal surface, and the interruption of abrupt or angular
elevations.
ihe attraction of the prairie consists in its extent. its carpet of verdure and
fltwers, its undulating surface, its groves, and the fringe of timniber by which it is
surrounded. Of all these, the latter is the most expressive feature. It is that
,whiich gives character to the landscape, which imparts the shape, and marks the
bounldarv of the plain. If the prairie be small, its greatest beauty consists in the
vicinity of the surrounding margin of woodland, which resembles the shore of a
lake indented with deep vistas, like bays and inlets, and throwing out long points,
like capes and headlands.
In the spring of the year, when the young grass has just covered the ground
witl-h a carpet of delicate green, and especially if the sun is rising from behind a
distant swell of the plain and glittering upon the dewdrops, no scene can be more
lvcly to the eye. The groves, or clusters of timber, are particularly attractive at
thin season of the year. The rich undergrowth is in full bloom. T'he rosewood,
di,.oiid, crab-apple, wild plum, the cherry, and the wild rose are all abundant, and
in imany portions of the state the grape-vine abounds. The variety of wild fruit
and fli,)wering shrubs is so great, and such the profusion of the blossoms with which
they a,re bowed down, that the eye is regaled almost to satiety.
'l;ie layety of the prairie, its embellishments, and the absence of the gloom and
sa~;vae Wvildness of the forest, all contribute to dispel the feeling of loneliness which
usull,y creeps over the mind of the solitary traveler in the wilderness. Though
396
IOWA.
IOWA.
he may not see a house or a human being, and is conscious that he is far from the
habitations of men, the traveler upon the prairie can scarcely divest himself of the
idea that he is traveling through scenes embellished by the hand of art. The
flowers, so fragile, so delicate, and so ornamental, seem to have been tastefully disposed to adorn the scene.
In the summer, the prairie is covered with long, coarse grass, which soon assumes
a golden hue, and waves in the wind like a fullv ripe harvest. The prairie- rass
never attains its highest growth in the richest soil; But in low, wet, or marshyland,
where the substratum of clay lies near the surface, the center or main stemin of the
rass-that which bears the seed-shoots up to the hight of eight and ten feet,
throwing out loner, coarse leaves or blades. But on the rich, undulating prairies,
the grass is finer, with less of stalk and a greater profusion of leaves. The roots
pread and interweave, forming a compact, even sod, and the blades expand into a
close, thick rass, which is seldom more than eighteen inches high, until late in
the season, when the seed-hearing stemin shoots ulp. The first coat is mingled with
mall flowers-the violet, the bloom of the wild strawberry, and various others, of
the niost minute and delicate texture. As the grass increases in hight, these
unaller flowers disappear, and others, taller and more gaudy, display their brilliant
~olors upon the green surface; and still later, a larger and coarser succession arises
w%ith the rising tide of verdure. It is impossible to conceive a more infinite diversity,
9r a richer profusion of hues,'from griave to gay,' than graces the beautiful carpet
:f green throughout the entire season of sumniier.
"T'he autumnal months, in Iow., ire almost invariably clear, warm, and dry.
Fhe immense mass of vegetation with which tais fertile prairie soil loads itself
luring the summer ix slud(enly witliered, and the whole earth is covered with comb)ustible niaterii,.ls. This is especially true of those portions where grass grows
fromn two to ten feet high, and is exposed to sun and wind, becoming thoroughly
dried. A sin(le spark of ire. fllire. upon the prairie at such a time, instantly
kindles a blaze that spreads on every side, and continues its destructive course as
ion,, as it finds fuel. These fires sweep along with great power and rapidity, and
f equently extend across a wide prairie and advance in a long line. No sight can
be more sublime than a stream of fire, beheld at nilght, several miles in breadth,
advanceing across the plains, leaving behind it a background of dense black smoke,
throwing before it a vivid glare, which lights up the whole landscape for miles
Nithl the brilliancy of noonday. The progress of the fire is so slow, and the heat
no intense, that every combustible in its course is consumed. The roots of the
prairie-grass, and several species of flowers, however, by some peculiar adaptation
:f nature, are spared."
The winters on the prairie are often terrible. Exposed to the full sweep of the
icy winds that come rushing down from the Rocky Mountains, without a sing(le
obstruction, the unlucky traveler that is caught, unprotected by sufficient clothing,
is in imminent danger of perishing before the icy blast. December and January
zf the winter of lS1856-7, were unprecedentedly stormy and cold in western lowa.
A writer for one of the public prints, who passed that winter on the western frontier of this state, gives this vivid picture of the sufferings of the frontier settlers,
his communication being dated at "Jefferson's Grove, fifty miles from a postoflice."
"Once the mercury has been 30 deg. below zero, twice 24 deg., several times 16
deg., and more than seven eighths of the time at some point below zero. Only two
days in the whole two months has it been above the freezing point.
We have had four fierce snow storms, in which one could not see an object four
rods distant, and I doubt if such storms can be excelled in fury in any of the hyperborean regions. Everybody was compelled to keep within doors; cattle were
!riven before the driving snow until they found refiuge in the groves; and most of
.he houses, within doors, were thoroughly sifted with snow. But I will relate a
few instances of frontier hardships.
Fortv miles above here, at the very margin of the settlement, a family was caught
by the first snow storm, almost without firewood and food. In the morning the
husband madle a fire, and leaving to seek for assistance from his nearest neighlbors,
distant six miles, directed his family to make one moire fire, and then retire to bed,
mrnd there remain until he returned; they did so. After excessive hardships, ho
397
returned on the second day, with some friends, and conveyed his wife and little
children, on hand-sleds through the deep snow, to their kind neighbors.
Last summer five families ventured across a fifty mile prairie, uninhabited, of
course, and commenced im,akin, farms on a small stream, very spareely timbered,
calleld )(:yer tRiver.'I'he early firost nipped their late corn, and left them without food. Seven of the men of this little detached settlement, started in the
Fill for Fort Des:Moines, distant one hundred and fifty miles, to procure provisi)rns and other necessaiie(s. W,lhen on their return, fifty miles fromn Fort Des
ie, on the North Koon ltivecr, they were overtaken by the severe snowstoirm
that (oixiienced on the first dtvt of Decemiber and raged for forty eight hours.
''hoy then hilted, constructed. sleds, and stairted for their frimilies, one hundred
miles distant, across a trickles. prairie.'I'Iley sufered terribly, and one of them
perishet with the cold."
State Capitol, Des Moines.
Des Mloi?ies, which became in 1855 the capital of Iowa, is at the head of
steamboat navigation on Des MIoines River, in the geographical center of the
state, about 170 miles west of Divenport, and 14f0 eastward of Council Bluffs.
The line of' the Mississippi and 3Iissoui'i RPaiload passes through the city,
as also will several others in contemi:lati(-)n. The city is situated at the con
fluence of Raccoon River with the Des Moiiines, the two streams unitiuer near
the corporation limits. The scenery at this point is beautiful: a smooth valley, rising on all sides, by successive benchles, back to the gently sloping
hills, which finally attain a hight of about 200 feet.
This spot was the council ground of the Indians. It was afterward the
site of Fort Des Moines, selected by the officers of the U. S. army, on which
barracks and defenses were erected. Most of the town is laid out with wide
streets. On the elevations are beautiful building sites, commnanding views
of all the central town, of both rivers, and of the faces of most of the other
hills, with their residences. On the summit of one of the hills is the present state house, and the square set apart for the permanent capitol. Some
6 or 7 churches are already erected, and 3 newspapers are printed. Population about 5,000.
398
IOWA.
IOWA.
5IUSCATINE, the county seat of Muscatine county, is situated 100 miles
above Keokuk, and 32 below Davenport. Commencing at the Upper Rapids,
the Mississippi runs in a westerly direction until it strikes a series of rocky
bluffs, bv which its course is turned due south. At this bend, and on the
summit of the bluffs, is situated the city of Muscatine, which is reiularly
IVe3tefrn view of I[iscatiie.
laid out, with fine, wide streets, Iavi), several elegant buildings. It is a
shipl,iag point for a very great amount of produce raised in the adjoining
counties. Wlhen the various railroads are completed which are to run in
various directions from this point, Muscatine will have added to her natural
advant:o'es fine facilities for communication with every part of the country.
.,ILsltin e was first settled by the whites in 1836, previous to which time
it was an Indian trading post, known by the name of Manathelc(a. Afterward it was called Blooniington. Population in 1860, 5,324.
Co(lecil Bltffs City, the county seat of Pottawatomie county, is near the
geographical center of the United States. on the east side of the Missouri
River, about 140 miles westward of Des Moines, the capital of the state,
nearly opposite Omaha City, the capital of Nebraska, about 300 miles above
Leavenworth City, and 685 above St. Louis. It is built on a beautifil extended plain. It has a number of fine stores, and many elegant private
buildings. This is a flourishing place, and here a portion of the emigrants
for the far west procure their oatfits. It was for a long time an important
point in overland travel to California, being the last civilized settlement before entering the Indian country. Four important railroads from the east
are projected directly to this place, some of which are fast progressing to
completion. The first one finished will be the Mississippi and Missouri,
which, comniencing at Davenport, already extends to beyond Iowa City.
Population about 5,000.
A gentleman, who was at Council Bluffs in 1860, gives these valuable
items upon the history of the town, and the condition and resources of the
country:
The growth of Council Bluffs has been rapid within the last six years, and it
still retains, as it is likely to retain, the position of the most important city of
western Iowa. This point was formerly known as Kaniesville, and was for about
399
three years-from 1846 to 1849-the residence of the MAormon hosts of Brigham
-Young, in his celebrated march to the great Salt Lake valley. After the Aormnons
were driven from Nauvoo, they determined to build up a kingdom to themselves in
the far west. They departed, but upon reaching the borders of the great plains
they found they had not the number of cattle and horses, nor the provisions that
were indispensable for so long and so distant a journey; so they selected a romantic and wooded valley, adjoining the great bottoms of the Missouri, for their temporary home. Timber was plenty, and with it they soon constructed log houses
for fifteen thousand people. They inclosed several hundred acres of the rich and
easily cultivated Missouri bottoms, and planted them with corn. Their cattle, fed
on these fine pastures, increased in numbers rapidly. They raised large amounts
of corn-for these fanatics are hard working, industrious men and women. In
three years they found themselves so prosperous that they resumed their journey,
and in due time found themselves at their destination in the "Iloly Valley," at the
Great Salt Lake.
As the Mormons left, other settlers came in. The name was changed to Council
Bluffs. This cognomen had been given by Lewis and Clarke, a long time before,
to a point on the Missouri, several miles above the present town. it had become
a historical name, and it was wise in the new-comers to appropriate it to their use.
So much for the early history of this place. The Mormon town was built in a very
pleasant valley, that opens upon the great Missouri bottom from the north-east. ]t
is four miles from the base of the hills, which are several hundred feet high, and
very abrupt, to the river. The log houses left by the Mormons were used by the
early settlers, aud many of them are yet standing.
But it soon became manifest that the business part of the future city must be on
the great plain or bottom, and out of the bluffs. And so the result has shown.
The best part of the city is on the plain, though the finest places for residences are
en the delightful slopes and hillsides of the valleys, which now constitute the upper
town.
The view from the high blulffs back of the city is very commanding and b)eautiful. From the top of one of these hills one can see six risinu cities in the far distance-Omaha, Saratoga, Florence, Bellevue, St. Marys, and iPacific City. At the
foot of these bluffs the Missouri bottom extends four miles to the west, to Omiaha,
and to the south and north as far as the eye can reach. The bottoms are from four
to ten miles in width, and are mostly dry and most fertile lands. Strips of timber
abound. The bluffs facing the bottom are generally naked, and very abrupt. The
eastern man will again and again wonder how the earth can be made to remain in
such fantastic and sharply pointed shapes for centuries, as he finds them here.
Back of the first range of bluffs, the country is covered with timber for some miles,
when the rolling and open prairie becomes the leading feature for hundreds of
miles, and indeed across the state of Iowa to the Mississippi River.
Council Bluffs claims a population of 5,000, but the usual deduction must be
made. It has passed through the usual process of rapid and extended inflation,
and consequent collapse and almost suspension of vitality. The paper part of the
city embraces territory enough for a quarter of a million of people. The extensive and rich bottoms, instead of being cultivated as farms, are all staked off into
city lots; and in years past, large numbers of them were sold to speculators. So
crazy did these people become, that one man bought a quarter section of this bottom land, two miles from the present town, and gave his notes for sixty thottsand
dollars for the same. He collapsed, of course, as the crash of 1857 brought his
air castle to the ground; and he can not now sell his land for twenty dollars per
acre. Here is another large four story monument of folly in the shape of a brick
hotel, some half a mile out from the present business part of the city. A man by
the name of Andrews had sold out shares in Florence for large sums. lie had
realized about thirty thousand dollars in hard cash. lie became giddy, bought a
tract adjoining Council Bluffs, laid it off into city lots; and, to show his faith and
to sell his lots, he erected this large and costly hotel. But it was never comnpleted.
The crash also caught him unprepared, and he went under, with thllousarlnds of
others. Lis hotel is roofed, but not finished; and it looks the wreck it is, of the
~;ast inflation which culminated and exploded three years ago.
IOWA.
400
IOWA.
Still there are many evidences of substantial prosperity in Council Bluffs. Sev.
eral brick blocks of stores would do credit to older towns, an,t they are well filled
with stocks of goods, and held by s ulstantial, intelligent business inen.'The b)usness portion is minainly on the plain, and is extending, fromi the base of the bluffis
toward the river. T'he present steamboat landing is about four mIiles froml the
town, and directly south of it. Council Bluffs has the Kanesville land office,
whiere a large portion of the lands of western Iowa has been sold.
IOWA CITY, the first capital of the state of Iowa, is on the left bank of
Iowa River, in Johnson county, 55 miles fiom Davenport, by the Mlississippi
and Missouri Railroad,
in the midst of one of
the most beautiful and
__2 _____~ ~ thriving of aoricultural
in 1860, 5,214.
____~~~~~~~~~~~ e_ region 1.Population
-W -~~ a Annexed we present
— ~~~ -a sketch from a corres pondent, giviniig a his tory of the city and of
the University situated
in it, w hich gives pro raise of g iecat usel'ul iess to the future of
Iowa:'
In 1n838, Congress pass pned an ict to divide the
Terr it(ry of Winsconsin,
I'hese commissioners selectead fh iene cuidlylua('t,onm the']easitbank
' the IC>X~~~t.I Ris,of Iowa out of tl at part
ppr()y31iated ~ ~ ~ $9))0 Io;h rcinofteCptl nd fium thq e Il rlleirither
which lay to t he west of
t h e Mississippi River.
s_____~~~The griovernoe r o f t he ne w
l,, l,inaterritm)ry under the or A' firs~~~~~~~~ganic act, fixed the seat
of government at Bur lington. On the 21st of
STATE UNIVSI TY. January followig, the
Tlage building on t he right was origina lly the firs t Sta te C,pitol. territorial legislature ap pointed commissioners to
loc.te the seat of government and superintend the erection of public buildlings.
These commissioners selected the site now occupied by Iowa City, on the e ast bank
}f the I owa Rive r, about 50 mil e s west of the Mississip pi River. Congress had
appr()piiated $20,000 f'r the erection of the capitol, and subsequently u raiited the
section of land on which the capitol was to be erected. The corner stone of the
l,ui!(ltn, was laid on the 4th of July.,1839. The proceeds of the sale of lots on
the section granted b~y congress, defrryed the main part of the expense of the
T,ree tion. The first session of the legislature was held in Iowa City, in I)ecember,
1841, in a temporary building the capitol not being yet finished.'The building was
'irst occupied by the legislature in 1844.
The location of the capital soon collected a considerable population in Iowa
v.ity. When the city was first laid out, there was but one log cabin on the,rmund.
At the end of a single year, the number or inhabitants was seven hundredl, and it
:.ontinued steadily to increase. In 1852, the population was 3,500. The opening
,f the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, fromii Davenport as far as iowa City, in
1854, and the rush of emigration into the state, gave a new impetus to the city.
26
401
In 1857 the population had increased to 8,000, and all kinds of business were exceedingly active and profitable. But the monetary crisis of 1857 put a stop to its
prosperity, and since that time has diminished rather than increased, and in 1860
was only about 7,000. In 1856, the capital was removed from Iowa City to Des
Moines, and permanently fixed there by the new constitution of the state, adopted
in January, ] 860.
When the scat of government was removed to Des Moines, the state house in
Iowa City was given by the legislature to the State University, together with the
10 acres of land on which it stands. The State University has for its foundation
72 sections of land, granted by congress for the endowment of a university. In
1847, the state legislature passed a law organizing the University, and appointing
trustees to manage its concerns, put the inistitution did not go into operation till
1855. At that time a chancellor and several professors were appointed, and the
University was opened in a building hired by the trustees for that purpose. The
year following a part of the state house was occupied by the preparatory department, and as lecture rooms for the professors. The bluilding, however, was in a
bad condition, and required fitting up in order to suit thie purposes of an institution of learning. The city was full of people, and accommodations for students
could not be easily procured, and in 1857, the pecuniary embarrassments of the
country preventing the collection of the interest on the funds, the trustees saw fit
to close the University for a time-this took place in the summer of 1858. By the
new constitution of the state, adopted in 1857, a board of education was created,
whose duty it was to take the entire charge of the educational institutions of the
state. This board at their first meeting, in December, 1858, passed a law reorganizing the University, appointing a new board of trustees, with the understanding
that the institution should be reopened as early as practicable. In October, 1859,
they appointed the Rev Silas Totten, 1).D., L.L.D., president of the University, and
in June following, proceeded to fill the professorships of mathematics, languages,
philosophy and chemistry, and natural history. On the 19th of October, the University was reopened under the newv organization.
In the session of 1858, the legislature granted $13,000 to the University, for repairs on the state house, and for the erection of another building for the residence
of students. A new roof was put upon the state house, and the other building begun and the exterior completed.
A further grant of $10,000 was made in 1860, $5,000 to be expended on the old
building and in the purchase of philosophical and chemical apparatus, and the
remainder upon the new building. The repairs and alterations of the state house
have been completed, and it is now both an elegant and commodious building for
the purposes of a university. It is built of cream colored limestone, and is 120
feet long by 60 broad, and two stories high, with a basement. The walls are of
massive cut stone, and the rooms are spacious and lofty. The original cost of the
building was $160,000. It contains the chapel, library, cabinet, five lecture rooms,
a room occupied by the State Historical Society, and a spacious entrance hall, surmounted by a dome. The other building is of pressed brick, 105 feet by 45, three
stories high, and when finished will accommodate about 100 students. The buildings are situated on a ridge of land, the highest in the city, in the middle of a
park of ten acres, which contains many fine old oak trees in a very flourishing condition. The site is beautiful, overlooking the valley of the Iowa River on the west
and the city on the east, while from the top of the dome may be seen a vast ex.
tent of rolling country, prairie and woodland, spread out on every side.
The University has now all the requisites for a first class institution of learning.
It has a choice library of 1,500 volumes, quite an extensive mineralogical cabinet,
and a very complete philosophical and chemical apparatus. Provision has been
made for the increase of the library and cabinet.
Fort Dodge, the county seat of Webster county, is beautifully situated on
a platform of prairie land, on the east side of Des Moines River, on the line
of the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad. Building was commenced here in
402
IOWA.
IOWA.
the fall of 1855. Several fine brick buildings and business-houses have been
erected. Bituminous coal and iron ore, of a superior quality, are found in
great abundance in the immediate vicinity.
Sioux City, Woodbury county, a new settlement at the confluence of the
Big Sioux River, about 230 miles above Council Bluffs, is well situated on
a high bank, and is the last place of importance on the Missouri.
Fort Mladison, the county seat of Lee county, is a flourishing town. It
contains the state-prison, and 4000 inhabitants. A fortification was built
here in 1808, as a defense against the Indians, who obliged the garrison to
abandon it. In the war of 1812, the fort was twice attacked by the Indians.
In November, 1813, it was evacuated and the buildings burnt, as the contractor failed to furnish the garrison with provisions.
Grianell is in Powesheik county, 115 miles from Davenport, by the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, is a fine town, and noted as the seat of Iowa
College.
There are in the state many small, city-like towns, as: Keosavuua, in Van
Buren co.; Lyons, in Clinton; Cedar Rapids, in Linn; Oskaloosa, in Mahaska; Cedar Falls, in Black Hawk, and Mlount Pleasant, in Henry. At
tLe last nanled is the State Insane Asylum and the Wesleyan University
and about 6000 inhabitants.
MISCELLANIES.
UNITED STATES LAND SYSTEM.
All the lands belongiing to the United States, within the new states and territories,
are surveyed and sold under one general system, which, from its simplicity, has
been of incalculable benefit in the settlement of the west. This admirable system of
surveys of lands by townships and ranges, was first adopted by Oliver Phelps, an extensive landholder in Genesee county, N.Y., who opened aland office at Canandaigua,
in 1789. His was the model which was adopted for surveying all the new lands in
the United States. Col. Jared Mansfield, appointed surveyor general of the United
States for the North-western Territory, by Jefferson, in 1802, applied the system
,he government lands, and greatly improved it. In brief it is this:
"Meridian lines are established and surveyed in a line due north from some
given point-generally from some important
water-course. These are intersected at right
6) 5 1 4 3 2 1 angles with a base line. On the meridians,
the "townships" are numbered north and
7 8 9 10 11 12 south from the base lines; and, on the base
- lines, " anges" east or west of the meridian.
1 8 1 7 16 1 5 1 4 ] 3 Township lines are then run, at a distance of
___ __ ___ _ -- -- six miles, parallel to the meridian and base
19 20!21 22 23 24 lines. Each township contains an area of 36
square miles; each square mile is termed a
30 2 9 28 27 2 6 2 5 section, and contains 640 acres. The sections
- -__ —- 9 _ are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the
31 32 33 134 35 136 north-east corner of the township, as the an = -_- nexed diagram illustrates.
When surveyed, the lands are offered for
ale at public auction, but can not be disposed of at a less. price than one dollar
-nd twenty-five cents per acre. That portion not sold at public auction is subject to
.rivate entry at any time, for the above price, payable in cash at the time of entry
403
-1
Pre-emIlion rights give the improver or possessor the privilege of purchasing at
the minimum price."
By a wise provision of the law of the United States, every 16th section in each
township is appropriated for the support of public schools. This is one thirty
sixth of all the public lands, and in a state of 36,000 square miles would give one
thousand to this object.
Previous to the adoption of this system of surveying the public-lands, great confusion existed for the want of a general, uniform plan, and in consequence titles
often conflicted with each other, and, in many cases, several grants covered the
same premises, leading very frequently to litigation most perplexing and almost
interminable. Now, the precise boundaries of any piece of land can be given in
a very few lines; and, in a moment, found on the maps in the government land
offices, or, if the land has been sold to individuals, in the recorder's office in the
county in which it may be situated, and where it is entered for taxation. The
land itself can be easily found by the permanent corner posts at each corner of
the sections.
The form of description of government lands is thus shown by this example:
"North-East Quarter of Section No. 23; in Township No. 26 of Range No. 4,
West of Meridian Line, in White Co., Ind., and containing 160 acres." It is usual
to abridge such descriptions, thus: "N.E. i S. 23, T. 26, RI. 4 W., in White Co.,
Ind., & cont'g 160 A."
The state institutions and principal educational institutions of Iowa are
located as follows: the State University, Iowa City, and its Medical Department at Keokuk; State Agricultural College, on a farm in Story
county; the Blind Asylum, in Vinton, Benton county; Deaf and Dumb
Asylum, Iowa City; Insane Asylum, Mount Pleasant; the Penitentiary,
Fort Madison; State Historical Society, Iowa City; Iowa Orphan Asylum,
Farmington, Van Buren county. Among educational institutions are: the
Iowa College, at Grinnell; Bishop Lee Female Seminary, at Dubuque;
Cornell College, at Mount Vernon; Upper Iowa University at Fayette;
Iowa Wesleyan University, at Mount Pleasant; and Indianola Male and
Female Seminary, at Indianola.
404
IOWA.
MISSOURI.
MIrssoufr was originally included in the limits of Louisiana, purchased
of the French government in 1803. The first Europeans who visited any
part of its territory appear to have
been Marquette and Joliet, the
, - - -- A -> 4 Z,\French missionaries from Canada,
_~ ~ v ~ A ~ ~'~ who sailed down the Mississippi in
1673. This river was more fully ex /~' —:~....-'" \ plored by La Salle, in 1682, who de clared all the region between the Il /~ /k.:;''linois country and the Gulf of Mex;:.....;~;~~~<,;_m ico to be an appendage of France.
_ c;: ffi ~,> From this period, settlements began
'\SE~~f')i9 / ~chain of fortifications, extending from
the lakes to the gulf. Among these
.~- _ ~j~ was Fort Orleans, built in 1719, near
the mouth of the Osage, not far from
ARM* OF.the site of Jefferson City.
3[oTTo-,7.poei)sT1),ema Ie. elt-Let the prop. The settlements in the Mississippi
erty of the people, be the supreme law. i
valley were made advancing from its
northern and southern extremities into the interior. Missouri being in the
central part, its progress was slow. Its lead mines were worked as early as
1720. St. Genevieve, the oldest town, was founded in 1755; St. Louis in
1764: other settlements followed in quick succession. During the progress
of the contest between France and Great Britain, many of the Canadian
French enmi,rated by way of the lakes, and going southward, located themselves in both Upper and Lower Louisiana. These emigrants gave the first
important impulse to the colonization of Missouri.
After the conquest of Canada, in 1763, the jurisdiction of the Mississippi
passed from France to Great Britain and Spain, the Mississippi River being
the dividing line between the possessions of the two latter powers. The
whole population of Spanish Louisiana, north and south. at the time of the
public transfer, in 1769, is stated to have been 18,840 persons, of whom 5,556
were whites, and the remainder negroes. A river trade had sprung up be 405
tween the northern and southern part of the province, and the exports at
this period amounted to $250,000 annually. The laws of Spain were now
extended over this part of Louisiana, and the character of the new government was conciliating. The highest tribunal in Upper Louisiana, which comprised Missouri within its limits, was that of the lieutenant governor, the
governor having jurisdiction in the lower province. The commandants of
the various posts in the provinces held inferior tribunals. Lands were
granted liberally to colonists, and great facilities were given to settlers.
Many emigrants from Spain now came into the country.
In 1763, Mr. Laclede, the head of a mercantile company, who had obtained a monopoly of the Indian and fur trade on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, left New Orleans on an expedition to form establishments, and
open a commerce with the natives. Having left his stores at Fort Chartres,
on the Kaskaskias, Laclede proceeded up the river to the bluff, where St.
Louis now stands. Pleased with the situation, he determined to make it the
central place of the company's operations. Laclede was accompanied by
Augustc and Pierre Choteau, two young Creoles of New Orleans, of high
respectability and intelligence. In 1764, Auguste, the elder of the two
brothers, commenced the first buildings in St. Louis. These brothers becamne
at this place the heads of numerous families, whose name became a passport
that commanded safety and hospitality among the Indian nations in the
United States, north and west.
At the commencement of the American revolution, in 1775, St. Louis,
originally a depot for the fur trade; had increased to a population of about
80()0, and St. Genevieve to about half that number. In 1780, a body of Englishl and Indians, 1,540 strong, from Michillimackinac and the southern extremlity of Lake Michigan, attacked St. Louis. During the siege, which lasted
about a week, some sixty persons were killed in the town and vicinity. While
the fate of the garrison remained in great uncertainty, the timely arrival of
Gen. Clarke, from Kentucky, turned the tide of fortune against the enemy.
The general peace of 1783, put an end to hostilities. Spain retained her
previous possessions, Great Britain resigned East Louisiana, called also the
',Illinois Country," to the United States, retaining only Canada and other
possessions at the north.
On the restoration of peace, the settlers in the western part of the United
States, to some extent, emigrated and built their cabins on the western or
Spanish side of the Mississippi. Difficulties, as might have been expected,
soon arose between Spain and the United States. A dispute relative to the
navigation of the Mississippi occurred in 1795, when, by treaty, Spain
granted to the United States free navigation of that river. But Spain did
not act up to the spirit of her agreement, and threw obstacles in the way
of the Americans navigating that stream. An open warfare seems to have
been only prevented by the cession of Louisiana to France, in 1801, who
transferred it to the United States in 1803, being purchased of the French
government for fifteen millions of dollars.
The new purchase was immediately divided into the "Territory of Orleans"
(since the state of Louisiana), and the "District of Louisiana," erected in
1805 into a territorial government, administered by a governor and judges.
under the title of "Territory of Louisiana," having four districts, St. Charles.
St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, New Madrid and Arkansas. When the present
state of Louisiana came into the Union, in 1812, the name of this territory
was changed to "Missouri Territory." The territory extended from latitude
406
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI.
33~ to 41~ N. The government now beca'ne representative, and the first
governor under the new government was William Clarke. The legislature
consisted of a council of nine members, appointed by the president, and a
house of representatives, one member for every 500 free white males, elected
by the people.
The limits of the Missouri Territory. on the west, were g,radually extended
by treaties with the Indians. "People from the western states began to miove
in from the time of the purchase, so that in 1810, the population numbered
20,845, of whomi all, but about 1,500 belonging to Arkansas, were settled
within the present limits of Missouri. The French settlements were now
overrun by Americans, from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, etc., and American
habits, usages, laws, and institutions soon became prevalent. The original
settlers were quickly merged and almost lost among the later and more active
population, until at length the whole became a homogeneous people. Immigration was so rapid, that in 1817, the territory contained 60,000 souls. In
1817, application was made by the assembly to congress, for authority to
frame a state constitution, preliminary to admission into the Ujnion. A fierce
and stormiy debate arose at once on the subject in congress. A powerful
party demanded that the new state should exclude slavery by their constitution. The discussion raged fbr two years, threatening to tear the Union
asunder; at length, however. the debate was stopped by the passage of the
compromise resolutions of MIr. Clay, by which it was agreed that the institution of slavery should be recognized in Missouri, but in no other new state
north of latitude 36~ 30'. The state constitution, somewhat modified since
its acdoption, was firamed by a convention of forty delegates, which met at
St. Louis, on the 12th of June, 1820, and waIs adopted on the 19th July followin,. The new state was found, by a census taken the same year, to contain a population of 66.586, of whom 10,222 were slaves."*
The north-western boundary of the'Missouri was enlarged in the session
of congress of 1836-7, by the addition of a wedge-shlaped piece of territory, measuring on the east side about 104 miles long, north and south, and
about 60 miles wide on the north end, and bounded on the west by the Missouri River. This territory is now comprised in the six counties of Platte,
Buchanan, Andrew, Atchison, Nodaway, and Holt, and contains over three
thousand square miles. Although this acquisition was in opposition to the
terms of the Missouri Compromise, it appears to have been acquiesced in
with little or no opposition firom any source. It had its justification in a
better and more natural boundary, the Missouri River: and the country being
of remarkable fertility, became filled with a wealthy and thriving population.
Since the establishment of the state government, there has been to the
present time a constant tide of emigration into Missouri, from the southern,
western atid northern states, and, to some extent, from Europe. Agriculture
and commerce have flourished to a great extent. The manufacturing interests are considerable, and its extraordinary mineral wealth, is beginning
to be appreciated. Many of the Mormons, previous to their location at Nauvoo, emigrated to the north-western section of the state, where they caused
much difficulty, in Ray county, in which some were killed and wounded. In
1838, the governor of the state issued an order, or proclamation, for the expulsion of the Mormons. After the repeal of the "Missouri Compromise,"
* Fisher's Gazetteer of the United States.
407
in 1854, the western border of the state became the theater of much excitement and many hostile demonstrations, arising from the contest between the
free state men, who had emigrated into the adjoining Territory of Kansas,
and the pro-slavery party, principally from the western border of Missouri,
who were, by their opponents, termed "border ruffians." During the struggle for ascendency, many outrages were committed, and many lives lost on
both sides. Of late years, a political contest has sprung up between the
emancipation and pro-slavery parties in this state, the final result of which
remains to be seen.
Missouri is bounded N. by Iowa, E. by the Mississippi River, S. by Arkansas, and W. by Kansas, Nebraska, and the Indian territory. It is situated between 36~ and 40~ 36' N. Lat., and between 89~ and 95~ 36' W.
Long. It is 287 miles long and 230 broad, containing upward of 65,000
square miles, nearly equaling in extent the six New England states together,
and more than doubling them all in agricultural capacity. The surface of
Missouri is quite varied. Alluvial, or bottom lands, are found on the margins of the rivers. In the interior, bottoms and barrens, naked hills and
prairies, heavy forests and streams of water, may be often seen in one view.
In the south-east part, near the Mississippi and south of Cape Girardeau, is
an extensive marsh, reaching into Arkansas, and comprising an are:[ nearly
equal to the entire state of Connecticut. Back of this is a hilly country,
rich in minerals, which extends to Osage River. One of the richest coal
fields in the Union occupies the greater part of the state north of the Osage
River, and extending nearly to the Iowa line. The coal is bituminous and
much of it cannel.'he great cannel coal bed in Calloway county, is the
largest body of cannel coal known: in places it is 75 feet thick. On distillation, it yields excellent coke, and a gas that, being destitute of sulphur,
burns with a bright and beautiful flame. The lead region is at an a-verage
distance of seventy miles firom St. Louis, and covers an area of 3O,000 square
miles. While in Wisconsin the lead does not extend 100 feet in depth, the
lead veins of Missouri extend, in places, more than 1,000 feet. The mineral
region contains 216 localities of lead ore, 90 of iron, and 25 of copper. The
state abounds in iron; in fact, no country in the world contains so. much of
this useful ore as Missouri; and her general mineral wealth is enorinous, in
coal, iron, copper, lead, etc. Minerals of the non-metallic kind are also
abundant, limestone, sandstone, porphyries, gypsumi, sienite, porcelain, pipe
and variegated clays.
The country north of thle Missouri, and that which adjoins Kansas, has
been termed the garden of the west. In most places it has a beautiful, undulating surface, sometimes rising into picturesque hills, then stretching into
a sea of prairie, interspersed with shady groves and streams of water.
Missouri possesses very great facilities for internal intercourse by water,
having the navigation of the two greatest rivers in the United States, if not
in the world. By means of the Mississippi River, forming her eastern boundaiy, she has comnmeree with the most northern territory of the Union, with
the whole valley of the Ohio, some of the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of
MIexico; by the Missouri, which passes through the central part of the state,
she can extend her commercial intercourse to the Rocky Mountains. The
climate is variable, in winter the streams are sometimes frozen so as to admit
the passage of heavy loaded vehicles; the sunmmers are very hot, but the air is
dry and pure, and the climate may be classed amiong those most favorable to
health. The soil of the state, speaking generally, is good and of great agri
408
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI
cultural capabilities, particularly the bottom lands, borderin- the r ivelrs.
The principal agricultural staples are Indian corn and hemnp. The souitheil
highlands are finely adapted to the culture of the grape. In 1810, the po)pulation was less than 20,000; in 1830, in was 140,000; in 1850, 6S'2,244, of
whom 87,422 were slaves; in 1860, 1173,317, including 114,965 slaves.
Cental i rpart of the Levee, at St. Lo,is.
The view was taken from Bloody Island, near the Railr'ad Depot, on the Illinois side of the Miissssippi,
and showls the steamboats lying at the Levee, ins the vicinity of tile Custom Ho,ise, and the Court House,
the uipper portion of which is seen in the distance. The river fropt here, for a long distance, is generally
crow(led with steamers, lying abreast of each other, in tiers of three and four deep, indicating the extraordinary comiimerce of the city.
ST. LoI,rs, the commercial capital of Missouri, and of the great central
valley of the Mississippi, is situated on the W. bank of the Mississippi, 18
miles below the junction of the Missouri. It is in 38~ 37' 28" N. Lat., and
90~ 15' 16" WAV. Long., about 1,200 miles above New Orleans, 340 from Cincinnati, 822 from St. Paul, 274 from Louisville, Ky., 180 above Cairo, and 125
from Jefferson City, the capital of the state. The compact part of the city
stretches about three miles along the river, and two miles back. The site
rises from the river into two limestone elevations, the first, twenty, and the
second forty feet above the ordinary floods of the Mississippi. The ascent
to the first is rather abrupt, the second rises more gradually, and spreads out
into an extensive plain. The city is well laid out, the streets being for the
most part 60 feet wide, and, with few exceptions cross each other at right
angles. Front-street, which extends along the levee, is upward of 100 feet
broad, built upon the side facing the river with a massive range of stone warehouses, which make an imposing appearance. The population of St. Louis
409
in 1840, was 16,469; in 1850, 82,774; and in 1860, 162,179. About one
third of the inhabitants are natives of Germany or their descendants.
St. Louis is sometimes fancifully called the ".fMound Cify," from a great
mnound, at the base of which it was first settled, and which is said by the Indians to have been the burial place of their ancestors for centuries.
The natural advantages which St. Louis enjoys, as a commnercial emporium,
are probably equal to any inland port in the world. Situated midway between two oceans, and near the geographical center of the finest agricultural
and mineral region of the globe, almost at the very focus toward which converge the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Ohio, and the Illinois Rivers, she
seems destined to be the great receiving and distributing depot for a vast region of country. It is now, next to New Orleans, the principal port on the
Mississippi, and among the western cities is the rival to Cincinnati in population and wealth. "In a circuit of less than 90 miles from the city, iron,
coal, lead, and probably copper, are sufficiently abundant to supply the Union
for indefinite ages, and of this region St. Louis is the only outlet. The manufactures of St. Louis embrace a great variety of products. Among the
manufacturing establishments may be mentioned, extensive iron works, flouring mrills, sugar refineries, manufactures of hemp, rope and bagging factories,
tobacco factories, oil mills, etc. The city is supplied with water from the
Mississippi, drawn up by two engines, each of about 350 horse power, and
forced through a 20 inch pipe to the reservoir, located about one mile west,
and capable of holding thirty-two millions of gallons.
Very few cities in the Union have improved more rapidly in the style of
its public buildings, than St. Louis; among these is the magnificent court
house, which occupies a square, presenting a front on four streets: it is constructed of limestone, and erected at an expense of upward of one million
of dollars. The custom house, another noble building, is fire proof, constructed of Missouri marble. The Lindell House is one of the most extensive and beautiful of hotels. The Mercantile Library building is a fine
structure, having one of the best halls in the western states, capable of
seating 2,300 persons. The library connected with the institution consists
of upward of 14,000 volumes. The Library Association, among the curiosities in their possession, have the original model of John Fitch's steam engine, made about the year 1795; it is some two feet high, with a copper
boiler. They also have a marble slab, about seven feet square, from the ruins
of ancient Ninevah, covered with a figure in bas-relief and interesting cuneiform inscriptions. The St. Louis University, under the direction of the Catholics, has a spacious building in the city, with 18 instructors, and about 300
students, and some 15,000 volumes in its libraries. This institution was
founded, in 1829, by members of the Society of Jesus, and was incorporated
by the legislature in 1832. In the museum connected with the University,
is the dagger of Cortez, 14 inches long, the blade consisting of two divisions,
with an apparatus and spring in the hilt for containing and conveying poison.
The Washington University was founded in 1853. The city contains various
other excellent literary institutions: among these are several medical colleges.
There are also hospitals, dispensaries, and other charities, for the medical
care of the destitute. Among the charitable institutions, the most conspicuous are the Protestant and Catholic Orphan Asylums-the first under the
direction of Protestant ladies, and the latter of the Sisters of Charity. The
total value of the taxable property of St. Louis, for 1860, was about 100
millions of dollars.
MISSOURI.
410
The subjoined sketch of the history of St. Louis, is extracted from the
London edition of the work of Abbe Domenech,* the original being in
French:
St. Louis, the Queen of the West, was French by birth; her cradle was suspended in the forest watered by the Mississippi; her childhood was tried by many
privations; and her adolescence was reached amid the terrors inspired by tihe Indian's cry. Her youth, though more caln, was scarcely more happy. Abandoned
by her guardian, the Lion of Castile, she was again claimed by her ancient mother
but only to be forsaken anew. She then passed under the protecting wing of the
American eagle, and became the metropolis of the Empire of the Deserts.
Soltth-easterni view of the C(oitv? tfoiuse, St. Louis.
jHI. d'Abadie, civil and military director-general, and governor of Louisiana, conceded, in 1762, to MAlessrs. Pierre Litgueste, Laclede, Antoine Maxan, and Company,
the monopoly of the fur trade with the lndians of Mississippi and Missouri. M.
Laclede, a man of remarkable intelligence, of an enterprising character, and the
principal chief of the company, immediately prepared an expedition, with a view
of formiing a large establishment in the north-west. On the 3d of August, 1763,
he started from New Orleans, and on the 3d of November following, he reached
St. (-enevieve, situated sixty miles south of where St. Louis is actually built.
At that epoch the French colony, established sixty years before in Illinois, was
in a su,rprisin,g state of prosperity. It had considerably augmented its importance
since I 1732, at which period France was beginning to realize her great conception
of uniting Canada to Louisiana by an extensive line of military posts, that were
';" Seven Years Residence in the Great Deserts of North America, by the Abbe Em
Domenech, Apostolical Missionary, Canon of Montpellier, Member of the Pontificial Academy Tiberina, and of the Geographical and Ethnographical Societies of France, etc.:" in
two volumes.
MISSOURI.
411
to have been supported by forts, the strategic positions of whicli were admirabiy
chosen. But when M. Laclede arrived in the country, Louis XV had already signed
the shameful treaty by which he ceded to England, in a most blamabl-le and inconsiderate manner, one of the finest regions of the globe, the possession of which had
cost nearly a century of efforts, discoveries, and combats. besides enormous sums
of money. By that treaty, which will cover with eternal ignominy the memory of
Louis XV, France yielded up to great Britain the two Canadies, the immense territory of the northern lakes, and the rich states of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Mississippi, and Western Louisiana, as far as the Gulf of Mexico.
The Britannic frontiers, north, west, and south, were then surrounded by that
French race, so antipathetic to the Saxon one. It enveloped them by its power
and its immense territory, by an uinterrupted chain of fertile countries, which extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, following the interminable and rich valley of the Mississippi, which winds round the English possessions like the coiling
serpent whose innumerable folds entwined the Laocoon. Unhappily for France,
the statesmen of her luxurious court were short-sighted in this matter; they did not
know the value of our transatlantic dominions, nor forsee what the future might
do for them. Occupied with miserable palace intrigues, they basely abandoned our
finest Colonies, and merely sought feebly to prolong their agony. Napoleon himself committed a great fault when he ceded Louisiana for fifteen millions. He
thouglht that a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush; but what a bush
he sold for such a sum!I Louisiana, that of herself contains colossal wealth, did
she not give birth to many powerful states by dismembering herself? Did she not
driw towai-~d Texas, K.tnsas, New Mexico, and California? When one thinks of
this great and irireparable loss which Louis XV and Napoleon I caused France to
suflfe, oie can not help sighing at the blindness of that fatal policy, which, for the
sake of passing difficulties, from pusillanimous fear, or from the want of perfect
knowvle 4e of the resources and importance of the colonies, forgets the honor and
interest of the empire it rules.
It w:Ls thus that in the time of M. Laclede, the Mississippi became the natural
)oundar. of the French and English possessions; St. Genevieve was the only
IFrench settlement on the rirht bank of the river, all the others, being on the left,
wer Arcade over to the Englis. After a short sojourn in that village, M. Laclede
explored the country, and discovering, sixty miles more to the north, a table-land
sev(rntv-five feet above the Mississippi, and covered with forests and fertile ground,
he took possession of it and laid the foundation of a town, which he named St.
Ioin s, in the presence of the French officers of the Chartres and of two young
(Creoles, Messrs. Auguste and Pierre Chouteau. We had the satisfaction of seeing
the latter in 1847, during the festival celebrated at St. Louis in honor of Laclede.
Scarcely was the rising colony established, which was augmented by French,
Creole, and Illinois emigrants, who would not remain under the English dominion,
when it was greatly alarmed by the arrival of 400 Indians, who, without being hostile, were nevertheless very troublesome, on account of their continual demands
for provisions and the daily robberies they committed. M. Laclede made all pos.
sible haste to rescue his establishment from the peril that menaced it, and immediatelv acted in a manner that showed his tact and his profound knowledge of the
Indian character. The chieftains having appeared in his presence, addressed him
in these terms:
"We are deserving of pity, for we are like ducks and geese seeking clear water whereon
to rest, as also to find an easy existence. We know of no better place than where we are.
We therefore intend to build our wigwams around your village. We shall be your children,
and you will be our father."
I,acleode put an end to the conversation by promising to give his answer the next
day, which he did in the following manner:
"You told me yesterday that you were like ducks and geese that seek a fair country
wherein to rest and live at ease. You told me that you were worthy of pity; that you had
not found a more favorable spot to establish yourselves in than this one; that you would
build your village around me, and that we could live together as friends. I shalt now answer you as a kind father: and will tell you that, if you imitate the ducks and geese, you
follow improvident guides; for, if they had any forethought, they would not establish
MISSOURI.
412
MISSOURI.
themselves on clear water where they may be perceived by the eagle that will pounce on
them. It would not have been so had they chosen a retired spot well shaded with trees.
You, Missourians, will not be devoured by birds of prey, but by the red men, who have
fought so long against you, and who have already so seriously reduced your number. At
this very moment they are not far from us, watching the English to prevent them from taking possession of their new territories. If they find you here they will slay your warriors
and make your wives and children slaves. This is what will happen to you, if, as you say,
you follow the example of the ducks and geese, instead of listening to the counsels of men
who reflect. Chieftains and warriors, think now, if it is not more prudent for you to go
away quietly rather than to be crushed by your enemies, superior to you in number, in the
presence of your massacred sires, of your wives and children torn to pieces and thrown to
the dogs and vultures. Remember that it is a good father who speaks to you; meditate on
what he has said, and return this evening with your answer."
In the evening the entire tribe of the Missourians presented itself in a body before MI. Laclede, and announced to him that its intention was to follow his advice;
the chiefs then begged of him to have pity on tle women and children, by giving
them some provisions, and a little powder to the warriors. M. Laclede acceded
liberally to their request, and sent them off next day well supplied and happy.
On the 17th of July, 1755, M. de St. Ange de Bellerive resigned the command
of the frontiers to the Eng,lish, and came to St. Louis with his troops and the civic
officers. His arrival favored the definitive organization of the colony; St. Louis
becamne the capital of Upper Louisiana, and M. de St. Ange was appointed governolr of the place. But Louis XV had made, in 1763, another treltv, by which
he ceded to Spain the remainder of our possessions in North America. I] his treaty,
kept secret during a year, completed the measure of humiliations and losses that
France had to endure under such a reign.'Thle official news of it was only received at \'ew Orleans on the 21st of April, 1764, and the consternation it spread
throuIghout Upper and Lower Louisiana was such that the governor, M. d'Al)adie,
died of grief. Serioi disturbances were the consequence, and the tragical events
which took place under the command of Gen. O'Reilly, of san,guinary miiemory
caused the administration of Upper Louisiana to remain in the hands of the Frenchl
for several years. It was only on the 11th of August, 1768, that the Spanish troops
were al)le to take possession of St. Louis for the first time, and even then they could
not hold the position above eleven months. At last, peace being restored, the Spaniards again became masters of all the country in 1770, five years before the death
of IM. de S. Ange, who expired at St. Louis in 1775. aged seventy-six years. M.
Laclede died at the Post of the Arkansas on the 20th of July, 1778, leaving no
children.
In 1780, St. Louis was unsuccessfully attacked by 1,000 Indians and Englishmen, from Michillimackinac, who had received orders to seize upon the town on
account of the part the Spaniards had taken in the war of American independence.
Spain never sought to derive any advantage from the resources of Upper Louisiana: it would seem as if she merely considered that nighty region as a barrier
against the encroachments of her neighbor on her Mexican possessions. This
policy alone can explain her indifference with regard to the government of that
country. When she took possession of all the territory situated to the west of the
Mississippi, she found there a French population already acclimated, civilized, and
inured to fatigues, owing to the long wars it sustained against the English and the
Indians. The prospect of a calm and peaceable existence had assembled this population on the borders of Arkansas, of the Mississippi, and of the Missouri, where
it only awaited a protecting government, to enable it to give to industry and agriculture all possible development. All that Spain had to do was to open markets
for its produce, and for exchanges with the southern colonies. This extensive emaire possessing the largest natural advantages, bounded by the Mississippi, the
Missouri, and the Pacific Ocean, might have, owing to the preponderance that it
could have acquired (as we witness in our days), changed the course of events
which have taken place in Europe since that epoch. France could not aspire to
such power as long as she possessed Canada, but she should have thought of it
when she abandoned that colony. The immense results obtained by the liberal
institutions of the United States show clearly, in the present day, that the loss of
413
Canada would have turned to our advantage and that by developing the produce
of the possessions which we still retained to the west of the Mississippi, " e hould
soon have been aniply compensated for the sacrifices made in 1763, after the taking
of Quebec. Such was the opinion of the intelligent men of France. Turgot, our
celebrated statesman, in particular, foresaw the advantages to be derived from such
a policy, and he even submitted a plan to the king by means of which that vast region he called Equinoctial France, was to become densely populated in a short
tinme. But, as M. Nicollet observes in his essay on the primitive history of St.
Louis, he was treated as a visionary.
W'hat was easy for France was still much more so for Spain; but instead of adopting this simple policy-liberal and grand in its results-Spain contented herself with
isolating the colonists and the Indians of Missouri and of Mississippi, imposing an
arbitrarv government UpOll them, checking all communication between the neighboring populations; establishing restrictions on importation, prohibiting foreign
competition, restricting emig,ration, granting exclusive privileges, and making,
without any conditions, concessions of lands, etc. it is not surprising, then, that
she complains that her colonies cost her more than she realized bv them. Nowhere, either in her laws or in her decrees, is there to be found a plan adopted
with a view of developing the natural and moral resources of these countries. As
the government appeared only to occupy itself with the exigencies of each day, in
like manner the inhabitants did not seem to think of the morrow. The Cireoles of
Upper Louisiana, who were the descendants of a brave and enterprising nation, not
finding in this state of things any support for their physical and moral faculties,
penetrated into the depths of the forests, got amid a multitude of sa,vage tribes
whom they had not heard of before, began to explore the regions situated between
the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, and created the fur trade in that extensive portion of North America. In this way was formed that Mass of intrepid men
called voyageetrs or eilaqes, of whom we have already spoken, and who were as
necessary in the plains of the west as are the Canadian voyagetrs in the frozen
countries of the north and north-west.
Meanwhile America had attained her independence, and France was commencing her revolution, when, all of a sudden, on the 9th of July, 1803, at seven o'clock
in the evening, the inhabitants of St. Louis learned that Spain had re-ceded Louisiana to Nap(oleon, who, in turn had sold it to the United States. We will make no
remark on the profound sensation produced by this unexpected news. We will
merely observe that the colonists could scarcely recover from their astonishment
on hearing that they had become republicans, and seeing a multitude of judges,
lawyers, notaries, tax-gatherers, etc., arriving among them. They were even
less able to understand that liberty which obliged them to leave their homes to
vote at elections, or to serve as jurors. They had allowed civilization to advance
without taking any notice of it. Their existence was so isolated, so simplified, that
they lost sight of the advantages of social life. They possessed no public schools,
and the missionaries, being too few in number, were seldom able to visit or instruct them in their religious duties. The object of their material life did not go
beyond the domestic circle, the virtue and honesty of which were proverbial.
They knew nothing of notaries, lawyers, or judges; and the prison remained eminpty
during thirty years. To give an idea of the simplicity of the Creoles, we can not
do better than relate an incident that took place a few years after the cession of
Louisiana to the United States.
A Creole from Missouri was lounging about a sale of negro slaves on the borders of the Mississippi, in Lower Louisiana. The merchant, who was from Kentucky, asked him if he wished to buy anything: "Yes," replied the Missourian,
"I want a negro." Having made his choice, he inquired the price of the one he
selected. "Five hundred piastres," replied the merchant; "but, according to custom, you have one year to pay." At this proposition the purchaser became embarrassed; the thought of being liable to such a debt during an entire year
annoyed him greatly. "No, no! " said he to the merchant, "I prefer paying you
at once six hundred piastres, and letting the matter be ended." "Very well," said
the ol)liging Kentuckian, "1 will do anything you please to make the affir convenient to you." And the bargain was concluded.
414
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI.
Tho Spanish troops departed from Louisiana on the 3d of Novemnber, 1804
The Amnerican governor, W. H. Harrison, who had the chief command of the In
dian territories of Upper Louisiana, organized the civil and judicial power of that
country; and on the 2d of July, 1805, Gen. James Wilkinson established there,
by order of congress, a territorial government, of which St. Louis was the capital.
Thegreatmilitary event in the annals of St. Louis was the attack upon the
town by the English and Indians from Mackinaw, in 1780. The citizens
had intelligence the previous fall of the contemplated expedition, and thereupon fortified the town with a rude stockade six feet high, made by two rows
of upright palisades, a few feet apart, filled in between with earth. The outline of the stockade described a semi-circle around the place, resting its extremities upon the river, above and below the towie flanked by a small fort
at each extremity. Three gates gave opening to the country in the rear,
each defended by a piece of ordnance, kept well charged. Monette, in his
Hlistory of the Mississippi Valley, gives these particulars:
The British commandant at Michillimackinac,-hearing of the disasters of the British
arms in Florida, conceived the idea of leading an expedition upon his own responsibility
agaiinst the Spanish settlement of St. Louis. Early in the spring he had assembled one
hundried anId forty regular British troops and Canadian Frenchmen, and fourteen hundred
Indian wi.iiriors for the campaign. From the southern extremity of Lake Michiglan this
host of savages, under British leaders, marched across to the Mississippi, and encamped
within a few miles of St. Louis. The town had been fortified for temporary defense, and
the hostile host made a regular Indian investment of the place. Skirmishes and desultory
attacks continued for several days, during which many were killed, and others were taken
captive bv the Indianrs. Much of the stock of cattle and horses belonging to the place
was killed or carried off.
The people at length, believing a general attack was contemplated, and having lost confidence in their commandanit's courtge, or iii his preparations for defense, sent a special request to Col. Clark, then commanding at Kaskaskia, to come to their aid with such force
as he could assemble. Col. Clark immediately made preparation to march to their relief.
Havingi assembled niearlv five hundred men under his command, he marched to the bank
of the Mississippi, a short distance below the town of St. Louis. Here he remained encamped for further observations. On the sixth of May the grand Indian attack was made,
when Col. Clark. crossing the river, marched up to the town to take part in the engagemenit. The sight of the Americains, or the "Long-knives," as they were called, under the
command of the well-known Col. Clark, caused the savages to abandon the attack and
seek safety in flight. They refused to participate in any further hostilities, and reproached
the Bi-itish commandant with duplicity in having assured them that he would march them
to fight the Spaniards onrly, whereas now they were brought against the Spaniards and the
Americanis. They soon afterward abandloned the British standard, and returned to their
towns, near Lakes Superior and Michigan.
An old settler, writing for the Missouri Republican, in 1826, and the St.
Louis Sketch Book, gives these historical items:
A lapse of twenty years has ensued since I first obtained a residence in this rising
town.... It did not, when I first knew it, appear to possess even the germ of the
materials which have since been so successfiilly used in making it the mart of commerce
and the seat of plenty. Then, with some exceptions, it was the residence of the inidolent
trader or trapper, or more desperate adventurers.... Twenty years ago there were
no brick buildings ini St. Louis. The houses were generally of wood, built in a fashion
peculiar to the country, and daubed with mniud. There were, however, some of the better
order, belonging to the first settlers of the town, but whose massive walls of stone were
calculated to excite the wonder of the modern beholder, giving the idea of an arltique
fortress. What was then called Chouteau's Hill, but which lhas since lost that distinctive
appellation, was nothing else than a barren waste, over which the wind whistled in its unobstructed course, if we except only an occasional cumbrous fortification, intended for a defense, and evidencing the poverty of the country in military as in other talent. Then, and
for a long while after, the streets were intolerably bad, resembling the roads in Ohio, where
415
MISSOURI
it is related of a man that his hat was taken from his head just as he was disappearing
forever in the regions of mud.
Tweniity yearis since, and down to a much later period, the commerce of the country, on
the MississiDppi, was carried on in Mackinaw batteaux and keel boats. A voyaige,performed
in one of the latter kind was a fearful undertaking; and the return trip from New Orleaus
vas considered an expeditious olne if made in ninety days. When an increased commerce
tookl plaice, our streets were thronged with voyayeurs, oft' all ages, countries and complexions. They were a source of' constant trouble to a weak and inefficient police, with whom
tl-ey delighted to kick up a row. Deprived, by the introduction of steamboats, of' their
usutl means of living, and like the savage averse to settled life, they have almost entirelv
dis.tppeaied. At the time of which we write, the traveler who made a journey to the
Atla3utic states, did not resolve upon it without mature deliberation... It then required
fr'om thirty to tforty days to trtavel to Philadelphia.... The morals or religion of the
people can not be defined. They had, it is true, vague notions of such things, but they
were of so quiescent a character as to be easily set aside when in opposition to their pleatsure or interest.'I'lhere was but one church, and after a resort to this it was no iunicommnion
thing to pass the remainder of the Sabbath evreiiing in dancing or whist, for St. Louis then
coaitiuned, at most, but a few hundred people."
Previous to the year 1829." says the Sketch Book of St. Louis, "there was no Protestant church in St. Louis, but in that year the first Presbyterian church was built, and
the Rev. Artemas Bullird engaged as the minister... There were places lwhere the
Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Univ ersalists, etc., held divine service, but noue of' them
possessed church edifices until this year.
In 1844, another flood, equaling that which took place in the days of Crustt, visited the
Mississippi. The river rose rapidly ut,til the entire American bottomn was submerged.
Steamboats and all descriptions of water craft were to be seen winding their way through
the woods opposite the city, conveyiIng passengers to and firom the coal hills on the Illinois
shore, a distance of about twelve miles. This flood was very disastrous in its chlaratcter,
almost totally destroying Illilloistown, which had I}ecome a village of several thousand
inhabitants. T'he damage was immense, while not a few lives were lost, thousauds of
hogs, horses, cattle, sheep, fowls, etc., were drowned.' Many who, before the flood, were
in aIffluent circumstances, found themselv es begared. This was a maikled event upon the
trade of St. Louis, and she had scarcely recovered from the effects, when another calamity
befel her. Late in the fall of 1848, that dreadful scourge, the chlolera, made its appeiraice; the approach of cold weather staved in a great measure the rav~ages of disease, but
in the spring it developed itself in full force... The disease now assunmed a more bold
and formidable appearance, and instead of stalking through dirty lanes land filthy lIlleys,
it boldly walked the streets.... Funeral processions crowded every street... The hum
of trade was hushed. The levee was a desert.'
Whenl the disease was raging at its fiercest, the city was doomed to another horror-May
17, 1849, it was burned-fifteen squares were laid in ashes. The fire commenced on the
steamer White Cloud. At the commencement the wind was blowing stiffly, forcing the
boat directly into shore, which circumstance contributed seriously to the marine disaster.
The wind set into the wharf, and although the cables of all the-boatts were hauled in, and
they drifted out into the current, yet theftaminy vessel seemed to outstrip them all in the
speed with which she traveled down stream.... In a short time, perhaps thirty minutes,
twenty-three vessels were burnt.... Fifteen blocks of houses were destroyed and injured, causing a loss of ten millions of dollars. Olivxe-street was the commencement in
the city, and with the exception of one building, the entire space down to Mairket-street
was laid in ruins. The progress of the flames was stayed by blowing up a portion of the
buildings below Market-street with powder: in doing this, although timely warnling was
given, several persons lost their lives."
In July, 1817, came the Gen. Pike, the first steamer which arrived at St. Louis. She
was commanded by Capt. Jacob Reed, and was built on Bear Grass Creek, near Louisville.
In 1847, on the anniversary of the city's birth, a miniature representation of the boat was
exhibited, and became the most curious feature of the celebration, as showing the changes
in steamboat architecture. "This miniature representation was about twenty feet long;
the hutll that of a barge, and the cabin on the lower deck run up on the inside of' the runninig board. The wheels were exposed, being without a wheel-house-she was propelled
by a low pressure engine, with a single chimney and a large walkin.9 beam. The crew
were supplied with poles, and where the current proved too strong for the steam, they used
the poles, as on keel boats, to help her along. It was mounted oni wheels, and drawn by
eight white horses. The boat was manned by a crew of steamboat captains, who app,earetl
in the dress usually worn by the officers and men in their various stations."
416
MISSOURI.
Bloody Island, opposite St. Louis, near the Illinois shore of the MissisBippi, is the terminus of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. It received its
name from the circumstance of its being the dueling ground for this region.
It is within the limits of Illinois, and at the time of high freshets is partially covered with water. It has a growth of large forest trees. This spot
was selected by duelists from its being neutral ground: the island was for
some time disputed territory between the states
of Illinois and Missouri. A fatal contest of
_____> ~ this kind ensued between Thomas Biddle, of
______ __St. Louis, and one of his friends, in which both
______: ~ were killed. The origin of the duel seems to
= have been some jocose remark made by the
=__f ____ antagonist of Mr. Biddle in regard to his (Mr.
Biddle's) family affairs. Mrs. Biddle foolishly
caonsidering herself insulted, gave her husband
-t,,',...:;I' uFino rest until he had challenged the author of
IEl-~i1 1 1 the remark to mortal combat. Having passed
=Il1 1,! over to Bloody Island, they fought at the dis iii;5 1 t,tance of some three or four paces apart, and
E 9,, i both fell mortally wounded. Mrs. Biddle,
overwhelmed at the fatal consequences of her
:_ _-,..-.... attempt to avenge her injured feelings, devoted
I NNT, ST. LOU the remainder of her life to penitence, and her
fortune to chllarity. The annexed engraving is
(iver the I,,or a,'e the words, -Prayfor
vertheooraletllordsPrayfor a view of a monument ereqcted inDmemory of
Mess IsofThs Al.... Biddile.
husband and wife, on thle'premises of St. Mary's
Orphan Asylum, on Tenth-street, under the charge of the order of the
"Daughters of Charity." The monumentis about 20 feet high: the following words aie affixed over the door, "Pray for-the souls of Thomas and Anne
Biddle."
The following inscriptions are from monuments withir the city limits:
In memory of one whose name needs no eulogy, JOSEPH M. WHITE, late Delegate in Congress from the Territory of Florida. Born in Franklin'county, Kentucky, 8th of Oct., 1798,
died in St. Louis, at the residence of his brother, Thomas J. White, M.D, the 19th day of
October, 1839.
THO.MAS BARBOUR, M.D., son of the Hlon. P. P. Barbour, of Virginia. Born Aug..26,
1810, and died June 18, 1849. In all the relations of life, he illustrated the strength and
beanty of Christian principle-ardent affection, generous friendship, and fervent charity
were the spontaneous emotions of a heart imbued with the holy desire of glorifying God
and doing good to man. As a practitioner of medicine he had attained a distinguished
eminence. With the Medical Department of the University of Missouri, his name is a$soeiated a.s one of its founders and most able and faithful teachers. With the: early hs'to'ry
of the Central Presbyterian Church, of which he was an Elder, his name is recorded as one.
of its brightest ornaments.
JEFFERSON CITY, the capital of Missouri is situated'on the right bank-'of
Missouri River, on elevated, uneven and somewhat rocky ground, 125 miles
W. of St. Louis. It contains the state house, a state penitentiary; the gov:
ernor's house, several schools, 5 churches, 2 banks, and about 3,500 inhabitants, of whom near one half are Germans or of German orgin. The, state,
lhouse is built of stone, at an expense of $250,000, and presents a magnifi —
cent appearance as it is approached sailing up the river from the'eastWa"rd&.
27
417
Over the door of the main entrance of the capitol is the following inscription:
" Erected Anno Domini, 1838. L. W. Boggs, Governor; P. C. Glover, Sec'y of State; H.
H. Baber, Aud. Pub. Acets; W. B. Napton, Att'y General; A. McClellan, Treasurer, Commissioners. S. Hills, Architect."
East view (f Jeffersonz City.
The view annexed presents the appearance of the Capitol and other buildings, as the city is entered
upon, the Pateific hailroad. The blf slhown is 80 filet lhigti, alb fn its summit is the residence of Geri. J.
L. Minor, fornierly secretary,f the state. The Railrpad I1epot is at the f(,ot of the hliiff on the left; the
Capitol on Capitol Hiill is in the cen prt, at the base of hib is the Fry and City Landing.
The first white persons who located themselves within the limnits of Jefferson City were
John Wlier and a Dr. Brown. Wier who appears to have been a squatter, built his cabin
on the spot where J. T. Rogers' (late mayor) house now stands. Wier's Cieek, at the fo)ot
of Capitol Hill, was i.imed tfterhim Dr Biown, said to have been from I,elntd, located
himself on the decli-ity of Capitol Hill. William Jones, a bricklaver, kept the first ferry
and house of' entertainmenit at this pl:tce; hlie was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Rogers, the
father of the manor. Dr. Stephen C. Dorris, father of Dr. A. P. Dorris, was the first regtilar physician: he was succeedled by Dr. Bolton, and he in turn by Dr. Mills. Robert A.
Ewving (afterward judge of the county court), was the first resident lawyer. Jtudge Wells
was the next. Robert Jones was the first merchant: he had his store at the base of the
Capitol Hill, near the ferry and city wharf. Among his purchases was that of two or three
barrels of coffee, which at that time was considered: bold and hazardous speculation, as
it was supposed it would take a long period to sell such an amount.
The first school was taught by Jesse F. Roys, an itinerant teacher from North Carolina; -
he was succeeded by Hiram H. Baber, Esq., a native of Virginia, and now, with one exception, the oldest inhablitant of Jefferson City. The school house was about half way
between the railroad depot a,id the penitentiary. Jason Harrison, Esq., the first clerk of
Cole countv, was a native of Maryland; he camle into Missouri in l1811, and into Jefferson
Citv-iii 1931 The first brick structure erected was a one story building, 16 feet square,
built by'Wim. Jones, and occupied as the state treasury office: it stood opposite the MethodistzChu,.ch. The first state house was built of brick, by Reuben Garnett, arid stood in
a lt adijoining the governor's house. It was accidentally burnt in Nov., 1837, and all the
state papers, except those in the auditor's office destroyed. The seat of government was
located in 18)1, laid 01out in 1822, snid the first sale of lots was made in 1823. The first
trustees of the town were Adam Hope, John C. Gordon, and Josiah Ramtsay, jr. The first
governor resident in Jefferson City, was John Miller, and a man of great wealth. He died
while member of Coingress, and was buried at St. Louis.
418
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI.
The first printing press was started here in 1826, by Calvin Gunn, who, it is believed,
was from Connecticut It was called the "Jeffersonian Republican." The first house for
public worship here was erected by the Methodists and Baptists: this was in 1838. The
Episcopal church was erected in 1842; the first resident Episcopal clergyman was Rev.
Wm. L. Hommann. The first Pres.byterian church was built about the year 1845, and the
first resident clergyman was Rev. Hiram S. Goodrich, ).D., from the eastern states, who
came here about 1843. The Catholics, who are the largest religious body in the city,
erected their first house of worship in 1847: their present handsome structure was built in
1857. The state penitentiary was opened about 1835: the first warden was Gen. Lewis
Bolton, and for about three months he had but one convict under his charge, who was put
here for horse stealing or some kindred crime. This prisoner was much delighted when
the next convict arrived, for he was quite weary of solitude.
The Missouri River is about 1,000 yards wide at this place, its ordinary current three
and a half miles an.hour, and its fall four inches to the mile. The ordinary rise of water
here is from 10 to 15 feet above low water mark. The highest floods occur annually in
June, like the annual overflow of the Nile in Egypt. It is caused by the melting of the
snow in the Rocky Mountains, nearly 3,000 miles distant. One of the greatest rise of
waters known was on the 24th of June, 1844, at which time the water rose thirty feet above
low water mark.
In this section the principal fish are the cat, buffalo, and shovel fish: sturgeon are also
taken. The cat fish ordinarily weigh from 3 to 25 lbs. In some instances they have been
known to weigh 200 lbs. The method by which they are taken is called "jugging for
cats." A single line about four feet in length, having a hook baited with flesh, is attached
to the handle of a gallon jug and then thrown into the middle of the current of the river.
When the bait is swallowed it is known by the sinking of the jug, which acts like a cork:
the fisherman thereupon takes up the line and secures the fish. The fisherman's usual
method is to go up the stream, throw in his jugs, and float down with them, hugging the
shore with his boat, so as to be in a position to closely watch his jugs, of which he can
generally oversee some 10 or 12 at a time.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the Jefferson
City graveyard:
Erected by the State of Missouri to the memory of Gov. THOMAS REYNOLDS, who died
Feb. 9, 1844, aged 48 years. He was born in Bracken county, Kentucky, March 12, 1796:
in early life he became a citizen of the State of Illinois, and there filled the several offices
of Clerk of the House of Representatives, Attorney General, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In 1829, he removed to the State
of Missouri, and was successively Speaker of the House of Representatives, Judge of the
Second Judicial Circuit, and died Governor of the State. His life was one of honor, virtue
and patriotism, and in every situation in which he was placed, he discharged his duty faithfully.
In memory of PETER G. GLOVFR, born in Buckingham county, Va., Jan. 14, 1792; died
in Osage county, Oct. 27, 1851, and lies buried here. He emigrated to Kentucky in early
life, then to Missouri, where he filled the important public offices of the Justice of the
County Court, Representative from Callaway, Senator from Cole, Auditor of Public Accounts, Superintendent of Common Schools, and Treasurer of the State, to the satisfaction
of the people. As a father, husband, and friend, he was without reproach.
WM. A. ROBARDS, late Attorney General of the State of Missouri, born in Ky., May 3,
1817; died Sept. 3, 1851. Erected by the State of Missouri, of which he was a worthy citizen, and its able and faithful officer, having filled several offices of public trust.
ATew Madrid, the seat of New Madrid county, is on the Mississippi, 150
miles below St. Louis, in the south-eastern corner of the state, and has about
1,000 inhabitants. This is one of the old towns of Missouri, and the earliest
American settlement west of the Mississippi River. Through the diplomatic
talents of Colonel Wilkinson, the Spanish governor of Louisiana was induced
to adopt a policy of conciliation to the western people, in hopes of attaching
them to the Spanish government, and so forming a political union with the
419
Louisianians, that should terminate in a dismemberment of the east from the
west, and an incorporation of the latter under the Spanish crown. Says
Monette:
The first step toward the a -omplishment of this desirable object was the plan of forming American settlements in Upper Louisiana, as well as in the Florida district of Lower
Louisiana. A large American settlement was to be formed on the west side of the Mississippi, between the mouth of the Ohio and the. St. Francis River. General Morgan, an
American citizen, received a large grant of land about seventy miles below the mouth of
the Ohio, upon which he was to introduce and settle an American colony. Soon afterward
and in 1788, General Morgan arrived with his colony, and located it about seventy miles
below the mouth of the Ohio, upon the ancient alluvions which extend westward to the
Whitewater Creek, within the present county of New Madrid, in Missouri. Here, upon
the beautiful rolling plains, he laid off the plan of a magnificent city, which, in honor of
the Spanish capital,he called "New Madrid." The extent and plan of the new city was
but little, if any, inferior to the old capital which it was to commemorate. Spacious
streets, extensive public squares, avenues, and promenades were tastefully laid off to mnagnify and adorn the future city. In less than twelve months from its first location, it had
assumed, according to Major Stoddart, the appearance of a regularly built town, with numerous temporary houses distributed over a high and beautifiul undulatory plain. Its latitude was determined to be 36 deg. 30 min. north. In the center of the site, and about one
mile from the Mississippi, was a beautiful lake, to be inclosed by the future streets of the
city.
This policy was continued for nearly two years, in hopes of gaining over the western
people to an adherence to the Spanish interests. Nor was it wholly unsuccessful. In the
meantime, many individuals in Kentucky, as well as on the Cumberland, had become favorably impressed toward a union with Louisiana under the Spanish crown, and a very
large portion of them had been highly dissatisfied with the policy of the Federal government, because it had failed to secure for them the free navigation of the river, either by
formal negotiation or by force of arms. But this state of mitigated feeling toward the
Spanish authorities was of but short duration.
New Madrid was nearly ruined by the great earthquakes of the winter
of 1811-12, it being the center of the most violent shocks. The first
occurred in the night of 15th Dec., 1811, and they were repeated at intervals for two or three months, being felt from Pittsburg to New Orleans.
By them the Little Prairie settlement, thirty miles below this place, was entirely broken up, and Great Prairie nearly ruined. The graveyard at New
Madrid, with its sleeping tenants, was precipitated into the river, and the
town dwindled to insignificance and decay. Thousands of acres in this section of the country sunk, and multitudes of ponds and lakes were created in
their places. "The earth burst in wlhat are called sand blows. Earth, sand,
coal, and water were thrown up to great hights in the air." The Mississippi
was dammed up and flowed backward; birds descended from the air, and
took refuge in the bosoms of people that were passing. The whole country
was inundated. A great number of boats that were passing on the river
were sunk, and whole crews perished; one or two that were fastened to islands
went down with them. Thecountry being but sparsely settled, and the buildings mostly logs, the loss of life was less than it otherwise would have been.
Col. John Shaw gives these reminiscences of this event.*
While lodging about thirty miles north of New Madrid, on the 14th of December, 1811,
about two o'clock in the morning, occurred a heavy shock of an earthquake. The house
where I was stopping, was partly of wood and partly of brick structure; the brick portion
all fell, but I and the family all fortunately escaped unhurt. At another shock, about two
o'clock in the morning of the 7th of February, 1812, I was in New Madrid, when nearly
two thousand people, of all ages, fled in terror from their falling dwellings, in that place
*" Personal Narrative of Gol. John Shaw, of Marquette county, Wisconsin," published
in the Collections of the Historical Society of Wisconsin.
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MISSOURI.
and the surrounding country, and directed their course about thirty miles north to Tywappety Hill, on the western bank of the Mississippi, about seven miles back from the river
This was the first high ground above New Madrid, and here the fugitives formed an encampmeiit. It was proposed that all should kneel, and engage in supplicating God's mercy,
and all simultaneously, Catholics and Protestants, knelt and offered solemn prayer to their
Creator.
About twelve miles back toward New Madrid, a young woman about seventeen years
of age, named Betsey Masters, had been left by her parents and family, her leg having
been broken below the kniiee by the falling of one of the weight-poles of the roof of the
cabin; and, though a total stranger, I was the only person who would consent to return and
see whether she still survived. Receiving a description of the locality of the place, I
started, and found the poor girl upon a bed, as she had been left, with some water and
corn bread within her reach. I cooked up sonme food for her, and made her condition as
comfortable as circumstances would allow, and returned the same day to the grand encampment. Miss Masters eventually recovered.
Ini abandoning their homes, on this emergency, the people only stopped long enough to
get their teams, and hurry in their families and some provisions. It was a matter of doubt
among them, whether w..ter or fire would be mniost likely to burst forth, and cover all the
country. The timber land around New Madrid sunk five or six feet, so that the lakes and
lagoonis, which seemed to have their beds pushed up, discharged their waters over the sunken
lanids. Thlrough the fissuires caused by the earthquake, were forced up vast quantities of
a hard, jet black substance, which appeared very smooth, as though worn bv friction. It
seemed a very different substance from either anthracite or bituminous coal.*
This heqira, with all its attendant appalliug circumstances, was a most heart-rending
scene, and had the effect to constrain the most wicked and profane, earnestly to plead
to God in prayer for mercy. In less than three months, most of these people returned to
their homes, and though the earthquakes continued occasially with less destructive effects,
they became so accustomed to the recurring vibrations, that they paid little or no regard
to tihem, not even interrupting or checking their dances, frolics, and vices.
Father Cartwright, in his autobiography, gives us some facts to show thl-at
the earthquakes proved an element of strength to the Methodists. He tells
us:
In the winter of 1812 we had a very severe earthquake; it seemed to stop the current
of the Mlississippi, broke flatboats loose from their moorings, and opened large cracks or
fissures in the earth. TIhis earthquake struck terror to thousands of' people, and under the
mighty panic hundreds and thousands crowded to, and joined the different churches.
There were many very interesting incidents connected withl the shaking of the earth at
this time; two I will name. I had preached in Nashville the night before the second
dreadful shock came, to a large congregation. Early the next morning I arose and walked
out on the hill near the house where I had preached, when I saw a liegro woman coming
down the hill to the spring, with an emptv pail upon her head. (It is very common for
negroes to carry water this way without touching the pail with either hand.) When she
got within a few rods of w here I stood, the earth began to tremble and jar; chimneys were
thlrownI down, scaffolding around many iew buildings fell with a loud crash, hundreds of
the citizens suddenly awoke, and spracng into the streets; loud screaming followed, for
many thought the day of judgment was come. The young mistresses of the above-iinamed
inegro woman came runing after her, and begging her to pray for them. She raised the
shout and said to them, "My Jesus is coming in the clouds of heaven, and I can't wait to
pray for you now; I must go and meet him. I told you so, that he would come, and you
would not believe me. Farewell. Hallelujah! Jesus is coming, and I am ready. Halleluiah! Amen." And on she went, shouting and clapping her hands, with the empty pail
Dn her head.
Near Russellville, Logan county, Kentucky, lived old Brother Valentine Cook, of very
recious memory, with his wife Tabitha. Brother Cook was a graduate at Cokesbury Colege at an early day in the history of Methodism in these United States. He was a very
)ions, successful pioneer preacher, but, for the want of a sufficient support for a rising and
apidly increasing family, he had located, and was teaching school at the time of the above
- The late IHon. Lewis F. Linn, a resident of St. Genevieve, and for many years a member of the United States senate from Missouri, and a man of science, addressed a letter, in
i836, to the chairman of the committee on commerce, in which he speaks of the New Mad;d earthquakes, and distinctly mentions water, sand, and coal issuing from the vast chasms
pened by the convulsions.
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named earthquake. He and his wife were in bed when the earth began to shake and tremble. He sprang out of bed, threw open the door, and began to shout, and started, with
nothing on but his night-clothes. He steered his course east, shouting every step, saying,
"My Jesus is coming." His wife took after him, and at the top of her voice cried out,
"O Mr. Cook, don't leave me."
"O Tabby," said he, "my Jesus is coming, and I can not wait for you;" and on he
went, shouting at every jump, "My Jesus is cominy; I can't wait for you, Tabby."
The years of the excitement by these earthquakes hundreds joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and though many were sincere, and stood firm, yet there were hundreds that
no doubt had joined them from mere fright.
The earthquake gave Tecumseh, the Shawnee chieftain, the. reputation of
a prophet among the Indians of Alabama. A few months previous to this
event, he was on his mission to the southern Indians, to unite all the tribes
of the south with those of the north in his grand scheme of exterminating
the whole white race from the wide extent of the Mississippi valley-from
the lakes of the north to the Gulf of Mexico. Drake, in his memoir of Tecumseh, gives this anecdote:
On his return from Florida, Tecumseh went among the Creeks in Alabama, urging them
to unite with the Seminoles. Arriving at Tuckhabatchee, a Creek town on the Tallapoosa
River. he made his way to the lodge of the chief, called the Big Warrior. He explained
his object, delivered his war talk, presented a bundle of sticks, gave a peace of wampum
and a hatchet; all which the Big Warrior took. When Tecumseh, reading the intentions
and spirit of the Big Warrior, looked him in the eye, and pointing his finger toward his
face, said: "Your blood is white; you have taken my talk, and the sticks, and the wampum, and the hatchet, but you do not mean to fight; I know the reason; you do not believe the Great Spirit has sent me; you shall know; I leave Tuckhabatchee directly, and
shall go straight to Detroit; when I arrive there, I will stamp on the ground with my foot,
and siake down every house in Tuckhabatchee." So saying, he turned and left the Big
Warrior in utter amazement, at both his manner and his threat, and pursued his journey.
The Indians were struck no less with his conduct than was the Big Warrior, and began to
dread the arrival of the dav when the threatened calamity would befall them. They met
often and talked over this matter, and counted the days carefully, to know the time when
Tecumseh would reach Detroit. The morning they had fixed upon, as the period of his
arrival, at last came. A mighty rumbling was heard-the Indians all ran out of their
houses-the-earth began to shake; when at last, sure enough, every house in Tuckhabatchee was shaken down! The exclamation was in every mouth, "Tecumseh has got to
Detroit!" The effect was electrical. The message he had delivered to the Big Warrior
was believed, and many of the Indians took their rifles and prepared for the war. The
reader will not be surprised to learn that an earthquake had produced all this; but he will
be, doubtless, that it should happen on the very day on which Tecumseh arrived at Detroit;
and, in exact fulfillment of his threat. It was the famous earthquake of New Madrid.
LEXINGTON, the county seat of Fayette, is situated for the most part on
high grounds, on the south bank of the Missouri. The bluffs at the landing
being about 200 feet above the river, the city is but partially seen from the
decks of passing steamers. It is 125 miles above Jefferson City, and 250
from St. Louis. It contains the county buildings, 8 churches, the Masonic
College, a flourishing institution, under the patronage of the Masonic fraternity of the state, and about 5,000 inhabitants.
Fayette, the county in which Lexington is situated, ranks the second in
wealth in Missouri. Hemp is the most important production. Inexhaustible beds of bituminous coal are found in almost every part of the county,
and the soil is rich and fertile. The Messrs. McGrew's establishment for the
manufacture of bale rope, at Lexington landing, is admirably constructed.
The hemp is unloaded at the upper story, and passes through the various
stages of its manufacture, till it comes out bales of rope, ready for transpor.
tation to market, in the warehouse below. The machinery is moved by
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MISSOURI.
steam, the coal to produce which is dug out of the earth a few feet only from
the building. Eight tuns of rope can be manufactured daily.
Vieu, of Lexiiigtoit La;dilgq.
The engraving shows the appearance of the steamboat landing as it appears from the point on the
Opposite side of Missouri River. The Mtessrs. M'Grew's Hemnp Factory, Flouriug Mill, etc., are seen in
the central part; the road to the city back from the bluffs appears onr the left; the places fiom whlence
coal is taken on the right.
Lexington was originally laid out about a mile back from the river, which, at that period,
was hardly considered fit for navigation, goods being principally transported by land. The
present city, being an extension of the old town, was comimenced in 1839. At that time,
the site onl which the present court house stands was a cornfield, owned by James Aull,
brother to Robert Aull, the president of the Bank of Lexington, both of whom were natives of New Castle, Del. The first court house was erected in the ancient part of Lexington, and is now occupied as a Female Semiintry, a flourishing institution under the
patronage of the Baptists. The first house of worshlip in Lexington, was erected about
1831 or 1832, by the Cumberland and the Old School Presbvterians. It was a small frame
building, which stood a few ro(ds west of the old court house. Rev. John L. Yantis, now
president of the Theological College at Richmond, was one of the first preachers. The
inhabitants previously attended public worship in the country, back from the river. The
Baptist and Methodist churches were erected in 184U. The Episcopal church is a recent
structure; thie first minister who officiated was Rev. St. Michael Fackler, now a missionary
in Oregon. The Dutch Reformed Church bought their meeting house of the Christians
or Campbellite Baptists, il 1856.
The first regular public house in the modern part of Lexington, was the house next the
residence of Robert Aull, the president of the bank, on the summit of the bluff. This
spot commands an extensive prospect up and down the river, showing Wellington, 8 miles
distatnt, also Camden, in Ray county, some 8 or 10 miles distant in a direct line, but 18 by
the river. The first regular feri,'mtn was William Jack, a Methodist class leader and cexhorter, a man much esteemed for his Christian life and conversation. In 1827, C. R. Morehead, cashier of the Farmer's Bank, built and loaded the first fiatboat, in which he tirnsported the first tobacco raised foi export in the county.'Ihiis cargo, which consisted of
forty-six hogsheads, with a quantity of bees-wax and peltries, was sent to New Orleans.
The first goods brought bv steamboats came in 1828, by the steamer William Duncan.
In 1838, at the period of the Mormon war, as it was called, Lexington contained some 500
inhabitants. The Mormous first located themselves in Jackson county, about 35 miles
west. They afterward effected a more permanent settlement in Caldwell county. At first
they were enabled to live peaceably with their neighbors. In 1838, difficulties arising, the
governor of Missouri gave orders for their expulsion. A conflict took place in Ray county,
in which Patten, a Mormon leader and elder was killed, and a number wounded. During
this period it was quite a time of alarm in this section, and the inhabitants of Lexington
fled to Richmond fbr safety.
Wm. Downing is believed to have been the first innkeeper in the ancient part of Lexintoll. Wm. Todd was the first judge of the circuit court; the present judge, Russ el Hicks,
423
who first came into the county about the year 1825, lhired himself out to a farmer for about
teii dollars a month. He afterward became a school teacher, and while studying law, he
supported himself by this occupation.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the graveyard in
this place:
In memory of REV. FINis EWINO, born in BDedford county, Va., July 10, 1773, died in
Lexington, Mo., July 4,1841. He was a Minister of the Gospel for forty-five years; was
one of the fathers and' founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
In memory of Reverend JEssE GREENE, born Nov. 29, A.I). 1791, died April 18, A.D.
1847. A' putre Christian, a wise Counsellior,'a faithful Minister, a Pioneer of Methodism in
Missouri, part in the Council and Itinerant labors of his Church, and fell at his post. "I
heard a voice from heaven, saying write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; Yea,
saith the Spirit, their works do follow them." Rev. xiv, 13. The members of the Saint
Louis Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South have erected this monument over his remains, A.D. 18J0.
L. A. GRISWOLD, Hebe of Prudence Constellation, No. 34, A.A.R., surrendered her crown
on Earth to be crovwned with imm.ortal glory in Heaven. In memory of Lockie A. G'iswold, wife of Sylvanuts A. Griswold, comnpleted her errand of Mercy here, and was permitted to behold the Light of the Seraphic world, which ever inspired her with fraternal
excellence, at 10 o'clock, P.M., Sept. 27, 1856.
Xro?,th-ea'ste)-lw view of Kansas City.
Showing the appearance of Kansas City, at the Landing, as seen from the opposite bank of the Missouri.
'The forest shown in the distance, beyond the poiint of the bluff on the right, is within the territorial limits
of lKansas. The Ferry Landing and the old Jail or Calaboose appear on the left.
KANSAS CITY is situated near the mouth of Kansas River, at the western
boundiry line between the state of Missouri and Kansas, 282 miles westward
of Jefferson City, 456 fiom St. Louis, and 109 southerly from St. Joseph, on
the Miissouri. It is the western terminus of the line of the Pacific Railroad.
A bluff, about 120 feet above high water mark, extends along the river for
about a mile within the city limits. The principal part of the town is situated iimmediately bick of the bluff, through which roads are being cut to the
levee in front. This city is the great depot for the Santa Fe trade, and it is
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MISSOURLI
estimated that one fourth7 of all the shipments up the Missouri River, fromn
its mouth to the Rocky Mountains, are received here. Kansas City was incorporated in 1853. Population about 8,000.
As far back as the days of Lewis and Clarke, or the first expeditions of thle various trapping companies of the French and the old pioneers of the west, the site
of Kansas City has been a prominent point for the business of the old trappers and
traders, who have had many a business transaction around their camp fires under
the blutffs of the "Kaewsmouth," as this spot was formerly called.
The principal portion of the land inclosed by the old city limits was entered by
Gabriel P'rudhomme, an old mountain trader. The selection, survey, and first sale
of the lots was made in 1898. The survey was but a partial one, and owing to
some disa,greement, nothing was done by the stockholders except the erection of a
few cabins. In 1846, the town was re-surveyed by J. C. McCoy, Esq., anid the
growth of the city may be dated as commencing from that year. Within eighteen
months after the first sale of lots, there was a population of about 700.'Thie uroprietois of the town weit J. C. McCoy, Wim. Gilliss, R1obert Campblell, H. Jobe,
\. B. Evans, Jacob Ragtan, and Fry P. McGee.
The first house erected in Kansas City was a log cabin, which stood on the site
of the building in which the Western Journal of Commerce is issued. This cabin
was erected in 18lS39, by Thomas A Smait, as a tradin, house. The second buildin, s-i e) ected by Anthony Richers, a native of Germany, who was edncated for
the Catholic ministry. Father Bernard Donnelly, a native of Ireland and a Catholic, is believed to have been the first clergyman who officiated in public worship;
he preached in a log building; now used as a school house, near 1Broadwav, about
half a mile back from the steainmbo,t lan(ling.'The first physician was Dr. B enoist
Troc st, of Holland, formerly a surgeon under Na\poleon. The fi rst postnmister was
W illii.tn Click, who for a time kept the offi( e in the top of his hat. "Oie eyed
Ellis," as he was familiarly called, appears to have been the first lawyer, whlo, it
is stated, employed his leisure time in "pi(tking tip stray horses." Win. B. Evans
kept the first tavern, at the corner of Main and Levee-streets. T'!he first nevwspapers
were the "Kansas Ledger," first isned in 18i52, a/d t,e "'Western Journal cf
Commierce," first issued in Aug., 1854, under the name of the "'Kansas City Enterprise."
A great portion of the early trade of the city was with the Indians, mountain
and MAlackinaw traders, bIoatmren, etc. Poneys, pelts, fliars, etc., were received in
exchlange foir powdler, lead, tobacco, coffee, etc.'l'he first and principal warehouses
in town weie erected in 1847. Col. E. C. McCarty, in company with NIr. Russell,
started the first train from Kansas City to New AIexico; old lMr. MAcDowell took
the charge of it, and was the first man that ever crossed the American Desert in
a wagori. The following is extracted from the Annals of the City of Kansas, publislhedl in 185):
The New Mexico, or, as it is generally known, the Santa Fe trade, is said to lhave first
began at B3ooniville, or old Franklin, as early as the year 1824. Mr. Monroe, Philip
Thompson, the Subletts of St. Louis and Jackson counties, Nat. Series, and others, were
among the first men ever engaged in the trade. The idea of taking or sending goods to New
Mexico, was first suggested to these gentlemen by the richness and thick settlements of this
valley of the Rio Grande Del Norte. When returned to the states, they commenced making preparations to forward goods to this valley. How to get their merchlndise there,
without being at an almost ruinous expense, was the most important subject of consideration. Finally, having resolved to go-to make the experiment at all hazards, theyr started,
taking out their freight as best they could, some in one horse wagons, some in carts, some
on pack-mules, and, on dit, with packs on their backs. Tlhey were successfl'ul —a better
trade was found than they anticipated-more goods were sent out, with better carriage facilities, a,d in a few years large fortunes were realized. In 1845, Messrs. Belt and St.
Vr.ain landed the first cargo of goods at Kansas City, that was ever shipped from this
point to New Mexico in wagons that went out in a train. This train consisted of eighteen
wagolns, with five voke of cattle to the wagon, and about 5,000 lbs. of freight to each
team. A great excitement was extant. Mexican commerce had given new lite to border
trade. Gradually the business with New Mexico becamnie concentrated at points on theriver.
From 1832 to 1848, or 1850, our neighbor city, Independence, had the whole command of
425
this great trade. Her merchants amassed fortunes, and the business generated by this
prosperous intercourse, built up Independence into one of the most flou lshilig and beautithl towns in the west.
Duiing these years, from 1832 to 1848, some few mountain and Mexican goods were
landed among the cottonwoods below our city. Messrs. Bent & St. Vrainii are amorg the
oldest freighters engaged in transporting goods over the Great Plains; in 1834, they landed
a sm all shipment of mountain goods at Mr. Francois Chouteau's log warehouse, near the
island just east of the city. In 1846 our citizens then had what they thought to be quite
a ltrge and respectable trade with New Mexico, and the next ye.ar, 1847, it is conceded
that Ktnsis City fairly divided this great trade with the city of Independence; and since
18)), Kansas City has had the exclusive benefit of all the shippiing, commission, storage,
repfirinig a-id outfitting business of the mountains and New Mexico, save, perhaps, a few
w'agons that hav e been loaded and outfitted at Independence by her own merchants.
A Train crossing the Great Plains.
From the most reliable information we can obtain, it is estimated tlhat there are at least
three hundred merchants and freighters now engaged in the New Mexico and mountain
commerce. Properly, in this connection, may be inserted a few remarks concerning our
mountain traffic and importations.
Some of our leading merchants for years have had trading houses established in the
mountains, where they constantly keep a large stock of goods to trade with the Indians
who pay for these goods with their annuity money, with buffalo robes, with furs, pelts,
hides, and Indian ornamental fabrics.
This trade done in the mountains, creates large importations of the above mountain
pro(lucts to our city. In 1857, the following importations were made: Robes, furs, etc.,
$267,253 52; Mexican wool, $129,600; goat skils, $25,000; dressed buckskins, $62,500;
dry hides, $37,500; peltries, $36,000. Like the transport of Mexican goods, these imports
come to us as the cargoes of the great mountain trains or caravans.
Train is only another word for caravan. These caravans, then, consist of from forty to
eighty large canvas covered wagons, with from fifty to sixty-five hundred pounds of
freight to each wagon-also, six yoke of oxen or five span of mules for every wagontwo men as drivers for every team, besides supercargoes, wagon masters, etc., who generallv ride on horseback. When under way, these wagons are about one hundred feet apart,
and as each wagon and team occupies a space of about ninety or one hundred feet, a train
of eighty wagons would stretch out over the prairie for a distance of a trifle over three
miles. In 1857, 9,884 wagons left Kansas City for New Mexico. Now, if these wagons
were all in one train, they would make a caravan 223 miles long, with 98,840 mules and
oxen, and freighting an amount of merchandise equal to 59,304,000 lbs.
A recent visitor at Kansas City gives some valuable items:
Just below the mouth of the Kansas, and between it and the highlands on which Kansas
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C:+- is located, is an extent of level bottom land, embracing some fifty acres, and covered
sparsely with trees. This is the camping ground of the immense caravans of Russell,
N:-j ors & Co. We found several acres covered with the enormous wagons that are used
irL he prairie trade. Here is also an immense stable for the horses, mules, etc., and a
place of deposit for feed for the thousands of oxen. It was to me something of a sight to
see such a number of land ships. They will carry from seven to ten thousand pounds, and
are drawn by from three to six yokes of oxen. They are covered when loaded, so as to
protect the goods from the rains. I examined them, and found them made many hundreds
of miles to the east. I saw a large number which came from Michigan. They are strong,
heavily ironed and massive wagons.
The commercial business of the town is mostly transacted on the levee. The solid
blocks of warehouses receive the goods from the steamers, and fro(m them they are loaded
into the immense wagons and taken to their final destination. Here is the landing and
the starting place for the vast trade to Santa Fe and New Mexico. One of the singular
features in the streets is the large number of Mexicans, or as every body here calls them,
"greasers," with their trains of mules, loading for their far distant homes. Kansas City
has been the starting place for this trade for thirty years. Many of the citizens have become wealthy by it, and the evidences of prosperity and thrift around us are traceable to
the effects of this Santa Fe trade. I do not see any cause that can disturb this in the future. Heavy loads of goods and merchandise of all kinds are brought from St. Louis and
the east, on steamers, to this, the last and the nearest point to the Territory of New Mexico, and as this business must increase with the settlement of the country to the west and
soutl —west, the permanence of the prosperity of this city seems to be fixed.
These " gre,sers" are a hard looking set of men. They are a sort of compromise between the Indian and negro, with now and then a touch of Spanish blood. They are generally short and small, quite dark, very black straight hair, genelally hanging about their
faces. Their national hat is a low crowned slouch looking concern. They wear girdles,
with knives, etc., convenient for use. Altogether they look like an ignorant, sensual,
treacherous, thieving and blood-thirsty set, which is very much the character they bear
among the people of this city.
Kansas City, being in Missouri, has a few slaves, but they are fast disappearing. Some
forty were shipped off in one gang this spring for the southern market. The original settlers were Southerners and slaveholders, but the northern element has been pouring in
upon them till a large proportion of the business men are now from the free states. There
is now no talk about slavery, all are engaged in a more sensible business-building up
the city.
ST. JOSEPH, the most populous and flourishing place in north-western
Missouri, is situated on the E. bank of the Missouri, 565 miles N.W. from
St. Louis, 391 from Jefferson City, and 206, by the Hannibal and St. Joseph
Railroad, from the Mississippi. The city is for the most part on broken and
uneven ground, called the Black Snake Hills, and is surrounded by a rich
and fertile country. There are 7 churches, 2 female seminaries, 2 daily and 3
weekly papers published here. There are several steam sawing and grist mills
and other extensive manufacturing establishments. The Catholic Female
Seminary of this place stands on a commanding elevation back from the city,
and is seen from down the river at a great distance. The completion of the
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad makes this, at present, the most western
point in the United States reached by the great chain of railroads, and has
opened a new era in its prosperity. It is now the central point for all western travel. The Great Salt Lake mail, the Pike's Peak express, and the
Pony express, taking dispatches to San Francisco in eight days, all start from
this place. Population about 10,000.
The city of St. Joseph was founded by Joseph Robidoux, a native of St.
Louis, and of French descent. Mr. Robidoux first visited this place in 1803,
as an Indian trader, being in connection at that time with the American Fur
Company. He was jborty days in sailing up the Missouri from St. Louis, and
camped out every night on shore with his boatmen, about a dozen in number.
The Indians lived on the city grounds till they removed to the opposite bank
427
It
MISSOURI.
of the river, about 25 miles above. Hle erected his first trading house ta
1831, about two miles below the city. In 1833, he built a second trading.'
house on the spot now occupied by the City Hotel: and in 1838 pre-emIpt(.the site of the city.
Soith view of St. Joseph.
The view shows the appearance of the city, as it is approaclhe,l from the south by the MIissouri River.
The Court Hotise, in the central part, stands o an elevation of aboutt 200 feet; the Railroad from HanLi.ihal e- ters the city on the rich bottom lands on the right. The sand bank seen in the view on'thle left, is
within the limits of Kansas.
The town was laid off in 1843. The first resident clergyman in the place
was a Catholic, Rev. Thomnas Scanlan, and the first public worship was held
in the house of Mir. Julius C. Robidoux, the first postmaster in the place.
MIr. R.'s first office was west of the Black Snake Creek, and he was the first
regular mierclhant in St. Joseph. Rev. T. S. Reeve, the next minister, first
preached in a log house on the corner of Third and Francis-streets. The
first settlers were principally from Indiana, IKentucky and-Ohio. Among
the first settlers were Col. Samuel Hall, Capt. MWmi. H. Hanson and William
L'wing, from Kentucky; Capt. John Whitehead and James Cargill, fromn
Virginia; Frederick W. Smith, from St. Louis; and Michael Rogers, firom
Ireland. Daniel G. Keedy, from Maryland, was the first physician. Jonathan M. Bassett, James B. Gardenhire, and Willard P. Hall, were amnong, the
first lawyers. Mrs. Stone, a widow lady, opened the first school. The first
tavern was kept by David St. Clair, from Indiana, who came here in 1843.
Jeremiah Lewis, from Kentucky, was the first ferryman.
T1Vestoit, a flourishing commercial town, on the Missouri River, about 4
miles above Fort Leavenworth, is the river port for Platte county, about 225
miles W.N.W., by the road, from Jefferson City, and upward of 500 by
water from St. Louis. Its frontier position renders it a favorable position
for emiiigrants starting for California and other points west. It was first settled
in 1838. The great emigration westward of late years, has much increased
the activity of trade at this point. Two newspapers are published here,
Population about 3,500.
428
4f
MISSOURI.
Iide)peadeace, the county seat of Jackson, is important as one of the startil.:, points in the trade to New Mexico, and other places westward. It is
about five miles back from the Missouri River, and 165 miles W. by N. from
Jefferson City. It was laid out in 1828, and is surrounded by a most beautifl and fertile country, abundantly supplied with pure water. Population
about 3,500.
Ian iiba.
I-.NANIBAL, Marion county, on the western bank of the Mississippi, is 15
-iles below Quincy, Ill., and 153 above St. Louis. It is a flourishing town
and the shipping port of a large quantity of hemnp, tobacco, pork, etc.,
raised in the vicinitv. Stone coal, and excellent limestone for building puirposes, are abundant. Its importance, however, is principally derived from
it- being the eastern terminus of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, a
line extending directly across the northern part of the state, and which, at
[lis point, connects this great western railroad with the system of railroads
eastward of the MIississippi. Hannibal was laid out in 1819, and incorporated in 1839. It is one of the most thriving towns on the Mississippi, has
numerous manufacturing establishments, an increasing commerce, and about
8,000 people.
Col. John Shaw, in his personal narrative, relates some incidents that
occurred in this section of Missouri in the war of 1812. He acted as a
scout on this frontier. We here quote from him:
The Upper Mississippi Indians, of all tribes, commenced depredations on the
frontiers of Missouri and Illinois, in 1811, and early in 1812. Several persons
were killed in different quarters. About thirty miles above the mouth of Salt
River, and fully a hundred above the mouth of the Missouri, was Gilbert's Lick,
on the western bank of the Mississippi, a place of noted resort for animals and
cattle to lick the brackish water; and where a man named Samuel Gilbert, from
Virginia, had settled two or three years prior to the spring of 1812. In that region,
and particularly below him, were a number of other settlers. About the latter
part of May, 1812, a party of from twelve to eighteen Upper Mississippi Indians
descended the river in canoes, and fell upon the scattered cabins of this upper set
tlement in the night, and killed a dozen or more people.
This massacre in the Gilbert's Lick settlement, caused great consternation along
the Missouri frontier, and the people, as a matter of precaution, commenced forting. Some seven or eight forts or stockades were erected, to which a portion of
the inhabitants resorted, while many others held themselves in readiness to flee
there for safety, in case it might be thought necessary. I remember the nau4- of
429
MISSOURI.
Stout's Fort, Wood's Fort, a small stockade at what is now Clarksville, Fort Howard, and a fort at Howell's settlement-the latter nearest to Col. Daniel Boone; bit
the people bordering immediately on the Missouri River, being less exposed to danger, did not so early resort to the erection of stockades.
About this time, probably a little after, while I was engaged with eighteen or
twenty men in building a temporary stockade where Clarksville now stands, on the
western bank of the Mississippi, a party of Indians came and killed the entire
family of one O'Neil, about three miles above Clarksville, while O'Neil himself was
employved with his neighbors in erecting the stockade. In company with O'Neil
and others, 1 hastened to the scene of murder, and found all killed, scalped, and
horribly mangled. One of the children, about a year and a half old, was found
literally baked in a large pot metal bake kettle or Dutch oven, with a cover on; and
as there were no marks of the knife or tomahawk on the body, the child must have
been put in alive to suffer this horrible death; the oil or fat in the bottom of the
kettle was nearly two inches deep.
I went to St. Louis, in company with Ira Cottle, to see Gov. Clark, and ascertain
whether war had been actually declared. This must have been sometime in June,
but the news of the declaration of war against Great Britain had not yet reached
there. On our return, I was strongly urged by the people to act as a spy or scout
on the frontier, as 1 was possessed of great bodily activity, and it was well known
that I had seen much woods experience. I consented to act in this capacity on
the frontiers of St. Charles county, never thinking or troubling myself about any
pecuniary recompense, and was only anxious to render the distressed people a usef'ul service. I immediately entered alone upon this duty, sometimes mounted, and
sometimes on foot, and carefully watching the river above the settlements, to discover whether any Indians had landed, and sometimes to follow their trails, learn
their destination, and report to the settlements.
Upon my advice, several of the weaker stockades were abandoned, for twenty or
thirty miles around, and concentrated at a place near the mouth of Cuivre or Copper River, at or near the present village of Monroe; and there a large number of
us, perhaps some sixty or seventy persons, were some two or three weeks employed
in the erection of a fort. We named it in honor of the patriotic governor, Benjamin Itoward, and between twenty and thirty families were soon safely lodged in
Fort iloward. The fort was an oblong square, north and south, and embraced
about half an acre, with block houses at all the corners except the south-east one.
As the war had now faiirly commenced, an act of congress authorized the raising of six companies of I Rangers; three to be raised on the Missouri side of the
Mississippi, and the other three on the Illinois side. The Missouri companies were
commanded by Daniel M. Boone, Nathan Boone, and David Musick. The commission of Nathan Boone was dated in June, 1812, to serve a year, as were doubtless
the others.
The Indians, supplied by their British employers with new rifles, seemed bent
on exterminating the Americans-always, however, excepting the French and
Spaniards, who, from their Indian intermarriages, were regarded as friends and
connections. Their constant attacks and murders, led to offensive measures.
Of the famous Sibk Hole battle, fought on the 24th of May, 1814, near Fort Howard, I shall be able to give a full account, as I was present and participated in it.
Capt. Peter Craig commanded at Fort Howard; he resided with his father-in-law,
Andrew Ramsey, at Cape Girardeau, and did not exceed thirty years of age.
Drakeford Gray was first lieutenant. Wilson Able, the second, and Edward Spears,
third lieutenant.
About noon, five of the men went out of the fort to Byrne's deserted house on
the bluff, about a quarter of a mile below the fort, to bring in a grindstone. In
consequence of back water from the Mississippi, they went in a canoe; and on
their return were fired on by a party supposed to be fifty Indians, who were under
shelter of some brush that grew along at the foot of the bluff, near Byrne's house,
and about fifteen rods distant from the canoe at the time. Three of the whites
were killed, and one mortally wounded; and as the back water, where the canoe
was, was only about knee deep, the Indians ran out and tomahawked their vie times.
430
MISSOURI.
The people in the fort ran out as quick as possible, and fired across the back
water at the Indians, but as they were nearly a quarter of a mile off, it was of
course without effect. Capt. Craig with a party of some twenty-five men hastened
in pursuit of the Indians, and ran across a point of the back water, a few inches
deep; while another party, of whom I was one, of about twenty-five, ran to the
right of the water, with a view of intercepting the Indians, who seemed to be liak ing toward the bluff or high plain west and north-west of the fort.'Tho partv with
which I had started, and Capt. Craig's soon united.
Immediately on the bluff was the cultivated field and deserted residence of Ben jamin Allen, the field about forty rods across, beyond which was pretty thick tim ber. Here the Indians made a stand, and here the fight commenced. Both parties
treed, and as the firing waxed warm, the Indians slowly retired as the whites ad vanced. After this fighting had been going on perhaps some ten minutes, the whites
were reinforced by Capt. David Musick, of Cape au Gris, with about twenty men.
Capt. Musick had been on a scout toward the head of Cuivre River, and had re turned, though unknown at Fort Howard, to the Crossing of Cuivre River, about a
mile from the fort, and about a mile and a half fiom the scene of cofict; and had
stopped with his men to graze their horses, when hearing the firing, they instantly
remounted and dashed toward the place of battle, and dismounting in the edge of
the tinmber on the bluff, and hitching their horses, they rushed through a part of
the Indian line, and shortly after the enemy fled, a part bearing to the right of the
Sink Hole toward B3ob's Creek, but the most of them taking refuge in the Sink
Hole, which was close by where the main fighting had taken place. About the
time the Indians were retreating. Capt. Craig exposed himself about four feet be yond his tree, and was shot through the body, and fell dead; James Putney was
killed before Capt. Craig, and perhaps one or two others. Before the Indians re tired to the Sink Hole, the fighting had become animated, the loading was done
quick, and shots rapidly exchanged, and when one of our party was killed or
wounded, it was announced aloud.
This Sink Hole was about sixty feet in length, and about twelve to fifteen feet
wide, and ten or twelve feet deep. Near the bottom on the south-east side, was a
shelving rock, under which perhaps some fifty or sixty persons might have sheltered themselves. At the north-east end of the Sink IHole, the descent was quite
gradual, the other end much more abrupt, and the south-east side was nearly perpendicular, and the other side about like the steep roof of a house. On the southeast side, the Indians, as a further protection in ease the whites should rush up
dug under the shelving rock with their knives. On the sides and in the bottom of
the Sink Hole were some bushes, which also served as something of a screen for
the Indians.
Capt. Musick and his men took post on the north-east side of the Sink Hole, and
the others occupied other positions surrounding the enemy. As the trees approached close to the Sink Hole, these served in part to protect our party. Finring we could not get a good opportunity to dislodge the enemy, as they were best
protected, those of our men who had families at the fort, gradually went there, not
knowing but a large body of Indians might seize the favorable occasion to attack
the fort, while the men were mostly away, engaged in the exciting contest.
The Indians in the Sink Hole had a drum, made of a skin stretched over a section of hollow tree, on which they beat quite constantly; and some Indian would
shtake a rattle, called she-shu-qiti, probably a dried bladder with pebbles within;
and even, for a moment, would venture to thrust his head in view, with his hand
elevated shaking his rattle, and calling out peash! peash! which was understood to
be a sort of defiance, or as Black Hawk, who was one of the party, says in his account of that affair, a kind of bravado to come and fight them in the Sink Hole.
When the Indians would creep up and shoot over the rim of the Sink Hole, thev
would instantly disappear, and while they sometimes fired effectual shots, they in
turn became occasionally the victims of our rifles. From about one to four o'clock
in the afternoon, the firing was inconstant, our men generally reserving their fire
till an Indian would show his head, and all of us were studying how he could more
effectually attack and dislodge the enemy.
At length Lieut. Spears suggested that a pair of cart wheels, axle and tongue.
431
which were seen at Allen's place, near at hand, be obtained, and a moving batter
constructed. This idea was entertained favorably, and an hour or more consumer
in its construction. Some oak floor puncheons, from seven to eight feet in length,
were ina(e fast to the axle in anf upright position, and port-holes made through
them. Finally, the battery was ready for trial, and was sufficiently large to protect some half a dozen or more men. It was moved forward slowly, and seemed
to attract the particular attention of the Indians, who had evidently heard the
knocking and pounding connected with its manufacture, and who now frequently
popped up their heads to make momentary discoveries; and it was at length moved
up to within less than ten paces of the brink of the Sink Hole, on the south-east
side. The upright plank did not reach the ground within some eighteen inches,
our men calculating to shoot beneath the lower end of the plank at the Indians;
but the latter, from their position, had the decided advantage of this neglected
aperture, for the Indians shooting beneath the battery at an upward angle, would
get shots at the whites before the latter could see them. The Indians a,'so watched
the port-holes, and directed some of their shots to them. Lieut. Spears was shot
dead, through the forehead, and his death was much lamented, as he had proved
himself the most active and intrepid officer enlaged. John Patterson was wounded
in the thigh, and some others wounded behind the battery. Having failed in the
object for which it was designed, the battery was abandoned after sundown.
Our hope all along had been, that the Indians would emerge from their covert,
and attempt to retreat to where we supposed their canoes were left, some three or
four miles distant, in which case we were firmly determined to rush upon them,
and endeavor to cut them totally off. The men generally evinced the greatest
bravery during the whole engagement. Night now coming on, and having heard
the reports of half a dozen or so of guns in the direction of the fort, by a few Indians who rushed out from the woods skirting 1ob's Creek, not more than forty
rods from the north end of the fort. This movement on the part of the few Indians
who had escaped when the others took refuge in the Sink Hole, was evidently designed to divert the attention of the whites, and alarm them for the safety of the
fort, and thus effectually relieve the Indians in the Sink Hole. This was the result,
for Capt. Mausick and men retired to the fort, carrying the dead and wounded, and
made every preparation to repel a night attack. As the Mississippi was quite high,
with much back water over the low grounds, the approach of the enemy was thus
facilitated, and it was feared a large Indian force was at hand. The people were
always more apprehensive of danger at a time when the river was swollen, than
when at its ordinary'stage.
The men in the fort were mostly up all night, ready for resistance, if necessary.
There was no physician at the fort, and much effort was made to set some broken
bones. There was a well in the fort, and provisions and ammunition sufficient to
sustain a pretty formidable attack. The women were greatly alarmed, pressing
their infants to their bosoms, fearingi they might not be permitted to behold another
morning's light; but the night passed awav without seeing or hearing an Indian.
The next morning a party went to the Sink Hole, and found the Indians gone, who
had carried off all their dead and wounded, except five dead bodies left on the
north-west bank of the Sink Hlole; and by the signs of blood within the Sink Ihole,
it was judg,ed that well nigh thirty of the enemy must have been killed and
wounded. Lieut. Drakeford Gray's report of the affair, made eight of our party
killed, one missing, and five wounded —making a total of fourteen; I had thought
the number was nearer twenty. Our dead were buried near the fort, when Capt.
Musick and his men went over to Cape au Gris, where they belonged, and of whliic
garrison Capt. Musick had the command. We that day sent out scouts, while I
proceeded to St. Charles to procure medical and surgical assistance, and sent forward Drs. Hubbard and Wilson.
St. Charles, the capital of St. Charles county, is on the northern bank of
the Missouri River, 18 miles from its mouth, and about 20 by land fiomni St.
Louis. The first settlement of St. Charles dates back to the year 1764,
432'
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI.
when it was settled by the French, and for a long time was regarded as the
rival of St. Louis. The opening of the North Missouri Railroad has added
much to its prosperity. It is handsomely situated on the first elevation on
the river from its mouth. The rocky bluffs in the vicinity present beautiful
views of both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Quarries of limestone,
sandstone, and stone coal have been opened near the town. The village is
upward of a mile long, and has several streets parallel with the river. It
contains the usual county buildings, several steam mills, etc., a Catholic convent, a female academy, and St. Charles College, founded in 1837, under the
patronage of the Methodists. Population about 3,000.
Boo,ivile, a flourishing town, the county seat of Cooper county, is on the
S. bank of Missouri River, 48 miles N.W. from Jefferson City. It has important commercial advantages, which have drawn to it the principal trade
of S.W. Missouri, of a portion of Arkansas, and the Cherokee Nation. It
has a healthy situation, and is surrounded by a rich farming region. Grapes
are cultivated here to some extent. Iron, lead, stone coal, marble and limestone are abundant in the vicinity. The New Mexico or Santa Fe trade is
said to have first begun at Boonville, or Old Franklin, as early as 1824.
Population about 4,000.
Irontion, the county seat of Iron county, is on the line of the Iron Moun tain Railroad, 87 miles from St. Louis. The county abounds in mineral
wealth, iron, marble, copper, and lead, and the town, containing some few
hundred inhabitants, is becoming quite a summer resort from its excellent
medicinal springs.
Potosi is one of the oldest towns in the state, having been settled in 1763,
by MIessrs. Renault and Moses. It is near the line of the Iron Mountain
Railroad, 54 miles from St. Louis. It is the county seat of Washington, and
has been long noted as the seat of the richest of lead mines. The town has
about 700 inhabitants.
The famous linte a Burtoon, at this place, was the most important and
principal discovery made in Missouri under Spanish authority. It took its
name firom M. Burton, a Frenchman, who, while hunting in this quarter,
found the ore lying on the surface of the ground. This was about the year
1780. Hon. Thos. HI. Benton gives this account of Mr. Burton from personal knowledge, and published it in the St. Louis Enquirer of October 16,
1818:
He is a Frenchman from the north of France. In the forepart of the last century, he served in the low countries under the orders of Marshal Saxe. Hle was
at the siege of Bergen-op zoomn, and assisted in the assault of that place when it
vwas assailed by a division of Marshal Saxe's army, under the command of Count
Lowendahl. He has also seen service upon the continent. He was at the building
of Fort Chartres, on the American bottom, afterward went to Fort D)u Quesne (now
Pittsburg), and was present at Braddock's defeat. From the life of a soldier, Burton passed to that of a hunter, and in that character, about half a century ago,
while pursuing a bear to the west of the Mississippi, he discovered the rich lead
mines which have borne his name ever since. His present age can not be ascertaindd. He was certainly an old soldier at Fort Chartres, when some of the people of the present day were little children at that place. The most moderate computation will make him one hundred and six. He now lives in the family of Mr.
Micheaux, at the Little Rock ferry,- three miles above Ste. Genevieve, and walks to
that village almost every Sunday to attend Mass. He is what we call a square built
man, of five feet eight inches high, full chest and forehead; his sense of seeing
and hearing some vhat impaired, but free from disease, and apparently able to hold
out against time for many years to come.
28
433
MISSoURI.
In 1797, Moses Austin, a native of Connecticut, who afterward became
identified with the history of Texas, explored the country about Mine a Burton, and obtained a grant of a league square from the Spanish government,
in consideration of erecting a reverberating furnace and other works, for the
purpose of prosecuting the mining business at these mines.
"Associated with Mr. Austin, was his son Stephen F. Austin, who, in 1798, commenced operations, erected a suitable furnace for smelting the "ashes of lead,"
and sunk the first regular shaft for raisin- ore. These improvements revived the
mining business, and drew to the country many American families, who settled ill
the neighborhood of the mines. The next year a shot-tower was built on the pinnacle of the cliff near Herculaneum, under the superintendence of Mr. Elias
Bates, and patent shot were made. A manufactory of sheet lead was completed
the same year, and the Spanish arsenals at New Orleans and Havana, received a
considerable part of their supplies for the Spanish navy from these mines."
Hermann, capital of Gasconade county, is on the line of the Pacific Railroad, 81 miles from St. Louis. It was first settled in 1837, by the German
Settlement Society, of Philadelphia. The place and vicinity are noted for
the culture of the grape, being second only to Cincinnati. A good year's
growth of the grape will yield over 100,000 gallons of wine, worth from
$1 25 to $2 per gallon.
There are in the state a large number of towns of from 1,000 to 3,000 inhabitants, beside those described. These are among them: Canton, in Lewis
county, 175 miles N.E. from Jefferson City. Carondolet, on the Iron Mountain Railroad. 6 miles from St. Louis. This is an old town, settled half a
century since, and named fr6m one of its early settlers, Baron De Carondolet. Chillicothe, the county seat of Livingston, is 129 miles west of Hannibal, on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Columbia, the county seat
of Boone, 33 miles N.N.W. from Jefferson City, and is the seat of the State
University and of two colleges. Fulton, county seat of Callaway, is 24 miles
N.E. from Jefferson City. Here is lbcated Westminster College and the
State Lunatic and Deaf and Dumb Asylums. Glasgow is in Howard county,
on the left bank of the Missouri, 60 miles N.W. of Jefferson City. La
Grange is on the Mississippi, in Lewis county, 104 N.N.E. of Jefferson City.
,Louisiana is on the left bank of the Mississippi, 82 miles N.E. of Jefferson
City. Palmyra, the county seat of Marion, on the Hannibal and St. Joseph
Railroad, 14 miles from Hannibal, has two colleges and two academies, and
is considered the most beautiful town of northern Missouri. St. Genevieve,
the capital of St. Genevieve county, is situated on the W. bank of the Mississippi, 72 miles below St. Louis, and 117 S.E. from Jefferson City. St.
Genevieve exports large quantities of copper, lead, limestone, marble, and
white sand; the latter article is of superior quality, being used in the glass
works of Boston and Pittsburg. It is noted as the oldest town in Missouri,
having been settled by a few French families in 1751. ivpton is in Moniteau
county, 38 miles from Jefferson City. Washington is in Franklin county, op
the line of the Pacific Railroad, 54 miles from St. Louis. Huntsville, county
seat of Randolph, is on the North Missouri Railroad, 160 miles N.W. from
St. Louis: near it is Mount Plcasant College. Mound City, or Hudson, is
at the junction of the North Missouri and Hannibal and St. Joseph Rail roads, 168 miles from St. Louis. Mexico, the county seat of Audrian, is on
the North Missouri Railroad, 50 miles N.E. from Jefferson City.
434
MISSOURI.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
Gen. William Clark was born in Virginia in Aug., 1770, and in 1784 removed,
with his fathlier's family, to the Falls of the Ohio, now the site of Louisville, where
his brother, the distinguished Gen. George Rogers Clark, had a short time previously established a fort. In 1793, he was appointed by Washington lieutenant of
riflemen. "In 1803 he was tendered by Mr. Jefferson the appointment of captain
of engineers, to assume joint command with Captain Merriwether Lewis, of
the North-western Expedition to the Pacific Ocean. This was accepted, and the
party left St. Louis in March, 1804, for the vast and then unexplored regions between the Mississippi River and the ocean, under the joint command of himself
and Lewis, they being, by a special regulation to that effect, equal in rank. On
this perilous expedition, he was the principal military director, while Lewis, assisted
by himself, was the scientific manager. Gen. Clark then kept and wrote the Journal, which has since been published, and assisted Lewis in all his celestial observations, when they were together. On their return to St. Louis from the Pacific
Ocean, in the fall of 1806, Capt. Lewis was appointed governor of the territory
* then designated as Upper Louisiana, and the place of lieutenant-colonel of infantry
was offered to Gen. (then Capt.) Clark: but he preferred the place of Indian agent
at St. Louis, having become, by his intercourse with the various tribes on the Missouri, well acquainted with the proper course to be pursued toward them; and he
remained in this office until he was made brigadier general for the Territory of
Upper Louisiana, under the laws of congress. During the late war with Great
Britain he was applied to by the war department to revise the plan of the campaign
then going on under Gen. Hull, and was offered the appointment of brigadier general in the United States army, and the command then held by Hull; these, however,'he refused, being convinced that the operations of this officer were too far
advanced to be successfully remedied. In 1813, President Madison appointed him,
in place of Gov. Howard, resigned, governor of the territory and superintendent
of Indian affairs, after he had twice refused to be nominated to the first office. He
held both these poffices until Missouri was admitted into the Union as a state in
1820. Upon her admission, he was nominated against his consent as a candidate
for governor, but was not elected, being in Virginia at the time of election. He
then remained in private life until 1822, when he was appointed by President Monroe, superintendent of Indian affairs. As commissioner and superintendent of Indian affairs for a long series of years, he made treaties with almost every tribe of
Indians, and exhibited to all of them the feelings of a philanthropist, as well as a
becoming zeal for the rights of the government of his country. He was applied
to, to accept the office of United States senator from Missouri, but declined, believing that he could more efficiently serve his country, and the cause of humanity,
in the Indian department than in the national halls of legislation. He was the
youngest of six brothers, the four oldest of whom were distinguished officers in
the Revolutionary war. One of them fell in the struggle; another was killed by
the Indians upon the Wabash, and his brother, Gen. George Rogers Clark, is well
known to the people of the west. The early history of Kentucky is identified with
his, and as long as that noble and proud state maintains her lofty eminence, she
will cherish his name. Gen. Clark was a resident of St. Louis for more than thirty
years, and died there in September, 1838, aged 68 years."-Blake's Biog. Dict.
Cov. Benjamin Howard was born in Virginia. From 1807 to 1810, he was a
representative in Congress from Kentucky, when he was appointed governor of
Missouri Territory. In 1813, he resigned the latter office being appointed brigadier
general in the U. S. service. This was the period of the war with Great Britain,
and he was in command of the 8th military department, then embracing all the
territory from the interior of Indiana to the Mexican frontier. He died after two
days illness, at St. Louis, in Sept., 1814. He was a brave and patriotic man, and
his loss was sincerely felt. Several forts in the west have been named from him.
Hon. Lewis F. Liun was born near Louisville, Ky., in 1795, and was educated
to medicine, which hlie practiced after his removal to Missouri. From 1833 to 1843,
he was a senator in congress from Missouri, and died Oct 3d, in the last named year
435
at his residence in St. Genevieve. His congressional career was eminently distinguished for ability, and for his identification with the interests of the Mississippi
Valley. His virtues were eulogized by many of the best men in the country.
HIon. Thomas Hart Benton "was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina, March
14, 1782, and educated at Chapel Hill College. He left that institution without receiving a degree, and forthwith commenced the study of law in William and Mary
College, Virginia, under Mr. St. George Tucker. In 1810, he entered the United
States army, but soon resigned his commission of lieutenant-colonel, and in 1811
was at Nashville, Tenn., where he conmmenced the practice of the law. HIe soon
afterward emigrated to St. Louis, Mo., where he connected himself with the press
as the editor of a newspaper, the Missouri Argus. In 1820, he was elected a meinmber of the United States senate, serving as chairman of many important committees, and remained in that body till the session of 1851, at which time he failed
of re-election. As Missouri was not admitted into the Union till August J0, 1821,
more than a year of Mr. Benton's first term of service expired before he took his
seat. He occupied himself during this interval before taking his seat in congress
in acquiring a knowledge of the language and literature of Spain. Immediately
after he appeared in the senate he took a prominent part in the deliberations of
that body, and rapidly rose to eminence and distinction. Few public measures
were discussed between the years 1821 and 1851 that he did not participate in
largoely, and the influence he wielded was always felt and confessed by the country. He was one of the chief props and supporters of the administrations of
Presidents Jackson and Van Buren. The people of Missouri long clung to him as
their apostle and leader; and it required persevering effort to defeat him. But he
had served them during the entire period of thirty years without interruption, and
others, who aspired to honors he enjoyed, became impatient for an opportunity to
supplant him. His defeat was the consequence. Col. Benton was distinguished
for his learning, iron will, practical mind, and strong memory. As a public speaker
he was not interesting or calculated to produce an effect on the passions of an
audience, but his speeches were read with avidity, always producing a decided influence. He was elected a representative in the thirty-third congress for the district of St. Louis, and on his retirement from public life devoted himself to the
preparation of a valuable register of the debates in congress, upon which he
labored until his death, which occurred in Washington on the 10th of April, 1858,
of cancer in the stomach."-Lanman's Dict. of Congress.
EXPULSION OF THE MORMONS FROM MISSOURI.
[From Perkins' Annals of the West.]
From the time of Rigdon's conversion, in October, 1830, the progress of M{rormonism was wonderfully rapid, he being a man of more than common capacity
and cunning. Kirtland, Ohio, became the chief city for the time being, while
large numbers went to Missouri in consequence of revelations to that effect. In
July, 1833, the number of Mormons in Jackson county, Missouri, was over 1,200.
Their increase having produced some anxiety among the neighboring settlers, a
meeting was held in the month just named, from whence emanated resolutions forbiddingr all Mormons thenceforth to settle in that county, and intimating that all
who did not soon remove of their own will would be forced to do so. Among the
resolutions was one requiring the Mormon newspaper to be stopped, but as this
was not at once complied with the office of the paper was destroyed. Another
large meeting of the citizens being held, the Mormons became alarmed and contracted to remove. Before this contract, however, could be complied with, violent
proceedings were again resorted to; houses were destroyed, men whipped, and at
length some of both parties were killed. The result was a removal of the Mormons across the Missouri into Clay county.
These outrages being communicated to the Prophet at Kirtland, he took steps
to bring about a great gathering of his disciples, with which, marshaled as an
army, in May, 1834, he started for Missouri, which in due time he reached, but
MISSOURI.
.436
MISSOURI.
with no other result than the transfer of a certain portion of his followers as per manent settlers to a re,ion already too full of them. At first the citizens of (la
county were friendly to the persecuted; but ere long trouble grew up, and the
wanderers were once more forced to seek a new home, in order to prevent outrages.
This home they found in Caldwell county, where, by permission of the neighbors
and state legislature, they organized a county government, the country having been
previously unsettled. Soon after this removal,;numbers of Mormons flocking in,
settlements were also formed in Davis and Carroll:-the three towns of the new
sect being iFar West in Caldwell; Adam-on-di-ah-mond, called Diahmond or Diah man, in Davis; and Dewit, in Carroll. Thus far the Mormon writers and their
enemies pretty well agree in their narratives of the Missouri troubles; but thence forth all is contradiction and uncertainty. These contradictions we can not recon cile. and we have not room to give both relations; referring our readers, therefore,
to HTunt and Greene, we will, in a few words, state our own impressions of the
causes of the quarrel and the catastrophe.
The Mlormons, or Latter-day Saints, held two views which they were fond of
dwelling upon, and which were calculated to alarm and excite the people of the
frontier. One was, that the west was to be their'inheritance, and that the unconverted dwellers upon the landis ab)out them were to be destroyed, and the saints to
succeed to their property. The destruction spoken of was to be, as Smith taught,
by the hand of God; but those who were threatened naturally enough concluded
that the AMormons might think themselves instruments in His hand to work the
change they foretold and desired. Thev believed also, with or without reason, that
the saints, anticipating, like many other heirs, the income of their inheritance,
helped themselves to what they needed of food and clothing; or, as thle world
called it, were arrant thieves.
The other offensive view was, the descent of the Indians from the Hebrews,
taug!ht by the Book of AlMoriioni, and their ultimate restoration to their share in the
inheritance of the faithful: from this view, the neighbors were easily led to infer
a union of the saints and savages to desolate the frontier. Looking with suspicion
upon the new sect, and believing them to be already rogues and thieves, the inhabitants of Carroll and Davis counties were of course opposed to their possession
of the chief political influence, such as they already possessed in Caldwell, and
from the fear that they would acquire more, arose the first open quarreL This took
place in August, 183S, at an election in Davis county, where their right of suffrage
was disputed. The affray which ensued being exaggerated, and some severe cuts
and bruises being converted into mortal wounds by the voice of rumor, a number
of the Mormons of Caldwell county went to Diahmond, and after learning the fileacts,
by force or persuasion induced a magistrate of Davis, known to be a leading opponent of theirs, to sign a promise not to molest them any more by word or deed.
For this Joe Smith and Lyman Wight were arrested and held to trial. Py this
time the prejudices and fears of both parties were fully aroused; each anticipated
violence from the other, and to prevent it each proceeded to violence. The Mormnons of Caldwell, legally organized, turned out to preserve the peace; and the
Anti-MAlormons of Davis, Carroll and( Livingston, acting upon the sacred principle
of self-defense, armed and embodied themselves for the same commendable purpose. Unhappily, in this case, as in many similar ones, the preservation of peace
was ill confided to men moved by mingled fear and hatred; and instead of it, the
opposing forces produced plunderings, burnings, and bloodshed, which did not
terminate until (Governor Bolggs, on the 27th of October, authorized (,en. Clark,
with the full military power of the state, to exterminate or drive from Missouri, if
he thought necessary, the unhappy followers of Joe Smith. Against the army,
3,500) strong thus brought to annihilate them, and which was evidently not a mnob,
the 1,400 Mormons made no resistance; 300 fled, and the remainder surrendered.
The leaders were examined and held to trial, bail being refused; while the mass
of the unhappy people were stripped of their property to pay the expenses of the
war, and driven, men, women, and children, in mid winter, from the state, naked
and starving. Multitudes of them were forced to encamp without tents, and with
scarce any clothes or food, on the bank of the Mississippi, which was too full of
ice for them to cross. The people of illinois, however, received the fugitives when
4 -37
they reached the eastern shore, with open arms, and the saints entered upon a
new and yet more surprising series of adventures than those they had already
passed through. The Mormons found their way from Missouri into the neighboring state through the course of the year 1839, and missionaries were sent abroad
to paint their sufferings, and ask relief for those who were persecuted because of
their religious views; although their religious views appear to have had little or
nothing to do with the opposition experienced by them in Missouri.
THE IRON MINES OF MISSOURI.
No country on the globe, of the same extent, equals Missouri in the quantity of
iron. "The fiaetalliferous region of Missouri covers an area of at least 20,000
square miles, or about 12,800,000
acres, and the same formation ex tends southward into Arkansas and
westward into the territories. In
this great region is a uniformity of
mineral character as unusal as the
great extent of the deposits. The
~~-~~~ whole country is composed of lower
magnesian limestone, and bears
lead throughout its entire extent,
and in numerous localities, iron
mines of great value exist. The
ore is massive, generally found on
or near the surface, and of remark able purity. Amniong the most re markable of these iron formations
is the celebrated Iroin gountain, in
PILOT KNOB. St. Francis county, nearPotosi, and
about 80 miles south from St. Louis
One of the Iron Mountains, and rising to the hight of by the Iron Mountain Railroad,
~five hundred and eigty-one feet. and 30 west of the Mississippi
River. On account of the difficulty of transportation, and the prevailing impression that the ore from the Iron Mountain could not be smelted, it remained unproductive till the formation of the Iron Mountain CMompany, in 1845. It now
furnishes the chief material for the St. Louis rolling,-mill, and is the principal sup
port of the iron manufactures of Missouri.
''Thle mountain is the south-western termination of a ridge of porphyritic rocks.
It is of a conical shape, flattened at the top, and slopes toward the west It is
made up exclusively of specular oxide of iron, the most abundant and valuable
ore in the state, in its purest form, containing no perceptible quantity of other
mineral substances except a little less than one per cent. of silica, which, according to Dr. Ditton, who made an analysis of the ore four or five years ago, rather
improves than injures its quality. The quantity of the ore is inexhaustible, and,
for most purposes, its quality requires no improvement.
The area of the Iron Mountain covers an extent of some fiv hundred acres.
It rises to the hight of two hundred and sixty feet above the general level of the
surrounding country. Its whole top is a solid mass of iron, and one can see noth ing but iron lumps as far as the eye can reach. The ore of this mountain is
known as the specular oxide, and usually yields some sixty-eight or seventy per
cent. of pure iron, and so free from injurious substances as to present no obstacle
to working it directly into blooms. The metal is so excellent that much of it is
now used by the manufacturers on the Ohio River, for mixing with the ore found
there. There are in operation at the mountain three blast furnaces, producing
from seven thousand to seven thousand five hundred tuns of metal annually. Be sides this immense deposit of ore above the surface, a shaft sunk at the base of
the mountain gives fifteen feet of clay and ore, thirty feet of white sandstone,
thirty-three feet of blue porphyry, and fifty-three feet of pure iron ore. This bed
of mineral would be immensely valuable if there was none above the surface.
438
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI.
"About six miles south and a little east of the Iron Mountain are deposits of ore
no less rich, and scarcely less extensive. These are chiefly in Pilot Knob and
Shepherd Mountain. The Pilot Knob ore is different from all other ore of the
neighborhood, both in appearance and in composition. It is of finer grain, and
more compact, and breaks with a gray, steel-like fracture. It contains from ten to
twenty per cent of silica, which renders it more readily fusible, and better fitted
for some purposes. The Knob is a very striking feature in the landscape. Rising
almost perpendicularly five hundred and eighty-one feet on a base of three hundred and sixty acres, and almost wholly isolated, it has long served as a land-mark
to the pioneers of Missouri. Hence its name. A very large portion of the mountain is pure iron. It is somewhat difficult to estimate the quantity of the ore, on
account of its beitg interstratified with slate. The rocks about the base of the
mountain are darek gray, silicious and slaty. At a hight of three hundred feet
they show more traces of iron. At a hight of four hundred and forty-one feet
there is a stratum of pure ore, from nineteen to twenty-four feet thick. Beneath
and above this are beds of ore mixed with the silicious rocks. It is estimated that
the amount of ore above the surface is not less than 13,872,773 tuns, and probably
much more. Its igneous origin is not certain, but probable; and hence it is probable that it extends downward to an indefinite extent, according to the well-founded
theory of geologists.
Shepherd Mountain, which is a little more than a mile south-west of Pilot Knob,
rises to a hight of 660 feet on a base of 800 acres. It is penetrated with veins or
dykes of ore, running in different directions, but mostly vertical, and of indefinite
extent.
From the mine, which is worked at about 500 feet from the top of Pilot Knob,
the ore is carried in cars on a railway running down the side of the mountain, on
a fearfully steep inclined plane. Upon this plane we climbed laboriously to the
mine and then ascended to the flagstaff, firmly fastened among the rocks, on the
topmost peak, which are so well worn by the feet of strangers that they present
the appearance of pure wvrought iron, which is hardly remarkable in view of the
fact that horse-shoes and knives have been repeatedly made from the crude ore,
merely by hammering.
When we state, on the authority of Prof. Swallow, that there is enough ore, of
the very best quality, within a few miles of Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain, above
the surface of the valleys, not reckoning the vast deposits that lie beneath, to furnish one million tuns per annum of manufactured iron for two hundred years,
some estimate may be formed of the vast advantages that must accrue to Missouri
from the possession of so rich a store of that indispensable metal, which, greater
in its power even than gold, has always stood pre-eminent in its influence on the
prosperity of nations, seeming, as it were, to communicate to those who own and
manufacture it some of its own hardy and sterling qualities."
The mines of Elba, Sweden, and Norway, all together do not equal these peaks.
The substantial wealth of England and Belgium is drawn from their mines, but
neither of them possess the mineral wealth, the iron, lead, coal, tin and copper of
this single state.
Gen. James Wilkinson was born in Maryland about the year 1757, was educated
to medicine, entered the army of the Revolution, and was breveted brigadier general. After the war he settled in Kentucky in commercial business. Again entering the army, he had command of the United States forces in the Mississippi
valley. in the war of 1812, he served on the northern frontier. He died in 1825,
aged 68. He published "Memoirs of My Own Times," 3 vols. 8vo., 1816.
Major Amos Stoddard, the first American governor of Upper Louisiana, was
born in Woodbury, Conn., and was a soldier of the Revolution. He was subsequently clerk of the supreme court in Boston, also practiced law at Hallowell,
Maine. In 1799, he entered the army as captain of artillery. About the year
1804, he was appointed first military commandant and civil governor of Upper
Loiisiana, his headquarters being St. Louis. He died of lockjaw in 1813, from a
wound received at the siege of Fort Meigs. He was a man of talent, and was the
author of Sketches of Louisiana, a valuable work
439
4
0
41
K A N S A S.
KANSAS, prior to 1854, was included within the limits of the " Indian
Territory," lying west of Missouri, and the adjoining states. It was thus
called from the circumstance of its
being the territory on which several
tribes of Indians, mainly from east
of the Mississippi, were located un /gs~~~~~ ~~der the direction of the general gov 9 w =' ~~~, ~ernment. The principal tribes thus
placed within the present limits of
Kansas, were the Delawares, who
_______ ~ were estimated at upward of 800 in
number; the Kickapoos, at about
900, the Shawnees, at about 1,300:
the Kansas, one of the original
tribes of this region, were located
- on the Kansas River, farther west ward, and were supposed to number
about 2,000.
ARMS or KANSAS. The first white man who traversed
MOTTo.-Ad Astra per Apera.-To Prosperity the soil of Kansas seems to have
through Adversity. been M. Dutisne, a French officer,
sent in 1719, by Bienville, the governor of Louisiana, to explore the territory west of the Mississippi. He
passed up Osage River, a southern tributary of the Missouri, and visited
'everal Indian villages within the present limits of Kansas.
In 1804, Lewis and Clark, on their celebrated Rocky Mountain expedi-ion, passed up the Missouri River, on the eastern boundary of Kansas.
Ihe oldest fort on this river is Fort Leavenworth, which was established
l 1827. This, with the missionary establishments among the Indians, were
he first places occupied by the whites.
In 1832, the small pox reduced the Pawnee Indians, in Kansas, one
'alf. Thus, enfeebled, they entered into a treaty with the Ijnited States,
'isposing of their Kansas possessions, and agreed to reside wholly north of
hue Nebraska River, and west of Missouri. Here, under the patronage of
Government, they erected dwellings, shops, etc., and commenced agricultural
-riprovements. Their young men, however, formed war parties, and com.itted depredations upon the tribes around them. They were severely
441
KANSAS.
chastised by the Comanches and Osages; and the Utahs, from their mountain
fastnesses, avenged themselves of former cruelties. To crown the misery of
the Pawnees, the Blackfeet and Sioux Indians. in the north and west, ravaged their fields, burned their houses, and drove away their horses and zattle.
Disheartened, they migrated south, and settled near the Ottoes and Omahas,
where the remnant now exist.
"The whole Indian population of Kansas," says Mr. Greene, in his History of the Kansas region, 1856, " is probably25,000. The immigrant tribes are
the Kickapoos, Wyandots, Sacs and Foxes, Munsees, Weas and Plankeshaws,
Peorias and Kaskaskias, Ottawas, Pottowatamies, Chippewas, Delawares, and
Shawnees; embracing in all a population of about 5,000, and including within
their reservations, prior to the treaties of 1853 and'54, almost ten millions
of acres. A million of acres were ceded by the Delawares, Weas and Kickapoos, in MIay, 1853, to be sold at auction. The Shawnee Reserve embraces
thirty miles west of the Missouri line and fifteen south of Kansas River.
The Wyandots have thirty sections in the angle formed by the confluence of
the Kansas and Missouri. The Delawares retain a tract ten miles wide and
forty longs extending east from the mouth of Grasshopper Creek. The Pottawatomies own thirty miles square, cut through the middle by Kansas River.
The Kickapoos have a small reserve at the head of the Grasshopper. North
of the river and below Pottawatomie, the Kansas still hold a tract twentytwo miles long and one wide."
In 1820, on the admission of Missouri into the Union, the congress of
the United States passed the "Missouri Compromise" act, prohibiting slavery
in all territory of the United States north of 36~ 30'. Kansas being north
of this line was included within the litnits of the prohibition. In 1854, on
the organization of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska, congress, after
an exciting discussion, passed the "Kansas and Nebraska bill," which in
effect rendered nugatory the Compromise Act of 1820. This at once opened
up a contest between slave-holders and free-soil men for possession. The
richest part of Missouri, that most densely filled with a slave population, lay
adjacent to the soil of Kansas. Were Kansas to become free territory the
people feared that there would be no security in western Missouri for slavery.
They determined, therefore, to introduce and fasten the institution in
Kansas.
The passage of the Kansas Nebraska bill had agitated the whole country,
and widely spread the information of the fine climate and rich soil of Kansas: this excited the desire of multitudes of the citizens of the free states
to emigrate thither, introduce their institutions, open farms on its virgin soil,
and found new homes fQr themselves and their children in the beautiful
prairie land. The conflict which ensued between the pro-slavery and the
free-soil parties was inevitable.
Soon as the tidings of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill reached
western Missouri, some thousands of the people crossed over the borders and
selected farms, and for a while they had the control of the political movements in the territory, ere the van of the free state emigrants could reach it.
Many of the latter came hither in bodies, neighbors joining together for
that purpose, and in Massachusetts, an Emigrant Aid Society was created,
for (it was alleged) pecuniary gain, by the means of organized capital in
forming centers for settlers.* To counteract this, "Blue Lodges" were
* The Emigrant Aid Society wits originally formed in Massachusetts, May 4, 1854, just
before the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. In the succeeding February a new char
442
kANSAS.
established in western Missouri to assist pro-slavery emigration. Soon all
emigrants came armed, for events showed that only by a struggle and bloodshed the question of ascendency would be settled.
A. H. Reeder, the first governor of the territory, and appointed by President Pierce, arrived at Fort Leavenworth, Oct. 6, 1854, and soon after visited
Lawrence, where he was met by the citizens, and was welcomed in an address
by Gen. Pomeroy. The governor stated in his reply that, as far as possible,
he should maintain law and order, and preserve the freedom of speech. The
first election of a delegate to congress took place Nov. 29, 1854. The territory was divided into nineteen districts. Gov. Reeder, who resided at
Fort Leavenworth, appointed election judges, and gave instructions to have
the vote properly taken. It appears, however, that an organized body of
Missourians, in some instances, took forcible possession of the polls, and
elected Gen. Whitfield as a delegate. In the election for the territorial leg
islature, on March 30, 1855, large organized bodies from Missouri controlled
the polls, appointing their own judges, where those previously appointed
would not conform to their wishes. In consequence of this, every district
rwith one exception) returned pro-slavery men to the prospective legislature.
The legislature met on the 2d of July, at Pawnee, according to the proclamation of the governor, and was organized by the election of D. S. Stringfellow as speaker. In the course of the first week they passed an act remloving the seat of government from Pawnee to the Shawnee Manual Labor
School, to take effect from and after its passage: they also passed an act
adopting the laws generally of Missouri as the laws of Kansas. On the 6th
of July, the governor vetoed the act removing the seat of government. It
was, however, passed over his veto by a two thirds vote, and the two legislative houses met at the Shawnee Mission on the 16th of July. On July
25, in a joint session, they elected the various county officers for a term of
six years. Various other extraordinary and unusual acts were passed.* A
resolution was carried declaring the incompetency of the governor, and a
memorial was dispatched to Washington praying for his removal.
Gov. Reeder and Judge Elmer, of the supreme court, having been removed by
the general government, Wilson Shannon, an ex-governor of Ohio, was appointed
governor, and Judge Moore, of Alabama, succeeded Judge Elmer. On Sept. 5,
1855, a free state convention met at Big Springs, which resolved to repudiate
all the acts passed by the legislature held at the Shawnee Mission. On the
ter was obtained, in which the objects of the society were declared to be "For the purposes
of directing emigration westward, and aiding in providing accommodations for the emigrants after arriving at their places of destination." The total capital was about $100,000.
The plan was to give fixed centers for emigrants, with mills, schools, and churches, and
thus to benefit the stockholders by the opportunities which the application of associated
capital would give. in the rapid rise of the real estate around these centers. Emigrants
under it provided their own expenses; but by going in companies had the advantages of
traveling at reduced rates. The great bulk of emigration was not, however, from distant
New England, but from the hardy population of the north-west, familiar with pioneer life
and inured to its hardships.
'- "Among their labors were an act to fix the seat of government at Lecompton; acts making it a capital offense to assist slaves in escaping either into the territory or out of it, and
felony, punishable with imprisonment at hard labor from two to five years, to conceal or
aid escaping slaves, to circulate anti-slavery publications, or to deny the right to hold slaves
in the territory; an act giving the right to vote to all persons who had paid a poll tax of
one dollar, whether residents or not; an act requiring all voters, officers, and attorneys, to
take an oath to support the fugitive slave law and the acts of this legislature; and an act
giving the selection of jurors to the sheriff. They also adopted the Missouri laws in a
heap."
443
KANSAS.
19th of September, a convention assembled at Topeka, in which it was resolved to take measures to form a state constitution. On the 9th of October, the free state men held their election, allowing no nonresident to vote'
2,400 votes were cast, nearly all of which were for Gov. Reeder as delegate
to congress. They also elected delegates to assemble at Topeka, on the
fourth Tuesday of the same month, to form a state constitution. This convention met, and chose Col. James Lane its president: a constitution was
formed in which slavery was prohibited. Immediately after the adjournment of this convention, the pro-slavery party called a "Law and Order convention," over which Gov. Shannon and Judges Lecompte and Elmer presided, in which the Topeka convention was denounced as a treasonable
assemblage.
In Nov., one Coleman, in a quarrel about a land claim, killed a Mr. Dow,
a free state settler, at Hickory Point, about 12 miles from Lawrence. Coleman then. proceeded to Lecompton, to Gov. Shannon, and swore a complaint
against Branson, at whose house Dow had lodged, that Branson had threatened his (Colemnan's) life. Branson was thereupon arrested by Sheriff Jones,
but was rescued by his neighbors, and took refuge in Lawrence. These
transactions caused great excitement. The people of Lawrence armed as
an attack was threatened. Gov. Shannon issued his proclamation, stating an open rebellion had commenced, and calling for assistance to carry out
the laws: this was circulated through the border counties of Missouri, volunteer companies were raised, and nearly 1,800 men crossed over from Missouri, having with them seven pieces of cannon, obtained from the U. S.
arsenal near Liberty, Mo. This formidable array encamped at Wakerusa, over
against Lawrence, which was now threatened with destruction. Gov. Shannon, Chief Justice Lecomnpte and David R. Atchison accompanied the troops.
For more than a week the invading force continued encamped, and a deadly
conflict seemed imminent. Fortunately for the peace of the country, a direct
conflict was avoided by an amicable arrangement. The invading army retired from Lawrence, Dec. 9, 1855.
In Dec., 1855, the Topeka constitution was adopted by a vote of the peo
ple, and state officers were appointed. On Jan. 4, 1856, in a message, Gov.
Shannon indorsed the pro-slavery legislature and code, and, represented tha
formation of the Topeka constitution as equivalent to an act of rebellion
This was followed by a proclamation, on Feb. 4th, directed against the free
state men, and on the strength of it, indictments for treason were foun.
against Charles Robinson, Geo. W. Brown, ex-Gov. Reeder, Gen. Lane, Geo.
W. Deitzler, and others, connected with the formation of the free state government. Robinson, Brown, Deitzler, and many others, were arrested and
imprisoned at Lecompton during the entire summer, guarded by the United
States' dragoons.
In March, 1856, the house of representatives, at Washington, having under consideration the conflicting claims of Gov. Reeder and Gov. Whitfield
to represent Kansas in congress, appointed a commission to investigate the
fart. This committee consisted of Howard, of Michigan, Sherman, of Ohio,
and Oliver, of Missouri, who, being directed to proceed to Kansas, arrived
at Lawrence on the 17th of April. While in Kansas this "congressional
committee of investigation" collected a large mass of testimony which went
to prove that frauds had been perpetrated by the pro-slavery party at the
ballot box, also that many outrages had been committed, in which the free
state settlers were principally the sufferers.
444
KANSAS.
Early in April, 1856, two or three hundred pro-slavery men, from Georgia
and the Carolinas, arrived in the territory, under the command of Maj. Buford. of Georgia. On the 24th of April, Sheriff Jones entered Lawrence
and arrested several free state men. On the 8th of May, Gov. Robinson,
while descending the Missouri on his way east, was seized and detained at
Lexington, Mo., and afterward sent back to Kansas on the charge of treason.
Gov. Reeder and Gen. Lane, being indicted on the same charge, succeeded
in making their escape out of the territory. On the 21st of May, Sheriff
Jones, with a posse of some four or five hundred men, proceeded to Lawrence,
ostensibly for the purpose of executing the process of the courts. Several
pieces of artillery and about 200 of Sharp's rifles were taken, two printing
presses, with a large quantity of material, were destroyed, and the Free
State Hotel and Dr. Robinson's mansion were burnt as nuisances. On the
26th, a skirmish occurred at Ossawatomie, in which three free state and five
pro-slavery men were killed. The free state men now began to make a concerted and armed resistance to the pro-slavery bands which were spread over
the country. Parties of free state emigrants coming up the Missouri, were
turned back, and forbid entering the territory, so that their only ingress into
Kansas was overland through Iowa. For months civil war prevailed, and
the settlers were distressed by robberies, murders, house burnings, the destruction of crops, and other atrocities.
The free state legislature, according to the time fixed, met at Topeka, July
4, 1856. As they were about organizing for business. Col. Suniner (who
was accompanied by a body of U. S. dragoons), went into the hall, and claiming to act under the authority of the president of the United States, dispersed
the assemblage. Oa the 5th of Aug., a body of men from Lawrence marched
against a post, near Ossawatomie, occupied by a company of marauders, said
to be Georgians. After a conflict of three hours, the post, a large blockhouse, was carried with a loss of one or two killed, and several wounded on
both sides. Other conflicts took place in other places, attended with loss of
life. Gov. Shannon was removed early in August, and acting Gov. Woodson, on the 25th of that month, issued a proclamation declaring the territory
in a state of rebellion.
Gov. Geary, the successor of Gov. Shannon, arrived in the territory about
the 1st of Sept., and by proclamation ordered all the volunteer militia to be
discharged, and all bodies of men acting without the authority of government, instantly to disband or quit the territory. After this the outrages and
skirmishes rapidly diminished, and order was gradually restored.
The next season, the pro-slavery party, at a convention held at Lecompton, formed a state constitution, familiarly known as the Lecomptox Constitutioi, and in the session of 1857-8, applied to congress for admission into the
Union. Great opposition was made to it on the ground that the convention
which formed it was firaudulently elected, and did not represent the will of
the people, as it was favorable to slavery. After a long and memorable
strugglIe, the instrument was referred to the people of Kansas, on the 4th of
Aug., 185a8. They rejected it by a vote of more than six to one-11,300
againist to 1,788 votes in favor.
To this period the party lines in Kansas had been divided between the
pro-slavery and the free state men. Soon after, these distinctions gave place
to the Democratic and Republican parties. The next territorial legislature
met in Jan., 1859, and the Republicans, having the majority, took measures
by which a convention met at Wyandot, in the succeeding July, and formed
445
KANSAS
a state constitution, known as the Wyandot Constitution, which prohibited
slavery. This constitution, on reference to the people, was adopted by a
large majority. The lower house of congress, in the succeeding session,
1859-60, passed the bill, but the senate failed to act upon it, so it was lost.
Kansas, therefore, remained in a territorial condition until January 30th,
1861, when it was admitted as a free state of the Union. The severe
contest in regard to the institutions of Kansas was thus closed, only, however, to give place to a more terrible struggle, involving the whole nation.
Kansas is bounded N. by Nebraska, E. by Missouri, S. by the Indian Territory, and W. by Colorado Territory. It extends between the parallels of
37~ 30' and 40~ N. Lat., and 94~ 30' and 102~ W. Long.
South view of Fort Leaveenworth.
The view is taken from a point near the residence of the Chaplain. The block-house, which appears
inear the central part, is the oldest building standing in Kan,sas. It is pierced for musketry and cannon;
the lower part is constructed of brick, the upper of logs, etc. The barrack buildings appear beyond; the
Quartermaster's building is seen on the right.
The eastern part of Kansas is one of the most beautiful and fertile sections
of country found in the United States. It consists, for the most part, of
rolling prairies, having a deep, rich and fertile soil. The smooth and graceful hills, covered with dense vegetation, extend westward from the Missouri
about 200 miles, having, in many places, the appearance of a vast sea of
grass and flowers. The timber is principally in the vicinity of the rivers and
streams, but a remarkable provision exists in the abundance of limestone
found on the crest of all the elevations, just cropping out from the surface,
hardly interfering with vegetation. This is admirably adapted for buildings
and fences. Numerous coal beds are said to abound.
The Kansas or Kaw is the only stream of importance passing into the interior. The climate is healthy, the air being pure and dry. The winters are
usually mild and open, with little snow. Kansas possesses very superior advantages for the raising of cattle. Almost all kinds of grain and fruits can
be produced in great abundance. In March, 1855, the population was estimnated, in round numbers, at 8,000; a year later it was estimated at 60,000;
in 1860, it was 107,110.
FORT LEAVENWORTH, formerly the most important military post in the
United States, is situated on the west side of the Missouri River) 31 miles
446
KANSAS.
above the mouth of Kansas River, and 4 miles below Weston, Mo. This is
the oldest fort on the Missouri, having been established in 1827: it received its name from Col. Leavenworth, an officer of distinction in the
Niagara campaign. It is the great frontier depot for other military posts on
the Santa Fe, Utah and Oregon routes, and the general rendezvous for troops
proceeding to the western forts. The fort stands on an elevation of about
150 feet, and about 150 yards back from the steamboat landing. Several
thousand acres of fine land in the vicinity are reserved for the use of the force
at this point.
South-easterni view of Leat e'itiwo?th City.
The view shows the appearance of the city as seen from the Missouri side of the river. The MTarket
House and Tlhe.ter building, surmounted by a fltag, is shown o) the left; and the Planters' Hlomse, tlhe
Steamboat and Steam Ferry Landings on the right.
On some occasions, as many as 1,000 laborers and artisans have been employed here in the government service at one time. The buildings consist
of the barracks, magazines, the officers' houses, hospital, the quartermaLster's
building, and others. General Persifer F. Smith, the commander of the
Utah expedition, died here on Sunday evening, May 16, 1858: his remains
were taken east for burial. The government has a small chapel here, in
which the Rev. Leander Ker, of Scotch descent, officiates as chaplain of the
post. Mr. Ker likewise has the charge of a school of 30 or 40 children, the
books, stationery, etc., being furnished by the government.
During the difficulties with Utah, in 1858, the transportation establishment of the army, under Russell & Waddell, the contractors, between the
fort and the city, was the great feature of this vicinity, with its acres of
wagons, herds of oxen, and regiments of drivers and other employees. This
firm had millions of dollars invested in the business, employed six thousand
teamsters, and worked forty-five thousand oxen.
LEAVENWORTH CITY, on the W. bank of Missouri River, the largest town
and commercial metropolis of Kansas, is 3 miles below the fort, 37 N.E
from Lawrence. 70 S. from St. Joseph, Mo., and by the Missouri River 495
447
KANSAS.
fr6m St. Louis. Several daily and weekly newspapers are published here.
Leavenworth city was founded in the autumn of 1854. Previous to this it
was covered with a heavy growth of forest trees, the hunting ground for the
officers of Fort Leavenworth, traversed by wolves, wildcats, wild turkeys,
and deer. The first building was a frame shanty, erected in 1834, near
which is an elm tree, under which the first number of the " Kansas Weekly
Herald" was printed, in September, 1854. The first printer was General
Lucius Eastin, of Kentucky. The first public house was the Leavenworth
Hotel: the Planters' House was erected in 1856. Rev. Mr. Martin, O. S.
Presbyterian, was among the first clergymen who preached in the place.
Population about 15,000.
TWyandot is situated on the west bank of the Missouri, at the mouth of
Kansas River, 37 miles below Leavenworth City, and 35 miles east of Lawrence. It is a new, beautiful and flourishing place, regularly laid out on
ground rising gracefully from the water. Being built on the curve of the
river, it is in full view of Kansas City, in Missouri, from which by water it
is about a mile distant, and two miles by land; a steam ferry-boat plies between the two places. It is a busy town, and the outlet between southern
Kansas and the Missouri River. At Wyandot commences the great Pacific Railroad. Population about 3,000.
Atchison, 46 miles above Leavenworth, on the Missouri River, is, next to
Leavenworth, the largest town in Kansas, with a population estimated in
1865 at 8,000. Here daily start the overland stages for the Rocky Mountains. A railroad has been commenced, leading hence to connect with the
South Pacific on the Republican Fork. When the grass starts up in the
spring, the place is so thronged with the teams of overland emigrants one
can scarcely cross the streets.
LAWRENCE, the county seat of Douglas county, is beautifully situated on
the right bank of Kansas River, 45 miles W. from Kansas City, Mo., and 12
from Lecompton. The Eldridge House, 100 by 117 feet, is at this time by
far the finest building in Kansas. Mount Oread is about half a mile S.W.
of the Eldridge House. On this elevation it is in contemplation to build a
college: the view from this location, embracing a space of from 50 to 70
miles in circumference, is exceedingly beautiful. Population about 5,000.
Lawrence received its name from Amos A. Lawrence, of Boston, Mass.
In July, 1854, a company of 24 persons, principally from New England,
came up the Missouri River to Kansas City, and from thence traveling by
land, located themselves on the site of Lawrence, the spot having been selected
by Chas. H. Branscomb, agent of the Massachusetts Aid Society. In September following, a second company of about 70 persons arrived. These
two companies of pioneers held their first regular meeting Sept. 16, 1854,
being called to order by Dr. Robinson. A. H. Mallory was chosen president, C. S. Pratt, secretary, and a committee of six to manage the affairs of
the company, viz: J. Doy, J. F. Morgan, A. H. Mallory, J. N. Nace, G. L. Osborne and L. P. Lincoln. On Sept. 20, 1854, at a meeting of the "Lawrence Association," the following persons were chosen officers, viz: Do. Chas.
Robinson, president; Ferd. Fuller, vice president; Caleb S. Pratt, secretary;
Levi Gates, jr., treasurer; Erastus D. Ladd, register; A. D. Searl, surveyor;
John Mailley, Owen Taylor, John Bruce, jr., arbitrators; and Joel Grover,
marshal.
448
Very soon after their arrival; the settlers were visited by a body of 150
Missouri borderers, ordered to strike their tents, and leave the territory to
return no more. But this the people declining, the borderers left, and colmmenced the organization of "Blue Lod,es," to foster pro-slavery emigration.
tD 0 ZD
No? the) -i view of Lawrence.
The view shlnws the appearance of Lawrence as seen fi'om the opposite bank of Kansas River, lIavilg
tih eye slighltly elevated. The Eldridge Ifotel, on Massaclusetts-street, is seen on the righlt. A log
c, lin, the first strnotnire in Laee, is s near the baok. The passage down the bank to the ferry,
with thle l,hitiney and Waverly Houvse above, appear on tlhe left.
Lawrence and Leavenworth were the first towns located in Kansas. Some
time in the sunmmer of 1854, Clanrk Stearns, of Missouri, squatted at this
place and erected a log cabin, the first structure built here (still standillng at
the head of 3Iassachusetts-street). It is stated that the Lawrence Company
iintended to have passed on to the Big Blue River, at ManIhattan, some 60
lniaes above. Having arrived near this spot, some of the company rode
their horses to the summit of Mount Oread, to find a suitable place to ene -iap during the night. Discovering, Stearns cabin, and being charmed with
thte appearance of the country, they determined to stop here, and accordiii-,ly encamped on the present site of the Eldridge HIotel.
TIhe first mieetiing for public worship was held in a building constructed
of loi- poles united at the top, intertwined with sticks, twigs, hay, etc., and
tleni sodded over. This was on the first Sunday after the arrival of the coipL.nyv. Ei-astus D. Ladd, of New England origin, read a sermon on the,
occasion. The first school was kept by Edward P. Fitch, of IIassachusetts.
Tle firstt fiamed buildings was erected by Rev. S. Y. Lum, of New Jersey,
the first regular preacllei and zagent of the Holue Mlissiotiary Society.. The
Flee State Hotel (afterward burnt), the first in the place, was built by the
29
KANSAS.
449
Emigrant Aid Society, and was kept by Col. Eldridge. The first newspaper,
"The Herald of Freedom," was issued in the fall of 1854, by G. W. Brown,
from Pennsylvania. The first merchants' shops were opened by C. L. Pratt
and Norman Allen, on Massachusetts-street. The first ferryman was Wm.
N. Baldwin.
Lawrence will ever be a memorable spot as having been the head-quarters
of the free state settlers during the "Kansas War:" it was particularly obnoxious to the contrary party, on account of the free soil sentiments of the
inhabitants. On the 11th of May, 1856, Marshal Donaldson, in order to
arrest several obnoxious free state men, summoned a posse, took the Georgia
emigrants, under Maj. Buford, under pay, together with several hundred
others. Having proceeded to Lawrence, he announced his determination to
make arrests. The citizens, in a public meeting, denied the charge of having resisted the authorities of the territory. On the morning of the 21st of
May, a body of about 500 men came from the camp, near Lecompton, and
halted on Mount Oread, in Lawrence, near the residence of Gov. Robinson.
They were headed by the U. S. Marshal Donaldson, who claimed the assembled force as his posse, they having responded to his late proclamation. They
formed in line facing the north-east, and planted two cannon in range with
the Free State Hotel and other large buildings in Massachusetts-street.
About noon, the marshal, with a posse of ten men, arrested G. W. Deitzler,
Col. Jenkins, Judge Smith, and some others, taking them as prisoners to
their camp. About 3 o'clock, P. M., Sheriff Jones, accompanied by about
twenty-five armed horsemen, rode up to the door of the Free State Hotel and
stopped. Gen. Pomeroy, and several others, went out to meet him. The
sheriff demanded that all the arms be given up to him, and said he would
give them one hour for this purpose. Pomeroy then, after some consultation
with the committee, delivered up several pieces of artillery. The U.S. Marshal Donaldson having dismissed his posse, they moved their two field pieces
into Massachusetts-street, and were immediately summoned to the spot to act
as the sheriff's posse. The sheriff then gave information that the Free State
Hotel had been presented by the grand jury of Douglas county as a nuisance,
,together with the two newspapers, the Herald of Freedom and Free State,
a, nd that Judge Lecompte wished them removed. A lone star flag having
,for a motto "Southerit Rights," was thereupon raised over these offices, the
presses destroyed, and the type thrown into the river. An attempt was next
made to batter down the hotel by cannon shot, but not succeeding, it was set
on fire and reduced to ashes. After this, several private houses were robbed,
and money, clothing, and other articles were pillaged. During the night fol lowing, the house of Gov. Robinson, on. Mount Oread, having a valuable
library, was set on fire and consumed. The total damage to property in
Lawrence was estimated at $150,000.
During the summer, until lae in the fall, civil war raged in the territory,
many murders and other atrocities being committed. On the 14th of Sept.,
an army of 2,500 Missourians, arranged in three regiments, with five pieces
of artillery, appeared before Lawrence, with threats of destruction to the
town. The people threw up breastworks, and made hasty preparations for
defense, but they must have been overwhelmed in case of attack. This was
averted by the interference of Gov. Geary, with a body of U. S. dragoons,
who threw himself between the conflicting parties, and prevailed upon the
Missourians to retire to their homes.
KANSAS.
450
KANSAS.
LECOMPTON is a village of about 600 inhabitants: it has a Methodist
church and several land offices, and is some twelve miles westward of Lawrence, and 35 from Leavenworth. The capital was located here in August,
1855, by the territorial legislature. A fine capitol building has been coinmenced, the foundations laid and part of the first story reared, but owing to
the failure of obtaining the necessary appropriations, the building has been
suspended.
.Ysorthern view at Leconiptoli.
The long building seen in the central part of the view is the M. Hlsoni Itll, in the uipper story of which
the noted Lecompton Constitution was frmeusd. The lower story, and imost of the other buildlings represenlted, are used for land offices.
The site of this place was taken up by Thomas Simmons and his son William, in the fall of 1854; in the spring of 1855, it was purchased of them
by a company, consisting of Judge Lecomnpte, of Maryland, Daniel Woodsop, secretary, from Virginia, C. B. Donaldson, from Illinois, John A. Halderman, from Kentucky, private secretary of Gov. Reeder, Samuel J. Jones,
sheriff, from Virginia, and Dr. Aristedes Rodrique, from Pennsylvania. The
town was then laid out, on the grounds rising firom the river, covered with
forest trees, many of which still remain.
The first structure erected here was Sinlmons' log cabin, still standing
about one fourth of a mile back from the river; the next was a log cabin
built on the river bank, under the direction of Sheriff Jones. The first
framed house here was put up by Samuel J. Cramer, from Virginia. Rev.
IMr. Prichard, of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, delivered the first
sermon in this place, over a grocery store, while, it is said, a company were
playing cards below. Dr. Rodrique was the first physician. The first house
of entertainment was kept on the bank of the river by a Mrs. Sipes. Part
of the building now fitted up as a hotel, by Maj. Barnes, was used as a place
of confinement for the free state prisoners arrested after the battle of Hlitkory Point, in the fall of 1856, by the United States drag,oons. One hundred
and one of these were confined here nearly three months, guarded by two
companies of militia, under Col. Titus, being occasionally relieved by the U.
451
S. troops. Of these prisoners, 33 were from states east of Ohio; 6 from
Missouri; and 77 from the free states of the north-west. Twenty of them
were convicted, in Judge Lecompte's court, of manslaughter. They were
subsequently removed to Tecumseh, and after a tedious confinement in prison
liberated.
The first legislative assembly, in accordance with the proclamation of Gov.
Reeder, met at Pawnee, near Fort Riley, but having to camp out, they adjourned to the Shawnee Mission. This act was vetoed by the governor, but
the assembly passed it over his head. The next legislative assembly met in
the Masonic Hall, in Lecompton, and it was in this building that the celebrated Lecompton Constitution, the subject of so much political discussion,
was formed. The council sat in the building later occupied by Gov. Denver,
on the opposite side of the street.
TOPEKA, for a time the free state capital of Kansas, is on the S. side of
Kansas River, 25 miles westward from Lawrence, and 55 in a direct line
from Leavenworth City. It contains two or three churches, the Constitutional Hall, etc., and about 1,000 inhabitants. A bridge was built, at an expense of about $15,000, over the Kansas River, at this place, and finished in
May, 1858. It was, however, soon after swept down by the great freshet of
that year.
"Topeka" is an Indian word, signifying " wild lotato," or "potato bottom,"
the place where they grow. This root, which is about as large as a man's
thumb, is found along the bottom lands of Kansas River, and is used by the
Indians as food. The foundation of Topeka was laid Dec. 4, 1854, by a number of settlers, who came here from Lawrence. The company consisted of
C. K. Halliday, from Pennsylvania; M. C. Dickey, New Hampshire; Enoch
Chase, Jacob B. Chase and Geo. Davis, from Massachusetts; L. G. Cleveland, from Iowa; Frye W. Giles, from Illinois; D. H. Horne and S. A.
Clark. Having formed themselves into the "Topeka Association" C. K.
Halliday was chosen president.
The first building raised here was a log cabin now standing near the ferry
or bridge, 13 by 11 feet inside. The earth inside was covered by prairie
grass or hay, when twenty-four persons lodged within, lying on the ground:
while the twenty-fifth man stretched himself on a load of hay on the
outside. The first building was burnt on the first evening of its occupancy. The company, during the winter of 1854-5, slept in their clrthes,
boots, etc. Their food was principally mush, on which they were kept in a
healthy condition. Rev. S. Y. Lum, a congregationalist minister, preachedthe first sermon in Topeka, in the log cabin. The second place of public
worship was in a small building constructed of clapboards, now standing on
the premises of Col. Halliday. The first school was under Miss Harlan, now
Mrs. J. F. Cummings, in a "shake" building, a few yards from Col. Halliday's house. The first regular house of entertainment was kept by Mrs. A.
W. Moore, near the first log cabin. In Nov., 1855, W. W. Ross, of Ohio,
established the first newspaper here, called the "Kansas Tribune," some 30
numbers of which had been previously issued in Lawrence.
On the 4th of July, 1856, the state assembly, under the Topeka constitution, consisting of representatives from all parts of the territory, met at the
Constitutional Hall, in Topeka. Free state men, to the number of some
1,000 or 1,500, assembled here at the time, and were eneamped about the
KANSAS.
452
town. Some 600 or 800 were considered as regular militia volunteers, and
were under the conmmand of Col. C. K. Halliday. At this period, such was
the state of the times, that most of the settlers went armed, even about
their daily avocations. The U. S. force at this time, under the colmmand
of Colonel Sumner, consisted of some seven hundred draIgoons and flying
artillery, from Forts Leavenworth and Riley. In addition to this, it is stated
that about 2,000 armed men, ostensibly gathered in various places to celebrate the 4th of July, were ready to nuarel and "?c,)Ce oi(t" Topeka, should
there be any resistance made to the United S ates authorities.
Northeat riew of the Bridge, etc., ((t T)IekCa.
The view was taken a short time after the coimpletion of the bridge, the first ever built over Kansas River.
Part of the village of Topeka is seei ni the distance on the right. The log,, cabi near the bridge is the
first building erected iil the place.
The state assembly met at 12 o'clock at noon, at the Constitutional Hall,
the lower story of which was occupied by the house of representatives, the
utipper by the senate. Col. Sumner, with a body of about 200 dragoons and
a company of artillery, now came into the place, and having planted two
cannon at the head of the avenue, with lighted matches in hand, rode up to
the hall, arranging his troops in a semicircular line in front. At this time
a conmpany of free state volunteers were assembled, and were in the act of
receiving a silk banner fromnt a collection of young ladies, one of whom was
then standing at the door of the Constitutional Hall, making the presentation address. The dragoons having rather overridden the volunteers, the
assetiblage was broken up.* Col. Sumner, dismounting, entering the representative hall, accompanied by Marshal Donaldson. At this time, the speaker
being temporarily absent, S. F. Tappan, the clerk, was calling the roll. Col.
Sumner advanced, took possession of the speaker's chair, and stated that he
was obliged to perform the most painful duty of his life, that he had rather
spend the whole of it in opposing the eneniies of his country, than to pertfbrm that single act, which was, "by authority vested in him by the presi
Col. S. afterward made an apology to the company assembled on the occasion.
KANSAS.
453
KANSAS.
dent of the United States, now to command the body here assembled, calling
itself the legislature of Kansas, to disperse." Judge Schuyler, addressing
the colonel, asked, "Are we to understand that we are to be driven out at
the point o/' the bayoniet?" "I give you to understand," replied Sumner,
that all the force under my command will be put under requisition to carry
out my orders; Iagain, command you to disperse." The house then dispersed.
As Sumner was passing out, he was informed that the senate was in session
in the chamber above. Just as he entered, the chair was taken by Thomas
G. Thornton, president pro temn., with the view of calling the senate to order.
Col. S. then informed them of what he had done below, and that he wished
to know their intentions. Mr. Thornton replied that the senate not being
organized, he could give no answer, but if he would wait until they were so,
one would be given. Col. S. rejoined, that his object was to prevent an organization. After some desultory conversation, the assemblage dispersed.
Ossawatomie is on the Osage, at its confluence with Pottawatomie Creek,
42 miles S.E. from Lawrence, and 28 from the Missouri line. The most
severe conflict in the Kansas War took place here, on the 31st of August,
1856. About 300 pro-slavery men, under Capt. Reid, of Missouri, marched
with a field piece upon the town, their line extending, in tattle order, from
river to river, across the prairie westward of the place. The inhabitants
mustered about 40 men in defense, under Capt. John Brown, who took to
the timber, and fighting Indian fashion, from the shelter of the trees, kept
their enemy on the open plain for some time at bay, until their ammunition
faLiling. most of them effected their retreat across the river. Their women
and children escaped to the woods on the south. Their village, consisting
of about 30 houses, was plundered and then laid in ashes, being the second
time it had been thus destroyed by the pro-slavery forces. "'Old Brown,"
the free soil leader, sometimes called "Ossawatomie Brown," lost one of his
sons on this occasion. Becoming fanatical on the subject of slavery, he after
this engaged in running off slaves from Missouri to Canada, and finally became a historical character by a conviction for treason, and a termination of
his career on the gallows, at Harpers Ferry.
Grasshopper falls is about 30 miles N.W. of Lawrence. It has several
mills and the best water power north of Kansas River. Fort Riley is a military post at the junction of the two main branches of the Kansas, which, in
high water, is navigable for small steamers to this point. Manhattan and
]Vaitboasee are two thriving towns in that vicinity. The latter was colonized
from New Haven, Conn.; and by the identical party to whom Sharp's rifles
were subscribed at a meeting in a church. One of them was a deacon in
the church, and among the donors were clergymen, professors of science,
lady principals of female seminaries, and others of quiet callings and antipugnacious tendencies.
St. Marys, on Kansas River, 51 miles below Fort Riley, is an important
and flourishing Catholic missionary establishment among the Pottawatomies,
and the mission buildings, the trading houses, with the Indian improvements,
give it quite the appearance of a town.
The Catholic Osaye ]lfission, on the Neosho River, 45 miles from Fort
Scott, is one of the largest missions and schools in Kansas. It was corn
454
KANSAS.
menced in 1847; Rev. John Schoenmaker was the first superior of this mission'. Sermons are preached in Osage and English. Attached to this mission is a manual labor school for boys, under the direction of the fathers.
There are ten missionary stations at as many Indian villages, within sixty
miles, attended mostly from this mission. In 1853, the Quapaw school, by
the direction of the U. S. government, was transferred to this mission.
The Shawnee Mission, under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South, is about 8 miles from the mouth of Kansas River, and 3 from
Westport, Mo. It has very superior bnilding,s, and a manual labor school.
The Friends' Shawnee Labor School is 3 miles W. from the Methodist mission. It has been in operation more than fifty years, including the period
before their arrival. The Baptist Shawnee M,fission is 2 miles N.W. from the
Methodist School. The Kickapoo Mission is on Missouri River, 4 miles
above Fort Leavenworth; the Iowa and Sac Mission School is just south of
the northern line of Kansas, about 26 miles N.W. of St. Joseph. It is said
to have been established as early as 1837.
Council Grove is a noted stopping place on the Santa Fe road, S. from Fort
Riley, containing several trading houses and shlops, and a missionary establishiuent and school.
Council City, a tract nine miles square, recently laid out on a branch of
the Osage, is in a S.W. course from Lawrence.
MISCELLANIES.
The following narrative of a visit to the Kansas Indians, is from the work
of P. J. De
r _- __-... Smet, a Catho _____?-_,lic missionary,
~_~~ —-~~~ ~_~-5- ~-~who was sent
by the bishop
of St. Louis, in
1840, on an ex ploring expedi
frm splorin
on~ th0ho a, dation t o the
where re sac remaRo cky Moun marchntains, to aser tain the spirit whch atu a 1 cond it io n
of the Indians,
KANSAS VILLAGE. etc.:
Engraved from a view in De Smet's Sketcbes. We started
from Westport
on the 10th of Mlay, and after having passed by the lands of the Shawnees and
Delawares, where We saw nothing remarkable but the college of the Methodists,
built, it is easy to divine for what, where the soil is richest; we arrived after five
days' march on the banks of the Kansas River, where we found those of our companions, who had traveled by water, with a part of our baggage. Two of the relatives of the grand chief had come twenty miles from that place to meet us, one of
whom helped our horses to pass the river in safety, by swimming before them, and
the other announced our arrival to the principal men of the tribe who waited for
us on the opposite bank. Our baggage, wagons and men crossed in a pirogue,
which, at a distance, looked like one of those gondolas that glide through tho
455
streets of Venice. As soon as the Kansas understood that we were going to encamtnp on the banks of the Soldier's River, which is only six miles from tlhe villge,
they galloped rapidly away from our caravan, disappearing in a cloud of dust, so
that wve had scarcely pitched our tents when the great chief presented himself,
with six of his bravest warriors, to bid us welcome. After having made me sit
down on a mat spread on the ground, he, with much solemnitv, took from his pocket
a p(,rtf(olio containing the honorable titles that gave him a right to our friendship,
iiid placel themn in my hands. I read them, and having, with the tact of a man
aecustoiud(l to the etiquette of savage life, furnished him with the means of smoking tlie calumet, he made us accept for our guard the two braves who had come
to meet us. Bloth wvere armed like warriors, one carrying a lance and a buckler,
and the other a bow and arrows, with a naked sword and a collar made of the
claws of four bears which he had killed with his own hand. These two braves remained( faithful ait their post duringi the three days and three nights that we had to
wait the coming up o0f the stragglers of the caravan. A small present, which we
made theni at our departure, secured us their friendship.
()n the 19th we continued our iourney to the nrnli-)er of seventy souls, fifty of
whom were capable of manag ingr the rifle-a force more than sufficient to undertake with prndence the 1inr miaich we had to make. Whilst the rest of our cornpany inclined to the west, Father Point, a yotung Englishman and myself turned
to the left, to visit the nearest village of our hosts. A the first sight of their wi(gvwaiii. we were struclk it the resemblance they bore to the large stacks of wheat
which cover blur fiells in harvest time. There were of these in all no nmore than
altm twenty, gioupe(l togetlher without or(ler, but ea h(i covering a space of -il)out
one huindlred and,( twenty feet in circumifelence, and sulficient to shelter fomra thirty
to forts persons. The entire village al)pelre(l to us to (cisist of from seven to
eight huni(ie(I souls-an approximnat'on whichl is justified bv the fact that the totil
1ip)l'liition of tllhe tribe is onfined to two v(illage-s, tog(ether niimbtering I,(9()0 in Tlhitnt. tee cal)ins, ho\ever huible they Imay alpear, are soli(llv built, and
colnvenient. From the top of the watIl, vwhichl is al)utt six feet in hight, rise incline( poles, whichl termitnate round an opening above, serving at once for chimnney
a,d win1oiw. Th'e door of the edifice consists of an undressed hide on the iost
sheltered sidle, the hearth occupies the center and is in the midst of four utpright
posts destined to support the rottitda; the beds are ranged around the wall and the
sp tce between the beds and the hearth is occupied by the members of the fatmily,
s,m,e standling, others sitting or lying on skins, or yellow colored mats. It would
see,ii that this last named article is regarded as an extra piece of finery, for the
lo(l ze assigned to us had one of them.
ts Ior dress, manners, religion, modes of making war, etc., the Kansas are like
the saXvazes of their neighborhood(l, with whom they have preserved peaceful and
fienltI rielations from time immemnorial. In stature, they are generally tall and
well made. Their phylsiornomy is mnanlv, their lantguage is guttural, and remarkable fior the length Find strionr accentation of the final syllables. Their style of
sin(,in( is monotonous, whience it may be inferred that the enchanting music heard
oa the rivers of Para guay, never cheers the voyag,er on the otherwise beautiful
streams of the country of the Kansas.
'I'Lhe Kansas, like all the Indian tribes, never speak upon the subject of religion
without becoming solemnity. The more they are observed, the more evident does
it become that the religious sentiment is deeply implanted in their souls, and is, of
all others, that which is most frequently expressed by their words and actions.
Tlhus, foir instance, thev never take the calumet without first rendering some homage
to the Greatt Spirit. In the midst of their most infuriate passions they address
him ceitain prayers, and even in assassinating a defenseless child, or a woman,
they invoke the Miaster of Life. l'o be enabled to take many a scalp from their
enemiies, or to rob them of many horses, becomes the object of their most fervid
prayers, to which they sometimes add fasts, macerations and sacrifices. What did
they not do last spr-ing, to render the heavens propitious? And for what? To obtain the power, in the absence of their warriors, to massacre all the women and
children of the Pawnees! And in effect they carried off the scalps of ninety vietimns, and made prisoners of all'whom they did not think proper to kill. In their
KANSAS
456
KANSAS.
eyes, revenge, far from being a horrible vice, is the first of virtues, the distinctive
mark of great souls, and a complete vindication of the most atrocious cruelty. It,
would be time lost to attempt to persuade them that there can be neither merit, nor
glory- in the murder of a disarmed and helpless foe. There is but one exception
to this barbarous code; it is when an enemy voluntarily seeks a refuge in one of
their villages. As long as he remains in it, his asylum is inviolable-his life is
more safe than it would be in his own wigwam. But wo to him if he attempt to
fly-scarcely has he taken a single step, before he restores to his hosts all the imn.taginary rights which the spirit of vengeance had given them to his life! However
cruel they ma y be to their foes, the Kansas are no strangers to the tenderest sentiments of piety, friendship and compassion. They are often inconsolable for the
death of their relations, and leave nothing undone to give proof of their sorrow.
'FThen only do they suffer their hair to grow-long hair being a sign of long mourning. The principal chief apologized for the length of his hair, informing us, of
what we could have divined from the sadness of his countenance, that he had lost
his son. I wish I could represent to you the respect, astonishment and compassion, expressed on the countenances of three others, when they visited our little
chapel for the first time. When we showed them an "Ecce Homo" and a statue
of our Ladylv of the seven Dolours, and the interpreter explained to them that that
head crowned with thorns, and that countenance defiled with insults, were the true
and real image of a God who had died for the love of us, and that the heart they
saw pierced with seven swords. was the heart of his mother, we beheld an affecting
illustration of the beautiful thought of T'ertullian, that the soul of man is naturally
Christian! On such occasions, it is surely not difficult, after a short instruction on
true faith and the love of God, to excite feelings of pity for their fellow creatures
in the most ferocious bosoms.
THE SHAWNEES IN KANSAS.
HIenry Harvey, late superintendent of the Friends Mission among the Shawnees,
in Klansas, gives, in his work on the history of that tribe, an account of their condition in Kansas, at the time of the passege of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. Originally the Shawnees resided in the Ohio country: the tribe was one of the most powerful there, and has numbered amniong its chiefs, Tecunmseh, Cornstalk, and other
men of extraordinary talent and nobility of soul. Mr. Harvey says:
"The Shawnees, in the year 1854, numbered about nine hundred souls, including the Awhite men who have intermarried into the nation, and are thereby adopted as
Indians. This number is perhaps not more than twenty.
This tribe owvns about one million six hundred thousand acres of land, or, about
1,700 acres each. MAany of them have good dwelling-houses, well provided with
useful and respectable furniture, which is kept in good order by the females, and
they live in the same manner as the whites do, and live well too. They have
smioke-houses, stables, corn-cribs, and other out buildings. They have a good supply of horses, cattle, hogs, and some sheep. They have many farm wagons and
work oxen-some carriages and buggies, and are generally well supplied with farming implements, and know how to use them. They raise abundance of corn and
oats, and some wheat. Their houses are generally very neat; built of hewn logs,
with shingled roofs, stone chimneys, and the inside work very well finished off, and
mostly done by themselves, as there are a number of very good mechanics among
the younger class. Their fencing is very good, and, taken altogether, their settlements make a very respectable appearance, and would lose no credit by a comparison with those of their white neighbors in the state adjoining them, leaving out
now and then, a farm where slaves do the labor, and thus carry on farming on a
large scale.
The Shawnees have a large and commodious meeting-house, where they hold a
religious meeting on the first day of each week. They have also a graveyard attached to the meetinghouse lot. They hold religious meetings often at their own
houses during the week, generally at night. They hold their camp-meetings and
their other large meetings, in their meeting-house, as well as their public councils,
and also their temperance meetings; for they, in imitation of their white brethren,
457
and as a means of arresting the worst evil which ever overtook the Indians, organized a society on this subject, and have their own lecturers, in which they are
assisted by some of the missionaries. The younger class of them arl most interested in this work, which is doing much good among them. Many of them have
united themselves to religious societies, and appear to be very zealous observers of
the forms and ceremonies of religion, and notwithstanding many of them, like too
many of their white brethren, appear to have the form of godliness but not the
power, yet it is apparent, that there are those among them who are endeavv)ring to
walk in the just man's path, which, to one who has been acquainted with them for
a number of years, even when in their wild and savage state. affords great satisfa,ion.
As regards the settlements of the Shawnees in their present situation, they are
all located on about thirty miles of the east end of their tract; their settlements
of course, reaching a little short of one third of the distance back from the Missouri state line.
In passing along the California and Santa Fe roads, which run on the divide between the streams of the Blue and Osage Rivers, and the Kansas River-in castin,g the eye on either side, a handsome view is presented on both hands, of good
dwellings, handsome farms, bordering on the forest, and fine herds of cattle and
horses grazing in the rich prairies, as we pass, and beautiful fields of grain sown,
planted and cultivated by the Indians themselves; and should the weary traveler
see proper to call, and spend a night with these people, and manifest that interest
for them, which he will be very sure to do, in viewing them in their present condition, and comparing it with what it once was, he will be well cared for. The
Shawnees generally sow a large amount of grain, and often spare a large surplus
after supplying their own wants.
T'here are now in the Shawnee nation four Missions, one under the care of the
Methodist Church South, one under the care of the Northern Methodist Church,
one under the care of the Baptist Church and the other under the care of the Society of Friends. They are all conducted on the manual labor system; about ore
hundred and forty children are generally in attendance at those schools. At the
first named mission there are large and commodious buildings of brick, and other
out-buildings, and five or six hundred acres under cultivation; at the other MAethodist Mission, a farm of about one hundred acres is under cultivation, and comfortable log buildings are erected. At the Baptist Mission are good comfortal)le buildings, and, I suppose, near one hundred acres adjoining to, and at some distance
from, the farm, where the school is kept; and at the Friends' "Iission are a large
frame house and barn, and other out-buildings and about two hundred acres under
cultivation."
458
KANSAS.
CALIFORNIA.
CAILIFON'IA is said, by some writers, to signify in English, hot furnace,
end to be derived from two Spanish words, caliente fornalla, or hono: but
this is doubtful. If true, however,
it is properly applied, as the sun
pours down into the valleys through
/~~ ___j~ X a dry atmosphere with great power.
/_I Under the Mexicans, California was
in two divisions. Lower California
was, as now, the peninsula. Upper
or New California comprised all of
L?~-~-~_:~ ~.~ 3IMexico north of that point and the
Gila River, and east of the Rocky
Mountains, containing nearly 400,000
square miles. The greater part of
-8 ~ 2t sqNewa Mexico, and of Utah, and all of
the state of California, comprised the
original Upper California.
"California was discovered in 1548,
APms oF CALFRo-,,'A. by Cabrillo, a Spanish navigator. In
1758, Sir Francis Drake visited its
MIOTTO —Eureka —I have found it.
northern coast. and named the country New Albion. The original settlements in California were mission establishments, founded by Catholic priests for the conversion of the natives. In
1769, the mission of San Diego was founded by Padre Junipero Serra.
The mission establishments were made of adobe, or sun burnt bricks, and
contained commodious habitations for the priests, store -houses, offices, mechanic shops, granaries, horse and cattle pens, and apartments for the instruction of Indian youth. Around and attached to each, were, varying in diffeiect missions, from a few hundred to several thousand Indians, who generally resided in conical-shaped huts in the vicinity, their place of dwelling
being generally called the rancheria. Attached to each mission were a few
soldiers, for protection against hostilities from the Indians.
The missions extended their possessions from one extreme of the territory
to that of the other, and bounded the limits of one mission by that of the
next, and so on. Though they did not require so much land for agriculture,
459
and the maintenance of their stock, they appropriated the whole; always
strongly opposing any individual who might wish to settle on any land between them.
All the missions were under the charge of the priests of the order of San Francisco. Each mission was under one of the fathers, who had despotic authoritv.
The general products of the missions were large cattle, sheep, horses, Indian corn,
beans and peas. Those in the southern part of California, produced also the grape
and olive in abundance. The most lucrative product was the large cattle, their
hides and tallow affording an active commerce with foreign vessels, and being, indeed, the main support of the inhabitants of the territory.
From 1800 to 1830, the missions were in the hight of their prcsperity. Then,
each mission was a little principality, with its hundred thousand acres and its
twenty thousand head of cattle. All the Indian population, except the "Gentiles"
of the mountains, were the subjects of the padres, cultivating for them their broad
lands, and reverencing them with devout faith.
The wealth and power in possession of the missions, excited the jealousy of the
Mexican authorities. In 1833, the government commenced a series of decrees,
which eventually ruined them. In 1845, the obliteration of the missions was completed by their sale at auction, and otherwise.
Aside fiom the missions, in California, the inhabitants were nearly all gathered
in the p-e id os, or forts, and in the villages, called'Los Pueblos.' The presidios,
or fortresses, were occupied by a few troops under the command of a military prefect or governor. The Padre President, or Bishop, was the supreme civil, military
and religious ruler of the province. There were four presidios in California, each
of which had under its protection several missions. They were respectively, San
l)iego, Santa lBarbara, Monterey, and San Francisco.
\Withlin four or five leagues of the presidios, were certain farms, called ranchios,
wlhich were assigned for the use of the garrisons, and as depositories of the cattle
and rain which were furnished as taxes from the missions.
Los Pueblos, or towns, grew up near the missions. Their first inhabitants consisted of retired soldiers and attaches of the army, many of whom married Indian
women. Of the villagtes of this description, there were but three, viz: Los An,aelos, San Jose, and Branciforte. In later times, the American emigrants established
one on the Bay of San Francisco, called Yerba Buena, i.e. good herb, which bec.ame the nucleus of the flourishing city of San Francisco. Another was established by Capt. Sutter, on the Sacramento, called New Helvetia. The larger pueblos were under the government of an alcalde, or judge, in connection with other
municipal officers.
The policy of the Catholic priests, who held absolute sway in California, until
1833, was to discourage emigration. Hence, up to about the year 1840, the villages
named comprised all in California, independent of those at the missions; and at
that time, the free whites and half-breed inhabitants in California numbered less
than six thousand souls. The emigration from the United States first commenced
in 1838; this had so increased from year to year, that, in 1846, Col. Fremont had
but little difficulty in calling to his aid some five hundred fighting men. Some few
resided in the towns, but a majority were upon the Sacramento, where they had
immense droves of cattle and horses, and fine farms, in the working of which they
were aided by the Indians. They were eminently an enterprising and courageous
body of people, as none other at that time would brave the perils of an overland
journey across the mountains. In the ensuing hostilities they rendered important
services.
At that period, the trade carried on at the different towns was quite extensive,
and all kinds of dry goods, groceries and hardware, owing to the heavy duties,
ranged about five hundred per cent. above the prices in the United States, MAlechanics and ordinary hands received from two to five dollars per day. The commerce was quite extensive, fifteen or twenty vessels not unfrequently being seen
in the various ports at the same time. Most of the merchant vessels were from
the United States, which arrived in the spring, and engaged in the coasting trade
until about the beginning of winter, when they departed with cargoes of hides,
CALIFORNIA.
46U
CALIFORNIA.
tallow or furs, which had been collected during the previous year. Whale ships
also touched at the ports for supplies and to trade, and vessels from various parts
of Europe, the Sandwich Islands, the Russian settlements, aind China."
From 126 to 1846, the date of the conquest of California by the United States,
there had been numerous civil revolutions in California; but Mexican authority
was generally paramount. Of its conquest we give a brief account.
In July, 1846, at the beginning of the Mexican war, an American naval force,
under Commodore Sloat, took Monterey and San Francisco. Sloat then dispathedle(
a party to the mission of St. John, who there found that the American flag ha(d
been raised by Fremont.. This officer, on his third exploring expedition, had arrivedl
near -[onterey in the preceding January, some months prior to the commencement
of the war. Learning that Gen. De Castro, the military commandant at that place,
inten(iel to drive him from the country, he took a strong position in the mountains
with ais small party of 62 men, raised the American flag, and prepared for resistance. De Castro relinquished his design, but later prepared an expedition for Sonoema, to expel all the American settlers from the country. Fremont, on learnirng
ithis, took Sonoma on the 15th of June by surprise, captured Gen. Vallejo and other
o)cers, 9 cannon, 250 muskets, and a quantity of military stores. On the 4th of
.July, Frenont assembled the American settlers at Sononma, and by his advice thev
;aise,l the revolittiolariyflaq, and prepared to fight for their independence. A few
days later they learned, through the operations of Commodore Sloat, of the existen(e of war, and the star spangled banner was substituted for the standard of
revolt.
eoon after. Fremont united his force of 160 mnen to the marines of Commodore
Stockton, and they sailed to San Die(go. From thence they marched up and took
los Angeles, the seat of government. Stockton established a civil goverlnment,
and proel-iimed himself governior. In September, Los Angeleos being left with a
small garr lison, under Capt. (Gillespie, was taken by a superior Mexican force led by
Gens. Flores and Pieo.
J n \No-vemll)er, the army of Gen. Keatrney, having conquered New Mexico, arrived
in their overland march across the continent, on the southern bordlers of California. On thle 6th of December, aIn advance party of 12 dragoons and 30 volunteers
lhad a br)ittle with 160 mounted Mexicans near San Pa.squal. The Americans were
victorious. Gen. Kearney was twice wounded(, Capts. Johnson and Moore, Lieut.
Hammond and most of the other officers, together with nineteen of the men, were
either killed or wounded.
On the 29th of December, Kearney took command of five hundred marines, with the
land force, and moved toward Angelos, to co-operate with Col. Fremont in quelling the
revolt, now backed bl a Mexicin armv of six hundred men, under Gens. Flores and Pico.
These forces he met and defeated at San Gabriel on the 8th of January. The next day,v
he again fought and routed thenm at Mesa. The Mexicans then marched twelve miles
past Aniigelos to Coweniga, wvhere they capitulated to Col. Fremont, who had, after a
tedious, wintirv march from the north, of four hundred miles, arrived at that place.
On the 16th of January, Com. Stockton commissioned Fremont as governor, the duties
of which he had discharged about six weeks, when Gen. Kearney, according to orders recei-ed from government, assumed the office and title of governor of California. Conim.
Shlubricki, hlo was now the naval commander, co-operated with Kearney, whose forces
were augmented about the last of January, by the arrival of Col. Cooke with the Mormon battalioit, which had marched firom Council Bluff) to Santa Fe.
Gen. Kearnev, by direction of government, placing Col. Mason in the office of governor,
on the l16th of June took his way homeward across the northern part of California, and
from thence crossed the Rocky Mountains through the South Pass.
Before the news of peace was received in Cali4ornia, a new era commenced in the'discovery of the gold mines. The peculiar state of affairs brought about by this, with the
great rush of population, was such that the people were in a measure compelled to form a
constitutionl of state government. T'he convention, for this purpose, met at Monterev in
1849, and on the 12th of October, formed the constitution, which was adopted by the Leople. After much delay, California was admitted into the Union by action of congress, inll
Sep)temb)er, 1850.
TIhe first officers elected under the state constitution were, Peter H. Burnett, governor;
John McDouoal, lieut. governor; John C. Fremont, Wm. M. Gwin, U. S. senators; Geo.
W. Wright, Edward Gilbert, U. S. representatives: Wm. Van Vorhies, secretary of state;
461
CALIFORNIA.
Richard Roman, treasurer; J. S. Houston, comptroller; Ed. J. C. Kewen, attorney generatl; Chas. J. \Whiting, surveyor general; S. C. Hastings, chief justice; and J. A. Lyon
and Nathaniel Bennett, associates.
California, one of the Pacific states, is about 750 miles long, with an
aveira,e breadth of about 200 miles, giving an area of 150,000 square
miles. Its southern boundary approximates in latitude to that of Charleston, South Carolina: its northern to that of Boston, Massachusetts. This,
with its variation of surface, gives it a diversity of climnate, and consequently
of productions. Geographically, its position is one of the best in the world,
lying on the Pacific fronting Asia.
"California is a country of mountains and valleys. The principal mountains are
the Sierra Nevada, i. e. snowy mountains. This sierra is part of the great inountain range, which, under different names, extends from the peninsula of California
to Rulssian America. Rising singly, like pyramids, from heavily timbered plateaux,
to the bight of fourteen and seventeen thousand feet above the ocean, these snowy
peaks constitute the ch.racterizing feature of the range, and distinguish it from
the Rocky Mountains and all others on our part of the continent. Tihe Sierra Nevada is the grandest feature of the scenery of California, and must be well understood before the structure of the country and the character of its different divis
ions can be comprehended. Stretching along the coast, and at the general distance of one hundred and fifty miles from it, this great mountain wall receives the
warm winds, charged with vapor, which sweep across the Pacific Ocean, precipitates their accuinulated moisture in fertilizing rains and snows upon its western
flank, and leaves cold and dry winds to pass on to the east. The region east of the
sierra is comparatively barren and cold, and the climates are distinct. Thus, while
in December the eastern side is winter, the ground being covered with snow and
the rivers frozen, on the west it is spring, the air beiiig soft, and the grass fresh
and green. West of the Sierra Nevada is the inhabitable part of California.
North and south, this region extends about ten degrees of latitude, from Oregon to
the peninsula of California. East and west it averages, in the middle part, one
hundred and fifty, and in the northern part, two hundred miles, giving an area of
about 100,000 square miles. Looking westward from the summit, the main feature
presented is the long, low, broad valley of the Joaquin and Sacramento Riversthe two valleys forming one, five hundred miles long and fifty broad, lying along
the base of the sierra, and bounded on the west by the low coast range of
mountains, which separates it from the sea. Side ranges,,parallel to the sierra
and the coast, make the structure of the remainder of California, and break it
into a surface of valleys and mountains-the valleys a few hundred, and the mountains two or three thousand feet above the sea. These form great masses, and at
the north become more elevated, where some peaks, as the Shaste-whichli rises
fourteen thousand feet, nearly to the hight of Mont Blanc-enter the region of
perpetual snow. The two rivers, San Joaquin and Sacramento, rising at opposite
ends of the same great valley, receive their numerous streams, many of them bold
rivers, unite half way, and enter the Bay of San Francisco together."
Greeley, in his letters written in 1859, gives a clear view of the resources
of California. We here copy from them in an abridged form. The first
quoted from was written at San Jose.
The state of California may be roughly characterized as two ranges of mountains-a large and a small one-with a great valley between them, and a narrow,
irregular counterpart separating the smaller from the Pacific Ocean. If we add
to these a small strip of arid, but fertile coast, and a broad sandy desert behind it,
lying south-west of California proper, and likely one day to be politically severed
from it, we have a sufficiently accurate outline of the topography of the Golden
State.
Such a region, stretching from N. lat. 32 deg. 30 min. up to lat. 42 deg., and
rising from the Pacific Ocean up to perpetually snow-covered peaks 15,000 feet
462
CALIFORNIA.
high, can hardly be said to have a climate. Aside from the Alpine crests of the
sierra, and the sultry deserts below the MIohave and Santa Barbara, California embodies almost every gradation of climate, from the semi-arctic to the semi-tropical.
There are green, fertile fields in the sierra which only begin to be well grassed
when the herbage of the great valley is drying up, and from which the cattle are
driven by snows as early as the 1st of October-long before grass begins to start
afresh on the banks of the Sacramento. There are other valleys upon and near
the sea-coast, wherein frost and snow are strangers, rarely seen, and vanishing with
the night that gave them being. Generally, however, we may say of the state that
it has a mild, dry, breezy, healthy climate, better than that of Italy, in that the sultry,
scorching blasts from African deserts have here no counterpart. Save in the
higher mountains, or in the extreme north-east, snow never lies, the earth never
freezes, and winter is but a milder, greener, longer spring, throughout which cattle
pick up their own living far more easily and safely than in summer.
The climate of the valleys may be said to be created, as that of the mountains
is modified, by the influence of the Pacific Ocean. Sea breezes from the southwest in winter, from the north-west in summer, maintain an equilibrium of temperature amazing to New Englanders. San Francisco-situated on the great bay
formed by the passage of the blended waters of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin
-the former draining the western slope of the Sierra Nevada from the north, as
the latter does firom the south-is thus, as it were, in the throat of the bellows
throughl which the damp gales from the Pacific are constantly rushing to cool the
parched slopes or warm the snow-clad hights of the interior. I presume there was
never a day without a breeze at San Francisco-generally a pretty stiff one. This
sea breeze is always damp, often chilly, and rolls up clouds which hide the sun for
a part, at least, of most days. Though ice seldom forms, and snow never lies in
her streets, San Francisco must be regarded as a cold place by most of her visiters
and unacclimated summer denizens. I presume a hot day was never known there,
and no night in which a pair of good woolen blankets were not esteemed a shelter
and a comfort by all but extremely hot-blooded people. Thick flannels and warm
woolen outer garments are worn throughout the year by all who have or can get
them. In short, San Francisco is in climate what London would be with her summer rains transformed into stiff and almost constant breezes.
The soil of California is almost uniformly good. The valleys and ravines rejoice in a generous depth of dark vegetable mold, usually mingled with or resting
on clay; while the less precipitous hill sides are covered with a light reddish clayey
loam of good quality, asking only adequate moisture to render it amply productive.
Bring a stream of water almost anywhere, save on the naked granite, and you incite a luxuriant vegetation.
Yet the traveler who first looks down on the valleys and lower hill-sides of California in midsummer is generally disappointed by the all but universal deadness.
Some hardy weeds, a little sour, coarse grass along the few still living water courses,
some small, far-between gardens and orchards rendered green and thrifty by irrigation, form striking exceptions to the general paralysis of all annual manifestations of vegetable life.
.... These slopes, these vales, now so dead and cheerless, are but resting from
their annual and ever successful efforts to contribute bountifully to the sustenance
and comfort of man. Summer is their season of torpor, as winter is ours. Dead
as these wheat fields now appear, the stubble is thick and stout, and its indications
are ilore than justified by the harvest they have this year yielded.
Cattle-growing was the chief employment of the Californians of other days, and
cattle-growing, next after mining, is the chief business of the Californians of 1859.
There are comparatively few farms yet established, while ranches abound on every
side. A corral, into which to drive his wild herd when use or security is in question, and a field or two in which to pasture his milch cows and working cattle, are
often all of the rantche that is inclosed; the herd is simply branded with the owner's
mark and turned out to range where they will, being looked after occasionally by
a mounted ranchero, whose horse is trained to dexterity in running among or
around them.
Fruit, however: is destined to be the ultimate glory of California Nowhere else
463
on earth is it produce(d so readily or so bountifully. Such pears, peaches, apricots,
nectarines, etc., as load the trees of nearly every valley in the state which has had
any ch- nce to produce them, would stagger the faith of nine tenths of RI, readers.
]'eacli trees only six years set, whichl have borne four large burdens of fruit while
oin luxuriantly each year, are quite common. Apple trees, but three years
set, vet shlowing at least a bushel of large, fair fruit, are abundant. I have seen
peaich trees four or five years from the states which have all the fruit they can
stal,t:ger under, yet have grown three feet of new wood over this load during the
current season. Dwarf pears, just stuck into the black loam, and nowise feirtilized
or cultivated, but covered with fruit the year after they were set, and tilenceforwairdi b)earin, larger and larger yields with each succeeding summer, are seen in
ilmiost every tolerably cared-for fruit patch. I can not discover an instance in
which any fi'it-tree, having borne largely one year, consults its dignity or its ease
I)v standing still or growing wood only the next year, as is common our way. 1
have seen (reen a-es and otherplum-trees so thickly set with fruit that 1 am sure
the plums would far outweigh the trees, leaves and all. And not one borer, curcu.
lio, caterpillar, apple-worm, or other nuisance of that large and undeli,hlitfiul faiiily,
appealrs to be known in all this region. Under a hundred fruit-trees, you will not
see:ne I)bulb which has prematurely faillen-a victim to this destructive l)rood.
That Caiifornil- is the richest of.all the American states in timber, as wvell as in
ierls, considler certain, thoulgh the forests of O)regon are doubtless stately and
vast. Even the Coast lRange between San Jose valley and Santa Cruz on the southwest, is covered Iby magnificent redwood-some of the trees sixteen feet tllrougrh
ant fifty in circulmference. In soil, I can not consider her equal to lllinois, loiwa,
Kansas, or Minnesota, though the ready iiiarkets l,forded( by her mines to her farms
proba)llv render this one of the most inviting states to the enterprising, eertic
husi)andmnan. But it miust be considered that not half the soil of California can
ever be deemed arable; the larger area being covered by mountains, ravines,
deserts, etc.
The persistent sunmmer drouth is not an unmixed evil. It is a guaranty against
many insects, and against rust, eveni in the heaviest grain. Grain and hayv are g(ot
in at fiar less cost and in much better average condition here than they can be
where the summers aIre not cloudless nor rainless. Weeds are far less persistent
and pestilent here than at the east; while the air is so uniformly dry and bracilng,
and the days so generally tempered by a tfresh breeze, that the lunman frame maintains its elasticity in spite of severe and continued exertion. I was never before
in a region where so much could be accomplished to the hand in summer as just
here.
Irrigation is exceptional, even here. All the grains are grown here without irri
gation; but the small grains are hurried up quite sharply by droutli, and in some
instances blighted by it, and at best are doubtless much lighter than they would
be with a good, soaking rain early in June; while Indian corn and most roots and
vegetables can only in favored localities be grown to perfection without artificial
watering. I estimate that, if all the arable land in the state, fertile as it undoultedly is, were seasonably planted to corn and fairly cultivated, without irri,gation
the average yield would fall below ten bushels per acre. tIence everv garden
throughout the state, save a part of those near the coast and withiin the immediate
influence of the damp sea breeze, must have its stream of water oi it comes to
nothling, and various devices are employed to procure the needful fluid. Of these
I like Artesian wells far best; and they are already numerous, especially in this
vall-ey. lout ordinary wells, surmounted by windmills which press every.c..suil
breeze into the service and are often pumping up a good stream of water while the
owner and all hands are asleep, are much more common, and are found to answer
very well; while some keep their little gardens in fair condition bv simply drawin,,g water, bucket after bucket, in the old, hard way.
In a subsequent letter, written from Marysville, the chief towni of northern California, at the junction of the Yubla,and Feathler Rivers, SIr. (Greeley -oives a description of what lie saw of the a,ieulturi riches of that
elrtile region. We again quote'
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CALIFORNIA.
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The edifice erected by the public spirit of Aiarysville f(ir the fairs which are to
be held here annually, and at which all northern California is invited to compete
for very liberal premIiums, is quite spacious and admirably adapted to its purpose;
and herein is collected the finest show of fruits and vegetables 1 ever savw t anything l)ut a state fair. Indian corn not less than twenty feet high; squashes like
brass kettles and water-melons of the size of buckets, are but average samples of
the wonderful productiveness of the Sacramento and Yuba valleys, while the
peaches, plums, pears, grapes, apples, etc., could hardly be surpassed anywhere.
The show of animuals is not extensive, but is very fine in the departments of horses
and horned cattle. The most interesting feature of this show was its young stock
-calves anrd colts scarcely more than a year old, equal in weight and size, while
far superior in form and symmetry, to average horses and bulls of ripe maturity.
IVith m(-nerous fare and usage, I am confident that steers and heifers two years
old in California will equal in size and development those a year older in our norlthern states, and California colts of three years be fully equal to eastern colts of like
blood and breeding a good year older-an immense advantage to the breeder on
the Pacific. I am reliably assured that steers a year old, never fed but on wild
grass, and never sheltered, have here dressed six hundred pounds of fine beef.
Undoub)tedly, Califiornia is one of the cheapest and best stock growing countries in
the vworld —ad will ),e, after these great, slovenly ranches shall have been broken
up into neat, miodest fmrns, and when the cattle shall be fed at least three months
in each sear on rots. liavy and sorghum, or other green fodder.
Thle villis of the Yuia and Feather Rivers are exceedingly deep and fertile,
and tlheir y,ioductiveness in this vicinity ahlmost surpasses belief. I visited this
mornings'. in the suburbs, gardens, vineyards, orchards, of rarely equaled fruitfulness. le or,l'erd of Mir. Britns, for example, covers 160 acres, all in young firuit,
prol)al)ly lone lilIf peaches. Ite has had a squad of thirty or forty inen picking
and I)oxin-, peaches for the last month, yet his fruit by the cartload ripens and rots
uni'tthered. Tl:e w,agonis which convey it to the mines have their regular stations
and relays of horses like mail stages, and,ire thus pulled sixty miles up rough
mount,in psses, per day, where twenty-five miles would be a heavy day's work for
any one team. But hlie is not sending to the iiiines only, but by steamboat to Sacraiiento and Sat Francisco as well. His sales last year, I amn told, amounted to
$90.00' his net income was not less than $40,000. And this was realized mainly
from peaches, apricots and neetarines; his apples and pears have barely begun to
bear; his cherries M ill yield their first crop next year. There are of course heavier
fruit gr(owers in California than Mr. Brigg_s, but he may be taken as a fair sample
of the class. Their sales will doubtless be made at lower and still lower prices;
they are now a little higher than those realized for similar fruit grown in New
Jersey; they were once many times higher than now; but, though their prices
steadily decrease their incomes do not, because their harvests continued to be augniented bv at least twenty five per cent. per annum.
Let me give one other instance of successful fruit growing in another district:
3Jr. Fallon, the mayor of San Jose, has a fine garden, in which are some ten or
twelve old pear trees-relics of the Spanish era and of the Jesuit missions. The
trees being thrifty but the fruit indifferent, Mr. F. had them pretty thoroughly
grafted with the Bartlett variety, and the second year thereafter gathered from one
tree one thousand pounds of Bartlett pears, which he sold for $200, or twenty cents
per pound. The other trees similarly treated bore himi six to seven hundred pounds
each of that large, delicious fruit, which he sold at the same price. And, every
year since, these trees have borne large yields of these capital pears.
Just a word now on grain. California is still a young state, whose industry and
enterprise are largely devoted to mining; yet she grows the bread of her half a:
jillion well-fed inhabitants on less than a fortieth part of her arable soil, and will'
this year have some to spare. I am confident her wheat crop of 1859, is over four,
millions of bushels, and I think it exceeds twenty-five bushels for each acre sow0.
''o-iday, its price in San Francisco is below a d(ollar a bushel, and it is not likely
to rise very soon. Tlhoug,h grown, harvested and threshed by the help of hibor'
which costs her farmers from thirty to forty dollars per month, beside boalrd, it is
still mainly grown at a profit; and so of a very large breadth of barley, o irw'
30
465
here instead of oats as food for working horses and cattle. Though wheat is probably the fullest, I ju(ldge that barley is the surest of any grain crop grown in the
state. It has never failed to any serious extent.
Indian corn is not extensively grown; only the Russian River and one or two
other small valleys are generally supposed well adapted to it. And yet, I never
saw larger or better corn growing than stands to-day right here on the Yuba-not
a few acres merely, but hundreds of acres in a body. I judge that nearly all the
intervales throughout the state would produce good corn, if well treated. On the
hill-sides, irrigation may be necessary, but not in the valleys. None has been resorted to here, yet the yield of shelled grain will range between 75 and 100 bushels per acre. And this is no solitary instance. Back of Oakland, across the bay
from San Francisco, Mr. Hobart, a good farmer from Massachusetts, showed me
acres of heavy corn which he planted last May, after the rains had ceased and the
dry season fairly set in, since which no hoe nor plow had been put into the field;
yet the soil remains light and porous, while there are very few weeds. Not one
drop of water has been applied to this farm; yet here are not only corn, but potatoes, beets, etc., with any number of young fruit trees, all green and thriving, by
virtue of subsoiling and repeated plowtings last spring. The ground (sward) was
broken up early in the winter, and cross-plowed whenever weeds showed their
heads, until planting time; and this discipline, aided by the droutli, has prevented
their starting durin the summer. Such thorough preparation for a crop costs
something but, this once made, the crop needs here only to be planted and harvested. Such farming pays.
The fig tree growes in these valleys side by side with the apple; ripe figs are now
gathered daily from nearly all the old Mexican gardens. The olive grows finely
in southern California, and I believe the orange and lemon as well. Jlat the grape
bids fair to become a staple throughout the state. Almost every farmer who feels
sure of his foothold on the land he cultivates either has his vineyard already
planted, or is preparing to plant one, while most of those who have planted are extending from year to year. I have looked through many of these vineyards, without finding one that is not thrifty-one that, if two years planted, is not now loaded
with fruit. The profusion and weight of the clusters is marvelous to the fresh beholder. I will not attempt to give figures; but it is my deliberate judgment thai
grapes may be grown here as cheaply as wheat or corn, pound for pound, and that
wine will ultimately be made here at a cost per gallon not exceeding that of whisky
in Illinois or Ohio. Wine will doubtless constitute a heavy export of California
within a very few years. So, I think, will choice timber, should the wages of labor
ever fall here so as to approximate our eastern standards.
I can not conclude this survey without alluding once more to the deplorable con.
fusion and uncertainty of land titles which has been and still is the master scourge
of this state. The vicious Spanish-Mexican system of granting lands by the mere6
will of some provincial governor or municipal chief, witlhout limitation as to area
or precise delineation of boundaries, here developes and matures its most pernicious fruits. Your title may be ever so good, and yet your farm be taken from
under you by a new survey, proving that said title does not cover your tract, oI
covers it but partially. Ilence many refuse or neglect to improve the lands they
occupy, lest somne title adverse to theirs be established, and they legally ousted or
compelled to pay heavily for their own improvements. And, in addition to the
genuine Spanish or Mexican grants, which the government and courts must con firm and uphold, there are fictitious and fraudulent grants-some of them only
trumped up to be bought off, and often operating to create anarchy and protract
litigation between settlers and the real owners. Then there are doubtless squat ters who refuse to recognize and respect valid titles, and waste in futile litigation
the money that might make the lands they occupy indisputably their own. Were
the titles to lands in California to-day as clear as in Ohio or Iowa, nothing could
cheek the impetus with which California would bound forward in a career of un
paralleled thrift and growth. It were far better for the state and her people that
those titles were wrongly settled than that they should remain as low. I met to
day an intelligent farmer who has had three different farms in this state, and has
lost them successively by adjudications adverse to his title. The present cost of
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CALIFORNIA.
litigation, enormous as it is, is among the lesser evil consequences of this general
anarchy as to land titles.
Should these ever be settled, it will be probably found advisable to legislate for
the speedy breaking up and distribution of the great estates now held under good
titles by a few individuals. There will never be good common schools on or abo)ut
these great domains, which will mainly be inhabited by needy and thriftless tenants or dependents of the landlords. An annual tax of a few cents per acre, the
proceeds to be devoted to the erection of school houses and the opening of roads
through these princely estates, would go far to effect the desired end. But, whether
by this or some other means, the beneficent end of making the cultivators of the
soil their own landlords must somehow be attained-the sooner the better, so that
it be done justly and legally. In the course of several hundred miles' travel
through the best settled portions of this state, I remember having seen but two
school houses outside of the cities and villages, while the churches are still more
uniformly restricted to the centers of population. Whenever the land titles shall
have been settled and the arable lands have become legally and fairly the property
of their cultivators, all this will be speedily and happily changed.
There are two seasons in California, the dry and the rainy, the latter extending from the 1st of November to the 1st of April. During the rainy
season are intervals of fine weather, in which all the plowing and sowing is
done.
"The mining interests of California are vast and inexhaustible. The state
abounds in mineral wealth, and in great varieties, and there is no knowing
to what extent these riches may be developed. The gold region embraces a
district of country extending from the Oregon line on the north to Kern
River in the south, a distance of nearly five hundred miles in length, and
from ten to one hundred and fifty miles in width. Mining is successfully
carried on in some twenty-five counties, and not more than one fifth of this
gold region is occupied by miners at the present time." From 1849 to 1860,
it was estimated that gold to the value of 600 millions of dollars had been
taken out of the mines of California and sent abroad.
"In a few years California will become a vast empire within herself The people have the use of all the mineral lands without any cost whatever, except the
tax on their personal property, but no mining claim is taxed. Every vacant piece
of land in the mines is subject to location by any one who may wish to settle on
it, and as long as he remains his possessory right is as good a title as he wants.
The mineral lands are expressly reserved from sale by act of congress, and the
legislation of the state, so far, has been to let them alone, yet recognizing the rules
of each mining camp as the law under which the miners hold their different kind
of claims.
The pre-emption laws of the United States have been extended to California, and
persons settling upon the public land can have the benefit of them. Of the surveyed lands the state is entitled to the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections of each
township, for school purposes. She was granted 500,000 acres by congress for internal improvements, but a provision in her constitution diverts them to educational purposes. Thus California has over 6,000,000 acres out of which to build
up her school system.
She has also 5,000,000 of acres of swamp land, donated her by congress. This
land is destined to become the most valuable in the state. It is all alluvial and of
inexhaustible richness. By an act of the state legislature, any person can locate
640 acres of this at one dollar an acre, by paying one fifth down and the balance
in five years. She is thus the absolute owner of over eleven millions of acres, and
constituting a basis of prosperity and usefulness of which perhaps no other state
can boast."
The population of California, January 1, 1849, was estimated at 26,000,
viz: natives of the country, not including Indians, 13,000; United States
Americans, 8,000; and Europeans, 5,000. The whole number of Indians
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CALIFORNIA.
was probably then about 40,000. In 1852, a state CC1SUS gave the population
as 264,435. The census of 1860 gave a population of 354,'70. A very lar,ge
proportion of the inhabitants are males and of mixed nationalities. A California writer thus estimates the number of the various classes of the population in 1859:
"There may now be 125,000 voters in the state, certainly not more. Of alien
men, there are about 15,000 Frenchmen, 7,000 Spanish Americans, 8,000 I;rit()ns
and Irishmen, 4,000 Italians, 5,000 Germans, and 6,000 miscellaneous Europeans40,000 alien white men in all. We have thus 170,000 white ixien. There are
50,000 Chinamen,* as ascertained from the custom house books. This figure is
i-more exact than the census returns will be. Thus we have 2 20,000 men, of whom
about 88,000 (two fifths reside in the farming districts, including the cities, and
three fifths in the mining districts. In the former there are, on an average, two
men to a woman; in the latter, five men to a woman; so that, in the firmin, districts, there will be of men and women, 132,000, and in the mining districts,
15X,400, or 70,400 women in the state. Add 90,000 minors, including school children, and we have 380,400. To these add 5,000 negroes and 9,600 Indians, and we
have 395,000 as the total population of the state. The miining districts have a
large majority of the Chinamen and aliens; the farming districts have a majority
of the citizens, and a large majority of the women and children. Of the nativity
of the 125,000 voters, I make the following estimate, viz: 40,000 native Amnericans
from the free states, 30,000 Americans from the slave states, 25,000 Irishmen,
20,000 Germans, and 10,000 miscellaneous persons of foreign birth, including
British, Hungarians, Spaniards, etc. If this estimate be correct, you will perceive
that our population is very much mixed. But the English lang-uage prevails everywhere, and in another generation it will be the mother tongue of all the children
born of parents now in the state."
SAN FRANCISCO, the commercial capital of California, is in the same latitude with Lisbon, and also with Richnmond, Virginia, and distant on an air
line from the latter 2,500 miles. Its latitude is 37~ 48' and longitude 122~
25' W. from Greenwich. Her trade is immense, being, the fourth commnercial city in the Union. Her situation is unrivaled, fronting the Pacific at
the head of the magnificent Bay of San Francisco, which has no equal fi)r a
line of thousands of miles of coast. " The connection of San Francisco
with the great interior valley of the state being the only water communication
with it, together with its easy communication with Asia, gives it vast commercial advantages. Approaching it from the sea, the coast presents a bold
mountainous outline. The bay is entered by a strait running east and west,
about a mile broad at its narrowest part, and five miles long fromn the ocean,
when it opens to the north and south, in each direction more than thirty
miles. It is divided by straits and projecting points, into three separate
hays, the two northern being called San Pablo and Suisun, and the southern, San Francisco. The strait is called the' Golden Gate,' on the same principle that the harbor of Constantinople was called the'Golden Horn,' viz:
its advantages for commerce."
" Of all this number of 50,000 Chinamen, by the laws of California, not one is allowed
to vote, not one to give evidence in a court of justice, but kept virtually outlawed, and
liable to all manner of unlimited abuse, robbery, or personal cruelty, with no possibility of
redress, except some European happens to be an eye-witness. If some renegade Celt or
Saxon wishes to plunder a Chinaman, knowing the law and the poor man's defenselessness
he has but to choose a time when none but Chinese eyes are looking on I A hundred Chinese may witness a deed of violence, but their united testimony is worthless and inadmis
sible against a European or American evil-doer within the limits of the state."
4 0) S
CALIFORNIA.
San Francisco, as a town, is of very recent origin: but the immediate vieinitv has a history dating back to the year 1776. Then the Mission of San
Francisco was founded, which stood two and a half mniles south-west of the
cove of Yerba Buena; at the same timne was erected a presidio and a fort
long the margin of the Golden Gate. In 1835, the first habitation was
ared on the site of San Francisco, by Capt. W. A. Richardson, who, being
ppointed harbor master, erected a tent of a ship's foresail, and supported it
y four redwood posts. His business was to manage two schooners, which
rought produce from the various missions and farms to the sea going ves,ls that came into the cove. In May, 1836, Mr. Jacob Primer Leese arrived
the cove, with the intention of establishing a mercantile business in conection with partners at Monterey. He erected the first frame house, which
as 60 by 25 feet, placing it alongside of the tent of Richardson, and on the
Harbor of San Franciseo.
Al
469,
site of the St. Francis Hotel, corner of Clay and Duponlt-streets. The man.
sion was finished on the 4th of July, and the day was celebrated by a grand
banquet. The guests, numbering about 60, consisted of the principal Mexican families of the neighborhood, together with the officers of two American and one Mexican vessel in port. Outside of the building the American
and Mexiecan flags waved together in amicable proximity, within, toasts were
drank and good cheer prevailed: half a dozen instruments added thleir en.
livening strains to the general enjoyment. two six'pounders hard-by occasionally opened their throats and barked forth with an emphasis proper to
the occasion. Mr. Leese subsequently married a sister of General Vallejo,
one of his guests on this occasion, and on the 15th of April, 1838, was born
Itosalia Leese, the first born of Ye)rba Buena, as the place was then called
from the wild mint growing on the hills.
A few other houses were soon after built, and the Hudson's Bay Company became interested in the place; their agents and people came to form nearly the entire settlement. Late as 1844, Yerba Buena contained only about a dozen houses.
In 1846, this company disposed of their property and removed from the place,
when the progress of the Mexican war threw it into American hands, and it then
advanced wvith wonderful rapidity. By the end of April 1848, the era of the gold
discovery, the town contained 200 dwellings and 1,000 inhabitants, comprised
almost entirely of American and European emigrants.
The church, tavern and printing office are an indispensable adjunct to all American settlements. In January, 1847, appeared the first newspaper, the Caifornia
Star, published by Samuel Brannan, and edited by I)r. E. P. Jones. In the first
month of its issue was printed an ordinance, from the alcalde, Mr. Bartlett, changin the name of the place from Yerba Buena to San Francisco.
'I'he first alcalde of San Francisco, under the American flag, was Washington A.
BaLrtlett, a lieutenant of the navy, who, being ordered to his ship, was succeeded
on the 22d of February, 1847, by Edwin Bryant. Under Mexican laws an alcalde
has entire control of municipal affairs, and administers justice in ordinary matters
according to his own ideas of right, without regard to written law. On the Americans taking possession of the country, they temporarily made use of the existing
machinery of local government, everywhere appointed alcaldes, and instructed
them to dispense justice with a general regard to the Mexican laws and the provincial customs of California.
In December, 1847, occurred the event which was so suddenly to transform California from a wilderness into a great state, and San Francisco from
a petty village into a great commercial metropolis-the discover of gold.
"Early in 1848, the news spread to the four quarters of the globe, and imme diately adventurers firom every land came thronging to this new El Dorado.
The magnificent harbor of San Francisco made this port the great rendez vous for the arriving vessels, and from this period dates the extraordinary
increase and prosperity of the Californian metropolis. In the first four
months of the golden age, the quantity of precious dust brought to San
Francisco was estimated at $850,000. In February, 1849, the population of
the town was about 2,000; in August it was estimated at 5,000. From April
12, 1849, to the 29th of January, 1850, there arrived by sea 39,888 emi grants, of whom 1,421 only were females. In the year ending April 15,
iSO0, there arrived 62,000 passengers. In the first part of 1850, San Fran (.iseo became a city, with a population of 15,000 to 20,000; and in 1860, it
had 56,805, together with the largest trade of any city on the Pacific side
of the American continent.
The magical effect upon San Francisco of the discovery of gold, is thus
described in the Annals of the city:
Early in the spring of this year (1848), occasional intelligence had been received
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CALIFORNIA.
of the finding of gold in large quantities amollng the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada
Small parcels of the precious metal had also been forwarded to San Francisco,
while visitors from the mines, and some actual diggers arrived, to tell the wonders
of the region and the golden gains of those engaged in exploring and working it.
In consequence of such representations, the inhabitants began gradually, in bands
and singly, to desert their previous occupations, and betake themselves to the
American River and other auriferous parts of the great Sacramento valley. Labor,
from the deficiency of hands, rose rapidly in value, and soon all business and work,
except the most urgent, was forced to be stopped. Seamen deserted from their
ships in the bay and soldiers from the barracks. Over all the country the excitement was the same. Neither threats, punishment nor money could keep men to
their most solemn engagements. Gold was the irresistible magnet that drew human souls to the place where it lay, rudely snapping asunder the feebler ties of
affection and duty. Avarice and the overweening desire to be suddenly rich, from
whence sprang the hope and moral certainty of being so, grew into a disease, and
the infection spread on all sides, and led to a general migration of every class of
the commnunity to the golden quarters. The daily laborer, who had worked for the
good and at the command of another, for one or two dollars a day, could not be restrained from flying to the happy spot where hlie could earn six or ten times the amount.
and might possibly gain a hundred or even a thousand times the sum in one lucky
day's chance. Then the life, at worst, promised to be one of continual adventure
and excitemnent, and the miner was his own master. While this was the case with
the common laborer, his employer, wanting his services, suddenly found his occupation at an end; while shopkeepers and the like, dependent on both, discovered
themselves in the same predicament. The glowing tales of the successful miners
all the while reached their ears, and threw their own steady and large gains comparatively in the shade. They therefore could do no better, in a pecuniary sense
even, for themselves, than to hasten after their old servants, and share in their new
labor and its extraordinary gains, or pack up their former business stock, and traveling with it to the mines, open their new shops and stores and stalls, and dispose
of their old articles to the fortunate diggers, at a rise of five hundred or a thousand
per cent.
In the month of May it was computed that at least one hundred and fifty people
had left San Francisco, and every day since was adding to their number. Some
were occasionally returning from the auriferous quarter; but they had little time
to stop and expatiate upon what they had seen. They had hastily come back, as
they had hastily gone away at first, leaving their household and business to waste
and ruin, now to fasten more properly their houses, and remove goods, family and
all, at once to the gold region. Their hurried movements, more even than the
words they uttered, excited the curiosity and then the eager desire of others to
accompany them. And so it was. Day after day the bay was covered with
launches, filled with the inhabitants and their goods, hastening up the Sacramento.
This state of matters soon came to a head; and master and man alike hurried to
the placeres, leaving San Francisco, like a place where the plague reigns, forsaken
by its old inhabitants, a melancholy solitude.
On the 29th of MAay, the "Californian" published a fly-sheet, apologizing for the
future non-issue of the paper, until better days came, when they might expect to
retain their servants for some amount of remuneration, which at present was impossil)le, as all, from the "s?ubs" to the "devil," had indignantly rejected every
offer, and gohe off to the diggings. "The whole country," said the last editorial
of the paper, "fi-om San Francisco to Los Angeles, and from the sea shore to the
base of tbe Sierra Nevada, resounds with the sordid cry of gold! GOLD!! GOLD!!!
-while the field is left half planted, the house half built, and everything neglected
but the manufacture of shovels and pick-axes, and the means of transportation to
the spot where one man obtained one hundred and twenty-eight dollars' worth of
the beal stuff in one day's washing, and the average for all concerned is twenty dollars per diem!'
Within the first eight weeks after the "diggings" had been fairly known, two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars had reached San Francisco in gold dust, and
within the next eight weeks, six hundred thousand more. These sums were all to
471
purchase, at any price, additional supplies for the mines. Coin grew scarce, ani
all that was in the country wA insufficient to satisfy the increased wants of com
merce in one town alone. Gold dust, therefore, soon became a circulating medium,
and after some little demur at first, was readily received by all classes at sixteen
dollars an ounce. The authorities, however, would only accept it in payment of
duties at ten dollars per ounce, with the privilege of redemption, by payment of
coin, within a limited time.
When subsequently immigrants began to arrive in numerous bands, any amount
of labor could be obtained, provided always a most unusually high price was paid
for it. Returned diggers, and those who cautiously had never went to the mines,
were then also glad enough to work for rates varying from twelve to thirty dollars
a day; at which terms capitalists were somewhat afraid to commence any heavy
undertaking. The hesitation was only for an instant. Soon all the labor that
could possibly be procured, was in ample request at whatever rates were demanded.
The population of a great state was suddenly flocking in upon them, and no preparations had hitherto been made for its reception. Building lots had to be surveyed,
and streets graded and planke(i-hills leveled-hollows, lagoons, and the bay itself
piled, capped, filled up and planked-Ilumnber, bricks, and all other building maLterials, provided at most extraordinarily liigh prices-houses built, finished and furnished-great warehouses and stores erected-wharves run far out into the seanumberless tuns of goods removed from shipboard, and delivered and shipped anew
everywhere-and ten thousand other things had all to be done witholut a moment'a
unnecessary delay. LTong before these things were completed, the sand hills and
barren ground around the town were overspread with a multitude of'canvas,
blanket and bough-covered tents-the bay was alive with shipping and small craft
carrying passengers and goods backward and forward-the unplanked, ungraded,
unformned streets (at one time moving heaps of dry sand and dust; at another, airy
al)ysses, whose treacherous depths sucked in horse and dray, and occasionally man
himself), were crowded with human beings from every corner of the universe and
of every tongue-all excited and busy, plotting, speakin%f, working, buying and
selling town lots, and beach and water lots, shiploads of every kind of assorted
merchandise, the ships themselves, if they could-though that was not often-gold
dust in hundred weights, ranches square leagues in extent, with their thousands
of cattle-allotmnents in hundreds of contemplated towns, already prettily designed
and laid out-on paper-and, in short, speculating and gambling in every branch
of modern commerce, and in many strange things peculiar to the time and place.
Aiid everybody made m oney, and was suddenly growiit?g rich.*
The loud voices of the eager seller and as eager buyer-the laugh of reckless
joyv-the bold accents of successful speculation-thie stir and humn of active, hurried labor, as man and brute, horse and bullock, and their guides, strttggled and
managed throu,gh heaps of loose rul)bbish, over hills of sand, and among deceiving
deep mud pools and swamps, filled the amazed newly arrived immigrant with an
almost appalling sense of the exuberant life, energy and enterprise of the place.
He breathed quick and faintly-his limbs grew weakl as water —and his heart sunk
within him as he thought of the dreadful conflict, when he approached and mingled
among that confused and terrible business battle.
Gambling saloons, glittering like fairy palaces, like them suddenly sprang into
existence, studding nearly all sides of the plaza, and every street in its neighbor
hood. As if intoxicating drinks from the well plenished and splendid bar the:
each contained were insufficient to gild the scene, music added its loudest, if not
-'Johnson, in his "Sights in the Gold Region," states "Lumber sold as high as $600 per
thousand feet. The merest necessaries of life commanded the most extravagant prices.
Launldresses received $8 per dozen, and cooks $150 per month; and it was nearly impossible to obtain either. The prices of houses and lots were from $10,000 to $75,000, each. A
lot purchased two years ago for a barrel of oaguardiekite was sold recently for $18,000. One
new three story frame hotel, about forty by sixty feet, cost $180,000, and rented for an interest of more than twenty per cent. per annum; small rooms for gambling purposes renting, for $400 per month. Yet, notwithstanding these enormous incomes, speculation so
raged that as high as twenty-five per cent. was actually paid for the use of money for ori
week."
472
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA
its sweetest charms; and all was mad, feverish mirth, where fortunes wvere lost
and waon, upon the green cloth, in the twinkling of an eye. All classes gambled
in those days, from the starchiest white neck-clothed professor to the veriest black
rascal that earned a dollar for blacking massa's boots. Nobody had leisure to
think even for a moment of his occupation, and how it was viewed in Chlristian
lands. The heated brain was never allowed to get cool while a bit of coin or (lust
was left. These saloons, therefore, were crowded, night and day, by inmpa.tient
revelers who never could satiate themselves with excitement, nor get rid too soon
of their golden heaps.
The very thought of that wondrous time is an electric spark that fires into one
great flame all our fancies, passions and experiences of the fall of that eventful
year, 1S49.']'he world had perhaps never before afforded such a spectacle; and
probal)ly noithing of the kind will be witnessed for generations to come. A city
of twenty or thirty thousand inhabitants improvised-the people nearly all adult
males, stron, in person, clever, bold, sanguine, restless and reckless."
,_ ~I O
Thie proceedings of the famous'Vigilance Committee" of San Francisco
at the tinie excited the sur'prise of the outside world. It was, however, an
organization that arose from the necessities of the community: its acts were
justified by the great body of the citizens, while its members comprised the
first men in business and social standing in the city.
Up to the be;ginning of 1851, the enmig,ration to California had been immense. Nearly a quarter of a million of men, strangers from various parts
of the world, had been suddenly thrown into this new land, and scattered
among the newly established towns and over the different mining districts.
The institutions of law, in but a formig, state, failed to give adequate protection. Among the inhabitants were a larg-e number of criminials and vile
men from various countries. The most numerous and daring class of desperadoes were the convicted felons of the English penal colonies, who. having
"served their time," early contrived to sail for California. These Sydney
coves," as they were called, reaped a rich harvest in California, and for a
while it seemed impossible to check their crimes.
Around Clark's Point and vicinitv, in San Francisco, was the rendezvous of
these villains. "Low drinking and daincin, houses, lodging and gambling houses
of the same mean class, the constant s enes of lewdness, drunkenness and strife,
abounded in the quarter mentioned. lThe daily and nightly occupants of these
vile abodes had every one, more or less, been addicted to criime; and many of them
were at all times ready, for the most trifling consideration, to kill a man or fire a
town. During the early hours of night, when the Alsatia was in revel, it was dangerous in the highest degree for a single person to venture within its bounds. Even
the police hardly dared to enter there; and if they attempted to apprehend some
known individuals, it was always in a numerous, strongly-armed company. Seldom,
however, were arrests made. The lawless inhabitants of the place united to save
their luckless brothers, and generally managed to drive the assailants away. When
the different fires took place in San Francisco, bands of plunderers issued from
this great haunt of dissipation, to help themselves to whatever money or valuables
lay in their way, or which they could possibly secure. With these they retreated
to their dens, and defied detection or apprehension. Fire, however, was only one
means of attaining their ends. The most daring burglaries were committed, and
houses and persons rifled of their valuables. WVhere resistance was made, the
bowie-knife or the revolver settled matters, and left the robber unmolested. Midnight
assaults, ending in murder, were common. And not only were these deeds perpetrated under the shade of night; but even in daylight, in the highways and byways
of the country, in the streets of the town, in crowded bars, gambling saloons and
lodging houses, crimes of an equally larinr character were of constant occurrence
People at that period generally carried during all hours, and wherever they hap
473
CALIFORNIA.
pened to be, loaded firearms about their persons; but these weapons availed noth
inag against the sudden stroke of the'slung shot,' the plunge and rip of the knife,
or the secret aimiing of the pistol. No decent man was in safety to walk the streets
aftcr dark' while at all hours, both of night and day, his property was jeopardized
by inceuiar ismi and burglary.
All this Awhiile, the la, whose supposed'majesty' is so awful in other countries,
was here only a matter for ridicule. The police were few in number, and poorly
as well as irregularly paid.
--—:7-____ _ -Some of them were in league
__ — =.... _ with the criminals themselves,
_...:...-..... --- and assisted these at all times
~_ —~ _- -_.~ =., to elude justice. Subsequent
:_ — _ i, confessions of criminials on the
=='__,~~~~~~ ~eve of execution, implicated a
1_ ~~ =___~~~ - _considerable number of people
_ _ _ in various high and low de ___ - - __ ~~partments of the executive.
___ - - ln B3ail was readily accepted in
tile most serious cases, where
IIS~ the security te nde red was ab solutely worthless; mand where,
...._ OF -jNVlIr/IITTA!l-ER:i}: whenAever neces sary, both prin Ally he San Facipal and cautioner quietly dis awpeared. The prisons like lP I.T I'/\-I R I C!,-I
~~ise were small and insecure;
~ ____ ~~~nd thoui(,h filled to overflow ~ murdersin, could no lon er c ont ain
,~ere, c rowerehend the e
—. >ltinoffene s When these were
puny? i:"f~ the ~ultimately uhrtebrought to trial, sel doin could a conviction be oh be timeds of om technicd errors
had likeis s hareon the par t of the prosecutors,
n n tlaws ill understood and worse
wou./~.i'i:'i~!!:,i.,.... applied, false sweularing, of the
legally-conswitnes ses for the pris oners, ab
and~~~~~ pryduolh iaso oiet.\ t a atthied fearful timearhat ofe the
a"':=~~~~~~._sene often of the chief evi de nce for the prosecution, dis of -— _ the~~ li-ve a", honesty of jurors, incapacit y,
I-TT._'I....... weakness, or venality of the
judge, and fiom many other
HANGING OF WViITTAKER AND MCKENZIE, causes, the cases generally
By the San Francisco Vigilance Committee. broke down and the prisoners
were freed. No't one criminal
had yet been executed. Yet it was notorious, that, at this period, at least one hun
dred murders had been committed within the space of a few months; while innumerable were the instances of arson, and of theft, robbery, burglary, and assault
with intent to kill. It was evident that the offenders defied and laughed at all the
puny efforts of the authorities to control them. The tedious processes of legal
tribunals had no terrors for them. As yet everything had been pleasant and safe,
and they saw no reason why it should not always be so. San Francisco had just
been destroyed, a fifth time, by conflagration. The cities of Stockton and Nevada
had likewise shared the same fate. That part of it was the doing of incendiaries
no one doubted; and too, no one doubted but that this terrible state of things
would continue, and grow worse until a new and very different executive from the
legally-constituted one should rise up in vengeance against those pests that worried
and preyed upon the vitals of society. It was at this fearful time that the Vigilance Committee was organized."
This was in June, 1851, at which time the association organized "~for the protection
of the lives and property of the citizens and residents of the city of San Fran
474
CALIFORNIA.
cisco." They formed a constitution and selected a room in which to hold their
meetings, which were entirely secret. The first person they arrested was John
Jenkins, a notorious "Sydney cove." He was seized for stealing a safe on the 10th
of June. About 10 o'clock that night, the signal for calling the members was
given-the tolling of the bell of the Mlonumental Engine Company. Shortly afterward about 80 members of the committee hurried to the appointed place, and giving the secret password were admitted. For two lon,g hours the committee closely
examined the evidence tnd found him guilty. "At midnight the bell was tolled, as
sentence of death by hanging was passed upon the wretched man. The solemn
sounds at that unusual hour filled the anxious crowds with awe. The condemned
at this time was asked if he had anything to say for himself, when hlie answered:
'No, I lhave nothing to say, only I wish to have a cigar." This was handed to
him, and afterward, at his request, a little brandy and water. He was perfectly
cool, and seemiingly careless, confidently expecting, it was believed, a rescue, up to
the last moment.
A little before one o'clock, Mr. S. Brannan came out of the committee rooms
and ascending a mound of sand to the east of the Rassette House, addressed the
people. lie had been deputed, he said, by the committee, to inform them that the
piisoner's case had been fairly tried, that he had been proved guilty, and was condemned to be hanged; and that the sentence would he executed within one hour
upon the plaza. He then asked the people if they approved of the action of the
conmmittee, when great shouts of Ay! 4y! burst forth, mingled with a few cries
of A\o! In the interval a clergyman had been sent for, who administered the last
consolations of religion to the condemned.
Shiortly before two o'clock, the committee issued from the building, bearing the
prisoner (who had his arms tightly pinioned) along with them.'l'he committee
were all armed, and closely clustered around the culprit to prevent any possible
chance of rescue. A procession was formed; and the whole party, followed by
the crowd, proceeded to the plaza, to the south end of the adobe building, which
then stood on the northwest corner. The opposite end of the rope which was
already about the neck of the victim was hastily thrown over a projecting beam.
Some of the authorities attempted at this stage of affairs to interfere, but their
efforts were unavailing. They were civilly desired to stand back, and not delay
what fwas still to be done. The crowd, which numbered upward of a thousand,
were perfectly quiescent, or only applauded by look, gesture, and subdued voice
the action of the committee. Before the prisoner had reached the building, a score
of persons seized the loose end of the rope and ran backward, dragging the wretch
along the ground and raising him to the beam. Thus they held him till he was
dead. Nor did they let the body go until same hours afterward, new volunteers
relieving those who were tired holding the rope. Little noise or confusion took
place. Muttered whispers among the spectators guided their movements or betrayed their feelings. The prisoner had not spoken a word, either upon the march
or during the rapid preparations for his execution. At the end he was perhaps
strung up almost before he was aware of what was so immediately coming. He
was a strong-built, healthy man, and his struggles, when hanging, were very violent for a few minutes."
The next execution which took place was about a month later, that of James
Stulrt. Ile was an Englishman, who had been transported to Australia for forgery.
On ]caving it, he wandered in various parts of the Pacific until he reached Califi)rnu, where he was supposed to have committed more murders and other desper.te ecrimes than any other villain in the country. Before his death he acknowle(liled the justice of his punishment. He was hung July llth, from a derrick at
the end of Market-street wharf, in the presence of assembled thousands.
(O)ne iore month rolled round, and the committee again exercised their dcuties
up(on the persons of Samuel Whittaker and Robert McKenzie, who were guilty of
robbery, murder and arson, and on trial confessed these crimes. The sheriff and
his posse with a writ of habeas coapu,s, took these men from the hands of the committee and confined them in jail. The latter, fearful that the rascals would escape
throuzh the quibbles of the law, prepared for the rescue.
'Abcut half past two o'clock," says the Annals of San Francisco, "on the after
475
noon of Sunday, the 24th of Aurust, an armed party, consisting of thirty-six
members of the Vit-ilance Committee, forcibly broke into the jail. at a time when
the Rev. Mr. Williams happened to be enga,ged ait devotional exercises w;th the
prisoners, among whom were Whittaker and McKenzie. The slight defeinsc of
the jailers and guards was of no avail. The persons named were seized, and
hurried to and placed within a coach, that had been kept in readiness a few steps
from the prison. The carriage instantly was driven off at full speed, and nearly
at the same moment the ominous bell of the? onumental Engine Company rapidly
and loudly tolled for the immediate assemblage of the committee and the knell
itself of the doomed. The whole population leaped with excitement at the sound;
and immense crowds from the remotest quarter hurried to Battery-street. T'here
blocks, with the necessary tackle, had been hastily fistened to two beams which
projected over the windows of the great hall of the committee. Within seventeen
minutes after the arrival of the prisoners, they were both dangling by the neck
from these beams. The loose extremities of the halters being taken within the
building itself and forcibly held by members of the committee. Full six thousand
people were present. who kept an awful silenee during the short time these preparations lasted. But so soon as the wretches were swung off, one tremendous shout
of satisfaction burst from the excited multitude; and then there was silence
again.
This was the last time, for years, that the committee took or found occasion to
exercise their functions. Hlenceforward the administration of justice might be
safely left in the hands of the usual officials. The city now was pretty well
cleansed of crime. The fate of Jenkins, Stuart, Whittaker and McKenzie showed
that rogues and roguery, of whatever kind, could no longer expect to find a safe
lurking-place in San Francisco. Many of the suspected, and such as were w~,ined
off by the committee, had departed, and gone, some to other lands, and some into
the mining regions and towns of the interior. Those, however, who still clung to
California, found no refuge anywhere in the state. Previously, different cases of
lynch law had occurred in the gold districts, but these were solitary instances
vwhich had been caused by the atrocity of particular crimes. When, however, the
Vigilance Committee of San Francisco had started up, fully organized, and began
their great work, Sacramento, Stockton, San Jose, as well as other towns and the
more thickly peopled mining quarters, likewise formed their committees of vigilance and safety, and pounced upon all the rascals within their bounds. These
associations interchanged information with each other as to the movements of the
suspected; and all, with the hundred eyes of an Argus and the hundred arms of
a Briareus, watched, pursued, harassed, and finally caught the worst desperadoes
of the country. Like Cain, a murderer and wanderer, as most of them were, they
bore a mark on the brow, by which they were known. Some were hanged at
various places, some were lashed and branded, but the greater number were simply
ordered to leave the country, within a limited timne, under penalty of immediate
death if found after a stated period within its limits. Justice was no longer blind
or leaden-heeled. With the perseverance and speed of a bloodhound, she tracked
criminals to their lair, and smote them where they lay. For a long time afterward,
the whole of California remained comparatively free from outrages against person
and property.
From all the evidence that can be obtained, it is not supposed that a single instance occurred in which a really innocent man suffered the extreme penalty of
death. Those who were executed generally confessed their guilt, and admitted
the punishment to have been merited."
San Francisc6, in common with all of the American cities in California,
has suffered terribly from tremendous conflagrations. The towns when first
founded were composed mostly of frail wooden tenements, intermingled with
tents, which in the dry season became like tinder, so that when a fire broke out
and got headway it was impossible to arrest it. San Francisco, Sacramento
City, Stockton, and other places were several times successively destroyed.
CALIFORNIA.
476
CALIFORNIA.
No sooner, however, was the work of destruction completed, than the ilnhab itanits rushed forth like so many bees, and dasling aside the smoking embers,
went to work to build new habitations; Blen lo! in a twinkling, a fairer
city would arise, as it were by ma,ic, on the ashes of the old, called ortlh
by the miatchless energy and fertility of invention of the Ilmost extraordinary,
wonder-workiing, body of men that had ever been gathered to found a statethe adventurous and enterprising of every clime, self-exiles, driven thither
by the eag,er thirst for gold.
Before midsummer of 1851, San Francisco had been visited by six "great'
fires, most of them the work of incendiaries. By them nearly all the old land(
marks and buildings of Yerba Buena had been obliterated, and the total value of
property destroyed amounted to about twenty millions. The most destructive was
that of the 4th May, 1851, when, in the short space of ten hours, nearly 2,000
houses were destroyed, many lives, and property to the amount of from ten to
twelve mi'llions.
"A considerable number of buildings, which were supposed fire-proof, had been
erected in the course of the preceding year, the solid walls of which, it was thought,
would afford protection from the indefinite spreading of the flames, when fire
should unhappily break out in any particular building. But all calculations and
hopes on this subject were mocked and broken. The brick walls that had been so
confidently relied upon, crumbled in pieces before the furious flames; the thick
iron shutters grew red hot and warped, and only increased the danger and insured
final destruction to everything within them. Alen went for shelter into these
fincieed fire-proof brick and iron-bound structures, and when they sought to come
forth again, to escape the heated air that was destroying them as by a close fire,
they found, () horror! that the metal shutters and doors had expanded by the lieat,
and could not lbe opened! So, in these huge, sealed furnaces, several perishlied
miseral;ly. San Francisco had never before suffered so severe a blow,
and doubts were entertained by the ignorant that she could possibly recover from
its effects. Stuch doubts were vain.'hle ba1y was still there, and the people were
also there; lthe placers of the state were not yet exhausted, and its soil was as
fertile and inviting as ever. The frightful calamity, no doubt, would retard the
triunmphlnnt progress of the city-but only for a time. The citizens of San Francisco were content only to curse and vow vengeance on the incendiaries that
kindled the fire, and resolved to be better prepared in future to resist its spreading
ravages. After the first short burst of sorrow, the ruined inhabitants, many of
whom had been burnt out time after time by the successive fires, began again, like
the often persecuted spider with its new web, to create still another town and
another fortune."
The city of San Francisco being at first a city of strangers, the post-office,
on the arrival of the nmonthly steamer from the Atlantic states was the
scene of exhibitions of an interesting character from the assembled multitudes that gathered for letters, most from loved ones at home, thousands of
miles away.
At a distiance they looked like a mob; but, on approachling, one would find that
though close'y packed together, the people were all in six strings, the head of each
being at a delivery window, from whence the lines twisted up and down in all directions, extending along the streets to a great distance, the new comers being at
the end of the line. So anxious were many to receive their epistles that they
posted themselves in the evening of one day to,) be early at the window on the
morning of the next, standing all night in the mud, often with a heavy rain pouring on thleir heads. "iHours always elapsed before one's turn came. To save suchi
delay, sometimes people would employ and handsomely pay others to preserve places
for them, which they would occupy, in room of their assistants, when they were
approaelimn:r the loop-holes where the delivery clerks stood. Ten and twenity dollars were often paid for accommodation in this way. Some of these eager applicants had not heard from their far distant homes for many long months, and their
477
0
anxious solicitude was even painful. It was thereQm exceed',ngly distressing to
mark the despondency with which many would turn away upon hearing from tho
delivery clerks the oft-repeated and much-dreaded sentence,'there is nothii?g hero
for you.' On the other hand, it was equally pleasing to observe the cheerful and
triumphant smile, not unfrequently accompanied with a loud exclamation of joy,
that would light up the countenance of the successful applicant, who hastens from
the window, and as soon as he can force a passage through the crowd, tears open
and commences to read the more than welcome letter, every word of which awakens
in his mind some tender reminiscence."
SACRAMENTO CITY is the second city in commerce and population in California. It is on the left bank of the Sacramento, a little below the mouth
of the American, in the midst of a level and fertile country: distance, by
water, 140 miles N.E. of San Francisco. It has great advantages as a center of commerce, being accessible for sailing vessels and steamers of a large
size at all seasons: both the Sacramento and its important branch, the
Feather River, is navigable for small steamers far above into the interior of
the country. It is the natural trading depot for all the great mining region
of the north Sacramento valley. The site being low, the city has suffered
in its early history by disastrous floods in the rainy season: it is now protected by levees. Population about 30,000.
The site of Sacramento City was originally in possession of.Capt. John
A. Sutter, a Swiss gentleman, who established himself in the country in
18 S9. and soon after built' Sutter's Fort," taking possession of the surroundin, country under a MIexican grant, giving to it the name of N\ew Ielvetia.
"From this point he cut a road to the junction of Sacramento and American Rivers, where he established an emb(trca(eri-o (quay, or landing place),
on the site of which has since been built the City of Sacramento. HIere he
rei ained for several years, his settlement beings the head-quarters of the
imnmi(,rants, who, following his example, poured into the country from the
American states."
Clom7a is about 50 miles N.E. of Sacramento City, on the left bank of the
South Fork of American River. It contains some 4,000 inhabitants.
In the winter of 1847-'48, Capt. Sutter contracted with Mr. James W.
Marshall, an emigrant from New Jersey, to erect a saw mill on the river near
the site of Coloma. This accidentally led to the discovery of gold, which at
once changed the history of California. "Marshall one day in January,
hlaving allowed the whole body of water to rush through the tail-race of the
mill for the purpose of making some alterations in it, observed, while walk.
ing along the banks of the stream early the next morning, numerous glistenin,g particles among the sand and gravel, which had been carried off by the
force of the increased body of water. For a while he paid no particular attention to them, but seeing one larger and brighter than the rest, he was induced to examine it, and found it to be a scale of gold. Collecting several,
he immediately hurried to Sutter, and began his tale in such a hurried manner, and accompanied it with such extravagant promises of unbounded wealth,
that the captain thought him demented, and looked to his rifle for protection; but when Marshall threw his gold upon the table, he was forced into
the delightful conviction. They determined to keep the discovery a secret,
but were observed while examining the river, and soon had immense armies
around them."
The neighborhood literally overflowed with the busy gold hunters, and
478
CALIFORNIA.
4
CALIFORNIA.
from thence they rapidly extended to thie different gold districts, so that by
midsummer they amounted to many thousands. At first the general gains
of the miners, though great, were nothing to what was shortly after collected. The average was usually from ten to fifteen dollars per day. Sonie
met with extraordinary success.
"WVell authenticated accounts described many known persons as averaging from
one to twio hundred dollars a day for a long period. Numerous others wvere said(
to be earning from five to
A...... -eight hundred dollars a day.
— __ - A piece of four pounds in
-________ -- I weight was early found.
...._~ — _____~ ~If, indeed, in many cases,
__~-_ _ - a m_an with a pick and pan
_________ _ -did not easily gathler some
thirty or forty dollars worth
_____-_! of dust in a single day, he
just moved off to some
=. =_ -- SLY g otherplace which he sup w~ posed migh t be riche r.
When the miners knew a
little better about the busi ness and the mode of turn ing their labor to the most
~,xx'7~<~ J -/"'Q'profitable account, the re ~~ *b u.turns were correspondingly
increased. At what were
___ -~~~~~~~ called the'dry dig,-gings'
particularly, the yield of
'old was enormous. On e
piece of pure metal was
toII~~ tenaetatfound of thirteen pounds
weight. The common in this~ period,~ ~struiiient at first made us e
l -~ ----- of was a simple butcher's
knife; and as ever ything
was valuable in proportion
to the demand and s upply,
butchers' knives suddenly
St',T~:n' M~ii. went up to twenty and
V~I~r~G,-,Id w first di.(()sered.thirty dollars apiece. I'But
afterward the pick and
shovel were employed. The a uriferous earth, dug out of ravines and holes in the
sides of the mountains, was packed on horses, and carried one, two, or three miles,
to the neares t wa ter, to be washed. An avera ge price of this washing dirt was, at
this period, so much s fou r hundred dollars a cart load. "In one in stance, five
loads of such earth,old for seven hundred and fifty-two dollars, which yielded,
after washin, sixteen thousand dollars. Cases occurred where men carried the
earth in sacks on their backs to the watering places, and collected eight to fifteen
hundred dollars in a day, as the proceeds of their labor. Individuals made their
five thousand, ten thousand, and fifteen thousand dollars in the space of only a
few weeks. One man dug out twelve t ho usa nd dollars in six days. Three others
obtained eight thousand dollars in a single day. But these, of course, were extreme cases. Still it was undoubtedly true, that a large proportion of the miners
were earning such sums as they had never even seen in their lives before, and
which, six months earlier, would have appeared a downright fable.
The story has a shady as well as a bright side, and would be incomplete unless
both were shown. There happened to be a'sickly season' in the autumn at the
mines; many of the miners sank under fever and diseases of the bowels. A severe
kind of labor, to which most had been unaccustomed, a complete change of diet
479
0
\' ~N41\\ \ ttecting branch of a tree? Alany, not so
Il~~j~ 199 -/\ls far reduced, were compelled to return to
d\ &pl,!!6 lE! a l \ t1 > their old homes, the living spectres of
their former selves, l)roken in constitu |1 1'i ~~l,!I/iil[ / ]f:' i I tion and wearied in spirit; thoroughly
' i('l'f li I —. k k,>-1 I satisfied that the di(ggings were rnot fit
abiding places for them.
5i i T; lThe implements at first used in the
process of gold seeking, were only the
I\2A~~t+ ny common pick and shlovel, and a tin pan
b or ooden bowl. Th'lie auriferous earth
l! l\'1I' ~. S Ii:~7p wlhen (dut out was put into tlhe st andI
.:za~.~y/]:;~iei:ii water being mixeid with it, the (contents
w violently stirred. A peculiar shake
of the hand or wrist, best und(erstood and
learned by)v practice, threw occasionally
over the edge of the pan or )bowvl the
',ii''::~. — j ~'' mruddy water and ear thy pu(rticles, while
;i \ Ithe mietal bein( heavier, sunk to thle bot 1 -5m }t~~ ~tomn. Rtepeated watshiings of this nature,
t!,l'"''~~~~~~~,~ ~~~assi sted I}y bIreaiking the iard pieces of
earth wvith the hand or %.trowel, soon ex tricated the gold from its coverino and
had, a sa-ilor's or butheer's knife, or even
0;,10, it asharpened hard-pointeil stick c(-l(l pick
out the lar,er speciiiielis-the pepil.s,
<,;!',~i"~ —: -_: =of supply. The process is a close
__~ ~ imitation of the operations of na':~ —-:____:__-_ =- -- a': - -ture in concentrating gold in the
____ A A ~ ~ ~ ~deposits along the streams."
__g _______Quartz mining is the reduc'- ( —~-~- -~~ tion to powder of the vein
.s ton e,w It i c h contains the
'.%:':...' —~-'~.- gold, which is extracted from the
: p-S -powder by means of water, quick -.ilver, etc. There are so many
pi-_ ctical diffculties in the way
tlhat it is very rarely attended with
success, as the expenses eat up
. the profits, the gold not usually
...aerag(in, more than one cent in
a pouned of rock. The quartz
a >F"".....'.......nwoilks ait Allison's Rlianehe, in
YiGrass Vallev, and those at Fre llont's lanche, in Bear Aalley,
FtI],.iOT' RN.cOE,.,re worked to great profit. Col.
Fremont's mines produce gold to
the wv.ie of sceveral hundred thousandf do'llars per annur, tlhout ih at an immense
ouitlav fir miills, wa-terw orks, etc. ltis great mine, it is supposed(, contains 10 mnillions' of dollars worth of gold above tihe water level of the PIerced, from near
which it rises up a pyramid of gold-bearing quartz, inclosed in a mountain of
slate.
JfurAcscil.e, the chief town of northern California, is located at the junction of the Yuba and Feathller. Rivers, just above their union with the Sacramento, about 40 miles north of Sacramento City. It is a well built town,
pri)nciplly of brick, and at the head of navigation in the direction of the
northern mines. The country around it is of great fertility, and the town
itself rapidly growing. Population about 16,000.
In thle vicinity of 3Iarysville, and easterly, toward the slopes of the Sierra
Nevadat. are the important mining towns of Nevad(a, Grass Tbaluey, iAtbUura,
]':h, and sixtv eac1-h in
circumference. "The Family Group" consists of two very large trees, tlse fatt, r
and mother, with a family of gozown-up children, twenty-four in number, arounsi
them, all large enough to be of age and to speak for themselves! T'lhe ftther blew
down many years ago, having become feeble from old age. The trunk is lIol,(w'1s
it lies upon the ground, and would accommodate half a regiment with quarters.
485
The circumference is one hundred and ten feet, or upward of thirty-three diameter! Its Ihight was four hundred and fifty feet, as great as that of the dome of St.
Peter's at Rome! -Near what was the base of the trunk, and within the cavity,
there is now a never-failing pond of water, fed by a spring. Nearly half the trunk
is embedded in the ground. The mother still stands amid her children and little
grandchildren. She 327 feet high, 91 feet in circumference-a stately old dtllie
"The Horseback Ride" is an old hollow tree fallen and broken in two. I rode throllughl
the tirunk a distance of 75 feet on horseback, with a good sized horse, as did my wife also.
"Uncle Tom's Cabini " is hollow for some distance above the base, and 25 persons cai
seat themselves in the space.
"The Mother of the Forest" is 90 feet round, and 328 feet high. To the hight of 116
feet the bark has been taken off by some speculators, who carried it in sections to Paris,
for exhibition. The staging oii which they worked is still stalding around the trunk. But
so immense was the size inidicated, that the Parisians would not believe it was all fromi
one tree, and charged the exhibitor with Yanke trickery, and branded the whole thing a
linumblug, and as the result hle lost conisiderable moniey in his speculation. The tree is now
dead.
In one place we saw a small part of the trunk of what was an enormous tree, which had
fillenl probably centuries ago, and become imbedded in the earth, and so long ago did this
hlaplpen, that three very large trees had grown up over its butt so as to inclose it withi their
roots completelv. It was ludicrous to see as we did in one place, niear one of the largest
trees, a little one, about two feet high, growing from the seed of the large one, aiId evidently starting with highl hopes and youtlifuil ambition in the race of lite. What a job
thoughlt I, 1as thlat little fellow before him to work himself up 300 or 400 feet to reicli the
tltitue ot'of his fIitlier and nuIcles and aunts. But we bid him God speed, and I doubt Iot,
if lie perseveres, lie will one day stilid as piouidly erect as his ancestors, and thriee thosand -ears liheice lie will be Ian object of as gireit curiosity and reverence to those who sl il
comne aftei Us is s -Hercules " is now to us! What will be the condition and loiulllitiou
of C ilibioiiia anid of the United States tlle?
BTIt, seriously, I think I liever vwas inspired with greater awe by an ocliject on whiich I
looke, thln.i I felt wlielen I ialklled about ani)ong these iioble and:iicieiit "s('s iic tie fIcest," o i.rtlier patriiechls of the wood. I'o think that I stood beside and looked up towadl
thie toawering hea,ds of trees that were standing, or at least had begun their grvowth, i v el)
Solorloii's'Temple wais coininenced; that were more than a thiouisanid'ecas old Uwlie the
Savior of meni tro(l the soil of Palestin-e; were antleiuts at the ieriod o, the Crusades!
Oie sees in E,urope old castles, and looks with iev-ereuce upon them as lie tliiinks of their
hoar' antiquity, but tlhese trees were between one thousand inid twvo tlousa,d yeir, old
whei the foundationls of the oldest buildirng now sti,ding in Eiiiope iere laid. I can
think of but one thing more awe inspiring, and that is the groul) of Eg,yptian pyianils.
One mu.ist actually look upon tliese objects, lioweveri, to realize the imaprlessioli they
m;ntke. lie n'ust stutly their proportions, cailculate tleir altitude, omniple theli with other
lairge tiees or lofty oljects, aud le must do this repeate(lly befotre lie cani take in the ideca.
It is a iniiiersal renmark of visitors that the coiceptioli of thle reality grows upon thens
everv tinme they examine them, and that, at first sight, as iin the case of Niagart Falls,
theie is a feelilg of disappointment.
Seeds have bten senC't to Fui'ol.,) and sec'ttteed i oier ou Union, aid trees aCe growing
froli them in some parts of the United Staites, but it is doubtful w hether in anv other soil
or climate thiiiii thit of Califoriiia, they will ec-er make such i grow th its is seet here.
COne thiing is remarkable about these trees, vi7z: tlat although of such an immelsie age,
maliv of them, yet where thle halve beeni unimolested by mana and unscathed by fire, tlhev
still seei snouid to thie core aid vigorous, the foliage is bright and constanitly growing, and
one can not see why they mav not live one thousand or two tlhouslaid years m4ae. TIhe
spot -hleie thev stiud is beautiful. "We enter a dell," says Dr. Bushnell," quietly lapped
in tlte nioiutltains, where the majestic vegetable miliarets are crowded, as in sonie titv of
pilr;mnag e, tliee to look up, for the first time, in sileit Iawe of the mere lite princtilple."
ioe'e ii a,)tler T'ro-e Las iremlaikablle in lililosa county, an)d smaller collectionls o' the
sle s ecic~s elsenlieie, but thley le iint commion all over the Stlte.
i!. NushlieCl's tlieoi-ry of tlie eiloriiols g rlwiths of Califorlnia, is that the secret lies in
:he: tl' c5lts —" First, a soil too deep antd rich for alIV grovtli to measure it; secoind, a
n8tl,'i tinder-suip1' oi0 z ateror tficiil irrig atioln; next, the setting,s of frluit are limited.
Al':! th,si no t)im e is lost in clotuding sud raill,'uid the stn drives lon hlis wNork ulinm eed.(I. noritlh bU ll(thl t', igthe glotll is pushel to its utlIost limit. But these [enormous
ccsi,al specin.eis] aie freiks oi extr) tv,,gan ces of natore-onlyv such as can be equaled
n,w;e-!e l-i Thle Ub1'1l triees cdeld ed, in pait, on these szame coutinrgeucies, and par.tly on
the remarkable longevits of thteir species. A thee that is watered without rain, having a
CALIFORNIA.
486
0
IV
CALIFORNIA.
deep vegetable mold in which to stand, and not so much as one hour's umbrella of cloud
to fence offl the sun for the whole warm season, and a capacity to live withlal for two
thousandil years or more, may as well grow three hundred and fifty or four huiidred feet
high and twenty-five feet ill diameter, and show the very center poinlt or pith still sound
at the age of thirteen hundred Lor three thousand] years, as to make any smaller figure."
Co~tltersville and Alatcposa are mining towns, south-easterly from Stockton.
iNear MIariposa is Fi-eitoWt's Vein, and 45 nmiles east of Coultersville is the
celebrated "'Valley of the Yo-hamiite," which is pronounced by travelers one
of the greatest of curiosities. It is a vast gorge in the Sierra, through which
flows the PIerced, a beautiful crystal stream, which rises high up in the
mountains.
. "Picture to yourself a perpendicular wall of bare granite nearly or
quite a mile high! Yet there are some dozen or score of peaks in all, ranging
from 3,000 to 5,000 feet above the valley, anrid a biscuit tossed from any of them
would strike very near its base, and its fra-gmients go bounding and falling still
further. No single wonder of Nature on earth can claim a superiority
over the Yo-hamite. Just dream yourself for one hour in a chasm nearly ten
'ailes long, with egress for birds and water out at either extremity, and none else,here save at these points, up the face of precipices from 3,000 to 4,000 feet high,
'he chasm scarcely more than a mile wide at any point, and tapering to a mnere
gorge or canon at either end, with walls of mainly naked and perpendicular white
granite, from 3,000 to 5,000 feet high, so that looking up to the sky from it is like
looking out of an unfathomable profound-and you will have some conception of
the Yo-hamite."
The highest known cataract on the globe is in this valley, the Yo-hamite Fall
which tumbles over a perpendicular ledge, 1,800 feet at one plunge, then taking a
second plunge of 400, ends by a third leap of 600, making in all 2,800 feet, or over
half a mile in descent. The stream being small looks, in the distance, more like
a white ribbon than a cascade. The Merced enters the valley by more imposing
cataracts of nearly 1,000 feet fall. How many other wonders exist in this strange
locality remains for farther exploration to unfold. "The valley varies from a quarter to a mile in width, the bottom level and covered with a luxuriant growth of
vegetation, grass interspersed with beautiful flowers, and the finest of pines and
evergreen shrubs, and the pure, clear, sparkling Merced River winding its ways,
'at its own sweet will,' through the midst. With its two points of egress guarded,
no human being, once placed here within its rocky mountain walls, could ever hope
to escape."
Beside the mountain ranges, with their summits clad with everlasting
snow, and the beautiful scenery rendered more attractive by the wonderful
purity of the atmosphere, California possesses miany natural curiosities,
amllong which are "The Geysers," or hot sulphur springs, of Napa county,
and the " natural bridges," of Calaveras.
"The Geysers are from one to nine feet in diameter, and constantly in a boiling
state, ejecting water to hights of 10 to 15 feet. Hundreds of fissures in the side
of the mountain emit strong currents of heated gas, with a noise resembling that
of vapor escaping from ocean steamers. We condense the following from Silliman's Journal, of Nov., 1851, by Professor Forest Shepard:'From a high peak we
saw on the W. the Pacific, on the S. Mount Diablo and San Francisco Bay, on the
Y,. the Sierra Nevada, and on the N. opened at our feet an immense chasm, from
which, at the distance of four or five miles, we distinctly saw dense columns of
steam rising. Descending, we discovered within half a mile square from 100 to
200 openings, whence issued dense columns of vapor, to the hight of from 150 to
200 feet, accompanied by a roar which could be heard for a mile or more. Many
acted spasmodically, throwing up jets of hot, scalding water to the hight of 20 or
30 feet. Beneath your footsteps you hear the lashing and foaming gyrations; and
on cutting through the surface, are disclosed streams of angry, boiling water.'
487
0
Near Vallecita, on Cayote creek, in Calaveras county, is a striking display of
volcanic action, in the shape of what are called the natural bridges: two immense
arches, thrown over the above-named creek, and covered with imitations of clusters of fruits and flowers, doubtless formed when the mass was first upheaved in
a molten state. In the same vicinity is'Cayote Cave,' a deep, semicircular chasm,
entered by a perpendicular descent of 100 feet, and than proceeding by a gradual
slope till it reaches a depth of nearly 200 feet below the surface, where you come
to a chamber called "The Cathedral," from its containing two stones resembling
bells, which, when struck, produce a chiming sound. Proceeding 100 feet farther,
always on the descent, a lake is reached of great depth, and apparently covering
many acres; but the exploration has not yet been carried beyond this point. The
roof of the cave is studded with stalactites, assuming various fantastic forms."
Benecia is 30 miles from San Francisco, on the Straits of Carquinez.
Vessels of the largest class can reach this point, and here the steamers of
the Pacific Mail Steamship Line are refitted. Vallejo is a few miles nearer
San Francisco, on the north side of the same straits. Benecia, Vallejo and
San Jose have been by turns the seat of government of California. San
Jose is at the head of the San Francisco Bay, some 50 miles from San Francisco. It is at the entrance of a most beautiful and fertile valley, and was
long the headquarters of the native Californians. many of whom owned immense estates and herds of wild cattle. The celebrated New Almaden quicksilver mine is 12 miles south of the town.
On the Pacific coast,south of San Francisco, the first important place is
Jfonterey, 90 miles distant. It was, under Mexican rule, the principal commercial point in, and capital of California. Next in order on the coast are
Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Die.go, the latter 490 miles from San
Francisco, the southernmost port in the state, and the termination of the
branch from Texas of the overland mail route. In the rear of Los Angeles, at the distance of 80 miles inland, the snow-capped peak of Mount
St. Bernardino is seen. It marks the site of the beautiful valley in which
is the Mormon settlement of Bernardino.
On the Pacific coast, north of San Francisco, the points of interest are
Ht[mboldt City, Triaidad, Klamath, and Ci-escent City. The latter is the
sea-port of the south part of Oregon, being distant only a few miles from
the southern boundary line of that state.
Fort Yu,mia is at the south-eastern angle of the state, at the junction of
the Colorado and Gila Rivers. It was built about the year 1851, by Major
S. P. Heintzelman, U.S.A.
9
488
CALIFORNIA.
NEVADA.
NEVAnA was formed into a territory in February, 1861, and was
taken from Western Utah. It was admitted into the Union as a State
in October, 1864. Estimated area eighty thousand square miles. The
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, inclusive of the faimous
Carson Valley, is within it. Originally it was called Washoe, from
Bit. Waslihoe, a peak over nine thousand feet high, in the vicinity of
Virginia City.
Lying along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada range, the
country has a very different climate firom that of California.'"The
gigantic wall of the Sierra Nevada, on the California side, receives the
hot winds that blow from the Pacific Ocean, and fall there in rain
and snow, leaving the opposite or eastern declivity exposed to droughts
and fireeziing blasts. Consequently you may find, at the same time,
in the same latitude, and at the same hight, mildness of climate, fertility, vegetable riches, in fact, sulmier rejoicing on one side, while
sterrility, cold and winter exist, with more or less intensity, on the
opposite slope of these mountains, whose sublime beauty is perhaps
unequaled throughout the world."
AVith the exception of Carson valley and a few small valleys, the whole country
for hundreds of miles, north, south and east, is, like most mineral regions, a barren desert, and of no value but for its minerals. There is a great scarcity of
wood and water. Aside from the timber on the slope of the Sierra Nevada range,
the only wood of the country is a species of scrub pine, fit only for fuel and to
feed the Pi-Ute Indians, for it bears very nutritious nuts, which constitutes their
principal staple article of food. This nut pine makes excellent fuel for steam
works, being exceedingly hard and full of pitch. The whole face of the country
is mostly covered with sage brush, like garden sage. Greasewood, another shrub,
is also common.
Carson Valley was pronounced by Mr. Greeley, who was here in
1859, as one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. Hle said:
This valley, originally a grand meadow, the home of the deer and the antelope,
is nearly inclosed by high mountains, down which, especially from the north and
west, come innumerable rivulets, leaping and dancing on their way to join the
Carson. Easily arrested and controlled, because of the extreme shallowness of
their beds, these streams have been made to irrigate a large portion of the upper
valley, producing an abundance of the sweetest grass, and insuring bounteous
harvests also of vegetables, barley, oats, etc. Wheat seems to do fairly here; corn
489
NEVADA.
not so well; in fact, the nights are too cold for it if the water were not. For this
spring water, leaping suddenly down from its mountain sources, is too cold, too
pure, to be well adapted to irrigation; could it be held back even a week, and exposed in shallow ponds or basins to the hot sunshine, it would be vastly more useful. When the whole river shall have been made available, twenty to forty miles
below, it will prove far more nutritious and fertilizing
If the new gold mines in this valley shall ultimately justify their present promise, a very large demand for vegetable food will speedily spring up, here, which
can only be satisfied by domestic production. The vast deserts eastward can not
meet it, the arable region about Salt Lake is at once too restricted and too distant;
inland California is a dear country, and the transportation of bulky staples over
the Sierra a costly operation. The time will ultimately come-it may or may not
be in our day-when two or three great dams over the Carson will render the
irrigation of' these broad, arid plains on its banks perfectly feasible; and then
this will be one of the most productive regions on earth. The vegetable food of
one million people can easily be grown here, while their cattle may be reared and
fed in the mountain vales north and south of this valley. And when the best
works shall have been constructed, and all the lights of science and experience
brought to bear on the subject, it will be found that nearly everything that contributes to human or brute sustenance can be grown actually cheaper by the aid
of irrigation than without it. As yet we know little or nothing of the application
of water to land and crops, and our ignorance causes deplorable waste and blundering. Every year henceforth wi!l make us wiser on this head.
Previous to the discovery of the Washoo silver mines, in the summer of 1859, there were liot one thousand white inhabitants in all of
Nevada. Virginia City at once sprung up at that point, which is
about two hundred miles easterly, in an air line from San Francisco.
The circumstances, as told of its discovery, are somewhat romantic:
"The Washoe silver mines were first discovered by Mr. Patrick McLaughlin,
an'honest miner,' who was working for gold in a gulch or ravine, and where he
was making, $100 a day to the hand. As he and his companions followed up the
gulch, it paid even better, until, on arriving at a certain point, it gave out altogether, and they struck a vein of pure sulphuret of silver, which they at first supposed to be coal, but observing that it was very heavy, they concluded it must be
valuable, and sent one of their number to San Francisco with some of the black
ore to ascertain its value. It was given to a Mlr. Killaley, an old Mexican miner,
to assay. Killaley took the ore home and assayed it. The result was so astounding that the old man got terribly excited.'lThe next morning poor Killaley was
found dead in his bed. He had long been in bad health, and the excitement
killed him.
Immediate search was made for the original deposit, which resulted in the
since famous Comstock lode. Where first found, this lode has no outcropping or
other indication to denote its presence. The first assay of the rock taken from
the lode when first struck gave a return of $265 of gold and silver, there being a
larger proportion of gold than silver. Subsequent assays of ore taken from the
vein, as it was sunk upon, showed a rapid increase in richness, until the enormous
return was mnade of $7;000 to the tun-$4,000 in gold and $3,000 in silver. Still
later assays of choice pieces of ore have given a return of $15,000 to the tun." in
this case these ounce assays did not mislead, but a vast difference is to be observed
between rich ore and a rich mine. A poor mine often yields specimens of rich
ore, which, through the ounce assay, serves but to delude. The true test of the
value of a silver mine is the quantity of the ore, and the average yield of the ore
in bulk after the establishment of reduction works.
The changes that grew from this discovery almost vied in the wonderful with the transformations of Aladdin and his lamp. The next
year Virginia City contained over one thousand houses, of brick, stono
and cloth, and a population of four thousand. In 1864, Virginia City,
I I
490
NEVADA.
next to San Francisco, had become the largest and most important
city on the Pacific coast, and Nevada was a State of the American
Union, with an estimated population of sixty thousand. Her estimated minieral production that year was $30,000,000. Her patriotism
was illustrated by her sending to the Sanitary Commission silver bricks
to the value of 851,500. This she could afford, for a single one of
her silver mines, the Gould & Curry, upon the Comstock lode, in 186SG4
produced $5,000,000 in silver, and netted her stockholders the enormous amount of one million and four hundred and forty thousand
dollars! A citizen, at the beginning of 1865, gives this glowing
description of his town, which then contained a population of twenty-five thousand, American, Mexican, European and Chinamen:
Virginia City is situated on the eastern slope of 3Mount Davidson,
the site being a sort of shelving tract of table-land, is six thousand two
hundred and five feet above the level of sea, being among the highest
cities on the globe. When a stranger arrives in Virginia City, and
observes a city containing a population of twenty-five thousand people of both sexes, long blocks and squares of brick and granite structures with whole ranges of frame buildings, and ascertains further
that immense sumis are daily being paid for real estate, he naturally
wonders whether g(rowth in this ratio is likely to continue, and if so,
whether the mines of Nevada will be sufficient ultimately to pay for
it all. But if he steps into the leading banking houses in the city,
and takes a view of the silver " brilcks" generally to be seen there, he
begins to imagine there is something tangible in Washoe after all.
And if hlie will next ascertain how many quartz-mills are running in
the vicinity of Virginia City, Gold Hill and Silver City, and how
much bullion each returns on an average weekly, he will unquestionablv be led to the conclusion-which others have come to before hilmthat the rapid growth of Virginia City is only the outward evidence
of a profitable development of the mines.
The streets are Macadamized, well lit with gas, water introduced
through pipes, and it boasts of three theaters, devoted to dramatic entertainments, an opera-house, which seats in its auditorium some two
thousand people, and where Italian and other operas of the best composers are produced by artists equal to any which appear before the
audiences of much older communities. The large amount of wealth
which the earth so bountifully produces enables the population of the
State to provide themselves with every comfort and luxury of civilized
life. Stores of every character, we.ll suplied with merchandise of all
descriptions, hotels, and fine market-houses, filled with an abundance
of game, meats and vegetables, attract the eye on every side. The
churches of various denominations, and school-houses, attended daily
by nearly a thousand children, will compare favorably with those in
the Atlantic States. An excellent volunteer fire department, police
force, and the working of a good municipal government, are no less
attractive features of the new city which has so suddenly sprung into
existence within the short space of five years. The country around
is cut up with mines, mills, farms and gardens, while in every section
the topography is dotted with smiling villages, and even palatial
private residences give unmistakable indications of the thrift and
wonderful enterprise of its hardy and industrious population. There
491
has been no difficulty as yet experienced in obtaining labor for mining
operations. The supply is fully equal to the demand at any and all
times. Good mining hands receive usually four dollars per diem,
while the tariff of prices for ordinary laboring men is fixed at from
three to three and a half dollars per day, payable in gold; amalgamators and engineers of mills receive from five to eight dollars.
Wood for milling and hoisting purposes is worth twelve dollars, in
summier, a cord, and fifteen in winter. Lumber for "timbering" and
"shoring" up mines, and building purposes, may be obtained at from
forty to fifty dollars per thousand feet, in any quantity that may be
desired for all practical purposes. Fresh meats of the best quality
can be had fromin twelve to eighteen cents a pound; butter, milk, eggs,
cheese and fruits and vegetables of all kinds raised in the State, are
as reasonable in price as the same may be procured in the city of
zNew York on a specie-paying basis.
The elevation of Virginia City, on the east slope of Miounit Davidson. is about six thousand feet above the level of the sea. There are
no extremes of heat or cold experienced at any season of the year;
but fol the reason that the air at this elevation becomes rarefied,
many people at first find some difficulty in breathing as freely as they
could in a lower atmosphere. Porsons afflicted with asthmatic and
lung complaints find great relief in inhaling the rarefied air of Ifount
D)tvidson. In the valleys, however, where the temperature of the
atmosphere is more moderate, the objections raised by some to the
formier locality for a place of residence is entirely overcome. The
best test of the general healthiness of the climate is to be found in the
fact that there are few deaths in proportion to the population, and
that the climate does not impair the eergly of settlers, is proved by
the enterprise and activity which in Virginia City is evident on all
sides, aid in the rosy, blooming complexions of the people we meet
on every hand.
A late visitor in Nevada gives us a picture of the appearance of
things in Yirginia City and the adjacent silver-producing towns
w~hich he approached from California, passing through Carson City:
Ctis(on City, in 1858, was a place where the emi(grant from the Eastern States,
on the road to California, stopped to recruit himself and cattle for a start over the
Sierra Nevada. Carson City of 1864 is quite a large and important place. It has
a large trade with all parts of the State, has the finest site for a town in the
whole territory, and is at present the capital. A large quary of stone having
been discovered by Abraham Curry, the place now boasts of splendid stores,
court-houses and dwellings, built of this stone; fine hotels, family mansions,
beautiful cottages, and, indeed, a place for Nevada to be proud of. It stands four
thousand six hundred and fifteen feet above the level of the sea, has a fine cliinate, and the best water of any place in Nevada.
Let.us jog on toward Virginia City, seventeen miles distant. We first reach
Curry's warm spring, two miles east from the town. This is a great resort for
drinking the water and bathing; it possesses great medicinal qualities. Here is
the great territorial prison, an immense stone edifice. It was built for strength,
although only for Curry's own house. The prisoners work in the quary, which
is in the yard adjoining. A railroad connects the prison with Carson City, for
the conveyance of the stone.
We now start for Empire City (or Dutch Nicks), called after an old settler in
1860. It originally contained but two houses; now fine mills are erected for saw
ing lumber and crushing quartz-the Mexican mill, a most extensive affair, grind
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ing the rock from their claim in Virginia City. Here you hear, for the first time
in the Territory, the ponderous stamps going day and night. Teams are going,
continually to the mine for rock to be crushed and the precious metals extracted.
The Winters, Aitchenson and Mead mills, and others, are here, and it is now quite
a place of importance; it is situated on Carson rivet, north-east from Curry's. In
a northerly direction, you pass over a fine road, to the half-way house toward
Silver City, through Spring Valley, and begin to ascend what is called the backbone of the range, on which the Comstock lode is found. A fine road has been
finished all the way. You pass by the Daney Company's lode, and continue
alc ng till you come to the Canon, on which road we will pass the mills at workGold Canon being the one that drains Silver City, American Flat and Gold Hill.
The Ctnon is full of mills, crushing the quartz from all the above places. The
great want here is water; but that is being supplied in greater abundance, as the
Gold Hill and Virginia Tunnel Company drain the mines. On it is located Silver
City, about half way between Virginia City and Dayton, on the Carson river.
Silver City is almost entirely dependent on the surrounding country for her support. Some of the finest mills in the country lie within her limits. Having a
great abundance of granite and other building material, fine blocks of buildings
have been erected, fire-proof, and very substantial; the private residences are
tasty, and many are adorned by both fruit and shade trees. All along the Canon,
to Devil's Gate, are mills at work on quartz from the various districts around.
French's mill, situate in American Ravine, in Silver City, was built in 1860-size
of building, ninety by seventy-five feet. It has twenty stamps and sixteen pans,
with an engine of sixty-horse power, and reduces twenty to thirty tuns of rock
per day. There are a great many mills in this vicinity doing well, and a hundred
others could have plenty of employment. To a person who never saw a quartz
mill at work, he can have no idea of the noise and clatter it makes; the deafening sound, compelling great exertion to be heard; and I assure you a person
needs all his breath here, for the rarefied air makes breathing pretty difficult.
AWell, save your breath, andl let us walk on to American City-American Flata flourishing place, only,a few months old, boasting of churches and hotels.
Residences have been erected as if by magic. Among the hills, west of American Flat, there is a beautiful cave of alabaster, from the roof of which, when
first discovered, hung long pendent stalactites of snowy whiteness and rare beauty,
which visitors have, from time to time carried away. The alabaster in this cave
is so soft that it can be cut with a pen-knife.
A short time ago it was predicted that the improvements would be such in this
region, that there would be a street lined with buildings for a distance of nearly
eight miles. There is now no complete or dividing space between Virginia and
Gold Hill, American and Silver City; and the rapidity with which the intervening
spaces have been built up is truly astonishing. These facts are remarkably strong
in support of the opinion that the time is not far distant when the main street of
Virginia City will present a continuous double row of buildings from the north
end of the city to Dayton. The next place we reach is Gold Hill in the Canon.
Gold Hill is emphatically a mining town. The ground underneath Virginia,
City is honey-combed by tunnels, drifts and excavations, which extend in every
direction. But still there is little to be seen above the surface to give a stranger
any idea of what is going on below. The streets and houses present the same
appearance as the streets and houses of any other city, and it is only in a few
localities in the outskirts of the town, as in the vicinity of the Ophir or Mexican
lodes, that evidences of mining, carried on to any great extent, are to be seen.
But Gold Hill presents a far different aspect. All along the east side of the
town huge piles of dirt, debris and pulverized quartz are visible, which have been
raised out of the mines and left upon the ground, while the more valuable rock
has been taken to the mill for crushing. In the hoisting-houses erected over the
shafts, machinery is in constant operation night and day, the screaming of steam
whistles is heard, and successive car-loads of ore are run over railroads upon
trestle-work, and sent down long, narrow shutes into wagons below, with a noise
perfectly deafening. Leaving there, and passing through the town, the ears of
the visitor are everywhere assailed by the thunder of stamps crushing in the
,
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mills, and the clatter of machinery, until one would fain believe himself in a
large manufacturing village in the New England States. The quartz teams you
see in Virginia City have tripled in number, and in places the streets are jammed
with them, carrying loads of rich ore to the mills at Devil's Gate, Silver City and
Carson River. As night draws on, and a shift of hands takes place, the workmen, who, for a number of hours, have been many hundred feet under ground,
timibering up drifts, or tearing down masses of glittering quartz, which cormpose
the ledge, appear, and their conversation is utterly unintelligible to a stiraner unacquainted with the locality and condition of the different claims. Remarks concertling, the Sandy Bowers, the Pluto, Uncle Sam, or Bullion, are Chinese to him;
and lie learns their position and character as he would acquire a knowledge of
the streets and buildings of a strange city. If Gold H]lil presents a siingular
aspect in the day-timie, its appearance from the Divide at mnidnighit is absolutely
startling. Work ait the raines, in the hoisting-houses and quartz-mills, is carried
on without intermission or cessation; and the fla(shing of lights, the noise of
steam engines and machinery, contrasted with the silence and gloom of the surrounding mountains, make up a strange and almost unearthly picture, and puts
him in mind of what he has read of the residence of the "Gentleman in Itlack."
The mines in Gold Hill proper are said to be very rich. We visited some of
themii, and were surprised at the exte-t of the work clone. Every thin, here looks
as if fo,rtunes had been spent, but the rich returns have warranted the outlay.
Here we found bankin,-houses, refiners, assayers, anrid every business connected
with mining; every one attending' to his own business. We will now go up the
Divide, between Gold Hill and Virginia City.
Virginia City, as you see it, comnin, over the Divide, has a strange look, and
you are quite startled at the view befiore you. You are at once astonished at the
size and importance of the City of the Hillls, a place but of yesterday; now second only to -an Francisco on the Pacific coast.
Virginia City only differs fraom the towns you have passed through, because it
is so much larger. It is built at the foot, or rather on the side, of Mount Davidson. All the principal mines are inside the city limits. The Gould & Curry
tunnel is in the very center of thIe city (see Evans' lMap of Virginia City Mines),
although its mill is two miles away. The city, which lies on tihe side of Mount
Davidson, is one mass of excavations and tunnels. There is a bluish earth,
which is obtained from the mines, and this is dumped at the mouth of the tunnels, so that the city, at a distance, seems speckled with these blue spots. The
citv boasts of fine buildings, stores filled with every luxury-everything that can
be procured for money. Day and night the mills are crushing the ore, nmaking a
de-afeninr noise. The silver bricks are carted around, as the people of the East
do ordinary bricks, literally speaking.
The Comstock Range, in which the fine veins above described are
situated, is the most noted of the silver regions of Nevada, from having been the earliest discovered and developed. But Nevada has
other districts equally rich, and every day adds to our lknowledge of
the gigantic wealth hidden in the mineral regions of the Pacific slope.
Beside gold and silver, coal, quicksilver, iron, copper, lead,:ntiion)iy
andl every know-n mineral abound. Wealth enough exists to sp)on)ge
ou,t our huge national debt scores of times. The policy of the Government in the past, in withholding from the people titles in fee simple to her gold and silver bearing districts, has been a great incubus
upon their development. When this policy is reversed, and the enterprisin, emigrant can locate his discovery with the same assurance of
ownership as tlhe pioneer on a prairie farm of the Mississippi valley,
the development of the Pacific country will be rapid beyond all calculation. In relation to silver mining, however, it can only be carried
on by companies, the original outlay for the reduction of oie, in
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buildings and machinery, surpassing ordinary inldividual weaithl. The
adaoe is here in full force, that "it takes a mine to work a mnine."
A late writer gives these facts in regard to silver veins:
Silver is generally found in veins, and hence the deposits are far more likely to
be inexhaustible than placer gold. The statistics of silver mining, in different
countries, clearly establish this fact. For centuries this business has been the
cardinal interest of Mexico; silver the circulating medium or currency of the
country; and-in coin and bars-a chief article of export. Since the conquest
of Cortez, the mining interest has been so successfully prosecuted that the most
trustworthy statistics nearly startle us with suggestions of almost fabulous fortunes realized, and with vague conceptions of the vast mineral wealth of that
country. According to Humboldt, the total amount of silver obtained firom the
conquest to the time he wrote (1803), was $2,027,952,000. Other authorities represent the sum as much larger, and amounting to no less than $12,000,000,000.
And yet the whole period, since the conquest of 1521-nearly three hundred and
fifty years-has developed no sign of the possible failure of the silver mines of
Mexico. On the contrary, they were never richer than they are to-day. The
annual coinage of the mints of Mexico, at the beginning of the present century,
was not less than $27,000,000. Our statistics for some years past have been less
complete and trustworthy. When a vein of silver is found, it may generally be
traced a long distance. The Vela Maedre, said to be the richest vein in Mexico,
has been opened at different points along the strata a distance of twelve miles,
and in many places it is not less than 200 feet wide. One vein in Chili has been
followed nearly one hundred miles, while several of the branches radiating from
it are thirty niles long. When a silver vein is sometimes broken abruptly, as in
the mines of Chili, it is quite sure to be found again, if the miner patiently pursues the same general direction. In one instance, at the mines of Chanarcillo,
the vein was found to be thus interrupted by a belt of limestone; but by sinking
a shaft over two hundred and fifty feet through the stone, the vein was struck
again. Not less than seven of these belts have been found to interrupt the same
mineral vein, at different points, and yet the miners have failed of reaching its
final termination. The fact that silver is generally thus deposited while gold is
not, must suggest to the most thoughtless observer, that of the two, silver mines
are far more likely to be permanently profitable.
We nowv abridge from a published account a description of some of
the other prominent mining districts of Nevada, as they were early
in 1865:
The Esmeralda District is one hundred and forty miles south-east of Virginia
City. Many good mines are in the district, and ten mills in operation for the reduction of the ores. A large amount of silver bullion is weekly shipped from
Aurora, the principal town, which has four thousand people, and two daily
papers.
ahe Reese River District is one hundred and eighty miles east of Virginia
City, on the overland stage route. Austin, the principal town, has five thousand
inhabitants. Nine mills are in operation, and a daily newspaper published. The
mines of this region extend as far south as prospecters have ever ventured to
explore-some two hundred miles. Some veins, very rich on the surface, have
been found outside of the settlements in various directions, but as yet they have
not been improved, the owners being poor men, and the country being too wild
for capitalists, to venture into, while perhaps equally good opportunities for investment are to be found in more civilized localities. These ores are mostly
chlorids, rodids and bromids, while in the Comstock veins the principal are the
black and grey sulphurets.
The Hultnboldt District is situated about one hundred and'fifty miles northl-east
of Virgani:i City, on the east side of the Hlumboldt river, and near the Old 01Lmigrant road, down that river. The mines were first discovered in 1860, but (lid
not attract much attention until a year or two afterward. There are four or five
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large towns in this region, and one or two mills in operation. Wood is very
scarce, and for this reason few steam mills have been erected. A canal, sixty-five
miles in length, and capable of carrying water sufficient to run forty or fifty water
mills, is now nearly half completed. As soon as this great work is finished, a
number of large mills will at once be erected. The principal mine in this region
is the Sheba, which yields large quantities of very rich ore, much of which is
sent to England for reduction. This is the oldest and best developed claim in
that region, but there are doubtless hundreds equally as good, were they as thorouglhly opened. An excellent weekly paper is published here, at Unionville, and
there are some very heavy tunneling enterprises undertaken for the development
of the veins found in certain mountains. The ores of this district are different
from those of either Esmeralda or Reese river, being argentiferous, galena and
antimonial ores. Some of the leads of this region are very rich in gold, but in
this they are not peculiar, as Lore or less gold is found in every mining district,
and in nearly all paying veins. It has been said that the Humboldt mountains
alone doubtless contain precious metals sufficient to purchase the fee simple of
all the rebel States, with the Union and rebel government debt both thrown in.
In this direction are several new mining districts. The most promising of
these are Pine Wood, Mountain Wells and Clan Alpine. Judging from assays
obtained from rock taken from the croppings of some of these veins, there is no
doubt but they will prove immensely valuable. The district is situated between
Humboldt and the Reese river mines, is well watered, and the hills are clothed
with a heavy growth of nut pine. Clan Alpine is quite a new district, there being but a dozen or two of miners there, but it contains some most promising
veins. The district is about one hundred and thirty miles east of Virginia City.
Mountain Wells district, some eighty miles east of Virginia City, is another
promising, though but little developed, mining region. Some excellent veins have
been opened, and quite a village is springing up in the mines. As yet they have
no mills. There is plenty of wood and water in the district. It is situated on
the overland mail route.
No region in the world can surpass Nevada in the abundance and variety of her
mineral productions. Almost everywhere in the State iron ore, of an excellent
quality, is abundant, much of it so pure that when broken it presents the appearance of cast iron. Two or three deposits of coal have lately been discovered,
the beds being from nine to twenty feet thick. It burns well, and will doubtless
prove to be of an excellent quality when the workings are carried to a proper
depth on the veins. Lead is found in abundance in many parts of the Territory;
also large veins of antimony, the ore of which is exceedingly pure. None of
these are worked unless found to contain silver in paying quantities. Large and
very rich veins of copper are found in almost every Dart of the country, but no
attention is paid to them, except they contain silver. The copper ores are of
various kinds; the rich black ore as heavy as lead; the blue and green carbonates, and other varieties; also some veins in which native copper is visible in the
rock above the surface of the ground, running in fibers through the vein stone.
In Peavine District, about eighteen miles north-west of Virginia City, and near
the Truckee river, also quite near the line of the Central Pacific Railroad, are
many splendid veins of copper. These veins often show beautiful specimens of
pure gold, and also contain a considerable per cent. of silver. The ores of many
of these veins contain a sufficient amount of gold to pay for shipping and work ing, could it easily be separated from the copper. There are in the State numerous
large beds of plumbago. None of these are claimed or worked, though some
parties at one time tried to manufacture fire-proof bricks from this material, but
fire-clay of good quality being discovered, the plumbago was abandoned. Some
seventy miles east of Virginia City, in the deserts, are immense fields of excel l-ent salt, much of it being equal to the best table salt. As salt is much used by
the mills in the various processes for the reduction of silver ores, hundreds of
tuns of this salt are brought to Virginia City, being hauled on wagons or packed
on the backs of mules. In the vicinity of the Humboldt mines is a whole moun tain of brimstone, and in the same vicinity are found extensive beds of pure
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alum. Carbonate of soda is found everywhere in the alkaline deserts in great
quantities, also mary other curious mineral productions.
In other countries rivers generally empty into seas, the ocean, or other rivers,
but this is not the case with the Nevada rivers. Nevada rivers start off and run
till they get tired, then quit and go into the ground. Carson river rises in the
Sierras, runs off east, and disappears in what is known as Carson Sink. The
Truckee rises in the Sierras, runs eastward, and sinks in Pyramid Lake. The
Humboldt comes from the east, and disappears at Humboldt Sink and \Walker
River sinks in Walker Lake. None of these sinks or lakes have any visible outlet. What becomes of the waters of these rivers would be about as hard to say
as to tell where a candle goes to when it goes out.
An old miner living there, used to swear that here was where the work of the
creation was finished.. He said that "late on Saturday evening the Almighty
started in to make a tremendous great river. He made the four rivers now in
Washoe as the four branches thereof, and was leading them along, intending to
bring them together in one mighty river, which was to empty into the ocean; but
of a sudden, before He got the branches together, night came on, and the Lord
just stuck the ends into the ground and quit, and they have stayed so ever since."
We conclude this article with an extract from a valuable and instructive paper in Gazley's Pacific Monthly for March, 1865, upon the
gold and silver mines of California and Nevada:
When the first "fever" broke out in California, placer-digging was the haven
where all were bound, and here, with a pan or rocker as the only "machinery,"
millions per month of the precious treasure were gathered. No one dreamed of
descending into the bowels of the earth by shaft or tunnel; no one imagined that
gold must have a matrix, or be imbedded in rock, or could be traced in the quartz,
in which it was afterward discovered to have come from.
As the placer-digging gradually gave out, adventurous spirits began to inquire
for "a cause" and "a wherefore," and on finding on the mountain-sides bowlders
containing streaks of gold, an immediate conclusion was formed that the yellow
beauty must have a mother, and that quartz must be the womb. Happy thought!
Quartz-mining superseded the placer-digging, and in every part of the State a new
era dawned. Quartz became king. The mighty attractions of the placer-digging
a short while ago were forgotten. And here, parenthetically, I would observe,
that though placer-mining has lost interest to a great extent, there are many who
will agree with me in saying, that these diggings are yet valuable, and that the
ore has only to be looked for, and it may be found in large quantities and as rich
s any before worked.
Gold quartz was the only one known at this time, and in some sections was
found extremely rich. The Allison Ranch, in Grass Valley, California, for inAtance, has ledges which might, perhaps, be classed with any mine in the world
for richness. Indeed, ledges have been found all over the State, which have
yielded to the fortunate possessors gigantic fortunes.
This excitement had its day, and new fields promising greater results were
sought. Miners, as a class, especially those of California, are impatient and too
eager. They wander, explore, and run from one place to another. Kern River
had its attractions, and off they went helter-skelter. Gold River and Frazer River
carried them off by thousands, to the old tune of follow your leader, and come
back bootless. Broken in health and penniless, back they came to placer-digging,
where many made their "piles" out of the very claims that they had, a little
while before, given up as worthless.
And now broke out the Washoe silver-mining mania, and the same results followed as at first. Many returned to placer-digging, in California, again tired and
weary of life and everything under the sun. But Washoe had a glorious destiny
awaiting her. She burst with a blaze of glory upon the world; mines richer
than the famous mines of Peru were found, and the now State of Nevada, the
youngest of the sisterhood of States, has taken her rank as the first silver-mining
region in the world.
32
497
Virginia City now rears her lofty chimneys high to the clouds, from mnills that
are daily turning her very foundations into bricks of silver and gold, under the
protection of Mount Davidson, nine thousand feet above the level of the sea. Few
cities of the Pacific States rank higher, either for the production of wealth or
moral advancement, than she does at the present moment And her destinv is
onward! upward!
To attempt to give the amount taken from the soil of Nevada would be an utter
impossibility, as most of it is taken to other places by private hands, and never
reaches the Mint-from which we receive the data to make up our calculations.
The coinage can give us no information, as most of the precious bricks of silver
and gold leave San Francisco for India, China, Peru, England, France, and, I may
say, every portion of the globe, without being counted as the production of Nevada.
Now, let us see what effect the wealth of California and Washoe will have on
the monetary world. Financial calculations have, of late years, taken range and
scope beyond the experience of former times. As commerce extends, as industry
becomes more general, as the amount of wealth increases, and as the national
debt becomes larger and more burdensome, the management of the currency is a
serious question. The extraordinary production of gold, within the last few years,
and the probable great increase of silver in the future, have set the financiers of
the world to work to devise a method to govern and direct the change.
To find out what changes may be expected in the future, we must look back at
those which have taken place in the past. We must compare our' present stock
of the precious metals with that which existed at previous epochs, and we must
compare the present increase with that of previous ages.
The amount of gold and silver coin in the possession of civilized nations, in
the year 1500, is estimated at $250,000,000.
The mines of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia produced an immense amount of silver
during the century following, bringing up the amount stated to $750 000,000. In
1700, the sum in Europe-making all allowances for wear and shipments to India
-had risen to $1,500,000,000.'I'The production of gold and silver in America
during the eighteenth century is estimated at $350,000,000. There was, however,
at the same time, a great export of silver to India, a considerable wear, amiounting to twenty per cent.-in a century-and a great consumption of the precious
metals in ornaments and table ware. At the commencement of the present century, the whole known amount of coin in the world was estimated at $1,900,000,
000. From 1800 till 1820, the annual production of the world was about $25,000,
000, and from 1820 to 1848, about $40,000,000.
With the discovery of the gold mines of California, began a production
large beyond all previous example, and almost beyond the conception of former
times.
California and Australia each produced $50,000,000 annually for some years
and Russia produced $20,000,000.
The present total production of the world may safely be put down at $120,000,
000 per annum, and the present total stock of coin in existence at $4,000,000,000.
The average annual export of silver to India and China amounts to about $50,000,
000. In 1857 it came up to $96,000,000, while in 1864 it may safely be put down
at $120,000,000. Once exported, very little is ever returned to the circulation of
Europe or America. While the precious metals were increasing in quantity, civilization was extending with great rapidity; and thus we see verified one of nature's
great laws, that as earth's products develop an increase, so does civilization and
enlightenment extend. Thus it is that precious metals have fallen to about one eighth of the value which they possessed at the discovery of America.
The most important goldi region of the United States-and perhaps of the
world-is California; and the richest silver region in the world is Nevada. The
development of both has added untold millions to the wealth of the world, and
1865 will, no doubt, add more millions than could be imagined by the most ex perienced calculator or political economist in Europe.
Gold and silver mines of great richness are found in the range or ranges from
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NEVADA.
the city of Mlexico, through the Gila, Washoe, Oregon, Frar.er River, to the Arctic
Ocean; and as they are more explored and opened up, the northern portion will
prove as rich as the southern, which astonished the world at former periods.
Since the discovery of the mines of California and Washoe, all the resources
of modern science have been taxed to find out the best way of working, cheaply
and thoroughly, the ores of the different ranges and formations. All the Patcific'
States abound in the precious metals held in quartz rock. The gold or silverbearing quartz runs in veins through an entirely different rock, which forms walls
on both sides as the vein is worked. When a vein, or what is called a ledge, is
discovered, the discoverer becomes the possessor of so many feet, on which he can
claim all its dips, spurs, angles, and as many feet on each side as the mining tlaws
allow. Hle must do a certain amount of work to hold good his claimn, as established by the laws of the district in which his claim is located. The recorder
goes on the ground, and if all is correct, he issues his certificate (miners' laiws are,
alsayvs respected in California and Nevada,). The mines of Nevada have but re:
cently attracted the attention of the capitalists of the world by their known rich:'
ness, extent, and capability of being worked. The western range, on which the:
famed Comstock is located, has many other ledges equally rich on the same rang e
of hills (fo)r V'irinia has hundreds of ledges situated on iMount Davidson and
Ophir Hills), all of which have become famous to the world; and the easteri
range or Reese River, with its ledges, richer than even the Comstock range, has
proved to be full of mines, so rich, so extensive, that in a few years these mines
will occupy, in the eye of the capitalist, a most important spot in which to invest
his surplus capital.
T'he extraordinary developments of mineral deposits in the countries,within
the confines and limits of the ancient Alta California, form one of the grandest
epochs in the annals of our race.'J'hese discoveries of the precious metals have
iio)t all been of recent date. In 1700 the rich mines of North Sinaloa were
opened; in 17',0 the P'lanehi Ls de Plata of Arizona, or masses of native silver,
were found. Ihen we laf in 1770 the great placers of Clenaquilla, to the north
of Ilerti,)oilla,, iwhere.the immense chisp,a of seventv pounds was found, and sent
to the cabinet of the Kin,r (f Spain, and several millions were picked up in its
vicinity in a few vears. After this came the discoveries further north, on the
rivers which floss into the Gila from the south, and also the headwaters of the
Sonor- RMver, and those of the Op-isura and -Yaqui, hiclh interlock with the tributaries of the Gila in the counrtr~ of the Opatas,'I'erahumiaras, Yanos, and
Apaches, and which, by spasmodic starts, yielded large quantities of gold. This
section of the present Arizona, and as far up north as the Navtjos, and east to
the Cattisitnele range, is knowvn in Mexico as the Apacharia, of which the most
apparently fabulouus stories have been told, from 1770 to 1864, concerning the existerice of immense mines and deposits of gold, silver, copper, and quicksilver.
loth in veins and pure metal, but which are every day Froving the truth of the
accounts of the old missionaries and Gatubusinos.
After 1800, till 1846, discoveries were made in many places everv few years,
near,ll the old mission settlements of Sonora. In 182.5 Captain Patie mentions
that rich old placers were worked near fBacuachi, not fiar south of Tucson, and
the price of gold was only eleven and twelve dollars to the ounce. The account
of Capta.i-l I'atie, who died at San Diero, in 1829, is the first printed one we have
of any A'nerieam. or even other parties, who came by land to California through
S(nora or New AMexico. lie mentions several other places in the Bacuacehi, or
Liver San Pedro country, where rold was produced in abundance when the
Apaches were out of the way. A-tin, from 1838 to 1846, the gold placers of
S;.Ln Fernando, near Los Angeles, are of public notoriety as yielding -very handsOlie return,.
Fit,)it 1848 to 1864 the discoveries of gold, silver, and copper have been const-nt and of every-day notoriety.''he prospecters hlive ranged from the Gila,
nirthl to the lRussiln p-ssessions, and from the Pacific ()cean to the interlocking:
l,:'nshe(s of the Colutbian t issoIuri, Colorado, arid Rio Grande del Norte. It hasbeen of daily record feor the las: fifteen years that till this immense extent of coun
49
try, gives to the world the knowledge of exhaustless millions of treasure, awaiting
but the hand of labor to throw it into the channel of commerce, and the road to
population and power.
Not a single precious metal or valuable mineral of trade or science but what is
found in abundant out-crops, or washings, in all these States and Territories. A
very singular and unlooked-for exhibition has been going on for the last few years.
The explorers of Sonora, California and Nevada have been out on prospecting expeditions in the deserts, mountains, and ranges on the Pacific, while those of Pike's
Peak and the Rocky Mountains, from the east, have been gradually extending their
lines and distances till they now meet the mining parties from Oregon, Washington,
and Nevada, in Cariboo, Idaho, and Utah. This magnificent mineral empire is
the most wealthy and extended known to the world. It has an advantage superior
to all other mineral fields, in being in the vicinity of sea navigation, and has a
climate of unsurpassed salubrity. While in the neighborhood of most of our
mineral deposits the soil is exceedinigly fertile, inviting the husbandman to a rich
return for his labor, and boundless pastures to the herdsman; and, it may be
added, that within our metalliferous ranges, valleys exist of the most picturesque
and beautiful character; views equaled by no country in Europe, will invite the
pleasure-seeker to travel for health, recreation, or pleasure; and a few years will
see the aristocracy of Europe thronging the shores of the Pacific, as they now do
the Continent. The borders of Lake Tehoe or Bigler will be as famous as the
Lake of Como, and the Sierra Nevada will be climbed by tourists as are the Alps
of Switzerlanid. The Falls of Yo Semite will be a greater wonder than the Falls
of Niagara, and the shores of the Bay of San Francisco will be dotted with
princely palaces.
NEVADA.
500
1.
ORE G ON.
OREGON is one of the Pacific states. The name, Oregyon, is from Oregano,
the Spanish word for wild marjoram; and it is from this word, or some other
similar, that its name is supposed to
have arisen. "But little was known
of even its coast up to the latter part
of the last century. Immediately
after the last voyage of the renowned
* navigator, Capt. Cook, the immense
/ ~~~i* ~' $ \quantities of sea-otter, beaver and
1~ i ~ ~ other valuable furs to be obtained on
9j+ - 0~~~* Hhe north-west coast of America, and
c enormous prices which they would
_~ A *dl bring in China, was communicated to
civilized nations, and created as much
\ ~~x/ * / excitement as the discovery of a new
gold region. Multitudes of people
rushed at once into this lucrative
C /f ~ traffic: so that in the year 1792, it is
said that there were twenty-one vessels
AR~,8 oF OREGoN,
ARMS OF OREGON, under different flags, but principally
31MorTTO-A.11 volat Proriis-I fly wit l my own American, plying along the coast of
wing. -
*win. ~ Oregon, and trading with the natives.
On the 7th of May, 1792, Capt. Robert Gray, of the ship Columbia, of Boston, discovered and entered the river, which he named from his vessel. lie
was, in reality, the first person who established the fiact of the existence of
this great river, and this gave to the United States the right to the country
drained by its waters by the virtue of discovery. In 1804-'5, Lewis and
Clark explored the country, from the mouth of the Missouri to that of the
Columbia. This exploration of the Columbia, the first ever made, constituted another ground of the claim of the United States to the country.
In 1808, the Missouri Fur Company, through their agent, Mr. Henry,
established a trading-post on Lewis River, a branch of the Columbia, which
was the first establishment of civilized people in this section of country.
An attempt was made that year, by Capt. Smith, of the Albatross, of Bos,
ton, to found a trading-post on the south bank of the ColuLmbia, forty miles
l1~~~ ~~501
fronm its mouth. It was abandoned the same season, and that of Mr. lHenry
in 1810.
In the year 1810, John Jacob Astor, a German merchant of New York, lwho hi.,d
accumulated an immense fortune by commerce in the Pacific and China, formed
the Pacific Fur Company. His first objects were to concentrate in the company,
the fur trade in the unsettled parts of America, and also the supply of merclhaindise for the Russian fur-trading establishments in the North Pacific. For these
purposes, posts were established on the Missouri, and the Columbia, and vicinity.
These posts were t6 be supplied with the merchandise required for trading by ships
from the Atlantic coast, or across the country by way of the Missouri. A factory
or depot was to be founded on the Pacific, for receiving this merchandise, and distributing it to the different posts, and for receiving in turn furs from them, which
were to be sent by ships from thence to Canton. Vessels were also to be sent from
the United States to the factory with merchandise, to be traded for furs, whicli
would then be sent to (canton, and there exchanged for teas, silks, etc., to be ir
turn distributed in Europe and America.
This stupendous enterprise at the time appeared practicable. The only party
fromn whomn any rivalry could be expected, was the British North-west Company,
and their means were far inferior to those of Astor. From motives of policy, lie
offered them one third interest, which they declined, secretly intending to for estall
hiin. IHaviii( matured (his scheme, lit. Astor engagfed partners, clerks, and vo?/(g.cii's, the nmajority of whomn were Scotchmen and Canadians, previously in ttie
service of the North-west Company. Wilson P. Hunt, of New Jersey, was chosen
the chief agent of the operations in western America.
In September, 1810, the ship ToaTqti-i, Capt. Thorn, left New York foir the m-otl
of the Columbia-, with four of the partners, MA'Ktav, l'1)oual, and David in
Robert Stuart, a1l British sul-jects, with clerks, vowy(a/et s, an(l ieclhanics. In Jinui'ry, 1811, the second detachmlent, with Hunt, MAt ('lellan, M Kenzie, an ri,ks
also left New York to go overland by the Missouri to the samie point, iiid in ()(tober, 1811, the ship Beaveri-, Capt. Sowles, with several clerks and attaches, left' New
York for the North Pacific. Prior to these, in 1809, Mr. Astor had dispatched the
Fltteipi-ise, Capt. Ebberts, to make observations at the Russian settlements, and to
prepare the way for settlements in Oregon. Ile also, in 1811, sent a gent to St.
Petersburg, who obtained from the Russian American Fur ()iiinpany, the (mono)p)iy
of supplying their posts in the North Pacific with merchandise, and receiving filurs
in exchtange.
In March, 1811, the Toaquin arrived at the Columl)ia, and soon after they coinmnienced erecting on the south bank, a few miles inl d;( thieir fIactory or depot
building: this place they named Astoria. In June, the oiitqniii, with M'Kay
sailed north to make arrangemients for trading with the Russians. In Julvy, thie
Astorians were surprised by the appearance of a party of the North-west Cornpan
ny, under MIr. Thompson, who had come overland from Canad:, to fiorestall then.
in the occupation of the mouth of tihe Columbia; but had been delayed too late
for this purpose, in seeking a passage through the Rocky MAlountains, and had beer
obliged to winter there. Mr. Thompson was accompanied on his return by David
Stuart, who founded the trading post called Olkoiogan.
In the beginning of the next year (1812), the detachment of Hunt came into
Astoria, in parties, and in a wretched condition. They had been over a year in
coining from St. Louis; had undergone extreme suffering from hunger, thirst, and
cold, in their wanderings that winter, through the dreary wilderness of snow-clad
mountains, from which, and other causes, numbers. of them perished. In May,
15l2, the Beaver, bringing the third detachment, under Mr. Clark, arrived in Astoria. They brought a letter which had been left at the Sandwich Islands by Capt.
Ebblerts, of the Enterprise, containing the sad intelligence that the Tonquin and
her crew had been destroyed by the savages, near the Straits of Fuca, the June
preceding.
In August, Mr. Hunt, leaving Astoria in the charge of M'Dougal, embarked in
the Beaver to trade with the Russian posts, which was to have been done by the
ronquin. He was successful, and effected a highly advantageous arrangement at
Sitka, with Baranof, governor of Russian America; took in a rich cargo of furs,
t
502
OREGON.
OREGON.
and dispatched the vessel to Cant(on, via the Sandwich I,lands. wheie he, in person, remained, and in 1814, hlie returned to Astoria in the Peddler, which hlie had
chartered, and found that Astoria waas in the hands of the North-west Comp'ny.
WVhen Itunt left in tile Beaver, a party was dispatched, whlich established a
trai,ling post on the Sl)o/a. Ai lessrs. Crooks, l' Celllan, andi Robert Stuart a.bout
this tiiie, set out and crossed overland to New York, with an account of what had
been done.'l'he trade ivas in the meantimne very prosperous, and a large q.'antity
of furs had been collected at Astoria.
In January, 1813, the Astorians learned from a tiadinr vessel that a war had
broken out with England. A short time after, M'TItvishli andi Laroque, partners
of the North-west Company, ariiied lit Astoria; M'Dougal and M'Kenzie (both
Scotchmen) were the only partners tlhere,, and they unwisely agireed to dissolve the
company in July. Messrs. Stuart and Clark, at the Okonoigati and Spokan posts,
both of which are within the limits of Waisliington'T'erritory, opposed this; but
it was finally agreed tlhat if assistance did not soon arrive from the United States,
they woutld abandon the enterprise.
M'.l'avish and his followers, of the \North-west Company, again visited Astoria,
where they expected to meet the lsac Tolddl, in armed ship fronm London, which
had orders'to take and destroy everythiu American on the north-west coast.'
N(,twithlstanding, they were hospitalIly r eeiv-ed, andl held private conferences with
A1'Dougal and lM'Jenzie, the result of which was, that thev sold out the estallishmnent, furs, etc., of the Pacific Company in the country, to the Northl-west Coilpany, for about $58,004. That coimpailny were thus enalbled to establish themselves
in the country.
'thus ended the Astoria enterprise. Ila(l the directing partners on the Columbia been Americans instead of foreigners, it is believed that they would, notwitlhstandiug the war, have withstood all their difficulties.'Tlie sale was considered
disgraceful, and the conduct of ht'Dotugil and Mi'Kenzie in that sale and sulisequently, were such as to authorize suspicions against their motives; yet they
could not have been expected to engage in hostilities against their countrymen and
old friends.
']'he name of Astoria was changed by the British to that of Fort George. Front
]813 to 1823, few, if any, American citizens entered the countries west of the
Rocky Mountains. Nearly all the trade of the Upper Mississippi and Missouri,
was carried on by the Old North American Fur Company, of which Astor was the
head; and by the Columbian Fur Company, formed in I 1822, composed mainly of
persons who had been in the service of the North-west Compalny, and were dissatisfied with it. The Columbia Company established posts on the upper waters of
the Mississippi, the 5[issouri, and the Yellow Stone, which were transferred, in
1826, to the North American Company, on the junction of the two bodies. About
this time, the overland trade with Santa Fe commenced, caravans passing regularly every summer between St. Louis and that plaee. In 1824, Ashley, of St. Louis
reestablished commercial communications with the country west of the Rocky
Mountains, and built a trading post on Ashley's Lake, in Utah.
These active proceedings of the Missouri fur traders, stimulated the North
American Fur Company to send their agents and attaches beyond the Rocky
Mountains, although they built no posts. In 1l27, -Mr. Pileher, of Missouri, went
thlrough the South Pass with forty-five men, and wintered on the head-waters of
the Colorado, in what is now the north-east part of Utah. The next year he proceeded northwardly, along the base of the Rocky Mlountains, to near latitude 47
deg. There he remained until the spring of 1829, when he descended Clark River
to Fort Co)lville, then recently established at the falls, by the Hudson's Bay Company, which had a few years previous absorbed and united the interests of the
North-west Company. lie returned to the United States, through the long and
circuitous far northward route of the Upper Columbia, the Athabasca, the Assinaboin, Red River, and the Upper Missouri. But little was known of the countries
through which Pileher traversed, previous to the publication of his concise narrative. The account of the rambles of J. O. Pattie, a Missouri fur trader, through
New Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora, and California, threw some light on the geography of those countries. In 1832, Capt. Bonneville, U.S.A., while on a furlough,
503
OREGON.
led a party of one hundred men from Missouri, over the mountains, where he passed
more than two years on the Columbia and Colorado, in hunting, trapping, and
trading.
About the same time, Captain Wyeth, of Massachusetts, attempted to establish
commercial relations with the countries on the Columbia, to which the name of
Oregon then began to be universally applied. His plan was like that of Astor,
with the additional scheme of transporting the salmon of the Oregon rivers to the
United States. He made two overland expeditions to Oregon, established wort
Hall as a trading post, and another mainly for fishing purposes, near the mouth
of the Willamette. This scheme failed, owing to the rivalry of the Hudson's Bay
Company, who founded the counter establishment of Fort Boise, where, offering
goods to the Indians at lower prices than Wyeth could afford, compelled him to
desist, and he sold out his interests to them. Meanwhile, a brig he had dispatched
from Boston, arrived in the Columbia, and returned with a cargo of salted salmon,
but the results not being auspicious, the enterprise was abandoned.
The American traders being excluded by these, and other means from Oregon,
mainly confined themselves to the regions of the head waters of the Colorado and
the Utah Lake, where they formed one or two small establishments, and sometimes
extended their rambles as far west as San Francisco and Monterey. The number
of American hunters and trappers thus employed west of the Rocky Mountains,
seldom exceeded two hundred; where, during the greater part of the year, they
roved through the wilds in search of furs which they conveyed to their places of
rendezvous in the mountain valleys, and bartered with them to the Missouri
traders.
About the time of Wyeth's expeditions,' were the earliest emigrations to Oregon
of settlers from the United States. The first of these was founded in 1834, in the
Willamette Valley, by a body of Methodists who went round by sea under the direction of the Rev. Messrs. Lee and Shepherd. In that vallev a few retired servants of the Hudson's B3ay Company were then residing, and engaged in herding
cattle. The Congrega,tionalists or Presbyterians planted colonies two or three
years after, in the Walla-walla and Spokan countries, with Messrs. Parker, Spauldinm, Gray, Walker, Eels, Smith, and Whitman as missionaries.
In all of these places mission schools were established for the instruction of the
natives, and in 1839, a printing press was started at Walla-walla (now in Washington
Territory), where were printed the first sheets ever struck off, on the Pacific side
of the mountains, north of Mexico. On it books were printed from types set by
native compositors. The Roman Catholics from Missouri, soon after founded stations on Clark River.
About the year 1837, the American people began to be deeply interested in the
subject of the claims of the United States to Oregon, and societies were formed
for emigration. From them and other sources, petitions were presented to congress, to either make a definite arrangement with Great Britain, the other claimant, or take immediate possession of the country. In each year, from 1838 to
1843, small parties emigrated overland from Missouri to Oregon, suffering much
hardship on the route. At the close of 1842, the American citizens there numbered about four hundred. Relying upon the promise of protection held out by
the passage of the bill in February, 1843, by the U. S. senate for the immediate
occupation of Oregon, about one thousand emigrants, men, women, and children,
assembled at Westport, on the Missouri frontier. in the succeeding June, and followed the route up the Platte, and through the South Pass, surveyed the previous
year by Fremont; thence by Fort Hall to the Willamette Valley, where they
arrived in October, after a laborious and fatiguing journey of more than two thousand miles. Others soon followed, and before the close of the next year, over 3,000
American citizens were in Oregon.
By the treaty for the purchase of Florida, in 18]9, the boundary between the
Spanish possessions and the United States was fixed on the N.W., at lat. 42 degs.,
the present northern line of Utah and California; by this the United States succeeded to such title to Oregon as Spain may have derived by the right of discovery
through its early navigators. In June, of 1846, all the difficulties in relation to
Oregon, which at one time threatened war, were settled by treaty between the two
51)4
OREGON.
nations. In 1841, the coast of Oregon was visited by the ships of the United
States Exploring Expedition, under Lieut. Charles Wilkes. At that time, Wilkes
estimated the population to be: of Indians, 19,199; Canadians and half-breeds,
650; and the citizens of the United States, 150. The Hudson's Bay Company then
had twenty-five forts and trading stations in Oregon."
Oregon was organized as a territory in 1848, and included in its boundaries the present Territory of Washington-an immense area of about
250,000 square miles, with an average width east and west of 540, and north
and south of 470 miles. A state constitution was adopted in convention,
Sept. 18, 1857, and ratified by the people on the 9th of November following.
At the same time the question of admitting slaves and free negroes into the
state was submitted to the people. The vote on these questions was: for
slavery, 2,645; against slavery, 7,727; majority against, 5,082; for free negroes, 1,081; against free negroes, 8,640; majority against, 7,559. The
constitution prohibited negroes, Clinamen, and mulattoes from voting; and
persons concerned in dueling ineligible to offices of trust and profit. On the
14th of Feb., 1859, Oregon was admitted by congress as a state, and with
greatly contracted boundaries. Its extreme extent in latitude is from 42~
to 46~ 12' N., in longitude from 116~ 45' to 124~ 30' W. from Greenwich.
tt lhas an average length, east and west, of about 350, and width, north and
7-outh, of 260 miles giving ali area of about 90,000 square miles. The act
-f admission gives two sections of land in every township for the use of
schools, grants 72 sections for a state university, and five per cent. of the
net proceeds of the sales of the public lands for public roads and internal
improvements within the state.
Oregon is bounded, north by Washington Territory, east by Idaho Territory, south by California and Nevada, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is
divided into three section. The first, or western section is that between the
Pacific Ocean and the Cascade range of mountains. This range runs parallel
with the sea coast the whole length of the state, and is continued through California, under the name of the Sierra Nevada. The second, or middle section,
is that between the Cascade and Blue Mountains: it comprises nearly half
the state: the surface is about 1,000 feet above the western section. It is
generally a high rolling prairie country, destitute of timber, and but a small
part of it adapted to farming. The third, or eastern section, lies south and
east of the Blue Mountains: it is mostly a rocky and barren waste. The
Columbia is the great river of the state, nearly all others being its tributaries. It is navigable from the ocean 120 miles, for vessels of 12 feet draught:
from thence its course is obstructed by falls and rapids, which will eventually
be overcome by locks and canals. During freshets, it is in many places confined by dalles, i. e. narrows, which back the water, covering the islands and
tracts of low prairie, giving the appearance of lakes. The Dalles of the
Columbia, 94 miles below the mouth of Lewis Fork, is a noted place, where
the river passes between vast masses of rock.
The settled part of Oregon, and the only portion likely to possess much
interest for years to come, is the first or western section, lying between the
Cascade Mountains and the Pacific-a strip of country 280 long, north and
south, and 120 miles broad, east and west. A writer familiar with it gives
this description:
Western Oregon, between the Cascades and the Pacific, is made up chiefly of
three valleys, those of the Willamette (pronounced Wil-lam'-ette), Umpqua and
Rogute Rsivers. The first named stream begins in the Cascade Mountains, runs
west 60 iailes, then turns northward, runs 140 miles, and empties into the Colum
505
bia. The last two begin in the Casca,des, and run westward to the ocean. There
are, perhaps, severafl thousand miners including Chinamen, in the Rogue l',iver
valley; but nearly the whole permanent farinin,g populattion is in the Vaillev of the
Willamette. This vallev, takin, the word in its more restricted sense for the l1(w
land, is fiom 30 to 40 miles wide and 120 miles lon(,. This may be said to be the
iew in the T-alley /' tlhe 117illaiette.
whle of'irric,ltulu i (, lon. It is ax ljeutiftil, fertile, wsell-watered plain, with a,
little timber alon,r the streams, and,a great deal in the mountains on each side.
The soil is a (raLvelly cliv, covered near the creeks andi rivers with a rich sandy
l1,amn. IThe vegetation of the valley is composed of several, indigerous grasses, a
numiiber of fl(owering plants and ferns, the l]atter being very abundant,, and( exceedinglv troi.)l)esoiiie to the f.iriner on account of its extremely tough vitality.
''lie tril)utary streams of the WillLamette are very numerous, and their course in
the vallev is usually crooked, as the main stream itself is, havitng many sloughs,"
"bayous," or arms," as they are differently called. In some places the land is
marshy, and everywhere moist. Drouth will never be known in western Oregon;
its climate is very wet, both summer and( winter, the latter season being one long
rain, and the former consisting of many short ones, with t little sunshine intervenin,. The winters are warm, and the summers rather cool-too cool for growing,
melonrs, maize and sweet potatoes. Wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and domestic
animals thrive well. The climate, take it all in all, is much like that of England,
and all plants and animals which do well in BIritain will prosper in Oregon.''lihe
Oreg,on fruit is excellent, particularly the apples and plums; the peaches and pears
are not quite so good as those of California.
All along the coast of Oregon, there is a range of mountains about forty miles
wide, antd they are so densely timbered with cedar, pine, spruce and fir. that the
density of the wood alone would render them worthless for an age, if they were
not rtugged. But they are very rugged, and the Umpqua and Rogue Rivers, in
making their way through them, have not been able to get any bottom lands, and
are limited to narrow, high-walled canons. The only tillable lands on the banks
of those rivers are about fifty miles from the sea, each having a valley which, in
general terms, may be described as twelve miles wide by thirty long. Rogue River
valley is separated from California by the Siskiyou Mountains, about 5,000 feet
high, and from Umpqua valley by the Canon Mountains, about 3,000 feet high; and
506
OREGON.
OREGON.
&e Umpquta again is separated from the Willamette valley by the Calapooya M )untains, also about 3,000 feet high.
All Oreg4on-that is, its western division, except the low lands of the Willamette,
Umpqlua and ll(g,ue valleys-is covered with dense timber, chiefly of coarse gir-ained
wood-such as fir, spruce and hemlock. In the south-western corner of the state,
however, there are considerable forests of white ce(lar-a large and beautiful tiee.
pro,lucin, a soft, fine-grained lumber, and very fragrant with a perfume, whicihl
might be imitated by mixin, ottar of roses with turpentine. Oak and ash are rare.
Nearly all the trees are coniferous.
Giant Piies of O)eb,oI.
In Rogue valley and along the beach of the Pacific there are extensive gold dig.
mings. There are also large seams of tertiary coal at Coose Bay. These are the
only valuable minerals in the state. The scenery on the Columbia is grand, from
Walla-walla, where it first touches Oregon, to the ocean.'There are five moiintiin
peaks in the state, rising to the region of perpetu.tl snow: Mount thood, 13,700
feet high; MIount Jefferson, 11,900; the Three Sisters, Mount Scott, and MAlount
NIcLaughlin, all about 9,000 feet high.
The people are generally intelligent, industrious and moral. There are about a
lozen newspapers published in Oregon, all of them weeklies. The chief exports
3re wheat, flour. apples, butter, cheese, salted salmnon, salted meats, and coals, and
from 10,000 to 20,000 head of horned cattle and sheep are annually driven to California.
Salmon are very abundant in the Columbia and its branches, and those taken at
,he mouth of the main stream are said to be the best on the coast. The fishing is
done chiefly by Indians.
Such is a brief and a fair statement of the resources and condition of Oregon.
[t is made to convey a correct idea of the state-not to attract or deter emigration
507
OREGON.
California has a clearer sky, a more agreeable climate, more extensive and riche
deposits of valuable minerals, greater natural facilities for internal trade and ex
ternal commerce, a greater variety of soil and clime,.fitting it for the growth oi
the fig, the orange. the olive, and the date, as well as of the vine, apple, and wheat
but, on the other hand, has the disadvantages of scanty timber, very dry summer
and autumns-compelling the farmer to irrigate his land-an unsettled population
a small proportion of families, an unsteady course of trade, and unsettled titles t,
most of the soil under occupation. Washington Territory has advantages superio
to those of Oregon for foreign commerce, lumebering and fishing. The main ad
vantages of Oregon over both, are in having a large body of level, rich prairi
land, with abundant water, and neither too much nor too little timber.
The population of Oregon is largely composed of emigrants from Missour
and Illinois. In 1848, it was estimated at about 8,000 souls; in 1860, i
was 52,566.
Portland, the lfr'nest and most important town in Oregon, is upon thb
Willamette, at the head of ship navigation, 15 miles above its entrance int(
the Columbia, and overland from St. Louis 2,300 miles. Population abou
3,000. Almost the whole of the foreign trade of,Oregon is done througi
Portland, excepting the southern part, and that finds its seaport in Cresceni
City, of California. Portland lies 120 miles from the ocean, access to i
bei,ng had through the Columbia, which at low tide, in dry seasons, ha
only 9 feet of water-scarcely enough for sea-going vessels. The Pacifi(
coast is destitute of,good harbors.
Oreyon City is 12 miles above Portland, in a narrow high walled valley or
the WAVillamette, which affords here, by its falls, great water power for manu
facturing facilities. Excepting at this place and on the Columbia River
water power is scarce in Oregon, save at points very difficult of access.
Astoria is on the south side of the Columbia, 10 miles from its mouth
This place, so long noted as an important depot in the fur trade, has nom
but a few dwellings. In this neighborhood are forests of pine, which hav(
long been noted for their beauty and size. Lieut. Wilkes thus speaks of
them: "Short excursions were made by many of us in the vicinity, and one
of these was to visit the primeval forest of pines in the rear of Astoria, i
sight well worth seeing. DIr. Drayton took a camera lucida drawing of on(
of the largest trees, which the preceding plate is engraved from. It conveys
a good idea of the thick growth of trees, and is quite characteristic of this
forest. The soil on which this timber grows is rich and fertile, but the ob
stacles to the agriculturist are almost insuperable. The largest tree of the
sketch was thirty-nine feet six inches in circumference, eight feet above the
ground, and had a bark eleven inches thick. The hight could not be ascer.
tained, but it was thought to be upward of two hundred and fifty feet, and
the tree was perfectly straight." These trees, for at least one hundred and
fifty feet, are without branches. In many places those which have fallen
down, present barriers to the vision, even when the traveler is on horseback;
and between the old forest trees that are lying prostrate, can be seen the ten.
der and small twig beginning its journey to an amazing hight.
Salem, the capital of Oregon, is on the Willamette, 50 miles above Oregon
City. The other towns on this river and tributaries are Milwaukee, Butevile,
Champoey, Fairfield, Albanjy, Corvallis, Booneville, Eutene City, Clackamas,
Lafayette, Parkersburg, and Santiane. On the Umpqua are Gardiner, MJid.
dleton, Scottsburg, Winchester, Roseburg, and Canosiville. In Rogue valley
are Jacksonville, Waldo, and Althouse. On the Columbia the towns are As.
tori%a, Raiier, Gardner,_St. Helena, and the.Dalles, all very small places.
508
NEBRASKA.
NEBRASKA was organized as a territory, with Kansas, in 1854, and
then had the immense area of 336,000 square miles. In February,
1867, it was admitted as a State of the Union.
The face of the country is gently rolling prairie, and there are numerous
small creeks and rivers, along the banks of which is timber.
The climate of Nebraska is favorable, and the atmosphere pure, clear, and dry.
The soil is quick and lively, producing Indian corn, wheat, oats, hemp, tobacco,
and sorghum. Vegetables of all kinds thrive well, and it produces fine grapes.
As a grazing country Nebraska can not be surpassed, and stock raising is extensively carried on. The wild grass predominates here as in Utah, and cattle,
horses, and mules fatten on it very readily. The bottom lands abound with
rushes, and stock are often kept out the whole winter through, and are found to
fatten without fodder.
Nebraska being an agricultural and stock-raising country, and also the great
-tarting-point and highway for travel over the plains, her lands are sought after
by immigrants. In the neighborhood of good settlements the settler has the
advantages of churches and schools already established. As a general rule,
farms can be bought at less than the cost of improvements, owing to the constant
migration to the adjacent gold mines of Colorado and-Montana. Timber and
stone are found in sufficient quantities for building purposes. Stone coal has been
iiscovered in several places.
The principal rivers are the Missouri and the Platte. The first is navigable by
steamboats for many hundred miles above the northern point of Nebraska. The
Platte enters the Missouri River near Omaha City. This river runs almost due
west, through a fine valley extending four or five hundred miles through the cen.er of Nebraska, and has always been the favorite, as it has been almost the only
route to the new states and territories of Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana,
Washington, Oregon, and California. The principal outfitting points are on the
west side of the Missouri, and are Brownsville, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, and
Omaha. The roads from these westward are good, and all intersect at or near
Fort Kearney.
The line of emigration of the United States, it is estimated now advances westwvard at an annual rate of seventeen miles. The territorial expansion 6f the population absorbs annually 17,000 square miles, for when population exceeds
ight persons to a square mile it emigrates. Within the last thirty years, the
United States have added, on the west, eleven new states, with an aggregate area
of 934,462 square miles, and three millions of people. With the natural, increase
of inhabitants, consumption of territory for colonization, if it existed, would
;ncrease in a far greater ratio. But it does not exist.. The western limit of agri_ultural land in the United States is already reached. Mr. J. A. Wheelock, com-,issiouer of statistics of Minnesota, in his annual report for 1860, presents these
'..ts under the heading of:
ARABLE AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES EXHAUSTED.
The extended explorations made within the last few years under the auspices of
&he United States government, of the region between the Mississippi and the
Rocky Mountains, have revealed the startling fact in the physics of the United
509
NEBRASKA.
"tates, that the westward progress of its population has nearly reached the extreme
w-estern limit of the areas ava,aable for settlement, and that the whole space west
of' tlie.Sth pIrallel, eiidbracing one half of the entire surf,ice of the United States,
is;.n rid and desolate waste, with the exception of a narrow belt of rich lands
:ik,n( the P'acific coast. This momentous fact, which is destined in its results to
re()lvutioinze the whole scheme of continental development, and to give a new dire tion to the movements of trade and population, wits first announced as a posi
tire:,eneralization by Professor Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, in a learned
p iptlir on mneteorology in its connection withl agriculture. From this paper we
quiote: "'l'he general character of the soil between the Mississippi IRiver and the
Atla,tutic, is that of great fertility. The portion also on the western side of the
lississippi, as far as the 9S8th meridian, including the states of Texas, Louisiana,
A knar ss, Al issouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, and portions of the territortes of Kansas and Nebraska, are fertile, though abounding in prairies, and subject occasion
ally to drou,rIits.'the whole space to the west, between the 98th meridian und
the lIocky Mlountains, is a barren waste, over which the eye may roamn to the extent of the visible horizon, with scarcely an object to break the monotony. From
the'lo ky Mountains to the Pacific, with the exception of a rich, but narrow belt
aloil, the ocean, the country may also be considered, in comparison with other portions of the United States, a wilderness unfitted for the uses of the husbandlan;
althou h in some of the mountain valleys, as at Salt Lake, by means of irrigation,
aI precarious supply of food may be obtained."
It is not necessary to quote the detailed description of this American Sahara.
rThe concluding words of Prof. IHenry, upon this sul.ject, are more to our purpose.
We have stated that the entire region west of the 98th degree of west longitude,
w-ithi the exception of, a small portion of western Texas, and the narrow border
along the Pacific, is a country of comparatively little value to the agriculturist,*
and perhaps it will astonish the reader if we direct his attention to the fact that
this line, which passes southward from Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of MIexico, wVill
divide the whole surface of the United States into two nearly equal parts. This
sitteinuent, when fully appreciated, will serve to dissipate some of the dreams which
eitv e been considered as realities, as to the destiny of the wvestern part of the
North American continent. Truth, however, transcends even the laida(blle feelings of pride of country, and in order properly to direct the policy of this great
confederacv, it is necessary to be well acquainted with the theater in which its
future history is to be enacted."
That rich but narrow belt of fertile lands upon the Pacific," has already been
blocked out with the prosperous states of California and Oregon, with an aggregate
population of 450,000.
Upon the eastern bank of the great American desert, Kansas already contains
a, population sufficient to form a state. Eastern Nebraska and Dacotah are rapidly
filling up. Here are, altogether, about 160,000 square miles to be made into new
states, and this is all that remains of the national domain —all that remains to
supply an imperative and permanent demand for new areas, which absorbs 170,955
square miles every ten years in,the formation of new states.
fit the ves-y ftullsiess and stren,qth of its westward flow, the tide of i777mmigqation
is eveit 7io0 arested'Ipo? the brink of a sterile waste, which covers half the statio,iial domain.
This event is the turning point in American history. It is the beginning of
th:.'t cumulative pressure of population upon the means of subsistence, which is
<:'In general, this vast tract may be termed a waterless, timberless, desert-like country.
While the annual fall of rain in the eastern states amounts to about42 inches, it is supposed
that in the country from the British line south to Texas, and fromn the 98th meridian to the
Sierra Nevada MAlountsins, of California, the annual amount of rain does not exceed, on an
average' 10 inches! We all know of the terrible drought of 180S60 in Kansas. The interior
part of our continent will always be more or less subject to such calamities. All officer of
the U. S. army, cominanda,nt of a post in the vicinity of San Antonio, states to us that
in all that part of Texas, there has been no rain of consequence within the past five years I
The garrison was unable to procure even enough vegetables for its own consumption.
510
NEBRASKA.
to test the stability of our iistitutions. But aside filoin its p)litical effects, it will
hav-e these important results on the,naterial con(lition of thile country. 1. It will
co~zdctse ])ol)lilatio~, wilhiii its present liaits, and t/has add to the wealth and social
poweri of existi:ig states. 2. ly placing a positive liomitation i(pon the s?Ipply of
wtictler lands it will largely enhance their value.
Beyond the present line of settlement in eastern Nebraska and Kansas to California and Oregon, stock raising on the immeuse prairies, on which now roam
countless herds of buffalo, and gold and silver mnining in the mountains, must be
the main supports ofthe population. That these industries may in the course of
half a century give birth to many new states, and occupation for millions of inhlabitants, is not improbable; but the food to support them will require to be principally drawn from the rich agricultural country on and near the Mlississippi
Rivier. With this condition in prospective, the ultimate value of these lands will
be greatly enhanced.
The population of Nebraska is composed of emigrants from the free states of
lthe Northwest, and is now confined to the eastern border, along the banks of the
Mlissouri. In 1860, Nebraska had 28,893 inhabitants.
Omaha City, the capital of Nebraska, is beautifully situated on a wide plateau,
the second bIottom of the Missouri River, and opposite the city of Counlcil Bluffs
n Iowa. Tlie site had not a single dwelling in 1854, and in the fall of 1866 it had
an estimated population of 9,000; and with fine prospects for the future, for here
;egins the northernmost Union Pacific Railroad.
A writer of that period thus speaks of this great work:' At Oniahla the Union
Pacific Railroad begins. It has as yet no connecting lines of rail in any direcion. It commences in tile air on the banks of the MNlissouri Rtiver at Omaha,
end has already streamed away toward sunset, for 275 miles. For thirty miles
{fter leavingi Omaha,l it runs southwest through a rolling prairie. Then it strikes
he great Platte Valley, which extends due west to the base of tihe Rocky Mount.ins, a distance of over 600 miles. For this 600 miles ntattre has provided aperfectly graded bed for a railway, or for forty railwvays. Think of a magnificent
.alley, 600 miles long and from five to twenty broad, with a uniform descent of
)nly six or seven feet per nmile, and level as a barn floor, stretching from the Mis-ouri River to the foot of the great peaks that look down upon the Pacific slope!"
This Unionii Pacific Railroad is commonly known as the Chicago road, in conradistinction to that which starts from St. L.ouis. The latter in the year 1866
.as fully completed as far as Fort Riley in Kansas; while the other, for some
istance east of Omaha, had no rail connection until January, 1867, when through
onnection with Chicago was effected, via Council Bluffs.
It was originally designed that the St. Louis and Chicago roads should meet at
frt Kearney, but St. Louis has permission to take an independent and more
outhern route via Smokey Hill, running directly through Denver, Colorado, and
;he svill avail herselfof it. As this will result in our having two Pacific Railroads
iithin the next five or six years, no one will ulourn over the departure from the
riciinal plan. One will run west through central Kansas; the other through
entral Nebraska. In other words, one will take the latitude of Chicago, the other
hat of St. Louis.
To each one of these companies, Congress loans $16,000 in thirty-year bonds
or every mile of the road completed, witlhdraws its first lien upon the road, and
.llows the company to negotiate first mortgage bonds bearing seven per cent. inerest and redeemable in gold, to the additional almount of $16,000) per mile. For
11 transportations on account of the (Government. the road receives one half in
ash and credits the other half upon the interest of the thirty year bonds. I n adlition to this subsidv Government donates in fee simple to the company 12,800()
ares of land for every mile of the road completed, equal to a solid beet twenty
Wiles wide through all the public lands, and allows these lands to be selected in
alternate sections over a belt fifty miles wide.
The other prominent places and localities in Nebraska, are Plattesmouth,. Are
5raska City, AZemah/a City, Bellevue, Florence, Saratoga, IFntenelle, Biownsville,
lt. Vernon, St. George, and Columbus.
511
I
The Territories
of the
S T A T E S.
33
UNITED
I
l
COLORADO TERRITORY.
COLORADO was formed into a territory February 18, 1861. Colorado
derives its name from the Colorado River, and its population from the discovery of gold in the vicinity of Pike's Peak. Its area is 104,500 square
miles. Estimated population, late in 1864, 32,000. Capital, Denver.
A great part of this territory lies upon the Rocky Mountains, with their foot
hills and adjacent plains. Within it the Arkansas and Platte Rivers have
their sources, and running easterly empty into the Mississippi; Green River
and other affluents of the great Colorado of the West here also take their
rise, and flowing westerly discharge their waters into the Pacific. Its mineral
deposits are half way between the Mississippi and the Pacific, and about 1,000
miles from each, and in the same latitude with the rich mineral regions of
Carson Valley. Within it are the three beautiful vales of the Rocky Mountains, known respectively as Middle, South and North Parks, while the noted
Pike's Peak rises up grandly 10,600 feet above the level of the plains, and
18,600, or more than three and a half miles above the level of the sea. This
mountain received its name from its discoverer, Capt. Z. M. Pike, while at
the head of an exploring expedition sent out in 1806, in Jefferson's administration, to ascertain the sources of the Arkansas. HIe ascended to the
summit, and was the first white man to gaze upon the magnificent panorama
seen from that point. A visitor of our time thus relates his experience
there:
"The summit is of an irregular, oblong shape, nearly level, embracing about
sixty acres, and composed entirely of angular slabs and blocks of coarse disintegrating granite. The fresh snow was two or three inches deep in the interstices
among the rocks, but had nearly all melted from their surfaces.
The day was clear, and the view indescribably grand and impressive. To the
eastward for a hundred miles, our eyes wandered over the dim, dreary prairies,
spotted by the dark shadows of the clouds and the deeper green of the pineries,
intersected by the faint gray lines of the roads, and emerald threads of timber,
which mark the meandering of the streams, and banded on the far horizon with a
girdle of gold. At our feet, below the now insignificant mountains up which we
had toiled so wearily, was Colorado City, to the naked eye a confused city of Lilliputs, but through the glasses exhibiting its buildings in perfect distinctness, and
beside one of them our own carriage with a man standing near it.
515
COLORADO TERRITORY.
Further south swept the green timbers of the Fontaine qui Bouille, the Arkan
sas and the Huerfano, and then rose the blue Spanish peaks of New M.lexico, a
hundred miles away. Eight or ten miles from our stand-point, two little gels or
lakes, nestled among the rugged mountains, revealing even the shadows (oA tie
rocks and pines in their transparent waters. Far beyond, a group of tiny lakelets
glittered and sparkled in their dark surroundings liklie a cluster of stairs.
= ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:
View z?t Deliver.
Cherry Creek is seen in front, Platte River in the middle distance, the Rocky lountalis in the background, and on the extreme left, at the distance of seventy miles, appears the snow-clad summit of Piko's
Peak.
To the west, the South Park, 40 miles in length, the Bayou Salado, and other
amphitheaters of rich floral beauty —gardens of nature amid the utter desolation
of the mountains-were spread thousands of feet below us; and beyond, peak after
peak, until the pure white wall of the Snowy Range merged into the infinite blue
of the sky. Toward the north-east we could trace the timbers of the Platte, for
more than seventy miles; but though the junction of Cherry creek, even to the
unassisted eye, showed the exact location of Denver, our glasses did not enable us
to detect the buildings.
These of course were only the more prominent features of the landscape. To
the north, south and west the intervening expanse was one vast wilderness of
mountains of diverse forms and mingling colors, with clouds of fleecy white sailing airily among their scarred and wrinkled summits. By walking a few hundred
yards, from one slight elevation to another, we looked upon four territories of the
tnion-Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico. Almost from the same standoint we viewed regions watered by four of the great rivers of the continent-the
Platte, Arkansas, Rio Grande, and Colorado-tributaries respectively of the Missouri, the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California.
A gorge upon the north side is still more gigantic than that on the south-east.
A colossal plowshare seems to have been driven fiercely down from the summnit
almnost to the base, leaving a gaping furrow, visible even from Denver [seventy
miles] and deep enough in itself to bury a mountain of considerable pretensions."
Like mineral regions generally, this is deficient in agricultural resources;
it may in time produce sufficient to support a considerable mining poplilation. It is, however, more probable that it will become an important market
516
COLORADO TERRITORY.
for the rich agricultural districts of eastern Kansas and Nebraska. "The
soil east of the foot of the mountains is mostly arid and sandy, and as very
little rain falls during- the sumnier, is not adapted to firmining purposes. Even
the valleys of the streams appear unproduetive pulverize a handful of the
soil, and it proves to consist almost entirely of sand. But it is precisely
identical with the soil
..._.. _ of the valleys in New
______ —_ — _ Mexico; and like them,
X___________ _ gwith irrigation, it will
I f = = _ =m produce abundantly all
______ _ X =the small grains and
-______-_:_____ vegetables. The val _: _ =..... leys in the gold region
will produce all the
.....; —:_~r_great staples of that lat itude, with perhaps the
exception of corn.
STREET IN DENTVER IT 1859. Their elevation is near ly 5,000 feet above the
sea; frosts are frequent, even during the summer, and it is doubtful whether
corn will flourish, unless it be the small species grown in Mexico, or the
variety recently introduced in Oregon, in which each kernal is encased in a
separate husk. The climate of the great plains and of the Rocky Mountain
country is one of the healthiest in the world. The air is so dry and pure
that fresh meat, cut in summer in strips, and in winter in quarters, and hung
up out of doors, will cure so perfectly, without salting or smoking, that it
may be carried to any quarter of the globe. The nights, even in summer,
are cool and often cold." The winters are long and terribly severe; snow
falls early in the fall and late in the spring. The Parks in the Rocky
Mountains are mild in winter. affording abundance of food for stock, and
have always been favorite winter haunts for the Indians. "They are comparatively smooth, fertile spots-the principal ones from 30 to 60 miles in
diameter-inclosed on all sides by high mountain walls: in the language of
Fremont, "gems of rich floral beauty, shut up in the stern recesses of the
mountains."
The mountain districts are well watered. "The country abounds in timber, the
prevailing variety being pine-immense forests of both the yellow and white being
common. On the streams the white cherry and timber common to this latitude
are found. Game is exceedingly abundant-the black-tailed deer, red deer, elk,
antelope, mountain sheep, black bear, etc., being found in all portions of the country. It is a favorite resort for the Indians, as it affords them plenty of game when
off their buffalo hunts, and where they get their lodge poles and equipments for
their excursions for Buffalo on the plains."
This country has only of late been a point of attraction to emigrants. The discovery of gold has been the talisman to draw multitudes of the hardy and enterprising
of our countrymen to this Rocky Moutntain land. It had long been believed by the
hunters and trappers of the Rocky Mountains, that the existence of gold and silver, near the sources of the Arkansas and South Platte, was known to the Indians,
and tliou,,h search was made the exact spot could never he ascertained. "In 1835,
a hunter, named EuLstace Carriere, became separated from his companions, and
wandered about for some weeks, during which period he discovered some grains
of gold on the surface of the ground, which he took with him to MIexico. On his
arrival there he exhibited his specimens, and a company was formed, having Carriere for their guide to the new El Dorado. Unfortunately for himself, Carriere
was unable to find the precise spot, and the Mexicans, thinking that he did not
517
COLORADO TERRITORY.
wish to disclose the secret to them, set upon him, and having punished him severely, left him and returned to Mexico. Nothing was then heard for some time, but
in the winter of 1851 an old trapper, who had been living among the Indians for
some years, came to the settlements and reported the existence of a cave, in which
there wets a quantity of solid masses of gold, hanging from the roof, like stalactites
or immense icicles. He urged the formation of a company, and offered to conduct
men to the spot, but the story was too large, and he could not induce any one to
accompany him. He afterward left for the Indian country by himself, and nothing has since been heard of him.
In 1850, a party of California emigrants passing through this part, found traces
of gold, and some of the party wished to stay and examine carefully, but the majority, who had heard of the California nuggets being as'large as a brick,' wished
to proceed on their journey. Capt. John Beck, who was of this party, on his return from California, took out a party of a hundred men to this gold field, and from
that time the presence of gold was a recognized fact. Party then rapidly succeeded party, every one who returned from the mines giving a highly colored
account of the fortunes to be realized there. In May, 1858, a party from Lawrence, Kansas, was induced by these favorable reports to proceed to the diggings,
where they found matters even better than had been represented. The result of
their discoveries soon became known, and this new El Dorado suddenly became
the great magnet of attraction of this continent." So great in two years was the
rush of emigration that, in 1860, the census gave the population of the newly
found gold region at about sixty thousand.
The GOLD REGION is known to extend several hundred miles along the
Rocky Mountains. The best part of it is supposed to be between latitudes
37~ and 42~. 4'It is the general opinion that quartz mining must always
be the leading interest here; and miners with only the pan and rocker or
sluice have not as yet been able, as they were originally in California, to obtain $5 or $10 per day wherever they might locate. Many old Californians,
however, aver that the quartz' prospects' much more richly here than it ever
has in the golden state." As early as October, 1860, 75 quartz mills were
in operation in the mountains, and 100 more being put up, which, upon the
ground and in running order, cost in the aggregate nearly two millions of
dollars. The estimated yield of gold for the year was five millions in value.
Some rich silver lodes had then been discovered; but the development of
this industry must be slow, from the great expense of erecting proper reduction works, and the difficulty of obtaining the practical skill to amalgamate
the mineral.
Denver, Auraria and Highland were established by three different comnpanies, but they are substantially one city, and the metropolis of the gold region. They are seventy miles north of Pike's Peak, at the confluence of
Cherry Creek and the South Platte River; and distant, by air lines, from St.
Louis, 800, Santa Fe, 300, San Francisco, 1,000, and Salt Lake, 400 miles.
Denver and Auraria were the first founded. The first house built on the site of Denver
was erected on Oct. 29, 1858, by Gen. Wm. Larimer and party, who had just arrived from
Leavenworth. It was a rude log cabin, only six feet high, with a roof of sods. Highland
is beautifully situated on the west bank of the Platte. The three places, in general terms,
are lowy called Denver, which, in the fall of 1860, two years after the first house was
erected, contained three daily newspapers, two churches, a theater, several fine brick blocks,
two bridges across the Platte, excellent roads leading from it to the principal diggings,
and 5,000 inhabitants.
Colorado City, 80 miles south of Denver, was founded in 1859 at the foot
of Pike's Peak, and had, in 1860, 1,500 inhabitants. Golden City, 15 miles
west of Denver, in 1860, had a population of 1,200. St. Vrain is on the Platte,
40 miles north of Denver, and on the site of the old trading post of Col
Ceran St. Vrain, frequently alluded to in Fremont's expeditions.
518
COLORADO TERRITORY.
Hall, in his ". Emigrants' and Settlers' Guide," gives this description of
the climate and productions of Colorado. He is also full and enthusiastic
upon its mineral wealth. He describes, somewhat in detail, the mode practiced in gold mining and the various processes for extracting the ore. We
copy his article below, almost entire.
"The Climate.-The climate of Colorado varies with its hight, both as to
temperature and the amount of rain and snow. The climate of that portion lying at the base and east of the mountains is not only delightful but
remarkably healthy. The frosts come generally early in the autumn, and
continue far into the spring months, but they are not severe. On the plains,
the snows of winter are never sufficient to prevent cattle of all kinds from
thriving and fattening on the nutritious grass, dried up and thus cured by
nature in July and August.
Throughout the winter months, with rare exceptions, the sun blazes down
with an almost tropic glow, little or no snow falls, and although the nights
are sometimes sharp and frosty, there is no steady intensity of cold.
With such a climate Colorado could not well be otherwise than healthy.
The sanitary condition of the territory is good, and the number of deaths,
considering the labor and exposure to which the great majority of its inhabitants are subjected, remarkably small.
Agricultural Products.-In a country so remote from the agricultural districts of the states, and where the expense of transporting supplies is so
heavy, the need of home production is necessarily very great. The rather
scanty opportunities which Colorado presents as a field for agriculture have
been, however, improved to the utmost. An extensive system of irrigation
has been introduced, which, it is thought, will relieve the settlers from lack
of rain and other difficulties which have hitherto limited agricultural progress.
As regards the production of grain, the crops on the various branches of
the South Platte, Arkansas, Fontain gaue Bruille, afford encouraging prospects.
In the southern part of the territory considerable attention has been paid
to the raising of wheat, corn, barley, and other cereals; but the continuance
of dry weather presents a formidable obstacle to great success in this direction.
The bottom lands of the Platte River and other mountain streams have a
rich alluvial deposit, which only requires water at long intervals to promote
an astonishing vegetable growth. All the succulent varieties of plants, such
as potatoes, cabbages, onions, squashes, etc., attain an enormous size, retaining the tenderness, juiciness, and sweetness which almost everywhere
else belong only to the smaller varieties. The wild fruits of the territory
are also numerous and abundant. It is believed that Colorado will, in a few
years, be able to supply her own home demand for the necessaries of life.
Stock Raisign etc.-As a grazing and stock-raising region Colorado possesses great advantages. Near the base of the rocky ranges, and along the
valleys of the streams which have their origin in the mountains, vegetation
is prolific. The grasses are not only abundant, but they contain more nutriment than the cultivated species of the most prosperous agricultural districts of the Mississippi valley. These grasses cure standing, and cattle
have been known to feed and thrive upon them throughout the entire winter months.
519
COLORADO TERRITORY.
Minerals-Mining, etc.-As a gold-mining country, Colorado is second
only to California. The Colorado gold mines differ from those of California
in this particular, viz.: that in the former the precious ore is generally found
in extensive "lodes " of quartz and pyrites, while in the latter, placer or
gulch mining are the most extensive and the most profitable. We do not
mean to be understood by this that there are no placer mines in Colorado.
Numerous gulches and ravines have been extensively worked in different
parts of the territory, and in some instances the yield has been astonishingly
rich and abundant; but, up to the present time, the extent of the discoveries of gulch, bar, or river deposits has not seemed to establish a claim
for Colorado as a great placer mining region.
That the inexperienced may more clearly understand the difference between "placer" and "lode" mining, the following brief explanation is
appended:
" Placer" and "Lode" Mining.-Where deposits of gold are found in
gulches, on bars, or in river beds, mixed only with the sands and alluvial
washings of the mountains or hillsides, and requiring only the action of
water, by sluicing or hydraulics, to separate them from the earthy mixture,
the term "placer" is applied to this mode of mining. On the other hand,
where gold deposits are found mixed with quartz rock, pyrites of iron and
copper or other metals, and occupying veins between walls of solid granite,
they are called'" lode" mines. The latter can only be worked profitably by
the aid of capital and powerful machinery; but experience has confirmed
the belief that this kind of mining is more permanent and quite as profitable as "placer" mining. The mines of Colorado are of this class, and the
leading enterprises of the population are specially directed to the improvement and development of these veins or crevices.
.Ifning Machinery used in Colorado.-The success of any mining region
is dependent, primarily, upon manual labor; liberal capital and powerful
machinery are important accessories, however, and in Colorado they are
essential ones.
The machinery generally in use there for obtaining gold from the
quartz or ore is of very simple construction, consisting chiefly of an engine
(or wheel, if water-power is used,) and a set of stamps for crushing the ore.
It is the opinion of all practical miners in Colorado, with only one or two
exceptions, that the engines now in use there are by no means large enough
for the required use. The largest of them measures 14-inch cylinder, and
24-inch stroke, running 24 revolutions per minute, and carrying about 50
pounds of steam. In Colorado this engine is estimated at 80-horse power.
All other engines are likewise overrated, and to do the work required of
them they are run at high speed. Most of the engines and stamping machinery have, thus far, been made in St. Louis and Chicago. The principal
water-wheel used is the over-shot, although there are some under-shot and
breast-wheels.
Mining Claims.-In Colorado liberal laws are in force, which give to the
fortunate discoverer of a quartz vein 200 local feet of the same, and to all
others who apply in season 100 feet not already claimed. These claims are
recorded in the clerk's office of the district, and by this process the rights
of the parties are secured and respected.
Hlaving, made your claim and had it recorded, the next thing for the
miner to do is to see to
520
COLORADO TERRITORY.
Sinking a Shaft.-This is sometimes attended with great labor, and not a
little expense. The cost of sinking a shaft, four feet wide and twelve feet
long,, through the "cap" is estimated to be about $25 per running foot, if
the shaft is from 60 to 100 feet deep: $30 per foot if it is from 100 to 160
feet deep, and so on in proportion, the expense increasing with the depth,
and consequent difficulty of drawing the rubbish to the surface.
Much, of course, depends upon the hardness of the rock through which
the shaft is sunk. In some cases a large proportion, or the whole of the
expenses of the shaft is defrayed by the gold found during the progress of
the work. Indeed, some mines have been sunk to a great depth without
encountering the " cap" at all.
Method of Raising the Ore.-The quartz.mills are, with but a single exception, some distance from the shafts or mines. The hoisting is performed
by an ordinary "whim," worked sometimes by a horse or mule, and sometimes by a five or six horse-power engine; a ten or fifteen horse engine
would be better when the shafts are worked to great depths.
Process of Extracting the Ore.-The usual mode of extracting the gold
may be simply described as follows: The ore is crushed to powder by heavy
stamps, which fall down with great force; then the powder is mixed with
water, run over metallic plates, having slight ridges on their surface, and
smeared with quicksilver: thus part of the gold is retained.
Two new processes of separating the ore, which are now in extensive
operation, may be thus briefly described:
The Freiberg Pan, so called from the name of the place where it was invented, Frelberg, Germany-is a wooden tub of perhaps eight feet in diameter, and three feet high, with a false bottom of iron, upon which move in
a circle four mullers of stone or iron, attached to the arms of a central upright shaft. This shaft propels the mullers by the power of steam. In
this pan or tub are deposited, from time to time, quantities of pulverized
quartz, with the gold dust intermingled. Water is let in, to the depth of
ten or twelve inches, and a stream of it allowed to run constantly. This
water escapes at an orifice made at the proper hight, and carries with it all
floating dust. The water is warmed by steam and kept at a uniform temperature. The motion of the mullers destroys the chemical affinities of
the several substances, and allows the quicksilver to take it. This pan is
coming into use in several mills. A large mill will soon be built in Nevada
to make use of this process.
The Bertola Pan, which takes its name from the Spaniard who invented
it, is more extensively used, and promises better for all kinds of ores. It is
about half the size of the Freiberg pan, and entirely of iron. The dust is
operated upon in the same way in both pans-water, and stone mullers being, used. The chemicals, however, in the Bertola method, are deposited
with the dust, while in the Freiberg they are not. What chemicals are
used is still a secret, carefully guarded by those who make use of the process. Many large mills are adopting it with great confidence. Messrs.
Cook & Kimball have thirty pairs of pans in operatien in their large mill,
Central City. They are also about to erect an immense mill for a new company in New York, on Clear Creek, for the purpose of operating one hundred and fifty pair of pans. The friends of this process are very confident
of its entire success.
The above-named methods of operating upon the ore are designed to
621
COLORADO TERRITORY.
overcome chemical affinities, difficulties which can not be obviated by the
common process. All kinds of chemicals are found in the ore, and some of
them are great neutralizers of the power of quicksilver. Owing to these,
in some ores, not more than a fourth part of the gold is saved in the common process. Sulphur is found in abundance, and it is a great hindrance
to mining.
The Keith Process. —Dr. Keith has undertaken to master this difficulty by
first pulverizing and then burning the dust-the sulphur affording the combustible agent. It is done in a furnace with an escape flue to create a
draft, which runs up the mountain side several hundred feet. It further
consists of a jaw working on a frame at about 25 strokes, crushing the dry
ore, which is then conveyed by a tube or trough to a close, narrow sort of
fan-mill, fitted inside with three revolving arms. The crushed ore is introduced into the center, and the high speed throws it out along the arms
till it is reduced to fine powder, when the draft caused by the arms carries
it through a three or four inch-flue into a furnace, heated to an intense
heat. The flue then expanding to a width of three or four feet and one
foot in hight, takes a slanting direction down, about 10 feet, at an angle of
45 degrees, all the time heated by fire underneath. The sulphur is separated from the ore in this flue, and at the bottom it is sent through an
opening in the roof of the flue; another flue passing along the top of the
first, and so off into the air, while the desulphurized ore falls into a pit,
where it cools, and is taken out and submitted to the action of quicksilver.
This "process" is said to be satisfactory.
Appearance of the Ore.-" All is not gold that glitters.'! The gold ore
is usually of a light gray color. Many particles of it shine brightly in the
sun, and form handsome specimens to carry away, but these are not the precious metal. That which glitters is not gold, but chiefly pyrites of iron.
Productiveness of the Ore.-The Hon. John Evans, governor of Colorado,
states that the ore in most of the lodes now worked pay at least $36 per
tun, while in some instances the same quantity yields $150, $200, and even as
high as $500, treated by the stamping process alone. This ore yields, upon
analysis, from three to six times as much gold as can be saved by the ordinary methods now in use, giving results which to the inexperienced miner
appear almost fabulous; but of course no practical conclusions can be
drawn from merely chemical analyses inapplicable upon a large scale. The
practical proof is in the actual yield and profit to the miner.
The cost of each tun of quartz may be fairly stated at $12, and the
yield at $36, thus affording a profit at the rate of 200 per cent. and that,
too, in a manufacture or business where the returns are unusually quick and
active-the various operations of mining and crushing the ore, extracting
and selling the gold being easily performed within a week.
Total Product of Gold.-It is a difficult matter to give, in figures, the
amount of the gold product of Colorado since the commencement of mi ning operations, in 1858. No sufficient data exist for the computation of
the whole yield of the territory. But an approximate estimate, based upon
various records, can be made, which affords a gratifying exhibit, and from
which fair deductions for the future may be made.
The reports of the receipts at the Philadelphia United States mint show
the following figures:
COLORADO TERRITORY.
1 859....................................... $ 4,000 1862.................................... $6,000,000
1860....................................... 600,000 1863 (estimated).................. 13,500,000
1861...................................... 1,000,000 18641 (estimated)................... 20,000,00')
The above statement falls short of the aggregate yield of the territory
3Iuch was sent to other places than Philadelphia, and through other channels; much, too, remained in the hands of miners. There is every reason
to believe that the gold product of 1864 will not fall short of twenty millions of dollars.
Other fiiseral JProducts.-The territory is said to abound in metals of
various kinds, but the sacra fames (" sacred hunger") for gold at present
absorbs all the attention of the miners.
Iron ore, of a good quality, is found in some parts of the territory, not
far from Denver, and in close proximity to coal. Silver and lead, in small
quantities, have also been discovered. Platinum, zinc, manganese, magnetic iron, sand, alum, salt, and petroleum are also among the mineral products of the country."
Hand illills and Hand Mortars, for the purpose of crushing the quartz
gold, first came into use in the gold regions in the beginning of 1865.
whatever invention or process will assist individual labor, in contradistinction to that of associated capital, is the most important in the development of a country. A newspaper, published at Austin, in Nevada, at the
beginning of 1865, thus speaks of the beneficial influence of their introduction:
Some few of our citizens have censured us severely for advocating and recommending the use of horse and hand-mills, and, hand-mortars, for the purpose of
crushing ore, and some went even so far as to say that we were encouraging petit
larceny, as many of the persons who were engaged in the business did not have
claims, or sufficient means to purchase the rock. But it does not follow, that to
make a hand-mill pay, a person must "jayhawk" the rock. There are hundreds
of claims in this city and vicinity that have been abandoned, not because they
were not rich, but simply because the owners did not have means necessary to
work them. From these claims an abundance of ore can be obtained to run all,
the hand-mills that will be started here for ages. Three months since there was
not a horse or hand-mill in the city, and but few hand-mortars used. Now there
are over thirty of the former in successful operation, the latter having gone almost entirely out of use. From Mr. Salmon, the inventor of the new amalgamator, we learn some interesting facts. I-e is engaged in amalgamating exclusively
for the horse and hland-mills, and does it with one of his tubs by hand-power.
He takes out over $500 per week, but finds it inpossible to do all the work that is
offered him. The bullion will run over 900 fine. Four gentlemen. for whom it
has been working, took out sufficient alter night, in hand-mortars, to keep them in
provisions and develop their claim, and they (Ire now having a large lot worked at
one of the steam-mills. Another, who was on the eve of leaving here in despair,
went to work with a hatnd-mill, and has taken out enough to send for his family to
Aisconsin, besides having sufficient means to last him the ensuing winter. Mr.
Salmnon knows of many good and experienced miners who would have left the
country, but wl.o, by these miniature inventions, have been enabled to "stick it
out," work on their claims, and help to develop our wonderful and most remnarkable mines. There is at least $2000 per week of bullion taken out by these
mills, and it is constantly increasing. They keep many men elmploved, assist in
developing a number of mines, and put many dollars of our buried wealth into
circulation; besides, it makes all engtaged in the business thorough and experienced mill-men.
523
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I
I
MONTANA TERRITORY.
MONTANA* was originally a part of Idaho, and was formed in 1864. It
is one of the largest of the territories, comprising an estimated area of
140,000 square miles. It lies south of the British possessions, from the
27th to the 34th degrees of longitude. The Rocky Mountains and their
foot hills occupy the western and central parts. Within it are the head
waters of the Columbia River, of Oregon, and those of the main Missouri,
and its great branch the Yellow Stone.
Until the first year of the rebellion, Montana was a trackless wilderness.
Before the close of the war, the rapidity and extent of mineral discoveries
attracted the attention of miners and capitalists, and in defiance of obstacles
of travel and climate, they forced their way into this new and distant land.
It is favored with a healthy climate, and quite as mild as that of many
of the Northern and Eastern States. Particularly is the climate moderate
on the Pacific side of the mountains.
At Fort Benton, on the Missouri River, a trading post of the American
Fur Company, which has an elevation of 2632 feet above the level of the
sea, their horses and cattle, of which they have a large number, are never
housed or fed in winter, but get their living without difficulty.
The fall of the temperature as winter approaches, appears to be much
more abrupt east of the mountains, in this latitude, than at the west or in
the vicinity of Great Lakes.
In the Deer Lodge Prairie, in the valley of the Deer Lodge River, just
west of the mountains, are very fine farming lands. Beautiful prairie
openings occur at frequent intervals, in the valleys both of the Hell Gate
and Bitter Root Rivers. At the settlement called Hell Gate, situated at
the junction of the river by that name, and the Bitter Root, are several
farms which yield all the cereals and vegetables in great abundance, bringing prices that would astonish farmers in the States, as parties are constantly passing through that region on their way to the mines, and glad to
purchase supplies.
Several years since, Gov. Stevens of Washington Territory, said in an
official report:
"I estimate that in the valleys on the western slopes of the Rocky
Mountains, and extending no further than the Bitter Root range of mountains, there may be some 6000 square miles of arable land, upon grassed
lands with good soils, and already prepared for occupation and settlement;
and that in addition to this amount, there are valleys having good soils, and
favorable for settlement, which will be cleared in the removal of lumber
* The description given of this Territory, is abridged from " Hall's Emigrants, Settlers
and Travelers' Guide and Hand Book to California, Nevada, Oregon and the Territories;
accompanied by a map showing the roads to the Gold Fields, with tables of distances."
It is an invaluable little pamphlet for the emigrant. It is mailed from the New York
Tribune office, on receipt of the price-25 cents.
525
from them. The faint attempts made by the Indians at cultivating the
soil, have been attended with good success, and fair returns might be expected of all such crops as are adapted to the Northern States of our
country.
"The numerous mountain rivulets tributary to the Bitter Root River,
that run through the valley, afford excellent and abundant mill-seats; and
the land bordering these is fertile and productive, and has been proved beyond a cavil or doubt to be well suited to every branch of agriculture."
In these valleys much grain is already grown, and along the Bitter Root
several fiouring mills may be found. Produce brings a good price and the
increasing demand for breadstuffs at Bannock City and other mining towns,
will insure a more vigorous effort on the part of the husbandman.
The cattle in the Deer Lodge Valley run at large in winter, and thrive
and fatten rapidly. There is a considerable settlement in the Valley, and
stock raising is quickly becoming a lucrative business, the mining population in the vicinity increasing rapidly, and affording a good market. The
pasturage grounds of the Bitter Root Valley are unsurpassed. The extensive bands of horses owned by the Flat-Head Indians occupying St. Mary's
Village, on Bitter Root River, thrive well winter and summer.
At about the latitude of 460 30', the Deer Lodge River and the Blackfoot form a junction and are thlen called the Hell Gate, which unites with
the Bitter Root or St. Mary's River, in latitude 470, and assumes the name
of the latter.
Along the valleys of both the Hell Gate and Bitter Root there is a great
abundance of excellent timber-pine, hemlock, tamarack, or larch predominating. The numerous mountain rivulets tributary to the Bitter Root
which run through the valley, afford excellent and abundant mill seats.
The valley and mountain slopes are well timbered with an excellent growth
of pine, which is equal in every respect to the well-known and noted pine
of Oregon. Along the Bitter Root are also several fine fiouring mills.
The great attraction of this region is its GOLD mines. The gold in Montana is found as in California, both in gulches and in quartz.
The Bannock or Grasshopper mines were discovered in July, 1862, and
are situated on Grasshopper Creek, a tributary of the Jefferson fork of the
Missouri, 385 miles north of Salt Lake City, and 280 south of Fort
Benton.
The mining district at this point extends five miles down the creek from
Bannock City, which is situated at the head of the gulch; while upon
either side of the creek the mountains are intersected with gold-bearing
quartz lodes, many of which have been found to be very rich.
Bannock City, the county seat of Boise county, and the most populous
town in the Territory, is thought to be one of the best mining localities in
this whole region. It is situated between two of the best mining streams
in the territory, viz.: More's and Elk Creek, which empty into the Boise
River, forty miles south of Bannock City.
The Centerville mines are six miles west of Bannock City. They are
situated on Grimes' Creek, and are similar to those on Bannock City.
The Virginia City mines, take their name from Virginia City, the largest
town in Eastern Montana. They are on Fairweather's Gulch, upon Alder
Creek, one of the tributaries of the Stinking Water, a small stream that
puts into the Jefferson Fork, about seventy miles northeast of Bannock.
"The mines here," says a late writer, "are unsurpassed in richness; no'
526
MONTANA TERRITORY.
I
MONTANA TERRITORY.
a claim has been opened that does not pay good wages, while many claims
yield the precious ore by the pound." Two lines of coaches run between
this point and Bannock City.
The following were the prices of produce at Bannock, at the beginning
of 1865, in gold:
Flour, $25 per cwt.; Bacon, 30c. per lb.; Ham, 90c.; Fresh Steaks, 15
to 25c.; Potatoes, per lb., 25c.; Cabbage, per lb., 60c.; Coffee, 80c.; Sugar,
60c.; Fresh Butter, $1.25; Hay, 10c. per lb., or $30 per tun; Lumber,
$150 per thousand. Wages ruled at $5 per day, for miners and common
laborers, and $6 to $8 for mechanics. Female labor rang,ed from $10 to
$15 per week. Washing from $3 to $6, by the dozen.
At these rates, it will be seen that carrying on agriculture by irrigation,
which the want of rain compels, pays the producer well.
527
I
IDAHO TERRITORY.
IDAHO is an Indian word, signifying " Gem of the mountains." It was
formed in March, 1863, from the territories of Washington, Nebraska and
I)akotah. Its area then was 326,000 square miles; that is, seven times that
of New York State. In 1864, it was reduced to about 90,000 square miles,
on the creation of the territory of Montana. Its capital is Lewiston, near
the Washington line on Lewis fork of Columbia River.
Its great attraction was its gold mines, the most important of which ware
lost to her when Montana was created.
The present gold mines of Idaho are in the northern part, on branches
of the Columbia, Salmon and Clearwater Rivers.
" The Salmon River mines were the first to attract the gold-hunter. The
gold obtained here is of rather an inferior quality, being worth only $13 to
$15 an ounce. Florence City is the largest settlement in the Salmon River
country, and the general depot for supplies.
" South of Salmon River is a large extent of country as yet wholly unexplored. On Clearwater River and its branches north of Salmon River,
gold is found over a large extent of country, Elk City and Oro Fino being
the principal centers of business and population."
529
a
34
-P
DACOTAH TERRITORY.
DACOTAH, or more correctly Dahkotah, is the true name of the Sioux nation of Indians, and "signifies allied or joined together in friendly compact."
The territory so named comprises the western part of the original Territory
of Minnesota, and was excluded from its limits when, in 1858, Minnesota
was erected into a state. It was organized into a territory in February,
186[. It extends, in extreme limits, N. and S. 450 miles, and E. and W.
200: N. latitude, 42~ 30' to 49~; longitude, W. from Greenwich, 94~ to
104~. It is bounded on the N. by the British Possessions, E. by Minnesota
and a small part of Iowa, on the S. by Iowa, and also S. and partly on
the W. by the Missouri River, separating it from the Territory of Nebraska.
The eastern part is, like Minnesota, covered with multitudes of small lakes
and ponds. The largest of these are Red Lake, about 40 miles long and 20
broad, and MIini-wakan, or Devil's Lake, about 50 miles long by 10 broad.
Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi, is on its eastern boundary. The
Minnesota, emptying into the Mississippi, the Big Sioux and Jacques, affluents of the Missouri, and the Great Red River of the North, all take their
rise in the high table lands of the interior.
The territory contains numerous salt lakes, and coal has been found.
Capt. Jno. Pope, of the U. S. corps of topographical engineers, states that
"I)acotah presents features differing but little from the region of prairie and
table land west of the frontiers of Missouri and Arkansas, which is mainly
devoid of timber. From this is to be excepted the western half of the valley of Red River and the valleys of the Big Sioux and the Rio Jacques, which
are productive, and with the region inclosed contain arable and well timbered land sufficient for a small state." These valleys are productive in
wheat of the best qualities. Population, in 1860, 4,839.
Pecmbina, the principal town of the territory, is some 360 miles, in an air
line, N.W. of St. Paul, on the Red River of the North, just below the British
line. It was settled, in 1812, by Scottish emigrants under Lord Selkirk, who
obtained an extensive grant of land from the Hudson Bay Company. On
the running of the boundary line, subsequently, Pembina, the southernmost
point of the colony, was found to be just within the limits of the United
States.
The settlement-which contains about seven thousand inhabitants-is
flourishing, and agriculture is prosecuted by the hardy settlers there with
considerable success. The greater part of the inhabitants are half natives
531
DACOTAH TERRITORY.
and descendants of fur-traders and their servants, by native women. Formerly every summer, with a team of carts drawn by oxen, and loaded with
pemmican, furs, etc., they came down to St. Pauls on a trading excursion,
employing about six weeks in making the journey. Their singularly constructed carts, composed entirely of wood, without any tire, their peculiar
dress, manneis ind complexion, render them an object of curiosity to those
unfamiliar with the various shades of society intermediate between the savage and civilized."
THE INDIAN TERRITORY:
TRE INDIAN TERRITORY is an extensive country lying west of Arkansas
and north of Texas, and extending far into the western wilderness; and containing about 71,000 square miles. It has been allotted by the general government as the permanent residence of those Indian tribes who emigrate
from the states east of the Mississippi. " It is about 450 miles long east and
west, and from 35 to 240 miles in width north and south. Kansas lies on
the north of this tract, Arkansas on the east, Texas on the south, and New
Mexico and Texas on the west. In the north-western portion of the Indian
Territory are the vast sandy, barren lands, known as the Great American
Desert. Excepting this desolate region, the country is occupied by undulating plains and prairies, broken on the east by the mountain ridges, called the
Ozark or Washita, which come in from Arkansas. Coal of an excellent
quality abounds in the eastern part. The great southern overland mail
route to California passes through it.
The Choctaws, the Chickasaws, the Cherokees, the Creeks, the Senecas, the
Seminoles, and the Shawnees dwell in the east; while the central and west
ern districts are occupied by the Camanches, the Osages, the Pawnees, the
Kioways, the Arrapahoes, and other tribes. The country is, besides, thickly
inhabited by buffaloes, wild horses, antelopes, deer, prairie-dogs, and wild
animals and wild birds of many names. Kansas and Nebraska were included
in the Indian Territory until 1854."
The Indians within and near the borders of the territory, including the
uncivilized tribes, it is supposed, number about 90,000. The civilized tribes
are the Cherokees and Choctaws, each numbering 19,000; the Creeks numbering 25,000, and the Chickasaws, 16,000, all of whom emigrated from the
cotton states east of the Mississippi. These four tribes have adopted republican forms of government, modeled after those of our states, with executive,
legislative and judicial departments.
Their principal wealth is vested in stock. Any amount of fine grazing
land is lying idle, and the climate is so mild that stock (except milch cows
and working cattle) requires no feeding in winter. These people are, as a class,
"well to do " in the world. Their houses are ordinarily of logs, but spacious
and comfortable, and will compare favorably with those of south-western
Missouri and Arkansas. Some of them are handsome frame buildings.
532
WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
WASHINGTON TERRITORY is the extreme north-western domain of the
United States, and was formed by act of congress, in 1853, from the north
part of Oregon Territory. Its early history is identified with and partially
given in that of Oregon. Okonogan and Spokan, two of the trading posts
of John Jacob Astor, were within its limits, and the Hudson's Bay Company had also numerous posts, and carried on extensive trading operations on
its soil. In 1806, the British North-west Fur Company established a trading post on Frazer's Lake, in latitude 54~, which was the first settlement of
any kind made by the Anglo-Saxon race west of the Rocky Mountains.
About the year 1839, missions were established by Protestants and Catholics,
among the Indians of the country.
Down to the period of the administration of President Polk, the United
States government claimed latitude 54~ 40' as the northern boundary. Then
the long dispute was settled by fixing upon the 49th parallel, and giving up
Aancouver's Island to the British.
The Cascade range of mountains enters it from Oregon, and runs its entire
length north and south. In a general description, the face of the country
is mountainous, and resembles Oregon, excepting that the Blue Mountain
range is more scattered north of the Columbia. Mount Olympus, the highest peak of the Coast range, is 8,197 feet high: several of those of the Cascade range are clothed in perpetual snow, among which are Mount St. Helen's,
a volcanic peak, and Mount Rainer. each estimated at about 13,000 feet in
altitude. The Pacific coast is not so abruptly mountainous as that of Oregon, and can be traveled almost its entire length on a beautiful sand beach.
It shares with Oregon the grand scenery of the Columbia, which is its principal river, and its main branches rise within it. On the rivers are many
falls of magnitude: one of these, the celebrated Snoqualmie, in about 47~
40' N. lat., and 121~ 30' W. long., has a perpendicular fall of 260 feet. The
mountain scenery of the country is surpassingly beautiful.
" The climate is similar to that of Oregon, with some variations caused by differ
533
WASHIINGTON TERRITORY.
ence of latitude and local peculiarities. It is, however, in all parts of the territory, much milder than in the same parallels of latitudes east of the Rocky Mountains.
The soil of all the prairie lands, with the exception of those directly around Puget
Sound, is exceedingly fertile. Those of the sound are of a sandy, gravelly nature,
not readily cultivated, but producing enormous fir and cedar trees. The soil on the
mountains is generally very rich; but the dense growth of forest deters the emigrant from attempting clearings on a large extent, as the fine, fertile plains and
prairie offer far greater inducements. Fruit of various kinds, particularly apples,
can be cultivated very readily, and in the greatest perfection. Indian corn does
not thrive well, as the seasons are not hot enough; but wheat, barley, oats, and
potatoes yield the most abundant crops, of the finest quality. The potatoes, in
particular, are surpassingly fine. The wheat grown on the Columbia, called
Oregon wheat, is known for its superior excellence.
Although the territory is a very mountainous country, yet there are many immense plains and prairies; and, by reference to the map, it will be seen that innumerable streams, like veins, permeate the whole region, and each of them, from the
largest to the smallest, flows in its course through rich and fertile plains, of various sizes, lying between the mountains. Governor Stevens, in January, 1854,
writing of the territory, says of the waters of Puget Sound, and the adjacent ones
of Hood's Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and Fuca Straits,' that their mnaritime advantages are very great, in affording a series of harbors almost unequaled in the world
for capacity, safety, and facility of access, and they are in the immediate neighborhood to what are now the best whaling grounds of the Pacific. That portion of
Washington Territory lying between the Cascade Mountains and the ocean,
although equaling, in richness of soil and ease of transportation, the best lands of
Oregon, is heavily timbered, and time and labor are required for clearing its forests and opening the earth to the production of its fruits. The great body of the
country, on the other hand, stretching eastward from that range to the Rocky
Mounta-ins, while it contains many fertile valleys and much land suitable to the
farmer, is yet more especially a grazing country-one which, as its population increases, promises, in its cattle, its horses, and, above all, its wool, to open a vast
field to American enterprise. But, in the meantime, the staple of the land must
continue to be the one which Nature herself has planted, in the inexhaustible forests of fir, of spruce, and of cedar. Either in furnishing manufactured timber, or
spars of the first description for vessels, Washington Territory is unsurpassed by
any portion of the Pacific coast.'
The internal improvements of Washington Territory are progressing as fast as
can be expected in a new and sparsely-populated country, situate so remote from
the general government. In 1853, Governor Isaac I. Stevens, the first governor of
the territory, surveyed a route for a Northern Pacific Railroad, and discovered t
pass near the sources of Ma[ria's River, suitable for a railroad, estimated to be
2,500 feet lower than the south pass of Fremont. It is generally admitted that
Governor Stevens' route is the best one for a railroad that has yet been discovered,
although the great, and, in fact the principal objection urged against it is that it is
tpo far north, and, consequently, will not suit the views nor accommodate the inhabitants of the more southern states and California.
There is no state in the Union that has so vast a communication by water as
Washington Territory-the Columbia River on its south, the Pacific on the west,
and the Straits of Fuca, Hood's Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and Puget Sound on the
north. There is not a safer entrance from the ocean in the world than Fuca
Straits; and the deep waters that flow through the whole of the inlets, bays, and
so0indls, enable ships of the largest class readily to approach Olvnympia.
Gold and silver quartz has recently been discovered in Cascade range, near
Natchez Pass, in immense deposits.
Coal has been discovered of a good quality.
Olympia is the capital of Washington. Population of the territory, in
1863, 12,519.
534
UTAH TERRITORY.
UTAH derives its name from that of a native Indian tribe, the Pah-Utahs.
It formed originally a part of the Mexican territory of Upper,California,
and was ceded to the United States by the treaty with Mexico, at the close
of the Mexican war. In 1850 it was erected into a territory by Congress.
"A large part of Utah is of volcanic origin. It is supposed, from certain
traditions and remains, to have been, many hundred years ago, the residence
of the Aztec nation-that they were driven south by the volcanic eruptions
which changed the face of the whole country. Eventually, they became the
possessors of' Mexico, where, after attaining great proficiency in the arts of
life, they were finally overthrown by the Spaniards at the time of the conquest.
Utah was not probably visited by civilized man until within the present
century. There were Catholic missionaries who may have just touched its
California border, and the trappers and hunters employed by the fur companies. The first establishment in Utah was made by William H. Ashley, a
Missouri fur-trader. In 1824, he organized an expedition which passed up
the valley of the Platte River, and through the cleft of the Rocky Mountains,
since called "The South P(ass;" and then advancing further west, he reached
the Great Salt Lake, which lies embosomed among lofty mountains. About
a hundred miles south-east of this, he discovered a smaller one, since known
as "Ashley's Lake." He there built a fort or trading post, in which he left
about a hundred men. Two years afterward, a six-pound piece of artillery
was drawn from Missouri to this fort, a distance of more than twelve hundred miles, and in 1828, many wagons, heavily laden, performed the same
journey.
During the three years between 1824 and 1827, Ashley's. men collected
and sent to St. Louis, furs from that region of country to an amount, in value,
of over $180,000. He then sold out all his interests to Messrs, Smith, Jackson, and Sublette. These energetic and determined men carried on for many
years an extensive and profitable business, in the course of which they traversed a large part of southern Oregon, Utah, California, and New Mexico
west of the mountains. Smith was murdered in the summer of 1829, by the
Indians north-west of Utah Lake. Ashley's Fort was long since abandoned,
Unfortunately, these adventurous men knew nothing of science, and but
little information was derived from them save vague reports which greatly
535
UTAH TERRITORY.
excited curiosity; this was only increased by the partial explorations of
Fremont.
In his second expedition, made in 1843, he visited the Great Salt La7ke,
which appears upon old Spanish maps as Lake Timpanogos and Lake Tegaya.
Four years after, in 1847, the Mormons emigrated to Utah, and commenced
the first regular settlement by whites. It was then an isolated region, nominally under the government of Mexico. They expected to found a Mormon
state here, and rest in quiet far firom the abodes of civilized man; but the
results of the Mexican war, the acquirement of thecountry by the United
States, with the discovery of gold in California, brought them on the line of
emigration across the continent, and more or less in conflict with the citizens
and general government.
Utah extended originally from the 37th to the 42d degrees of north latitude, and between the 107th and 120th degrees of west longitude, having a
breath of 300, and an average length, east and west, of 600 miles, containing an
area of about 180,000 square miles. It 1now has 110,000 square miles only.
"The main geographical characteristic of Utah is, that anomalous feature in our
continent, which is more Asiatic than American in its character, known as the
Great l3asin. It is about 500 miles long, east and west, by 275 in breadth, north
and south, and occtpies the greater part of the central and western portions of the
territory. It is clevated near 5.000 feet above the level of the sea, and is shut in
all around bv mountains with its own system of lakes and rivers; and what is a
striking feature, none of which hIave any connection with the ocean. The general
character of the basin is that of a desert. It has never been fully explored, but
so far as it has been, a portion of it is found to consist of arid and sterile plains,
another of undulating table lands, and a third of elevated mountains, a few of
whose summnits are capped with perpetual snow. These range nearly north and
south, and rise abruptly from a narrow base to a hight of from 2,000 to 5,000 feet.
Between these ranges of mountains are the arid plains, which deserve and receive
the name of desert. From the snow on their summnits and the showers of summer
originate small streams of water from five to fifty feet wide, which eventually lose
themselves, some in lakes, some in the alluvial soil at their base, and some in dry
plains. Among the most noted of these streams is Humboldt's or Mary's River,
well remembered by every California emigirant, down which he pursues his course
for three hundred miles, until it loses itself in the ground, at a place called St.
Mary's Sink, where its waters are of a poisonous character.
The Great Salt Lake and the Utah Lake are in this basin, toward its eastern
rim, and constitute its most interesting feature-one a saturated solution of common salt-the other fresh-the Utah about one hundred feet above the Salt Lake,
which is itself about 4,200 above the level of the sea; they are connected by Utah
River-or, as the Mormons call it, the Jordan-which is forty-eight miles in length.
These lakes drain an area of from ten to twelve thousand square miles.
The Utah is about thirty-five miles long, and is remarkable for the numerous and
bold streams which it receives, coming down from the mountains on the south-east,
all fresh water, although a large formation of rock-salt, imbedded in red clay, is
found within the area on the south-east, which it drains. The lake and its affluents
afford large trout and other fish in great numbers, which constitute the food of the
Utah Indians during the fishing season. The Great Salt Lake has a very irregular
outline greatly extended at time of melting snows. It is about seventy miles in
length; both lakes ranging north and south, in conformity to the range of the
mountains, and is remarkable for its predominance of salt. The whole lake water
seems thoroughly saturated with it, and every evaporation of the water lec-ves salt
behind. The rocky shores of the islands are whitened by the spray, which leaves
salt on everyth-ing it touches, and a covering like ice forms over the water which
the w-aves throw among the rocks. The shores of the lake, in the dry season, when
the waters recede, and especially on the south side, are whitened with incrustations of fine white salt; the shallow arms of the lake, at the same time under a
636
slight covering of briny water, present beds of salt for miles, resembling softened
ice, into which the horses' feet sink to the fetlock. Plants and bushes, blown by
the wind upon these fields, are entirely incrusted with crystallized salt, more than
an inch in thickness. Upon this lake of salt the fresh water received, though great
in quantity, has no perceptible effect. No fish or animal life of any kind is found
in it.
The Rio Colorado, with its branches, is about the only stream of note in Utah
which is not within the Great Basin. The only valleys supposed to be inhabitable
in the vast country in the eastern rim of the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains, are the valleys of the Uintah and Green Rivers, branches of the Colorado,
and whether even these are so, is extremely problematical. The country at the
sources of this great river is incapable of supporting any population whatever.
The climate of Utah is milder and drier in general than it is in the same parallel
on the Atlantic coast. The temperature in the Salt Lake Valley in the winter is
very uniform, and the thermometer rarely descends to zero. There is but little
rain in Utah, except on the mountains, from the 1st of May until the 1st of October; hence agriculture can only be carried on by irrigation.
In every portion of the territory where it has been attempted, artificial irrigation has been found to be indispensable; and it is confidently believed that no part
of it, however fertile, will mature crops without it, except perhaps on some small
patches on low bottoms. But limited portions, therefore, of even the most fertile
and warmest valleys, can ever be made available for agricultural purposes, and only
such as are adjacent to streams and are well located for irrigation. Small valleys
surrounded by high mountains, are the most abundantly supplied with water, the
streams being fed by melting snows and summer showers.
T'he greater part of Utah is sterile and totally unfit for agriculture, and is uninhlabited and uninhabitable, except by a few trappers and some roaming bands of
Indians, who subsist chiefly upon game, fish, reptiles, and mountain crickets. The
general sterility of the country is mainly owing to the want of rain during the
summer months, and partly from its being elevated several thousand feet above the
level of the sea.
The whole country is almost entirely destitute of timber. The little which there
is may be found on the side of the high, rocky mountains, and in the deep mountain gorges, whence issue the streams. On the table lands, the gently undulating
plains and the isolated hills, there is none. There are, however, small groves of
cotton-wood and box-alder on the bottoms of some of the principal streams.
A species of artemisia, generally known by the name of wild sage, abounds in
most parts of the country, where vegetation of any kind exists, but particularly
,Nhere there is not warmth and moisture sufficient to produce grass.
The Great Salt Lake Valley is the largest known in the Great Basin, being about
tne hundred and twenty miles long, and from twenty to forty broad, but the Salt
sake occupies much of its northern portion. The surface of its center is level,
ocending gently on either side toward the mountains. This valley is regarded as
oie of the healthiest portions of the globe; the air is very pure. Its altitude is
fcty-three hundred feet above the level of the sea; and some of the mountains on
th, east of the valley are more than a mile and a quarter high, and covered with
pepetual snow; while in the valley the thermometer frequently rises above one
tandred degrees.
y means of irrigation, the Mormon valleys are made productive. Wheat, rye,
batey, })uckwheat, oats and Indian corn are their agricultural products, and all
tlhegar(len vegetables peculiar to the middle and western states are grown. Tobaco and sweet potatoes can be produced in limited quantities. The system of
irri,ation prevents rust or smut striking the crop, and renders it sure.'T'he territoryof the Mormons is a stock-raising country, and they are, to a great extent, a
pastral people. We find here that cereal anomaly, the bunch grass. It grows
vnly)n the bottoms of the streams, and on the tablelands of the warmest and most
ferti valleys. It is of a kind peculiar to cold climates and elevated countries, and
is, w presume, the same as the gqrania of New Mexico. In May, when the other
grasss start, this fine plant dries upon its stalk, and becomes a light yellow straw,
full 0 flavor and nourishment. It continues thus through what are the dry months
537
UTAH TERRITORY.
of the climate until January, and then starts with a vigorous growth, like that of
our own winter wheat in April, which keeps on until the return of another May.
Whether as straw or grass, the cattle fatten on it the year round. The numerous
little dells and sheltered spots that are found in the mountains are excellent sheep
walks. Hogs fatten on a succulent bulb or tuber, called the seacoe or seegose root,
which is hi,hly esteemed as a table vegetable by the Mormons."
The population of Utah has been nearly stationary for many years, and is
composed almost entirely of Mormons. Population of Utah, in 1860, was
50,000.
View in Sctlt Lakle City.
The large block on the left contains the Church, Store, and Tithing Office, where one tenth of all th,
produce is contributed to the Church Fund. On the extreme right is the IHarem of Brigham Yoiunig, th,
famous "Lion House," so called from the statues of lions in front. The Wasatch MIountains are seen ii
the back ground.
SALT LAIKE CITY is pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity near the basof a mountain, about two miles east of the Utah outlet, or the River Jordal,
and about twenty-two miles south-east of the Salt Lake. " It is, nearly en
the same latitude with New York City, and is, by air lines, distant from Naw
York 2,100 miles; from St. Louis, 1,200; from San Francisco, 550; aid
from Oregon City and Santa Fe, each 600. During five months of the ytar
it is shut out from all communication with the north, east, or west, by moontains rendered impassable from snow. Through the town runs a beautful
brook of cool, limpid water, called City creek. The city is laid out reularly, on an extensive scale; the streets crossing each other at right anes,
and being each eight rods wide. Each lot contains an acre and a quarte of
ground, and each block or square eight lots. Within the city are four plblic
squares. The city and all the farming lands are irrigated by stream of
beautiful water, which flow from the adjacent mountains. These strams
have been, with great labor and perseverance, led in every direction. It the
city, they flow on each side of the different streets, and their waters ae let
upon the inhabitants' gardens at regular periods, so likewise upon the aten sive fields of grain lying to the south. The greater part of the houses vhich
538
UTAH TERRITORY.
UTAH TERRITORY.
had been built up to the close of 1850, were regarded as merely temporary;
most of them were small but commodious, being, in general, constructed of
adobe or sun-dried brick. Among the public buildings are a house for public worship, a council-house, a bath-house at the Warm Spring; and they
are erecting another temple more magnificent than that they formerly had at
Nauvoo. Public free-schools are established in the different wards into
which the city is divided. East of the city a mile square is laid off for a
State University."
lon. John Cradlebaugh, late assistant judge of the Territory of Utah,
gives this sketch of the Mormons, their origin, doctrines, practices, and
crimes:
Exteot of Jfo?rnionism-The Mormon people have possessed themselves of this
country, and although their history has been but a brief one, yet their progress
has been so great as to attract the attention of the world. Although they have
not existed more than the third of a century, yet we find that they have been
enabled to encompass the globe itself with missionaries. Although they have existed l)ut a few years, we find them rising from a single family to be now what they
call a great nation. They claim to be a nation independent of all other nations.
They have set up a church government of their own, and they desire no othergovernnent to rule over them.
It becomes necessary to know what this Mormonism is, that has thus attracted
these deluded people to that country, to seize this empire and to attempt to establish for themselves a government independent of the world.
Mormonism, in the view that I take of it, is a religious eccentricity, as well as
one of the great monstrosities of the age. It is not the first, however, of the religiouts monstrosities and impositions thatwe have had. Other religious impositions
have been invented by men expert in tricks. Knowledge and civilization go mioving on at a slow pace, and yet make gradual progress; and every ray of light that
is shed shows us the gross absurdity of these frauds in religion. The idols of
wood and stone have fallen from the sacred places which they formerly occupied,
to be trampled under the feet of their former worshipers, and the cunning devices
of a more enlightened age have given way to a purer creed. The majority of the
heathen practices of the dark ages have disappeared before an enlightened Christianity. But an epoch came when mankind were fast relapsing into a painful state
of ignorance; and about that time arose that boldest and most successful of all imposters, Mlohammed, who, incorporating old and cherished doctrines into a voluptuous creed, went abroad with his sword in one hand and the Koran in the other,
conquering and to conquer. This was done when darkness reigned on the earth;
but in this nineteenth century, favored as it is by the light of a true religion, distinguished as it is by its general knowledge, and refined as it is beyond all precedent and parallel, a religious imposture grosser than all its predecessors, is being
successfully palmed off on mankind; not in the deserts of some unknown land;
not in a secret corner of the earth; but in free America, where every man can
worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and under his own
vine and fig tree.
_M(ro?oi Doct}inses.-This grotesque, absurd, and monstrous system, thus openly
paraded before the world, is Mormonism. It is a conglomeration of illy cemented
creeds from other religions. It repudiates the celibacy imposed by the,Catholic
religion upon its priesthood, and takes instead the voluptuous imposition of the
MAlohammedan Church. It preaches openly that the more wives and children its
men have in this world, the purer, and more influential and conspicuous they will
be in the next; that his wives, his property, and his children will be restored to
hlim, and even doubled to him at the resurrection. It adopts the use of prayers for
the dead and baptism as parts of its creed. They claim to be favored with marveloutis gifts, the power of speaking in tongues, of casting out devils, of curing the
rick and healing the lame and the halt; they also claim to have a living prophet,
539
UTAH TERRITORY.
seer, or revelator; they recognize the Bible, but they interpret it for themselves,
and hold that it is subject to be changed by new revelation, which they say supersedes old revelation. One of their doctrines is that of continued progression to
ultimate perfection. They say that God was but a man who went on developing
and increasing until he reached his present high capacity; and they teach that
good Mormons will be equal to Him-in a word, that good Mormons will become
gods. Their elders
teach the shedding of
blood for the remis sion of sins; or, in
,/_~ ~ ~ ~other words, that if a
/=_,, == -—:- = _ \ Mormon apostatises,
that his throat shall
_______~~'__ =be cut and his blood
I ________________~~_ ipoured on the ground
to save him from his
sin. They also prac
_i c Tihey holad that the
prophiet's revelations
are binding on their
cosines, and that
A MORMON IIARFMi. they must obey him
in all things. They
claim to be the people peculiarly chosen of God, and have christened themselves
"The Church of Jesus-the Latter Day Saints." They claim that Mormonism is
to go on spreading until it overthrows all the nations of the earth; and that, if necessary, it shall be propagated by the sword; and that, in progress of time, all the
world shall be subject to it. Jackson county, Missouri, whence they were
driven for their great crimes, is called their Zion, and their prophets have prophesied that there shall the saints from throughout all the world be assembled, and
from that Zion shall proceed a power that shall dethrone kings, subvert dynasties,
and subjupgate all the nations of the earth.
Ocsigi?i.-This wretche schd sect had its origin in an eccentricity of a man named
Spaulding, who had failed as a preacher and as a shopkeeper, and who thought he
would write an historical novel. He had a smattering of Biblical knowledge, and
he chose for his subject "the history of the lost tribes of Israel." oThe whole was
supposed to be communicated by Indians, and the last of the series was named
Mormon, representing that he had buried the book. It was a large, ponderous vol ume, dull, tedious and interminable, marked by ignorance and folly. Spaulding
made many efforts to get it printed, but the work was so utterly flat, stupid and
insipid, that no publisher would undertake to bring it before the world. Poor
Spaulding at length went to his grave, and his manuscript remained a neglected roll
in the possession of his widow.
But now arose Joe Smith, more ready to live by his wits than by the labor of his
hands. This Smith early in life manifested a turn for pious frauds. He had been
engaged in several wrestling matches with the devil, and had been conspicuous fo his wonderful experiences in religion at certain revivals. He announced that he
had dugl up the book of Mormon, that taught the true religion, and this was none
other but the poor Spaulding manuscript, which hlie had purloined from the hous
of the widow. In his unscrupulous hands the manuscript of Spaulding was dc
signed to cause an august apostacy; he made it the basis of Mormonism.
Polygamy Ilntroduced.-Before the death of Smith, he had made polygamy
dogma of the Mormon creed, and made it known to a few of the leaders, and hc
and they proceeded to put it to practice. It was only after they had placed th.
desert and the Rocky Mountains between them and civilization that they confesses
540
UTAH TERRITORY.
it Then they not only confessed it, but openly and boldly advocated it as a part
:f the religion of Utah. Polygamy then is now the rule, monogamy is the exception to the rule among them. This doctrine is preached from the pulpit-it is
.aught everywhere.
Editcationt and Habits.-Thlie little education the children get consists in pre)aring them for the reception of polygamy. To prepare the women for the recepion of the revolting practice it is necessary to brutalize them by destroying their
nodestv. The sentiment of love is ridiculed, cavalier gallantry and attentions are
augheal at, the emblematic devices of lovers and the winning kindness that with
is they dote on are hooted at in Utah. The lesson they are taught, and that is in:ulcated above all others, is "increase and multiply," in order that Zion may be
lled. The young people are familiarized to indecent exposures of all kinds; the
Iormons call their wives their cattle.
A man is not considered a good Mormon that does not uphold polygamy by pre.ept and example, and he is a suspected Miormon that does not practice it. l'he
,igher the man is in the church the more wives he has. Bri(gham Young and
teber Kimball are supposed to have each between fifty and a hundred. The rev:rend Mormon bishops, apostles, and the presidents of states have as many as they
'esire, and it is a common thing to see these hoary-headed old Turks surrounded
y a troop of robust young wives. The common people take as many as they can
support, anrid it is not uncommon to see a house of two rooms inhabited by a man,
,is half-dozen of wives, and a proportionate number of children, like rabbits in a
,arren, and resembling very much the happy family that we read of-the prairie
'og, the owlI, and the rabbit. Incest is common. Sometimes the same man has a
laughter and her mother for wives at once; some have as wives their own nieces,
nd Aalion Johnson, of Springville, one of the most influential men in his parts,
.as in his haremn of twelve women no less than five of his brothers' daughters.
)ne Aatts, a Scotchman, who is one of the church reporters, is married to his
Awn half-sister.
The ill-assorted children-the offspring of one father and many mothers-run
bout like so many wild animals. The first thing they do, after learning vulgarity,
to wear a leather belt with a butcher-knife stuck in it; and the next is to steal
rom the Gentiles; then to ride animals; and as soon as they can, "by hook or by
rook," get a horse, a pair of jingling Mexican spurs and a revolver, they are then
lormon cavaliers, and are fit to steal, rob, and murder emigrants. The women
nd girls are coarse, masculine and uneducated, and are mostly drafted from the
)west stages of society. It is but seldom you meet handsome or attractive women
mong them.
The foreign element largely predominates in Utah. The persons emigrating to
he territory are generally from the mining, manufacturing and rural districts of
:n,land. The American portion of the Mormons are generally shrewder than the
est, and are chiefly from the New England states. Most of these men are no
oubt fugitives from justice, and most of them are bankrupt in both fortune and
haracter.
The three presidents of the church, or rather the president, Brigham Young,
nd his two council, Kimball and Grant, are all Americans; eleven of the twelve
postles are Americans. The foreigners are generally hewers of wood and the
rawers of water for the church and its dignitaries. The church is everything.
t is not only an ecclesiastical institution, but it is a political engine; it not only
laims to control Mormons in their spiritual matters, but to dictate to them as to
'eic disposition of their temporal affairs. The church, by its charter, can receive,
old or sell any amount of property; the charter provides for one trustee, and
welve assistant trustees, and Brigham Young is trustee, president of the church,
rophet, seer, revelator, and, the commission of the United States to the contrary
otwithstanding, he is the real governor of the territory. All Mormons are reuired to yield to him implicit obedience.
Each Mormon has to pay into the church one tenth part of all he produces, so
Fiat if a good Mormon sow bears ten pigs, one is a pious pig, because it belongs
) the church. To collect these tithes officers have to be appointed, and to gather
;,e results together a great central depot has to be maintained. and it is situated
541
in Great Salt Lake City, within Brigham's own walls; and the corn, butter, eggs,
and all sorts of produce that is conveyed there and stored would spoil unless it was
disposed of; and so we find that they need stores, and in Salt Lake City we find
an enormous store, with the sign "Deseret Store." So it is, the church is a trader.
The Angelic Host.-Connected with the Mormon church is a band of men known
as "the Danites," or "the avenging angels." This band is composed of the boldest of the Mormon ruffians. They are bound together by dreadful oathls; they are
the executioners of the church, carrying out its vengeance against apostates and
offenders against the church discipline; and all church enemies are dealt with by
these men, generally in a secret and terrible manner. None but God, Brigham
Young and themselves know the names of their victims, or the number.
Missioits and Missionaries.-The Mormon Church is recruited by means of missiondries yearly sent out in large numbers throughout the earth, to preach and
propagate the Mormon religion. These missionaries are not selected, as are the
missionaries of other sects, for their piety and devotion, or for their general fitness,
but as a punishment for some offense against the discipline of the church. The
doctrine is that they are good enough to go into the world, for if they send good
men they will not-believe them, and on that account they send their bad men off
as teachers and missionaries.
The missionaries are usually supported by voluntary contributions raised from
the ignorant proselytes that they make. They picture Utah as a paradise, the Mormons as saints, and Brigham Young as their prophet; they promise their prophet
will heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and comfort to the afflicted; to the
wealthy they promise wealth, and preferment is for the ambitious, while social
standing is to be given to the degraded of both sexes, and polygamy is the paradise
of all.
Receiving Proselytes.-These missionaries, when sent on missions, if successful,
are commanded to bring their proselytes with them to Zion. They are generally
taken in large trains, and the arrival of one of these emigrant trains is hailed as a
great event. Women that are young and pretty are greedily caught up by the
apostles and dignitaries to swell their harems.
The Foreign Element.-As I have said, the Mormons are chiefly foreigners; and
rude, ignorant foreigners they are. They have not the first conceptions of their
duties to our government, or of their duties as American citizens. They come to
Zion, but they do not come to America. What do they care for our government
or for our people? The first lesson taught them is to hate our people for their
oppression, and to hate all other people for they are Gentiles. They are next sworn
to support the church and the government established in Utah, and bear an eternal hostility against every other government on the face of the earth. Their next
lesson is to revere Brigham Young as both the religious and political head and
ruler. Their allegiance is alone due to him; he tells them they are separate and
distinct from all other nations-made up from many nations; and he said but thu
other day, "we have been looked upon as a nation by our neighbors, independent
of all other people on the face of the earth, and in their dealings they have dealt
with us as such." He tells them the present connection of Utah with the United
States is only nominal, and it is barely permitted by God until things shall be fitted
for the universal establishment of Mormon ascendency.
All these things considered, is it to be wondered at that the Mormons are disloyal to this government, and that treason should insolently rear its crest in Utah?
The ignorant of the Mormons do not know what treason is. They obey their
leaders, and these leaders are alone responsible for their acts. If B3righam Young,
his counselors and bishops, and twelve apostles, and his generals had been seized
and hung, you would never more have heard of treason in Utah; but while the Mor mon captains were at the head of their troops, while the Danites were armed with
their butcher knives, and while the prophet hurled anathemas against the presi dent, the government, and the people of the United States, and while the Mormon
people were in arms against the people of the United States, came a free pardon
to all the traitors, big and little.
Three thousand of the federal troops were sent [in 1858] to Utah, and they have
been kept there at a great expense to the government. The government has not
642
UTAH TERRITORY.
only refrained from punishing, but it has, through the vast amounts expended for
the troops, which went into the MAormron coffers, enriched and built up the territory. When the troops went to Utah, the Mormons were naked and almost starving, poor and wrangling; but now they are clothed, and money circulates freely
amnong them. Treason is lucky, and traitors prosper. Not only are they freely
pardoned, but they are rewarded with pockets full of gold. When treason is thus
dealt with, traitors will be numerous indeed.
Ai Irrepressible Conflict.-Attempts to administer the laws of the United States
have been made by the three sets of the United States judges. These experiments
have all proved to be failures. The concurrent testimony of all the judges is that
the Federal constitution and laws can not be successfully administered. There is
a complete repugnance and antagonism between our institutions and the Mormon
institutions. The church, through its rulers, claims to supervise the spiritual and
temporal relations of the people. Whether it be in the place of business, in the
jury-box, on the witness stand, on the judge's bench, or in the legislative chair,
the Mormon is bound to obey the heads of the church. If the constitution of the
United States, or the organic law of the territory conflicts, the constitution is
treated as a nullity; if the laws of the United States contravene the ordinances
of Utah, the law is disregarded. The will of the prophet is the supreme law in
Utah.
Mormon grand and petit juries, on being impanneled, would go through the
forms of business, but do nothing, while murder and other felonies abounded.
When warrants are issued for the parties accused, they can not be arrested, forthe
entire church and the whole community united in concealing and protecting the
offender. Witnesses are prevented by church orders from appearing before the
grand jury, or are forcibly detained. Grand juries refuse to find bills upon testimony the most conclusive, for most of the crimes have been committed by the
order of the church; and to expose them would be to expose and punish the church
and the functionaries of the church.
The most noted of all the atrocities committed by the Mormons was the
"IMoui~ltaini Ifeadow Massacre." This event occurred in the autumn of 1857,
when about 140 emigrants, inoffensive, peaceful men, women and children,
on their way overland from Arkansas to California, were waylaid by the
Danite band of Mormons and their Indian allies, and butchered in cold blood.
Some of the little children were spared, and afterward recovered from the
BMormons; and from their lips these particulars were gathered. A correspondent of Harpers' Weekly, for August 13, 1859, presents this narrative,
which is substantially true, and otherwise indubitably corroborated:
"A train of Arkansas emigrants, with some few Missourians, said to number
forty men, with their families, were on their way to California, through the Territory of Utah, and had reached a series of grassy valleys, by the Mormons called
the Mountain Meadows, where they remained several days recruiting their animals.
On the night of Sept. 9, not suspecting any danger, as usual they quietly retired
to rest, little dreaming of the dreadful fate awaiting and soon to overtake them.
On the morning of the 10th, as, with their wives and familes, they stood around
their camp-fires passing the congratulations of the morning, they were suddenly
fired upon from an ambush, and at the first discharge fifteen of the best men are
said to have fallen dead or mortally wounded.'To seek the shelter of their corral
was but the work of a moment, but there they found but limited protection.
The encampment, which consisted of a number of tents and a corral of forty
wagons and ambulances, lay on the west bank of, and eight or ten yards distant
from, a large spring in a deep ravine, running southward; another ravine, also,
branching from this, and facing the camp on the south-west; overlooking them on
the north-west, and within rifle-shot, rises a large mound commanding the corral,
upon which parapets of stone, with loop-holes, have been built. Yet another ravine, larger and deeper, faces them on the east, which could be entered without
exposure from the south and far end. Having crept into these shelters in the darkness of the night, the cowardly assailants fired upon their unsuspecting victims,
543
UTAH TERRITORY.
UTAH TERRITORY.
thus making a beginning to the most brutal butchery ever perpetrated upon this
continent.
Surrounded by superior numbers, and by an unseen foe, we are told tho little
party stood a siege within the corral of five or seven days, sinking their wagon
wheels in the ground, and during the darkness of night digging trenches, within
which to shelter their wives and children. A large spring of cool water bubbled
up from the sand a few yards from them, but deep down in the ravine, and so well
protected that certain death marked the trail of all who dared approach it. The
wounded were dying of thirst; the burning brow and parched lip marked the delirium of fever; they tossed from side to side with anguish; the sweet sound of
the water, as it murmured along its pebbly bed, served but to highten their keenest suffering. But what was this to the pang of leaving to a cruel fate their helpless
children! Some of the little ones, who though too young to remember in after
years, tell us that they stood by their parents, and pulled the arrows from their
bleeding wounds.
Long had the brave band held together; but the cries of the wounded sufferers
must prevail. For the first time, they are (by four Mormons) offered their lives if
they will lay down their arms, and gladly they avail themselves of the proffered
mercy. Within a few hundred yards of the corral faith is broken. Disarmed and
helpless, they are fallen upon and massacred in cold blood. The savages, who had
been driven to the hills, are again called down to what was denominated the'job,'
which more than savage brutality had begun.
Women and children are now all that remain. Upon these, some of whom had
been violated by the Mormon leaders, the savage expends his hoarded vengeance.
By a Mormon who has now escaped the threats of the Church we are told that the
helpless children clung around the knees of the savages, offering themselves as
slaves; but with fiendish laughter at their cruel tortures, knives were thrust into
their bodies, the scalp torn from their heads, and their throats cut from ear to ear."
Beside Salt Lake City, the other principal Mormon settlements are Fillmore City, the capital, Brownsville, Provo, Ogden, Manti, and Parovan.
544
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
NEW MEXICO is older than any English settlement in North America. It
was a Spanish province in the century before the cavaliers had landed at
Jamestown, and the Puritans had trod the snow-clad rock of Plymouth. In
1530, Nuno de Guzman, president of Mexico or New Spain, had in his ser vice an Indian, a native of a country called Tejos or Texos, probably the
present Texas, who informed him that when a boy he used to accompany his
father, a merchant, on trading expeditions to a people in a country in the far
interior, when the latter, in exchange for handsome feathers to ornament
their heads, obtained great quantity of gold and silver; that, on one occasion, he had seen seven large towns, in which were entire streets occupied by
people working in precious metals. That to get there, it was necessary to
travel forty days through a wilderness, where nothing was to be obtained excepting short grass, and then penetrate into the interior of the country by
keeping due north. Fired by these reports, Guzman organized an army of
400 Spaniards and 20,000 Indians, to penetrate this land of gold. He
started from Mexico and went as far as Culiacan, the limit of his government, when the obstacles were such, in passing the mountains beyond, that
his people deserted in great numbers. Moreover, he heard that his personal
enemy, Hernando Cortez, was returning to Mexico, loaded with titles and
favors. He gave up the expedition, and was soon after thrown into prison;
and the Tejos Indian died.
In 1528, Pamphilo Narvaez, the unfortunate rival of Hernando Cortez,
being appointed governor of Florida, set sail from St. Domingo with 400
men in five ships, for that coast. The expedition was tragic in its results.
Soon after discovering the mouth of the Mississippi, all had perished but
three; some from hunger, some by shipwreck, and some by the hostility of
the natives.
* There only survived Cabeza de Vaca, boatmaster, Esteva Dorantes, an
Arabian negro, and Castillo Maldonado. At the end of eight years, these
three men reached Mexico, having traversed on foot the American continent
from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean. They related their adventures,
declared that they had met with Indian tribes, some of whom cultivated
maize, while others lived on fish and the produce of the chase; that they
had heard of large towns with lofty houses containing many stories, and situated in the same direction as those spoken of by the Tejos Indian."
35 545
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
MIendosa, the viceroy of New Spain, had these three travelers brought before himi, and communicated the information they gave him to Francisco
Vasquez Coronado, governor of the province of Culiacan, the chief town of
which, Culiacan, was 68 miles west of Mexico. In March, 1539, Coronado
sent forward an exploring expedition under Father MIarcos, in company with
two other monks, the negro Esteva above spoken of, and some friendly Indians.
As he journeyed along, Father Marcos met entire populations, who received him with pleasure, and presented him with provisions and flowers.
Hle passed into the valley of the Sonora. "The inhabitants of this valley
were numerous and intelligent; the women wore petticoats of tanned deerskin. Every morning the caciques ascended little eminences, and, for above
an hour, would indicate aloud what each was to do during the day. At their
religious ceremonies they stuck arrows around their temples, resembling in
this the Zunis of the present day, who sometimes stick them round their
altars and tombs. Father Marcos found, on the borders of this desert, other
Indians, who were greatly surprised to see him, for they had not the slightest idea of the Christians. Some of them would try to touch his garments,
and would call him Soyota, which signifies, Mian come down from heaven.
Those Indians told him that, should he continue his route, he would soon
enter a very extensive plain, full of large towns, which were inhabited by
people clad in cotton, wearing gold rings and earrings, and making use of
little blades of the same metal to scrape the perspiration off their bodies.
Although the information given by Father Marcos is rather vague, and
though it is scarcely possible to state precisely the route he followed, or to
indicate the geographical positions of the countries he passed through, it is
probable that the plain here spoken of is that of the Rio de Las Casas
Grande, situated 150 miles east of the Rio Sonora, which is to this day all
covered with imposing ruins, reminding one of handsome and populous
cities."
After a few days march, Father Marcos arrived at Vacapa, now known as
Magdalena, in Sonora, near the American line, a short distance below Tubac,
Arizona. Here Father Marcos remained to rest himself, among a friendly
people; but finding the negro, Esteva, was abusing hospitality, by miscon
ducting himself toward the native women, he sent him forward to make dis coveries and report. Four days afterward, the negro dispatched to Marcos
an Indian messenger, who related wonderful things of a large town, called
Cibola, known in the present day as Zuni, and westward of Santa Fe. "Ac cording to the fashion of his tribe, the messenger's face, breast, and arms,
were painted. Those Indians, whom the Spaniards called Pintados, lived on
the frontiers of the seven towns forming the kingdom of Cibola; their de scendants, now called Papagos and Pimas, still reside in the same country,
which extends from the valley of Santa Cruz to the Rio Gila. Cibola, the
first of the seven towns and capital of the kingdom of that name, was situ ated thirty days' journey from Vacapa. The Pintados said'they often went
there, and were employed in tilling the ground, and received for their wages
turquoises and tanned hides.
An Indian of this town told Father Marcos, that'Cibola was a great city,
densely peopled, with a great number of streets and squares; that in soiree
quarters there were very large houses, with ten stories, where the chieftains
assembled, at certain times of the year, to discuss public affairs. The doors
and fronts of those houses were adorned with turquoises. The inhabitants
...,
546
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
had white skin, like the Spaniards, and wore wide cotton tunics that reached
to their feet. These garments were fastened round the neck by means of a
button, and were ornamented at the waist with a belt studded with very fine
turquoises. Over those tunics some wore excellent cloaks, and others very
richly wrought cow-hides.' The same Indian added:'that toward the
south-east, there existed a kingdom called Marata, with large populations
and considerable towns, the houses of which had several stories; that these
peoples were continually at war with the sovereign of the seven towns; and
that, in the direction of the south-west, on the Rio Verde, was another kingdom, called Totonteac, which was as wealthy as it was densely peopled, and
whose inhabitants were dressed in fine cloth.' Although these narratives
were exaggerated, it is not less a fact that all those countries were thickly
peopled, intersected with roads, and studded with towns."
Having rested himself, Father Marecs pushed forward to rejoin his negro,
and was everywhere welcomed by the natives until he had reached, on the
9th of May, the last desert that separated him from Cibola. He there had
stopped to dine at a farm house, when he was astonished by the entrance of
Esteva's companions, covered with perspiration, faint and trembling from
fatigue and fear. He reported that Esteva had been imprisoned, and then
killed by the people of Cibola, together with several of his Indian followers.
The negro, probably, had been guilty of some misconduct. Marcos, in consternation, took the back track to Culiacan.
"Captain-General Vasquez Coronado, encouraged by the accounts given by
Father Mlarcos, and hoping to discover new territories, at once organized in New
Spain a little army, which assembled at Composteila, and on the day following
Easter, 1540, he put himself at the head of his troops, composed of 150 horsemen,
200 archers, and 800 Indians. Having reached Culiacan, the army halted to take
rest. At the end of a fortnight, Coronado moved forward, accompanied by fifty
horsemen, a few foot soldiers, and his best friends, among whom was Father Marcos. The command of the remainder of the troops was confided to Don Tristan
d'Arellano, with orders to leave fifteen days after, and to follow the same route as
the captain-general.
After a month of fatigue and of privations of all kinds, Vasquez Coronado arrived at Chichilticale. This name, which signifies Red Town, was given to this
locality because a large house of that color was to be seen there, which was inhabited by an entire tribe that came from Cibola, where the last desert begins. At
this place the Spaniards lost several horses, and even some men, from want of food.
Nevertheless, encouraged by their chief, they continued their march, and, a fortnight after they had left Chichilticale, they arrived within twenty-six miles of Cibola. They saw for the first time the natives of this singular kingdom; but the
latter immediately took to flight, spreading the alarm throughout the country by
means of great fires which they kindled on the high mountains-a custom in use
to this day among the tribes of New Mexico.
Next day, Coronado came within sight of Cibola; the inhabitants of the province
had all assembled and awaited the Spaniards with a steady attitude. Far from
accepting the proposals of peace which were offered to them, they threatened the
interpreters with death. The Spaniards then, crying out,'San Jago! San Jago!'
attacked the Indians with impetuosity, and notwithstanding a vigorous resistance,
Coronado entered the town of Cibola as conqueror."
The remainder of the troops, under dArellano, after a march of 975 miles by
a different route, in which they crossed many rivers flowingf into the California
Gtilf, rejoined the main army at Cibola. On their way they founded the town of
Saii HJieronymo, and in that vicinitv found Indian agricultural tribes who tamed
eagles, as is yet the custom among some tribes of New Mexico.
Coronado now sent Alvarado, his lieutenant, to conquer the province of Tiguex,
on the Rio Grande, which he subdued after a campaign of fifty days. "it con
547
tained twelve towns governed by a council of old men. The whole community
helped to construct each house; the women made the mortar and built up the walls,
and the men brought the wood and prepared the timbers. Underneath the houses
and the court-yards were subterraneous stoves, or drying-places, paved with large
polished flagstones. In the middle was a furnace on which they threw, from time
to time, a handful of thyme, which was sufficient to keep up an intense heat there,
so that one felt as if in a bath. The men spent a considerable part of their time
in those places; but the women could not enter there, except to carry food to their
husbands or sons. The men spun, wove, and attended to the tillage of their
grounds; the women occupied themselves with the care of their children and household affairs; they were the mistresses of the house and kept it remarkably clean.
In the large houses, each family had several rooms; one served as a sleeping-room,
another as a kitchen, and a third for the purpose of grinding wheat. In the latter
was an oven and three large stones; three women would seat themselves before
these stones; the first would crush the grain, the second bruise it, and the third
pulverize it completely. While they were thus employed, a man, seated at the
door, played on a kind of bagpipes, and the women worked to measure, all three
singing together, and marking the rhythm by striking with their tools the wheat
they were grinding."
The young girls went wholly naked during even the most severe weather, and
were not allowed to cover themselves until they were married. The object of this
was that their shame might be exposed in case they misbehaved-a kind of a guard
to chastity. "The young people could only enter the married state with the permission of the old men who governed the town. The young man had then to spin
and weave a mantle; when completed, the girl who was destined to become his
bride was brought to him; he wrapped the mantle round her shoulders and she
thus became his wife.
From Tiguex, the Spaniards went to Cicuye-now called Pecos-which they also
subdued. From thence, Coronado started for Quivira, with a few men chosen
among his best soldiers, postponing, until the following spring, the conquest of the
iwhole province. In 1542, the Spaniards found themselves masters of almost all
New Mexico, whose center was formed by the province of Tiguex, around which
were grouped seventy-one towns distributed among fourteen provinces, viz: Cibola,
which contained seven towns; Tucayan, seven; A.cuco, one; Tiguex, twelve; Cutahaco, eight; Quivix, seven; the Snowy Mountains, seven; Ximena, three; Cicuye,
one; Hemes, seven; Aquas Calientes, three; Yuque-yunque, six; Braba, one, and
Chia, one. Besides these seventy-one towns, there were many others scattered
outside this circle; as also several tribes living in tents."
In April, 1543, Coronado returned with his followers to Culiacan. "Juan de
Padilla, of the order of Saint Francis, preferred remaining at Quivira to preach the
gospel to the Indians, and became a martyr. Brother Luis, of the same order,
went to Cicuye, but was never more heard of. Such was the end of this expedi tion, which, instead of having a favorable result for the Spaniards, only tended to
arouse against them the profound antipathy of the natives, who had been very ill treated by the conquerors.
In ]1581, a band of adventurers, commanded by Francisco de Leyva Bonillo, took
possession of part of the province of Tiguex, and finding its productions, riches,
and inhabitants very like those of Mexico, they called it New Mexico."*'
"In the year 1595, Don Juan de Onate de Zacatecas, at the head of a band of
two hundred soldiers, established the first legal colony in the province, over which
he was established as governor. He took with him a number of Catholic priests
to establish missions among the Indians, with power sufficient to promulgate the
gospel at the point of the bayonet, and administer baptism by the force of arms.
The colony progressed rapidly; settlements extended in every quarter; and, as
tradition relates, many valuable mines were discovered and worked. The poor In
Abridged from Domenech's Seven Years' Residence in the Deserts of North America
The Abbe Domenech derived this history mainly from the "Narrative of the Expedition to
Cibola; by Pedro de Castaneda Nagera." He was in Coronado's army, and this narrative
was published in Paris in 1837.
648
N,F,W MEXICO TERRITORY.
dians were enslaved, and, under the lash, were forced to most laborious tasks in
the mines, until goaded to desperation. In the summer of 1680, a general insurrection of all the tribes and Pueblos took place throughout the province. General
hostilities having commenced, and a large number of Spaniards massacred all over
the province, the Indians laid siege to the capital, Santa Fe, which the governor
woas obliged to evacuate, and retreat south three hundred and twenty miles, where
the refugees then founded the town of El Paso del Norte. For ten years the country remained in possession of the Indians, when it was reconquered by the Spaniards. In 1698, the Indians rose, but the insurrection was soon quelled. After
this they were treated with more humanity, each pueblo being allowed a league or
two of land, and permitted to govern themselves. Their rancorous hatred for their
conquerors, however, never entirely subsided; yet no further outbreak occurred
until 1837. In that year a revolution took place, by which the government of the
country was completely overthrown, and most atrocious barbarities committed by
the insurgents, including the Pueblo Indians. The governor, Perez, was savagely
put to death-his head cut off and used as a football by the insurgents in their
amp. The ex-governor, Abrew, was butchered in a more barbarous manner. His
hands were cut off; his tongue and eyes were pulled out; his enemies, at the same
,ime, taunting him with opprobrious epithets The next season Mexican authority
wvas again established over the province."
The first American who ever crossed the desert plains, intervening between
New Mexico and the settlements on the Mississippi River, was one James
Pursley. While wanrdering over the wild and then unexplored regions west
_f the Mississippi, he fell in with some Indians near the head-waters of the
Platte River, in the Rocky Mountains, whom he accompanied, in 1805, to
anta Fe, where he remained several years. In 1804, a merchant of Kas:askia, named Morrison, having heard by the trappers, through the Indians,
:,f this isolated province, dispatched a FE-ench Creole, named La Lande, with
omne goods,,up the Platte, with directions to make his way to Santa Fe. La
anode never returned to his employer, to account for the proceeds of his
-dventure, but settled in Santa Fe, grew rich by trading, and died some 20
ears after. In, 1806, the celebrated Captain Pike visited this country: his
.xciting descriptions, as given in his narrative, roused the western country,
-nd eventually led to the overland trade, by caravans, with western Missouri,
nown as the Santa Fe trade, which finally grew into an immense business,
mploying an army of wagoners, and amounting in annual value to four or
ve millions of dollars. Santa Fe was not entirely the consumer of these
mnportations, but rather the depot from whence they were distributed to
,hihuahua and other portions of northern Mexico.
When Texas achieved her independence she included New Mexico within
he statutory limits of the republic, although Santa Fe had never been conuered or settled by Texans. A desert or uninhabited country of 600 miles
ntervened between Austin, the Texan capital, and Santa Fe. The Texans
.ished to divert the overland trade which was going on between the Misourians and the New Mexicans to their country, and their secretary of war
roposed, as a preparatory step, the construction of a military road from
ustin to Santa Fe. In the spring of 1841, extensive preparations were
lade in Texas for an armed visit to Santa Fe, the objects being to induce
hle New Mexicans to acknowledge the right of Texas to complete jurisdicioi over them, and to open a trade with the people. On the 20th of June,
70 armed Texans, under Gen. Hugh M'Leod, started from Brushy creek,
ear Austin, en route for Santa Fe. This expedition, known as the "Santa
-'e expedition," was unfortunate in its results. The upshot of it was, that
,ey encountered great hardships on the deserts, and were finally, when in a
~lf starved condition, near San Miguel, induced by treachery to surrender
519
NEW MEXICO TERRITOR Y.
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
to the Mexicans under Armijo, governor of New Mexico. Some few were
shot, but the great body of them, to the number of 187, were sent to Mexico,
and thrown into the prisons of Santiago, Puebla and Perote.
In 1846, at the commencement of the war with Mexico, the army of the
west was organized, to conquer New Mexico and California. This army was
composed of a mounted regiment of Missourians, and a battalion each of
infantry, dragoons, and light artillery. After a fifty days' march from Fort
Leavenworth, of nearly 900 miles, they entered Santa Fe on the 18th of
August.
"On their arrival, the American commander, General Kearney, in accordance
with his directions, proclaimed himself governor of New Mexico.'You are now,'
said he,'American citizens; you no longer owe allegiance to the Mexican government.' The principal men then took the oath of allegiance to the United States,
and whoever was fialse to this allegiance, the people were told, would be punished
as traitors. It was questioned whether the administration had not transcended
its powers in thus annexing a territory to the Union without the permission of congress.
General Kearney, having appointed Charles Bent governor of New Mexico, on
the 25th of September, took a small force with him and proceeded overland to California. Col. Price arrived soon after at Santa Fe with recruits. The Navajo Indians having commenced hostilities against the New Mexicans,'new inhabitants
of the United States,' Col. Doniphan, who had been left in command, set out westward with the Missouri regiment to make peace with them. Winter was fast approaching, and after suffering incredible hardships in crossing the mountains,
poorly clad as they were, among snows and mountain storms, they finally
accomplished their object. Capt. Reid, of one of the divisions of thirty men, volunteered to accompany Sandoval, a Navajo chief, five days through the mountain
hights, to a grand gathering of the men and women of the tribe. They were completely in the power of the Indians, but they won their hearts by their gayety and
confidence. MAlost of them had never seen a white man. Reid and his companions joined the dance, sung their country's songs, and, what pleased the Navajoes
most, interchanged with them their costume. On the 22d of November, a treaty
was made in form, by which the three parties, Americans, New Mexicans and Navajoes, agreed to live in perpetual peace.
By the middle of December, Col. Doniphan, leaving Col. Price in command at
Santa Fe, commenced his march with his regiment south to Chihuahua, and on his
route met and defeated superior forces of the enemy at Bracito, and at the Sacramento Pass.
In the meantime, the New Mexicans secretly conspired to throw off the yoke. Simultaneously, on the 19th of January, in the valley of Taos, massacres occurred at
Fernandez, when were cruelly murdered Governor Bent, Sheriff Lee, and four
others; at Arroyo Hondo, five Americans were killed, and a few others in the
vicinity. Col. Price, on receiving the intelligence, marched from Santa Fe, met
and defeated the insurrectionists in several engagements in the valley, with a loss
of about three hundred. The Americans lost in killed and wounded about sixty.
Fifteen of the insurrectionists were executed."
~ New Mexico was ceded to the United States by the treaties with Mexico of 1848
and of 1854. The cession of 1854 included that narrow strip of territory south
of the Gila and west of the Rio Grande, known as the "Gadsden Purchase," or
Arizona In 1850, a territorial government was established over New Mexico.
550
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
The present American territory of New Mexico comprises but a small
part of the original Spanish province of that name. This territory, considered as a whole, " is a region of high table lands, crossed by mountain ranges, anid barren to the last degree." It has scarce a sing le water communication of consequence with the rest of the world. The famous
The Giant Caclus.
Rio Grande is shallow, full of sand bars, and at times almost too low to float
an Indian canoe. Mlany of the streams run in deep, frightful chasms, down
which it is impossible, for days of travel, to penetrate. There is not enough
fertile land ever to support any but a sligTlit agricultural population, and very
little timber excepting the inesquit-a thorny, disagreeable tree, that does
most of its growing underground: its roots being multitudinous, twisting
and burrowing in all directions, and of no use but for fuel. Beside this is
the c(ict(s, in many varieties, that shown in the engraving being confined
within narrow lines of latitude. Mescal, a kind of whisky, of a most pungent, acrid flavor, is made from some varieties of this plant.
"The climate of New Mexico is unsurpassingly pure and healthy. A sultry day
is very rare. The summer nights are c6ol and pleasant. The winters are long,
but uniform, and the atmosphere of an extraordinary dryness; and there is but
little rain, except from July to October. The general range of the thermometer is
from 10 deg. to 75 deg. above Fahrenheit. Fevers are uncommon, and instances
of remarkable longevity are frequent. Persons withered almost to mummies are
met with occasionally, whose extraordinary age is shown by their recollection of
certain notable events, which have taken place in times far remote.
Agriculture is in a very primitive and unimproved state, the hoe being alone
used by a greater part of the peasantry. Wheat and Indian corn are the principal staples; cotton, flax, and tobacco, although indigenous, are not cultivated: the
soil is finely adapted to the Irish potato. The most important natural product of
the soil is its pasturage. Mlost of the high table plains afford the finest grazing,
while, for want of water, they are utterly useless for other purposes. That scanty
moisture which suffices to bring forth the natural vegetation, is insufficient for agri
551
NEW MEXICO TERRIITORY.
cultural productions, without the aid of irrigation. The high prairies of all this
region, differ greatly from those of our border in the general character of their
vegetation. They are remarkably destitute of the gay flowering plants for which
the former are so celebrated, being mostly clothed with different species of a highly
nutritious grass called grama, which is of a very short and curly quality. The
highlands, upon which alone this sort of grass is produced, being seldom verdant
until after the rainy season sets in, the grama is only in perfection from August to
October. But being rarely nipped by the frost until the rains are over, it cures
upon the ground and remains excellent hay-equal, if not superior, to that which
is cut and stacked from our western prairies. Although the winters are rigorous,
the feeding of stock is almost entirely unknown in New Mexico; nevertheless, the
extensive herds of the country, not only of cattle and sheep, but of mules and
horses, generally maintain themselves in excellent condition upon the dry pasturage alone through the cold season, and until the rains start up the green grass
again the following summer.
The mechanic arts are very rude, even sawed lumber being absolutely unknown.
The New Mexicans are celebrated for the manufacture of a beautiful serape or
blanket, which is woven into gaudy, rainbow-like hues. Their domestic goods are
nearly all wool, the manufacture of which is greatly embarrassed for the want of
adequate machinery.
The system of Peon slavery existed under the Mexican dominion. By the local
laws, a debtor was imprisoned for debt until it was paid; or, if the creditor chose,
he took the debtor as a servant to work out his claim. This system operated with
a terrible severity upon the unfortunate poor. who, although they worked for fixed
wages, received so small a compensation, that if the debt was of any amount, it
compelled them to a perpetual servitude, as he received barely sufficient for food
and clothing.
Evidences of volcanic action abound in various parts of New Mexico, and
the country is rich in gold, silver, and copper. Anthracite coal of an excellenit quality is found near Santa Fe. Through its mineral wealth it may
eventually have a considerable population; but most of the food to support
it will require to be transported thither from the agricultural districts of the
Mississippi valley.
The population of New Mexico has been nearly stationary for a long
period. In 1860, it wasascertainedto beabout93,000, viz: 42,000 Indians,
about half civilized; 41,000 peons; and 7,300 white native citizens, mostly
of Mexican blood. The number of Americans in the whole country, is less
than is contained in ordinary agricultural townships with us.
SANTA FE, the capital of New Mexico, sometimes written Santa Fe de
San Francisco-i. e. Holy Faith of St. Francis-is the only town of importance. It is, by air lines, 660 miles west of the Arkansas frontier, 450 southeasterly from Salt Lake City, 900 east-south-east of San Francisco, and 260
north of El Paso, the nearest point in Mexico. "It is on the site of an
ancient Indian pueblo, some fifteen miles east of the Rio del Norte, at the
base of a snow-clad flountain, and contains a little over three thousand souls,
and with its corporate surrounding villages about double that number. The
town is irregularly laid out, and is a wretched collection of mud houses,
much scattered with intervening corn-fields. The only attempt at architectural compactness, consists of four tiers of buildings around the public
square, comiprising the governor's house, the custom house, barracks, etc."
In the center of the public square "all the neighboring rancheros assemble to
sell the produce of their farms and industry. All day long files of donkeys may
be seen arriving there, laden with barrels of Taos whisky, bales of goods, forage,
wood, earthen jars, melons, grapes, red and green pimentos, onions, pasteques, eggs,
552
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
cheese, tobacco, and pinones (fruit of the pine), Pinus monophylla. These pinones
are generally baked in the oven, or roasted on cinders, as a means of preserving
them better. Besides those provisions, the Santa Fe market also affords a great
variety of bread and meat. The Indians of the pueblos, too, carry quantities of
fish there, either fresh or dried in the sun. In the evening, after the Angeltts, the
square is filled with loungers, who chat, playv, laugh, and smoke, until the hour for the
fandango; for be it known, the young people of Mexico could not live if they did
not dance at least 365 fandangos every year. At Santa Fe, as in Texas, and in
all the provinces of Mexico, the women go to the fandangos, with their rebozo
(mantilla), and arraved in a light cool costume appropriate to the occasion; seated
round the garden, or hall, where the dance is to take place, they smoke cigarettes
and chat very loudly while awaiting the cavaliers' invitation."
In Spanish the term pueblo means the people and their towns; and in
New Mexico it is applied to the Christianized Indians and to their villages.
"When the country was first discovered, these Indians lived in comfortable
houses, and cultivated the soil. Indeed, now they are the best horticulturists in
New Mexico, furnishing most
of the fruits and vegetables to
_=____ A_________ __ = be found in the markets. They
,__ __________ also cultivate the grape, and
A______ __~~~ _ ~have extensive herds of cattle,
_____i ~ =< = ~ horses, etc. They are remark able for sobriety, honesty, mor ~~L~=..... ~ality, and industry, and are
much braver than the other
classes of New Mexicans, and in
the war with Mexico, fought
with desperation compared to
,!>Zrsu>~ ~those in the south. At the time
of the conquest, they must have
zu. been a very powerful people,
An Indian Pueblo or Town. iumbering near one hundred
villages, as their ruins would
indicate. The population of their villages or pueblos, average about five hundred
souls. They assert that they are the descendants of Montezuma. They profess
the Catholic faith, but this, doubtless, reaches no farther than understanding its
formalities, and at the same time, they all worship the sun.
They were only nominally under the jurisdiction of the Mexican government,
many features of their ancient customs, in both government and religion, being
retained. Each pueblo was under the control of a cacique chosen by themselves,
who, with his council, had charge of the interior police of the village. One of their
regulations was to appoint a secret watch to suppress vice and disorder of every
description, and especially to keep an eye over the young men and women of the
village.
Their villages are built with adobes, and with great regularity; sometimes they
have but one large house, with several stories, each story divided into apartments,
in which the whole village reside. Instead of doors in front, they use trap-doors
in the roofs of their houses, to which they mount up on a ladder, which is drawn
up at night for greater security. Their dress consists of moccasins, short breeches,
and woolen jackets or blankets; they generally wear their hair long. Bows and
arrows and a lance, and sometimes a gun, constitute their weapons. They manufacture blankets, as well as other woolen stuffs, crockery ware, and coarse pottery.
The dress of many is like the Mexican; but the majority retain their aboriginal
costume.
Among the villages of the Pueblos Indians, was that of the Pecos tribe, twentyfive miles east of Santa Fe, which gradually dwindled away under the inroads of
the Comanches and other causes, until about the year 1838, when having been reduced to only about a dozen souls of all ages, they abandoned the place.
553
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
Many tales are told of the singular habits of this ill-fated tribe, which must, no
doubt, have tended to hasten its utter annihilation. A tradition was prevalent
among them that Montezuma had kindled a holy fire, and enjoined their ancestors
not to suffer it to be extinguished until he should return to deliver his people from
the yoke of the Spaniards. In pursuance of these commands, a constant watch
had been maintained for ages to prevent the fire from going out; and, as tradition
further informed them, that Montezuma would appear with the sun, the deluded
Indians were to be seen every clear morning upon the terraced roofs of. their
houses, attentively watching the appearance of the'king of light,' in hopes of
seeing him accompanied by their immortal sovereign. This consecrated fire was
down in a subterranean vault, where it was kept silently smoiuldering under a covering of ashes, in the basin of a small altar. Some say that they never lost hope
in the final coming of Montezuma until, by some accident or other, or a lack of a
sufficiency of warriors to watch it, the fire became extinguished(l; and that it was
this catastrophe that induced them to abandon their village. No other pueblo appears to have adopted this extraordinary superstition; like Pecos, however, they
have all held Montezuma to be their perpetual sovereign. It would likewise appear
that they all worship the sun; for it is asserted to be their regular practice to turn
the face toward the east at sunrise.
The wild tribes who inhabit or extend their incursions into New Mexico, are
the Navajoes, the Apaches, the Yutas, the Kiawas, an(l the Comanches.']'he
Navajoes are estimated at about ten thousand, and reside in the main range of the
Cordilleras, two hundred miles west of Santa Fe, on the Rio Colorado, near the
region from whence historians say the Aztecs emigrated to Mexico. They are supposed to be the remnants of that justly celebrated nation of antiquity who remained in the north. Although living in rude wigwams, they excel all Indian nations in their manufactures. They are still distinguished for some exquisite styles
of cotton textures, and display considerable ingenuity in enilbroidering with feathers the skins of animals. The serape Navajo (\Navajo blanket) is of so dense a
texture as to be frequently waterproof, and some of the finer qualities bring sixty
dollars each, among the Mexicans. Notwithstanding their wandering habits, they
cultivate the different grains and vegetables, and possess extensive and superior
herds of horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and goats.
The Apaches are mainly west of the Rio del Norte, and are the most powerful
and vagrant of the Indian tribes of northern Mexico, and number, it is estimated,
fifteen thousand souls, of whom two thousand are warriors. They cultivate and
manufacture nothing, and appear to depend entirely upon pillage for subsistence.
The depredations of the Apaches have been of so long a duration that beyond
the immediate vicinity of the towns, the whole country, from New Mexico to the
borders of Durango, is almost entirely depopulated."
m
The population of New Mexico, other than the savage tribes, is mostly
east of the Rocky Mountains, in the valley of the Rio Grande and its tributaries. It is almost exclusively confined to towns and villages, the suburbs
of which are generally farms, a mode of living indispensable for protection
against the savages.
T(ios, north of Santa Fe, is a beautiful valley of nine miles in length, and
includes severavyillages and settlements. The valley grows wheat of an excellent quality,"rodueed on irrigated land.
La Gran Quivira, about 100 miles south of Santa Fe, are ruins of an
ancient town, which was supposed to have been reared for mining purposes.
The style of architecture is superior to anything at present in New Mexico.
To be seen are the remains of Catholic churches, and aqueducts leading to
the mountains, eight or ten miles distant. Tradition says, that, in the general massacre of 1680, every soul save one perished.
El Placer, 27 miles south of Santa Fe, is an important mine, from which,
since its discoverv in 1828, half a million of gold has been taken out.
554
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
Albitguerqne is in the most fertile locality of the Rio Grande, and although
not as important a place as Santa Fe, it is more central. Including the neighboring rancheros, it has a population of 1,000 souls. "Albuqurque for a
M'exican town, is tolerably well built. Its buildings, like those inhabited by
Mexicans, are of a right parallelopipedon shape, constructed of adobes
(blocks of sun dried mnud), and arranged generally on the four sides of a
rectangle, thus creating an interior court (pateo), upon which nearly every
one of the apartments opens. There is generally but one exterior or street
entrance; and this is generally quite wide and high, the usual width being
about six feet, and the hight seven. They appear to be made thus wide, at
least as far as I have been able to discover, to enable the burros (asses) and
other animals to go through with their packs. They are generally strongly
secured by double doors. There are two or three buildings in the town with
extensive fironts and portalles (porches), which look, for this country, very
well-one of them being the house, formerly occupied by Governor Armijo.
There is a military post at this place, garrisoned by U. S. troops."
Acomia, i! the same vicinity, is one of the most ancient and extraordinary
of the Indian pueblos. "Acoma is situated on an isolated rock which rises
perpendicularly to a bight of 360 feet above the plain, and appears like an
island in the middle of a lake. The summit of this rock is perfectly horizontal, and its superficies is about sixty acres. To reach it you must climb
over hillocks of sand, heaped up by the wind to a third of the hight; the
two other thirds of the route are hewn in the rock in the shape of a spiral
staircase. The town is composed of blocks, each of which contains sixty or
seventy houses, and a large Catholic church, with two towers and very pretty
spires. The houses are three stories high, and have windows only in the
upper one; in construction, they are quite similar to those of the other
pueblos of New Mexico. Acoma is in all probability the Acuco spoken of
by the ancient Spanish historians, which, according to them, was situated
between Cibola and Tiguex, and built at the top of perpendicular rocks, whose
summits could only be reached by means of 300 steps hewn in the rock, at
the end of which steps was a kind of ladder eighteen feet hilgh, also formed
by holes cut in the rock. Although this pueblo was deemed impregnable,
yet the inhabitants placed huge stones around it, that they might roll them
down on any assailant who was bold enough to scale this extraordinary
stronghold. Near the dwellings might be seen arable lands sufficient to grow
the necessary quantity of maize for the wants of the population; also large
cisterns to save the rain waters. The Acucos were called banditti in all the
surrounding provinces, into which they made frequent excursions."
Laguana, a few miles north of Acoma, is another ancient Indian pueblo,
and contains about a thousand inhabitants, noted for their honesty, sobriety,
and industry. "It has the appearance of one of those old German cities on
the banks of the Rhine perched on a mountain peak. The houses, with
their graduated stories, seem piled one above the other, producing the effect
of an immense amphitheater; the river bathes the foot of the eminence on
which Laguna is built, and flows in tortuous windings through the plain."
Zun;, perhaps the most important of all the pueblos, is west of Laguna.
Its present population is about 2,000. "The houses are of the same style
as those of the other Indian pueblos; their graduated stories are almost all
festooned with long garlands of red pimentos, that dry in the sun. The
town possesses a Catholic church thirty-three yards in length by nine in
width, it is built of adobes, and behind its sole altar is suspended a paint
555
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
ing representing Our Lady of Guadaloupe, the patroness of Mexico; a few
statues surround the painting, but the lateral walls are completely bare. The
governor lives in a house three stories high, wherein the caciques or chiefs
of the government frequently assemble. The Zunis have a mania for taming
eagles, which they catch while yet very young on the neighboring mountains; multitudes of these birds are to be seen on the terraces of the houses,
spreading their enormous wings as they bask in the sun."
Zuni Vieja, or Old Zuni, the ancient Cibola, stood in the immediate vicinity. The ruins are yet to be seen. They are in the center of a plateau,
elevated more than 900 feet above the plains, to which access is gained only
by climbing almost inaccessible rocks. It was only in 1694, that it became
definitely conquered by the Spaniards.
ANTIQUITIES OF NEW MEXICO.
Much of New Mexico is as yet unexplored; but the various expeditions
of the scientific corps of the U. S. army have, of late years, given us the
unexpected information of the existence of antiquities in the heart of our
continent, as surprising and worthy of curiosity as those in Central America.
In the region north and east of the Gila, and east of the Rio Colorado, in a
space of some few hundred square miles, the ruins of ancient walled cities
to the number, it is estimated by an officer of the topographical corps of engineers, of 1,000, are found at this day. These show that the country, at
some very remote and unknown era, perhaps thousands of years since, was
densely populated, and by a race to a considerable degree civilized. The
natives living in the pueblos of that region, can give no information respecting them. Their builders were far in advance of any people found when
the country was conquered by the Spaniards, more than 300 years ago.
Their masonry and carpentery show much skill. Beautiful and highly ornamented pottery also is found in the vicinity of these cities; but in every instance it is in fragments, not a single perfect utensil having ever been discovered. The immense amount of this broken pottery strewn around would
indicate, at some time or other, a regular sacking of these places. The climiate and soil must have changed since this mysterious race dwelt here; for
it is now a barren, rainless region, incapable of supporting anything like the
population these ruins indicate. The extreme dryness of the climate has,
doubtless, preserved the woodwork to our time.
The journal of Lieut. James H. Simpson, of the corps of U.S. topographical engineers, of a military reconnoissance from Santa Fe to the Navajo country, in the year 1849, and published by government, first gave to the world
detailed descriptions of some of these ruined cities. Others on a larger scale'
and more important have been found farther west, of which descriptions have
not as yet been published. We derive the facts and illustrations given below
from the work alluded to.
The command, consisting of 175 men under Col. J. M. Washington, left Santa
Fe on the 16th of August. They passed southerly and westerly, and on
the 26th came to the highest point of land dividing the tributaries of the
Gulf of Mexico from those of the Pacific, when they commenced gradually
descending the western slope, and reached the Rio Chaco, a tributary of the
San Juan. Here, upon the Rio Chaco, were found a number of the ancient
towns or pueblos, named respectively, Pueblo Pintado, Weje-gi, Una Vida,
'556
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
Hungo Pavie, Chettro Kettle, Del Arroyo, and De Penasca Blanca. These
ruins are between 36~ and 37~ N. ]at., and near 108~ W. long. "They are
evidently," says Simpson, "from the similarity of their style and mode of
construction, of a common origin. They discover in the materials of which
they are composed, as well as
... _ -___ in the grandeur of their de =- sign and superiority of their
- = = _____- - workmanship, a condition of
architectural excellence be yond the power of the Indians
or New Mexicans of the pres ent day to exhibit." He fur ther adds there is a great deal
to strengthen the hypothesis
that they are of Aztec origin.
The largest was De Penasca
ANCIEN.T PUEBLO. * Blanca, which in circuit was
The engraving shows Hungo Pavie, i.e. Crooked Nose, in 1,700 feet, and the number of
its original condition.
rooms on the first floor 112.
It differed in its walls from the other pueblos: the stones composing them
being of one uniform character; but in this there is a regular alternation of
large and small stones, the effect of which is unique and beautiful. The
first pueblo examined was Pintado. We annex Simpson's description:
OPF.' C!OUrRT. L L
GROUND PLAN
pOF THE
S PUEBLO HUNGO PAVIE, (CROOKED NOSE).
Caii-on de Chaco.
.Ruins of wall enclosing court.
qcale of feet
0,,, I I, f
0 10 SO 60 7T 90
"After partaking of some refreshments, I started off, with high expectations-my assist,nts, the Messrs. Kern, accompanying me —to examine the ruins of Pueblo Pintado. We
found them to more than answer our expectations. Forming one structure, and built of
tabular pieces of hard, fine grained, compact gray sandstone (a material entirely unknown
" Unwittingly the artist," says Lieut. Simpson, " has fallen one story short of the number the ruins exhibited. In their restored state, four stories should appear."
557
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
in the present architecture of New Mexico), to which the atmosphere has imparted a red
dish tinge, the layers or beds being not thicker than three inches, and sometimes as thin
as one tfourtb of an inch, it discovers in the masonry a combination of science and airt
which can only be referred to a higher stage of civilization and refinement than is -discoverable in the works of Mexicans or Pueblos of the present day. Indeedl, so beautiu'lllv
diminutive and true are the details of the structure as to cause it, at a little distance, to
have all the appearance of a magnificent piece of mosaic work.
In the outer face of the buildings there are no signs of mortar, the intervals b)etween
the Led being chinked with stones of the minutest thinness. The filling and backing are
done in rubble masonry, the mortar presenting no indications of the presence of limnle.
The thickness of the main wall at base is within an inch or two of three feet; higher up,
it is less-diminisling every story by retreating jogs on the inside, from bottom to top.
Its elevation, at its present highest point, is between twenty-five and thirty feet, the series
of floor beams indicating that there must have been originally at least three stories. The
ground plan, including the court, in exterior development, is about 403 feet. On the
ground floor, exclusive of the outbuildings, are'fifty-four apartments, some of them as
sn,,l as five feet square, and the largest ab ut twelve by six feet. These rooms communicate with each other by vlery small doors, some of them as contracted as two and a half
by two aind a half feet; and in the case of the inner suite, the doors communicatiing with
the interior court are as small as three and a half by two feet. The prilncipal rooms or
those most in use, were, on account of their having larger d,ors and windows, most probably those of the second story. The system of flooring seems to have been large transverse unhlewn beams, six inches ill diameter, laid transversely fiom wall to wall, and then
a number of smaller ones, about three inches in diameter, laid longitudinally upon them.
What was placed on these does not appear, but most probably it was brush, bark, or slabs,
covered with a laver of mud mortar. The beams show no signs of the saw or axe; on the
contra,ry, they appear to have been hacked off by means of some very imperfect instrument. On the ewest face of the structure, the windows which are only in the second story,
are three feet two inches by two feet t'o inches. On the north side, they are only in the
second and third stories and are as small as fourteen by fourteen inches. At different
poinits about the premises were three circular apartments sunk in the ground, the walls
being of masonry. These apartments the Pueblo Indians call estuffas, or places where the
people held their political and religious meetings.
... Not finishiug our examinations at the ruins of Pueblo Pintado yesterday afternoon,
we again visited them early this morning. On digging about the base of the exterior wall,
we find that, for at least two feet (the depth our time would permit us to go), the same
kind of masonry obtains below as above, except that it appears more compact. We could
find no signs of the genuine arch about the premises, the lintels of the doors and windows
being generally either a number of pieces of wood laid horizoltally side by side, a single
stone slab laid in this manner, or occasionally a series of smaller ones so placed horizontallv upon each other that, while presenting the form of a sharp angle, in vertical longitudina,l section, they would support the weight of the fabric above. Fragments of pottery
lay scattered around, the colors showing taste in their selection and in the style of their
arrangement, and being still quite bright."
Simpson, in his description of the Pueblo Hiungo Pavie, of which both ground
plan and elevation are herein pictorially given, says:
These ruins show the same nicety in the details of their masonry as already described.
The ground plan shows an extent of exterior development of eight hundred and seventytwo feet, and a niumber of rooms upon the ground floor equal to seventy-two. The structure shows the existence of but one circular estuffa, and this is placed in the body of the
north portion of the building, midway from either extremity. This esttffa differs fiom the
others we have seen, in having a number of interior counterforts. The main walls of the
building are at base two and three quarter feet through, and at this time show a hight of
about thirty feet. The ends of the floor beams, which are still visible, plainly showing
that there was originally, at least, a vertical series of four floors, there must then also have
been originally at least a series of four stories of rooms; and as the debris at the base of
the walls is very great, it is-reasonable to infer that there may have been even more. The
floor beams, which are round, in transverse section, and eleven inches ill diameter, as well
as the windows, which are as small as twelve by thirteen inches, have been arranged horizontally, with great precision and regularity. Pottery, as usual. was found scattered about
the premise....
The question now arises, as we have seen all the ruins in this quarter, what was the form
of these buildings?-I mean as regards the continuity or non-continuity of its front and
rear walls. Were these walls one plain surface from bottom to top, as in the United States,
558
or were they interrupted each story by a terrace, as is the case with the moilern pueblo
buildings in New Mexico?
The front or exterior walls were evidently one plain surface from bottom to top; because
whenever we found them in their integrity, which we did for as many as four stories ill
hight, we always noticed them to be uninterruptedly plain.
The rear walls, hobwe er, were, in no instance that I recollect of, found to extend higher
than the commencement of the second story; and the partition walls were, if mv memory
is not at fault, corres j_________:=5=_ =poiidingly steplike in 1.....
________________ ___ their respective alti tudes. The idea, then,
- _.....at once unfolds itself,
that in elevation the
CONES_ Finner wal l must have
About_!, ___ 00fe be en a ser ies of retreat _inmg surfaces, or, what
would make this neces of.~, ~~~~sary, each story on t he
__l tinner or court side
he' la given~ must have be en ter It isl:, a ~~%-;: craced. T his idea also I
gathers stre ng th from
ed a replceswic- th thie fact that we sawy
I,...c.lv e r t no indications of any il
internal mode of ascent
II feC iayfrom story to story,
ha lnhand therefor e tha t s ome
e xterior mode mu st
and mud lodge..... hwase be en re sorted to
fu~ thee t-such as, probably,
furhes poit ladders, w hich the t er race form of the s e v CONON Or CHOELLY. eral stories would ren- n IIS OF AN ANCIENT -UFaLO.
About 500 feet dep. der very convenient. In the Caiion of Chelly.
Again, the terrace fi)rm
of the stories wou l d best conduce to light an d ventilation for the interior ranges of apartmerints. The idea then, which Mr. R. H. Kern was th e firs t to suggest-th at these pueblos
w ere terraced on their inner or court si de-is not without strong grounds of probalility;
and it is in consonance wit h e this idea that, in his restoration of the Iueblo Hunqo Parie,
he has given it th e fo rm exhibited in th e dr awing.
It is a curious fact, that in no single instance did we find in these ruins either a chimney
or a fireplace, unless, in deed, the recesses described as existing in some of the rooms were
used as fireplaces, which their slight hight, as well as deprivation of chimney flues, would
scarcelv authorize. Neithe r we r e ther e any indica tions of the use of iron about the
premises."
A few days later the command came to the renowned Canon of Chelly. This
gorge has long had a distinguished reputation among the natives of this region,
from its great depth and impregnability. It is inhabited by the Navajoes; who,
although they possess the skill to manufacture one of the most beautiful kind of
blankets in the world, possess no better habitations than the conical pole, brush
and mud lodge. This was explored for a distance of over nine miles; and the
further they ascended it the greater was the altitude of the inclsing walls: at their
furthest point of progress it was 502 feet high, and the average width 600 feet.
The total length of the canon was judged to be about 25 miles. In ascending it
they saw some fine caves here and there; also small habitations made up of overhan,ging rock, and artificial walls laid in stone and mortar-the latter forming the
front portion of the dwelling. Some four miles from the mouth, they came to the
ruins of a small pueblo, like those already described. It stood on the shelf of the
left hand wall, about 50 feet up from the bottom, and the wall being very nearly
perpendicular, it could only be approached by ladders. Seven miles from the
mouth they fell in with the ruins shown in the engraving, with the stupendous
rocks in rear and overlihnging them.
"These ruins are on the left or north side of the canon, a portion of them being
situated at the foot of the escarpment wall, and the other portion upon a shelf in
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
559
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
the wall imnnaediately back of the other part, some fifty feet above the bed of the
canon. The wall in front of this latter portion being vertical, access to it could
only have been obtained by means of ladders. The front of these ruins measures
one hundred and forty-five feet, and their depth forty-five. The style of structure
is similar to that of the pueblos found on the Chaco-the building material being
of small, thin sandstones, from two to four inches thick, inbedd(led in mud mortar
and chinked in the facade with smaller stones. The present hight of its walls is
about eighteen feet. Its rooms are exceedingly small, and the windows only a foot
square. One circular estuffa was all that was visible."
In speaking of this canon, Simpson says: " What appears to be singular, the
sides of the lateral walls are not only as vertical as natural walls can well be conceived to be, but they are perfectly free from a talus of debris, the usual concomitant of rocks of this description. Does not this point to a crack or natural fissure
as having given origin to the canon, rather than to aqueous agents, which, at least
at the present period, show an utter inadequacy as a producing cause?"
Although the canon of Chelly was, at the time. considered a great curiosity, later explorers in the wild waste country between the Rocky Mountains
and Calitornia have found numerous other of these fissures, to which this
can bear no comparison. Some of them are entirely inaccessible, without
outlet or inlet, deep, gloomy cracks, descending far down into the earth, lower
than the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, bounded by forbidding, perpendicular
walls, at the base of which the foot of man has never penetrated. Others
form the valleys of streams, which, as one stands on their verge, are seen
winding their serpentine course down in a gorge thousands of feet below.
The canon of the Rio Colorado is of this character: Lieut. Ives, in his explorations ascertained it to be about 11,000 feet, or more than two miles in
depth.
About 200 miles westerly from Santa Fe, and near the town of Zuni, the command came to a stupendous mass of rock, about 250 feet in hight, and strikirgly
peculiar from its massive character, and the Egyptian style of its natural buttresses and domes. "Skirting this stupendous mass of rock," states Simpson, "on
its left or north side, for about a mile, the guide, just as we had reached its eastern
terminus, was noticed to leave us, and ascend a low mound or rampart at its base,
the better, as it appeared, to scan the face of the rock, which hlie had scarcely
reached before he cried outit to us to come up. We immediately went up, and,
sure enough, here were inscriptions, and some of them very beautiful; and,
although, with those which we afterward examined on the south face of the rock,
there could not be said to be half an acre of them, yet the hyperbole was not near
so extravagant as I was prepared to find it. The fact then being certain that here
were indeed inscriptions of interest, if not of value, one of them dating as far
back as 1606, all of them very ancient, and several of them very deeply a.s well as
beautifully engraven, I.gave directions for a halt-Bird ait once proceeding to get
up a meal, and Mr. Kern and myself to the work of maiking fac similes of the inscriptions..... The greater portion of these inscriptions are in Spanish, with
some little sprinkling of what appeared to be an attempt at Latin, and the remainder in hieroglyphics, doubtless of Indian origin."
We copy a few of the inscriptions from Simpson, to present an idea of
their general character. The engraving is made from one in the work of
Domenech:
" Bartolome Narrso, Governor and Captain General of the Provinces of New Mexico, for
our Lord the King, passed by this place, on his return from the Pueblo of Zuni, on the 29th
of July, of the year 1620, and put them in peace, at their petition, asking the favor to become subjects of his majesty, and anew they gave their obedience; all which they did with
free consent, knowing it prudent, as well as very Christ-an (a word or two effaced), to so
distinguished and gallant a soldier, indomitable and famied; we love" (the remainder
effaced.)
156U
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
"By this place passed Second Lieutenant Joseph de Payba Basconzelos, in the year in
which the council of the kingdom bore the cost, on the 18th of February, in the year 1726."
"Pero Vacu (possibly intended for vaca-cow) ye Jarde."
"Alma."
" Leo."
"Captain Jude Vubarri, in the year of our Lord 1," (probably meaning 1701. The
hieroglyphics, excepting what appears to designate a buffalo, not decipherable.)
On the hights above the inscription are the ruins of an ancient pueblo,
similar to the others described, though inferior iii the style of masonry.
MrI. Simpson was not enamored with New Mexico. In his journal lie
states that he had not seen a rich, well timbered, and sufficiently watered
country since he had left the confines of the states on the borders of tli(
MIississippi valley. Hle makes these remarks upon this part of New Mexico.
'T'he portion farther west, to the California line, according to other observers,
is 1no more alluring. Says he:
'"The idea I pertinaciously adhered to, before ever having seen this country,
was, that, beside partaking of the bold characteristics of the primary formations,
ro)cks confusedly piled upon rocks, deep glens, an occasional cascade, green fertile
v"lleys-the usual accompaniments of such characteristics with us in the statesut aas also, like the country of the states, generally fertile, and covered with verdutre. lut never did I have, nor do 1 believe anybody can have, a full appreciat on of the almost universal barrenness which pervades this country, until they
come out; as I did, to'search the land,' and behold with their own eyes its general
36
Iniscription Rock, near the Puel)lo of Zini.
561
NEW MEXICO TERRITORY.
nakedness. The primary mountains present none of that wild, rocky, diversified,
pleasing aspect which they do in the United States, but, on the contrary, are
usually of a rounded form, covered by a dull, lifeless-colored soil, and generally
destitute of any other sylva than pine and cedar, most frequently of a sparse and
dwarfish character. The sedimentary rocks, which, contrary to my preconceived
notions, are the prevalent formations of the country, have a crude, half-made-up
appearance, sometimes of a dull buff color, sometimes white, sometimes red, and
sometimes these alternating, and being almost universally bare of vegetation, except that of a sparse, dwarfish, sickening-colored aspect, can not be regarded as a
general thing —at least, not until familiarity reconciles you to the sight-without
a sensation of loathing. The face of the country, for the same reason-the general absence of all verdure, and the dead, dull, yellow aspect of its soil-has a
tendency to create the same disagreeable sensation."
562
ARIZONA TERRITORY.
ARIZONA originally comprised a long, narrow strip of territory, south of
the Gila River, extending from the Rio Grande on the east to the Rio Colorado on the west, just above its entrance into the Gulf of California. It
was purchased, in 1854, of Mexico, from the northern part of the state of
Sonora, for ten millions of dollars. It was for some time styled the Gadsden Purchase, out of compliment to General Gadsden, the American minister, who negotiated the treaty. It was temporarily attached, by congress, to
the territory of New Mexico. It was about 500 miles long, with a width
ranging from 20 to 130 miles, and comprising 31,000 square miles. It was
separated from Texas by the Rio Grande; from Lower California by the
Rio Colorado; and on the south of it were the Mexican states of Chihuahua
and Sonora.
When it was purchased of Mexico there was scarcely any inhabitants, except a few scattered Mexicans in the Miesilla valley, on the Rio Grande, and
at the old town of Tucson, in the center of the purchase. The marauding
Apache Indians had gradually extirpated almost every trace of civilization
in what was once an inhabited Mexican province.*
In 1854, congress formed the present territory of Arizona from the west
halves of New Mexico and the Gadsden Purchase; and the east half of the
latter is now the southern part of New Mexico. Arizona has an area of
131,000 square miles. The capital, named Prescott, is in the center of the
territory.
"Much interesting information upon the early history of this comparatively little known part of the United States, was obtained from the archives
of the Mexican government, by Capt. C. P. Stone, late of the U. S. army.
It appears that as early as 1687, a Catholic missionary from the province of
Sonora, which, in its southern portion, bore already the impress of Spanish
civilization, descended the valley of Santa Cruz River to the Gila, which he
-: The following extract from the report of Col. Chas. D. Poston, agent of the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company, under date of Jan. 31,1857, will give a fair idea of the condition of the country at the period when it came into the possession of our people: " It
may not be amiss, in these desultory remarks, to note the improvement in Tubac and the
adjacent country since our arrival. When we forced our wagons here, over the undergrowth on the highway, in September last (1856), no human being was present to greet our
coming, and desolation overshadowed the scene. It was like entering the lost city of
Pompeii. The atmosphere was loaded with the malaria of a rank vegetation, the undergrowth in the bottom served as a lurking place for the deadly Apache, and the ravens in
the old church window croaked a surly welcome. Now the highroads are alive with trains
and people. Comm erce, agriculture, and mining are resuming their wonted prosperity under
the enterprise, intelligence, and industry of our people. The former citizens of Tubac have
returned to the occupation of their houses, set to work vigorously upon their milpas, and
ar lou in thir prase of American *1 hlibert and freeom." a
563
ARIZONA TERRITORY.
followed to its mouth, now the site of Fort Yuma. From this point he
ascended the valley of the Gila, the Salinas or Salt River, and other branches.
Proceeding east, he explored the valley of the San Pedro and its branches,
reached the Mimbres, and probably the Rio Grande and the Mesilla valley.
Filled with the enthusiasm of his sect, he procured authority from the head
of the order in Mexico, and established missions and settlements at cvery
available point. In a report to the viceroy of Spain, made during the early
settlement of the province, we find the following statement:'A scientific
exploration of Sonora, with reference to mineralogy, along with the introduction of families, will lead to a discovery of gold and silver, so marvelous,
that the result will be such as has never yet been seen in the world.' A map
of this and the adjoining territories was drawn by some of the Spanish mnissionaries in 1757, and dedicated to the king of Spain. The reports of the
immense mineral wealth of the new country made by the priests, induced a
rapid settlement."
The sites of various villages, ranchles, and missions, as indicated on this map,
were principally in the valleys of the San Pedro, Santa Cruz, and on the Mimbres.
"The missions and settlements were repeatedly destroyed by the Apaches, and the
priests and settlers massacred or driven off. The Indians, at length thoroughly
aroused by the cruelties of the Spaniards, by whom they were deprived of their
liberty, forced to labor in the silver mines with inadequate food, and barbarously
treated, finally rose, joined with the tribes who had never been subdued, and gradually droye out or massacred their oppressors. Civilization disappeared before
their devastating career, and in its place we now find, with few exceptions, only
ruins and decay, fields deserted, and mines abandoned. The mission of San Xavier
del Bac, and the old towns of Tucson and Tuj)ae, are the miost prominent of these
remains. The mission of San Xavier del Bac is a gfrand old structure, which, from
its elegant masonry and tasteful ornaments, must have been erected in times of
great prosperity. From 1757 down to S1820, the Spaniards and Mexicans continued
to work many valuable mines near Barl)bacora, and the ancient records and notes
mention many silver mines most of which contain a percentage of gold.']'he
most celebrated modern localities are Arivaca (also ancientlv falolous as Aribac),
Sopori, the Arizona Mountains, the Santa Rita range, the Cerro Colorado, the en tire vicinity of Tubac, the Del Ajo, or Arizona copper mine, the Gadsonia copper
mine, and the Gila River copper mines. As late as 1S820, the 3~fi,ia Cob)e dle IC
Plata (silver and copper mines), near IFort Webster, north of the Gila, were
worked to great advantage; and so rich was the ore that it paid for transportation
on mule-back, more than a thousand miles, to the city of Alexico.
The silver mining region of Arizona is, in fset, the north-western extension ot
the great silver region of Mexico. The mountain ranges are the prolongations ol
those which southward in Sonora, Chihuahua, and Durango, have yielded silver
by millions'for centuries past. The general direction of the mountains and the
veins, is north-west and south-east, and there are numerous parallel chains or rangnes
which form long and narrow valleys in the same direction. Like most mineral re gions, Arizona is of small value for agriculture, possessing in comparison with its
extent but little arable land, and in most parts is nearly destitute of water, and
desert-like. Some of this forbidding and arid surfice wotld, however, prove fertile
if irri,gated."
The population of Arizona, aside from the Indians, amounted in 1860 to
but a few thousand souls. In the whole territory, persons of'the Anglo-Saxon
race, aside from the U.S. soldiers in garrison, numbered, at the outside, but
a few hundred souls; the remainder of the inhabitants consisted of'Iexi
cans, mostly of the peon class. The Pimos Indians live in villages on the
Gila River, in the north-western part of the country, and are a friendly, in offensive race, who raise corn and wheat, and supply emigrants who traverse
the southern route to California. The Apaches are a wild, thieving tribe,
564
ARIZONA TERRITORY.
of murderers, who live on the head streams of the Gila, beyond the reach
of the white man.
The southern boundary of Arizona was so run as to exclude any part of
the Gulf of California from American jurisdiction, so that she has not there
a single seaport.
Tucson, the
principal town, is
______- _________~ ~a miserable col _______ L ____________lection of a d o b e
I.... ____....._ houses,in the
::ax-~ ~ ~ ~ ~ __ ________ valley of the San ~D A'I'~ c- — = ~-_ ~-17= ~ ta Cruz. It con --- - __ —, i — _-... — tains about 700
;']-5- -~ _~-~_ &'OTO - 1- - — inhabitants, near ly all of them
degraded Mexi ___ ~~~~~~~~~cans. The en -
graving shows
the church of the
-__ - -'I~........... ~ ~ --- place, an adobe or
sun-burned brick
structure; itis
;X'~:-~ —__ -.-' —~ ~from a drawing
in outline, taken
CHInacti AT Tucsov. on San Antonio's
On San Antonio's Day, 1860. day, in 1 8 6 0.
Among the figures are one or two of the wild Apache Indians and numerous females, etc.
Tubac, 52 miles south of Tucson, is the business center of the silver
mining district of Arizona, and contains a few hundred souls. The principal mines worked in its vicinity are the Heintzelman and those of the Santa
Rita Company. With the pecuniary success of these mines, appears to be
connected the immediate progress of the territory, as, aside frpm the mines,
it has no resources; but in these Arizona has a great future.
When our pioneers poured in upon the gold placers of California, the intrepid gold-hunter could, alone and single handed, work his way to wealth,
with a ack-knife and tin-pan; and, at the end of a day's labor, tie up the
avails in a rag, place it under his pillow, and then dream pleasantly of wife,
and children, and home, far away on the other side of the continent.
Silver mining is a different business. The eager novice might collect his
tuns of silver ore; and then would come the tantalizing discovery-it was
labor lost. To extract the silver from its ores, is often one of the most difficult of all chemical processes, requiring practice with a peculiar aptness
for metallurgy, so diversified and intricate are the combinations of this metal
with other minerals. No college professor, however fine a metallurgist he
might be, could successfully manage the reduction works of a silver mine;
Americans, until they learn the art, and "improve upon it," as is their national bent, will be compelled to procure their talent of this kind from those
bred from youth to this branch, in Mexico and Germany. Aside from this
difficulty, enormous outlays are required to start and work a silver mine:
this can generally only be obtained by associated capital. With this comes
565
*1
ARIZONA TERRITORY.
the cumbrous, awkward revolving machinery of corporations, and its attendant evils of mismanagement, in which the interests of the small, confiding
stockholder are too apt to be the last thing attended to by directors and
agents. Could the amount of money lost in our Union, within the last ten
Reduction Works of the JIeintzt( laot Silver iine.
Thie engraving is fromn a drawing by H. c. Grosvenor. This establish,ment is on the famous Arivaca Ranche
The Reduction Works are in front, where the ore is reduced to silver by the German (Freybluig) amialgam.
ation barrel process. On the extrenie righlt of the inclosu.re is the cforal fr the niules. In the rear isg
seen the officers' quarters and store houses; on thle left and also il the rear of the store-houses are the
huts of the M.exicas laborers or peons, of whom here and in the jine several hlndred are emiployed. Tho
buildings are all adobes.
years alone, by the selfishness and mismanagement of men in charge of corporations be ascertained, it would probably sumn up many fold the value of
all the property more courageously stolen by the united labor of all the burglars who have been thrust into the cells of our penitentiaries, from the
foundation of the government to the present day. Thus multitudes, orphans
and widows, have been wronged, and the hard-earned accumulations of vigorous manhood, laid by in a spirit of self-denial, as a resource for old age,
irretrievably and shamefully lost. The suspicious and selfish carry in theil
own bosoms a defense against such alluremenits: the single-hearted and innocent fall victims. The hard lesson taught to individuals is, that money iD
seldom safely spent, excepting by the hand that earns it. Yet it is only by
associated capital great enterprises can be consummated; and so, thlrough
more or less of personal risk and loss, the general welfare is promoted.
Such are the enormous returns of successful silver mines, that capital. and enterprise have always been ready to embark in the development of even veins of moderate promise. In Mexico, where silver mining has been, for over two hundred
years, the great staple business of the country, the most enormous fortunes have
been realized in working mines. The famous Real Del Monte, near the city of
Mexico, is now 1,500 feet deep, and yielded in 1857, $3,750,000 of silver from ore
which averaged $56 per tun. The Bliscaina vein, in the 12 years immediately succeeding 1762, in which the adit of Moran was completed, yielded to its owner,
Tereros, a clear profit of $6,000,000. The produce of Catorce, taking the average
of the five years from 1800 to 1804, was $2,854,000. Santa Eulalia, near Chihuahua, from 1705 to 1737, yielded $55,959,750, or an average of $1,748,742 per annum. These and numerous other instances of successful miningi, as published in
Ward's History of Mexico, show silver mining to be a business of great vicissitudes,
involving large expenditures, with a prospect of gains correspondingly large. The
566
whole produce of the Mexican mines was estimated by Humboldt, in 1803, at nearly
two thousand millions of dollars.
By many, and especially the Mexicans, the Gadsden Purchase is regarded as the
richest portion of the continent, for mines of silver, copper and lead. Silver ore
has already been reduced there which yielded, in large quantities, $1,000 to the
tun. The average of the Heintzelman mine has been $250, although much of the
ore taken from it yielded from $1,000 to $5,000 per tun, and some at the rate of
over $20,000.
The copper mines worked on the Mimbres River, yield large quantities of ore
which is 95 per cent. copper, while the lead mines of the Santa Rita and Santa
Cruz Mountains, are really inexhaustible. With these mineral treasures, placed
by nature for the use of man, it is not at all probable that Arizona will long remain
in its present condition. When once the mining enterprises already begun shall
have demonstrated, either in the hands of their present proprietors or some others,
that the precious metals not only exist there, but may become profitable, a new
impetus will be given to this kind of industry, and the silver country of Arizona will
become as widely known as the golden fields of California.
Various modes are practiced of reducing silver from its ores. 1. The
Furnace. 2. The Mexican or patio (floor) amalgamation, with quicksilver.
3. The caze (or kettle) amalgamation. 4. The Freyberg or German barrel
amalgamation. 5. Augustin's method, by salt, without mercury. 6. Ziervogel's method, with salt or mercury, These modes can not be indiscrimninately applied. The character of the ores, climate, and other circumstances
will alone determine it. If the ore of a mine, in its mineralogical'consituents, is not adapted to the mode of operation to which the operator is bred,
he is generally powerless to reduce it. One experienced in smelting ores,
can not reduce those which are adapted to "the patio; " or one accustomed
to " the patio," can not reduce by the German barrel, or by the Augustin
process, and vice versa.
567
ARIZONA TERRITORY.
V.
The States
of the
SOUTH-WEST.
569
I
A L A B A M A.
ALABAMIA is an Indian expression, said to signify "here we rest." It is
supposed that its soil was first visited by white men in 1540, that being the
year when its territory was traversed
; %$\ by the followers of De Soto, in his
.... \ - ~ ~celebrated expedition through Florida
to the Mississippi. After a long and
disastrous march, I)e Soto arrived
/'~' ~ ~( H \ with his cavalcade by the waters of
/W_'-~~ I;the Coosa, having made his entry into
1-4/4~ a { Alabama from the northern part of
i -d,F XXJ lr1$ ~Georgia, where he had been searching
I,, I for gold. The country of the Coosa
\;. a~,' l? I / tribe embraced the present counties
of Cherokee, Benton, Talladega and
Coosa.
From Coosa the expedition ad vaned toward Tallapoosa. Crossing
OF ALAMA.the Tallapoosa, they were received by
ARMS oF ALABAMA. Tuscaloosa, an Indian chieftain, who
was "lord over many territories and
much people, and was feared by his neighbors and subjects." Passing
down the western side of Alabama River with Tuscaloosa, De Soto arrived at
Maubila, the capital of the country. This place consisted of eighty handsome
houses, each sufficiently capacious to contain a thousand men. They were
encompassed by a high wall made of immense trunks of trees, set deep in the
ground and close together, strengthened with cross-timbers and interwoven
with large vines. This place is supposed to have occupied the present site
of Choctaw Bluff, in Clarke county, about twenty-five miles above the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee.
It appears that Tuscaloosa had taken measures after De Soto came within
his capital, to seize him and his men as prisoners. De Soto having discovered the plot took measures of defense. The attack was begun by an Indian
chief, who rushed out of a house and loudly denounced the Spaniards as robbers, thieves and assassins. A murderous conflict ensued. The Indians, supposed to have been upward of ten thousand in number, joined by many of
their young women, fought desperately, and for a time the conflict seemed
doubtful. De Soto, mounted upon his horse, calling loudly upon "our Lady
and Santiago," rushed boldly upon the enemy, and forced his way over hun.
571
dreds of fighting men and women. Followed by his troops, prodigies of
valor were performed, and the ground was covered with the slain. The con
flict lasted nine hours. Although victory was on the side of the Spaniards
it was dearly bought. Eighty of their number were slain or died of their
wounds; forty-five horses were killed, an irreparable loss in their condition.
Nearly all their camp equipage and baggage were consumed by the flames.
Maubila was laid in ashes; at least six thousand Indians were slain, and the
tribe almost annihilated. De Soto now proceeded northward, crossed the
Black Warrior and Tombigbee, and proceeded westward to the Mississippi,
having many conflicts with the Indians on his route.
"At the time of De Soto's expedition, Alabama was inhabited by the
Coosas, Talassees, Mobilians and Choctaws. Being nearly destroyed by his
invasion, the Muscogees and Alabamas, who had been driven out of Mexico
by Cortez, occupied their places. The Muscogees were a warlike race, and
conquered the tribes with whom they came in contact. They extended their
conquests, and overrun Georgia to the Savannah River. They received into
their tribe the relics of the Alabamas, Tusklegees, and several other tribes.
The Muscogee confederacy at length became the most formidable in the
country. They received the name of "Creeks," from the number of beautiful
streams flowing through their country.
After the invasion of De Soto, the soil of Alabama appears to have been
untrodden by Europeans for nearly a century and a half. In 1702, Bienville, the governor of Louisiana, sailed up the bay of Mobile, and at the
mouth of Dog River commenced the erection of a fort, a warehouse, and other
public buildings. The fort was long designated as FottSt.,Louis de la Mobile. Here was the seat of government for nine years.'At the end of this
period, in 1711, the French moved up to the mouth of Mobile River, where
they founded the present city of Mobile.
Bienville, the French governor, pursued a friendly policy with the natives,
and endeavored to secure the friendship and alliance of the various tribes
upon the Mobile River and its tributaries. Mobile being the seat of government, various delegations of Indian chiefs, Spaniards from Vera Cruz, and
Canadians from the northern lakes and rivers, repaired there to see Governor
Bienville ipon business. The English traders from Virginia and Carolina
were a source of great annoyance to the French. During the wars between
France and England, the latter power instigated the Indians against the
French colonists. To stop their expeditions, Bienville located a fort upon
the Alabama at Tuskegee. In 1721, three French war-ships, loaded with
African slaves, arrived at Mobile. Ultimately the disasters of the colonists
caused the abandonment of Mobile to a later period.
At the treaty of Paris, in 1763, the French gave up their possessions on
the continent of America. The western bank of the Mississippi, from its
source to its mouth, but including the island of New Orleans on the other
bank, passed into the hands of Spain, while Great Britain acquired Canadt,
all the territory east of the Mississippi as far south as the Bayou Iberville,
and the whole of Florida. The whole of Alabama and Mississippi, and that
portion of Louisiana north of a line drawn through the Bayou Iberville, the
Amite, lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, to the sea, and east of the Mlississippi River, became thus a British possession, known until 1781 as West
Florida and the province of Illinois. Alabama was divided on the parallel
of 32~ 28' between West Florida and Illinois, in nearly equal divisions, and
Montgomery and Wetumpka, which are but fifteen miles apart, were in different jurisdictions.
572
ALABAMA
ALABAMA.
George Johnson, the first British governor, organized a military government, garrisoned the fort at Mobile, and that of Toulouse, up the Coosa.
The first English inhabitants of Mobile died in great numbers, from habits
of intemperance, exposure, and contagious disorders, introduced by the military. The exports of Mobile, in 1772, were indigo, raw hides, corn, cattle,
tallow, rice, pitlch, bear's oil, lumber, fish, etc. Cotton was cultivated in small
quantities. The charter granted to Georgia comprised within its limits all
the territory westward to the Mississippi. That state, considering its title to
these lands as perfect, made grants to various companies, for the purpose of
settlement. Two sets of these, known as the " Yazoo Grants," have acquired
a celebrity in history. By the first, five millions of acres in Mississippi were
granted to the South Carolina Yazoo Company; seven millions to the Virginia
Yazoo Company; and 3,500,000 acres in Alabama to the Tennessee Company. The United States authorities opposed these grants, and the several
companies having failed to pay the purchase money, Georgia rescinded her
patents. Severail years afterward, Georgia made other and lmore considerable
grants. These sales raised a storm throughout the country; they were denounced by Gen. Washington, in his message to congress, and, eventually,
they were declared null and void.
Alabama, at this period, was almost entirely in the occupation of the natives. There was a garrison of Spanish -troops at Mobile, and also at St.
Stephens, on the Tombigbee, with trading posts upon the Oconee, and on
other points in the south and west. The whole country west of tihe present
limits of Georgia, to the Mississippi, was now purchased by the United States,
and, in 1817, was erected into the "Mississippi Territory." Fort Stoddard
was built near the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee, and the county
of Washington laid out, embracing a space out of which 20 counties in Alabama and 12 in Mississippi have since been made.
At the period of the second war with Great Britain, Alabama was a theater of Indian warfare, as a great part of the state was then inhabited by a
number of tribes of Indians, of whom the Creeks were the principal. In
1812, the Creeks having been stirred up to war by Tecumseh, the celebrated
Shawnee warrior, commenced hostile operations. In August, they fell on
Fort limms; the garrison made a desperate resistance, but out of three
hundred men, women and children, only seventeen survived the massacre.
The adjoining states were now roused to action. In November, Gen. Jackson, assisted by Generals Coffee, Floyd, and Claiborne, entered the Indian
country, and defeated the Indians at Tallade"- I' ~C'.so'r, and with his dying breath, ex /~, E m —- At\ffi horted his despondin,. followers to
qOfois eliad conf(lei(e," words later
~*;~~~ ~ ~ ~ i 1-L y t:t l-vt' -
erblazoned on the arms of Louis iana.
De Soto, it is said, e xpend ed 100,000o
ducats in this expedition, and thus
like the fabled Igelicai, of old, gave
his own blood for the nourishment of
his b rood of followers.
In 1682, La Salle, a French naval
officer, discover ed th e t hree passages
by which the Mississippi dicharges
werepeformed Thit s wa ters into the Gulf. La Salle,
having ascended the river to a dry
ARMS OF LOUISIANA. spot, above inundation, erected a col a Mot Unin a nd Confide nce. umn with th e arms of Fran ce affixed,
M'~ —Uiossi nd aftrmkng considerbeepoains,ce.rtredt h
and took possession of the country,
"in the name of the Most High, mighty, invincible, and victorious Prince,
Louis the Great, by the g rac e of God, King of France and Navarre, fourteenth of that name." After the Te Deum was chanted, a salute of firearms, and cries of vive le roi, La Salle declared that his majesty, as eldest son
of the church, would annex no country to his crown, without making it his
chief care to establish the Christian religion therein: its symbol must now
be planted. Accordingly a cross was erected, before which religious services
were performed. The country was named Louisiana, in honor of the French
king.
La Salle attempted a settlement., but it failed. In 1699, a more successful
attempt was made by Iberville and others. He entered the mouth of the
Mississippi, and after making considerable explorations, he returned to the
Bay of Biloxi, where he erected a fort, which he left in charge of his brothers, Son,volle and Bienville, and then returned to France. In 1712, the King
of France granted a charter to M. Crozat, which covered the whole province,
with the exclusive privilege of trade, etc., for twenty years. This grant was
599
surrendered, after five years, with bitter complaints that from the imbecility
of the colony, the strength of the Indians, the presence of the British, and
the sterility of the soil, it had proved of no value to him, b-at rather a ruinous expense.
About the year 1717, John Law, a Scotchman, but settled in Paris as a
financier, obtained a charter for a bank. With this was connected a great
commercial company, to whom was granted the extensive territory of Louisiana, the mines of which, near the Mississippi, would, it was represented, reimburse any investment. The Royal Bank stock went up to six huadre(1
times its par value, and dividends were rendered at 200 per cent. This banking and stock jobbing bubble soon burst, involving vast numbers of persons
in every rank of life in ruin, and the "JIississippi Scheme' was a by-wordl
for a long period. Despairing of finding gold, and having but poor success
in colonizing their lands, this "Western Company" gave up their charter in
1732, which the king accepted, and declared the commerce of Louisiana
free.
In 1760, war broke out between Great Britain and France. Canada fIll
into the hands of the English, and rather than submit to their government,
many of the inhabitants sought a home in southern climes, fixing themselves
on the Acadian coast of Louisiana, or, taking their course westward of the
river, formed the settlements of Attakapas, Opelousas, and Avoyelles. In
1762, France ceded the territory of Louisiana west of the Mississippi, with
New Orleans, to Spain, and soon afterward abandoned her possessions CIstward to Great Britain. When the news of the transfer of Louisiana fell
upon the French inhabitants, they were filled with mourning. O'Reilly, with
a Spanish military force, arrived and landed in New Orleans, and took formal
possession of the country in the name of his king. This conmmander soo01
proved himself a tyrant. Some of the first citizens were arrested, thrown
into prison, declared guilty of treason, and tried under the statute of Alphonso, making it death to incite insurrection against the king. Sentence
and execution followed. "Posterity," says Martin, the historian, "will doom
this act to public execration."
The laws of Spain were gradually extended over Louisiana. During the
American Revolution, Galvez, governor of Louisiana, captured the British
garrison at Baton Rouge. The treaties between Great Britain, France and
Spain and the United States, concluded in 1783, opened the navigation of
the Mississippi, and ceded the Floridas to Spain. These treaties, however,
were followed by embarrassing disputes, particularly respecting the navigation of that part of the Mississippi which passed through their territories.
Any attempt to navigate the river, to introduce merchandise into New Orleans, was resisted by the authorities, and the property seized. About the
year 1787, Gen. Wilkinson conceived the design of niaking a settlement of
American families in Louisiana, for which he expected to receive commercial favors from the Spaniards.
In 1800, Spain reconveyed the province of Louisiana to France. Bonaparte, in 1803, sold the territory to the United States, for fifteen millions of
dollars. On the 20th of December, 1803, "'the American flag waved over
the city of New Orleans-the same day having witnessed the descent
of the Spanish ensign, and the elevation of the tri-color, the latter
only having been raised to be replaced by the stars and stripes. Gov. Claiborne: on taklcing the chair of authority, organized a judiciary. The act of
Congress, in 1804, established a territorial government. The conflicting
LOUISIANA.
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LOUISIANA.
claims of the United States and Spain, to the strip of territory lying east of
the -!ississippi River, were brought to something like a crisis, in 1810, by
the seizure of the Spanish post at Baton Rouge. In 1812, Louisiana was
admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. Upon the declaration of war
with Grelt B,itain, Gen. Wilkinson took possession of the country west of
the Perdclito, then in the occupation of Spain. The memorable battle of
New Orleans was fought on the 8th of January, 1815. The British troops,
about 8,000 strong, were entirely defeated by a body of about 6,00( Ameri.
can militia, with a loss of about 2,600 men, killed, wounded, and prisoners;
the American loss was only six killed and seven wounded, a disparity rarely
if ever before known. Since this period, Louisiana has steadily advanced in
wealth and population.
Louisiana extends from 29~ to 33~ N. latitude, and from 88~ 40' to 941~
25' W. longitude; bounded N. by Arkansas and Mississippi, E. by Mlississippi, W. by Texas, and S. by the Gulf of Mexico. Its length is 250 miles,
its breadth on the Gulf of MIexico 300 miles, and at its northern boundary
is 180, having an area computed at 46,431 square miles. The whole surface
of the state consists mostly of low grounds, with some hilly ranges in the
western part. The southern portion of the state, occupying about one fourth
part of' its territory is seldom elevated more than ten feet above the sea, and
is annually inundated by the spring floods. This section is an alluvial deposit from the waters of the Mississippi and its branclhes. The territory between the Atchafalaya on the west, and the Iberville, etc., on the east, is
called the Delta of the MIississippi, fromn its resemblance to the Greek letter
of that name.
The imnmense alluvial soil of MIississippi may be arranged into four classes
-the first, about two thirds of the whole, has a heavy growth of timber,
with an almost impenetrable undergrowthl of canes, etc., and a soil of the
richest fertility. The second class consists of cypress swamps; these are
basins or depressions of the surface from which there is no outlet, and the
waters which they receive from the annual floods remain until they are carried off by evaporation; the third class consists of the sea marsh, a belt of
land partially covered by the common tides, and generally without timber;
the fourth class consists of small bodies of prairie land.
The richest tract in the state is a narrow belt, called "the coast," lying
along the Mississippi, on both sides, extending from 150 miles above to 140
below New Orleans, and one to two miles wide. This belt was formed from
the annual deposits of the river, and is a little above the ordinary level of
the floods. To prevent the river from inundating the valuable tracts in the
rear, tan artificial embankment has been built, six or eight feet high, called
the Levee, which is sufficiently broad for a highway. The whole of this tract
is under cultivation, and large quantities of sugar are annually produced.
Below the uiouth of Red River, the Mississippi separates into several branches
or outlets, which, diverging from each other, slowly wend their way into the
Gulf of Mexico, and divide the southwestern portion of the state into islands.
The climate in the vicinity of New Orleans is similar to that of Charleston,
S. C., although two degrees further south. The great agricultural productions of the state are sugar, indian corn, rice and cotton. Louisiana is di.
vided into two districts, the eastern and western; the eastern contains 21,
the western 26 parishes. Improved lands, 1,590,025 acres; unimproved,
3,939,018. Population, in 1810,76,556; in 1820, 153,407; in 1850, 511,974;
in 18(30, 666,431, of whom 312,186 were slaves.
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LOUISIANA.
NEw ORLEANS, the great commercial emporium of the south and west,
and the greatest cotton mart on the globe, is situated on the E. or left bank
of the Mississippi, 105 miles above its n outh, 1,438 S.W. from Washington,
1;663 fiom N. York, 2,025 miles from Pittsburgh, via Ohio and Mississippi
So(!hv-~,sc crn ite of/' Jucc1soti Sq?tare, -'ew O)lecans.
Tlhe Cathleirali, withl its spires, appear s i the central part, the Statue of Gen. Jackison within the
square in front. The Court buildio gs on either side.
Rivers, and 2,000 from St. Anthony's Falls, in Lat. 29~ 57' 30" N., Lol. 90~
~r. firom Greenwich. The city is built around the river, which here forms
a curve somewhat in the form of a crescent, from which circumstance it is
View on the Levee at New Orlcais.
often called the' Crescent City." The Mississippi, opposite New Orleans, is
half a mile wide, and 100 to 160 feet deep, and continues this depth to near
the Gulf, where there are bars having only 13 to 16 feet of water. The location is on a piece of land which inclines gently from the river to the marshy
grounds in the rear. At high water it is from three to nine feet below the
602
LOUISIANA.
water surface. To protect the country against inundations, an embankment, or
levee, fifteen feet wide and six feet high, has been raised, extending 120 miles
above, and 43 below the city to Fort Plaquemine.
View in -\7ew Orleans.
The engraving is a representation in St. Charles-street, showing the widely known St. Charles Hotel,
with the adjacent buildings.
The New Orleans levee is one continuous landing-place, or quay, four
miles in extent, and of an average width of 100 feet. It is 15 feet above
low water mark, and six feet above the level of the city, to which it is graduated by an easy descent. During the business season, from November to
July, the river in front of the levee is crowded with vessels, of all sizes and
from all quarters of the world, with hundreds of large and splendid steamboats, barges, fiat-boats, etc. The levee presents a most busy and animated
prospect. Here are seen piles of cotton bales, vast numbers of barrels of
pork, flour, and liquors of various kinds, bales of foreign and domestic manufactures, hogsheads of sugar, crates of ware, etc., draymen with their carts,
buyers, sellers, laborers, etc. Valuable products from the head waters of
the Missouri, 3.000 miles distant, center here. The Illinois, the Ohio, the
Arkansas and Red Rivers, with the Mississippi, are all tributaries to this
commercial depot. Upward of two huidred millio)ts of dollars worth of
603
merchandise are annually brought to this market. Upward of 2,000 vessels,
with a tunnage of more than 1,000,000, enter and clear firom this port annually.
The change in the course of the river at New Orleans, causes vast alluvial
deposits, particularly at that point where the commerce of the city chiefly
centers. Here it has been found necessary'to erect quays, extending from
50 to 100 feet in the river. In consequence of the new formations, the levee
has been widened, and an additional row of warehouses erected between the
city and the river. The city is built along the river over seven miles, and
extends toward Lake Ponchartrain, nearly four miles from the river. The
houses are mostly of brick, and many of the residences in the suburbs are
ornamented with orange trees and gardens. The city was originally laid out
by the French, in an oblong rectangular shape, 1,320 yards in length, and
700 yards in breadth. In 1836, New Orleans was divided into three municipalities, but in 1852, this division was abrogated, and the faubourgs, with
the village of La Fayette, are now incorporated under one city government.
Al7'(crs, whilch may be regarded as one of the suburbs. is a flourishing village
onl the opposite side of the river, and has several shipyards and extensive
manufetcturing establishllments. The inhabitants of New Orleans are nearly
equally composed of Americans, Creoles, and Spaniards. Population, in
1850, 116,375; in 1860, 170,766.
Jackson Square, with its beautiful statuary, trees, shrubbery, etc., in front
of the Cathedral, is one of the most attractive places in the city. Formerly
it was known as Place d'Ari-is, and in early days was used for military purposes. In 1850 it was changed to its present name, since which time it has
been tastefully laid out in walks, and ornamented with the rarest plants and
flowers of the south. In the center of the square is a fine statue of Jackson, the hero of New Orleans, on horseback. In either corner of the square
is a statue representing the seasons. The Catholic Cathedral, fronting the
square, was erected in 1792. The style of its architecture is duplex-the
first story front is of the- Doric order, and the second, the Tuscan. The
belfry wats erected in 1850. The founder, Don Andre, built and dedicated
this imposing structure to the church, on condition that masses be offered
every Saturday evening at sunset for the repose of his soul.
LafayettIe Sguare, adorned with shade trees, is now used as a military parade ground, and has several fine public edifices around it-the Odd l.Jellows'
I(atll fronts the west side of the square. It is a noble building, erected at
a cost of $200,000. Tb-he City IHall, on the opposite side of the square, is
a superb edifice of the Grecian Ionic order, after the Erectheum at Athens:
it is built of white marble, the basement being of granite. The finest por tion of the building is the portico, with its massive marble columns. The
pediment contains a groupe in marble, representing Justice supported by
Libertyand Commerce. It was commenced in 1847, and completed in 1850, at
an expense of about $300,000. Since the consolidation of the city, it has been
known as the City Hall. The First Presbyterian Chutrch, on the south side
of the square, is an architectural ornament to the city of the first order. It
is of Gothic style, and the largest building of the kind in the city, being
nearly 100 feet in breadth and 194 in depth, having a steeple 210 feet high.
It occupies the site of the old church, which was destroyed by fire, Oct. 30,
1854. The following inscription is within the vestibule:
In memory of REV. SYLVESTER LARNED, First Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in this
City, who died of the yellow fever, Aug. 31, 1820; aged 24 years. His last sermon was
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LOUISIANA.
LOUISIANA.
preached on the 27th of Aug., from Phil. I, 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die "a
gain.
There are about 50 churches in New Orleans, about one third of which
are Catholic. The Charitiy lIosri,tal is a large building, three stories hlig,h
and 290 feet in length. It was instituted in 1832, and the citizen and stranger
I____________ __
;ro-ther?n Viewv of Lajqt,/elte Square, \etw Or-leai,s.
The first Presl)yterian Clhurch is seen ini the'entral part, o, the southl side of the Square. Part of the
Odd Fellows' Hfall anid Cathlolic Cilrch on the left, and the front of the City HIall on the extrenme right.
alike find admission and receive the benefits of this institution during sickness. Its aver,age yearly admissions have been latterly about 11,000, and its
discharges about 9,000. Its disbursements are about $100,000. The Untiversity of Louiisiaat was founded in 1849. The medical department has 8
;;Th._~- a_. l ___
Soi
Situation of NAew Orleans.
The outline shows the general appearance of New Orleans. as seen from the south, on the east hank of
th.e Mlissi3ssippi. Tile localities of Algiers, iacDonongh, etc., appear (on the left; part of the Levee in front.
professors, the academic 4, and the law 4. The U. S. Marine HIospital is at
IacDonoug,li, on the opposite side of the river. The hotels and theaters of
New Orleans, are atmong the most splendid buildings in the city. St. Charles
... __ - 1, -.'..-l~ ~ -, I~4~ ~ _ _ rT
I i
605
A11, &._,i tiLLLl / I I
LOUISIANA.
Theater is 132 feet long and 170 feet deep, and cost about $350,000; the
French theater is a large and expensive building; the American theater cost
about $130,000. These three theaters will, in the aggregate, accommodate
about 4,500 persons, and are nightly filled, often to suffocation.
The New Orleans Custom House is stated to be "the largest structure of
the kind under one roof in the world." The corner stone was laid by Henry
Clay, in 1849. The building covers a whole square, an area of two acres.
The whole cost, when completed, it is supposed will amount to nearly four
millions of dollars.
The statue of Henry Clay is one of the objects of interest in New Orleans. It is in bronze, after the design of Joel T. Hart. It is about twelve
feet in hight, and is mounted on a lofty pedestal. Mr. Clay is represented
in the act of addressing the senate, the left hand resting on the pedestal, the
right gracefully extended. The corner stone was laid on the 12th of April,
1856, and on the 12th of April, 1860, it was inaugurated in the presence of
one of the largest concourses of people ever assembled in the city. It stands
in the heart of the metropolis, overlooking the Mississippi. New Orleans
was a place of favorite resort to Mr. Clay, and his memory is endeared to
her citizens by many valued recollections of his social life anlong them.
The history of New Orleans, in its earlier epochs, embraces that of the
whole French settlements in lower Louisiana. It received its name from
the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France.
"In many respects New Orleans is regarded as the most remarkable and attractive city of the United States, especially by those foreigners who are partial to the
life of Southern Europe. Its almost tropical climate, its semi-French tone, its luxuries and pleasures, and its being, so to speak, the headquarters of the southwestern states, whose inhabitants are filmed for their frank, courteous, and hospitable
manners, all combine to render New Orleans to the one who perfectly appreciates
it a place of most delightful memories and associations. Previous to the beginning of the present century, the history of New Orleans was intimately connected with that of France and Spain. It was settled by the French in 1717, and
owed its existence to the flmous, and until recently but imperfectly understood
genius, John Law. The settlement of the country did not succeed, however, under
the Mississippi scheme, though immense sumns were expended upon it, and many
colonists sent there. All possible protection and privilege failed to produce remunerative returns, principally because gold and silver were more sought for than
crops. In 1727, New Orleans received a great number of Jesuit priests ind Ursuline nuns, who remained there until 1764. It was in 1769 that the first cases of
yellow fever occurred-introduced, it is said, by a slaver. Its commerce with the
United States began in 1777, and during the following year it was nearly destroyed
by a vast conflagration. ]'he population of New Orleans in 1785 amounted to
four thousand seven hundred; in 1853 it was one hundred and forty-five thousand
four hundred and forty-nine, of whom twenty-nine thousand one hundred and seventy-four were either slav('s or'f.p.c.,''free people of color.' In 1762, by secret
treaty, Louisiana was conveyed to Spain. Several years elapsed before the occupation took place. The new Spanish government was odious to the French settlers,
and so agg,ravating to their Aierican neighbors that our general government hadi
at one time to use strenuous exertions to prevent a regular war between the western people and the Spaniards. New Orleans was reconveyed to the French in
1800, and included in our purchase of Louisiana. Napoleon saw that the loss of
the country was inevitable, and wisely sold it to the United States. Never was a
monarch so wvilling to sell out, or a government so anxious to buy as ours, the only
difficulty was the price. It was finally transferred for the valuable consideration
of eighty millions of livres, deducting twenty millions for spoliations of our mer chant marine. In 1804 New Orleans was incorporated as a city; in 1805 it be came a port of entry. From the period of its passing under'American' govern
606
LOUISIANA.
ment, its progress was wonderfully rapid, its population more than doubling within
seven years. It was on January 8, 1815, that the most interesting event in its
history occurred. It was on that day that General Pakenham approached the city
through Lakes Borgne and Ponchartrain, and was defeated by General Jackson.'
Battle Field of Plaine Chalmnette, or New Orleans.
The memorable battle of iAzcw Orlea)is was fought about four miles below
the city, at a spot washed by the Mississippi, and surrounded by cypress
swamps and cane-brakes. The following account is from Perkins' History
of the War:
"On his arrival in the city, General Jackson, in conjunction with Judge Hall,
and many influential persons of the city, on the 1i6th of -December, issued an order
declaring the city and environs / New Orleans to be under strict mnartial law.
Every individual entering the city was required to report himself to the ad. iiuantgeneral. and no person by land or water was suffered to leave the city without a
passport. The street lamps were ordered to be extinguished at nine o'clock; after
which any persons found in the streets, or from their homes without permission in
writing, and not having the countersign, were ordered to be apprehended as spies.
This measure at once converted the whole city into a camp, and subjected the persons and property of the citizens to the will of the commanding general. Writs
of habeas corpus, and all other civil process by means of which the lives and
properties of the people arc protected, were for the time suspended. Such was the
alarm and confusion of the moment, that few inquiries were made whence the
comiiianding general of a military station derived such powers, to be exercised
over the inhabitants of the adjacent country, in nowise connected with his camp.
Although the brilliant success which afterward attended the operations of General
Jackson seemed to justify the measure, yet the people saw in it a precedent, which
though it might have saved New Orleans, miight at some future period extinguish
their liberties. A most rigid police was now instituted. Spies and traitors, with
which, the governor complained, the city abounded, and who had been industriously employed in seducing the French and Spanish inhabitants from their allegiance, now fled; and the remaining citizens cordially co-operated with the general in the means of defense. Fort St. Philips, which guarded the passage of the
river at the Detour la Plaquemine, was strengthened and placed under the command of Aliajor Overton, an able and skillful engineer. A site was selected for
works of defense, four miles below the city, where its destinies were ultimately to
be determined. The right rested on the river, and the left was flanked by an impen(.trablle cypress swamp, which extended eastward to Lake Ponchartrain, an'!
westward to within a mile of the river. Between the swamp and the river was a
large ditch or artificial bayou which had been made for agricultural objects, but
which now served an important military purpose. On the northern bank of this
ditch, the entrenchments were thrown up.
607
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LOUISIANA.
Each flank was secured by an advance btstion, and the latter protected by batteries in the rear. These works were well mounted with artillery. Opposite this
position, on the west bank of the river, on a risin(r around, General Morgan, with
the city and drafted militia, was stationed; and Commodore Patterson, with the
crews of the Caroline and Louisiana, and the guns of the latter, formed(i another
near General MAlorgan's; both of which entirely enfiladed the approach of an enemy against the principal works. A detachment was stationed above the town to
guard the pass of the Ba;you St. John, if an attempt should be made fromn that
quarter. These arrangements, promptly and judiciously made, gave entire confidence to the citizens, and inspired them with zeal to second the general's exertions.
'emn'orce:nents were daily arriving, and as they arrived were immediately conduct.-dl to their respective stations.
LItiidiii.g of the British.-ln the meantime the British were actively employed
in naiking preparations for the attack; believing the pass from Lake B]3ore to
],ake Pontchtrtrain to be derendled according to General Wilkinson's plan, by the
fortress of Petit Coquille, they determined to land from Lake Borgne by the Bayou
Bienv enue. FIr this purpose they concentrated their forces on Ship Islanld, eighty
miles distant from the contemplated place of landing. The depth of watter in Lake
J)orzne was such that this distance could be traversed only by boats and small
craft, and must le(essalrily be passed several times in order to bring up the whole
ariiment. The first object of thle Blritish general, was to lear the lIke of the
Am(erican gun-boats; and f,i this purpose, forty British launches were sent in pursuit of them, and, after a desperate resistance, captured and destroved the whole
Americin flotilla, stationed on Lakes Borgne and Pontclihrtrain, for the defense of
Xewv Or'letns, eonsistin, of five gun-boats and at simall sloop and schooner By this
success. they obtained the un(disturbed possession of the Ilike; and on the'22.d of
December, proceeded fromn their rend(ezvous on Ship Island, witl all their boats
and small craft capable of navi,gatiii, the nlke. to the B13,you of Bienvenue; and
lihvingr surprisedl and captured the videttes at tl mouth of the bavou, the first division accomplished theirlanding unobserved. lMajor General Villiere, of the New
()rleans militia, lining on the b)lou, to whom tlt important service o( making the
first gttaeck, and giving notice of the enemy's approach was intrusted, Iound tlem
o-n lhis plantation, nine miles below the city, without any previous knowledge of
their approach.
Sthirrnishes on the D).d. Notice was immediately given to General Jackson, who
came out and attacked them on the evening of the'23d. In this affair the lIitisli
sustained a loss, in lIilled, wounded and missing, of five hundred. the British
entrenched themselves at the lBienvenue plantation, four miles from the Americai
camp, making the plantation house, in the rear of their works, their headquarters.
General Jackson established his head-quarters at M'Carty's plantation, on the bank
of the river, and in full view of the IBritish encampment. Two armed schlooners,
the Caroline and Louisiana, constituting all the American naval force on the river,
droppedi down from the city, anchored opp).site the British encampment, and opened
a brisk fire upon their lines with consi(leral)le efect. On the 27th, the Caroline,
Captain Ilenly, got becliined within reach of the BIritish batteries, and was set fire
to and destroyed )y their hot shot: the other succee(ldel in getting out of their
reach. On the 2Sthl, the British advanced within half a mile of the Ainericaln
lines, and opened a fire of shells and rockets; liut were driven back by the atil
lery with considerable loss. On the night of the 31st of December, the enemy
aoain advanced to within six hundred yardis of (General Jacklson's p(,ition, antd
erected three batteries, mounting fifteen guns and at eighit o'clock in the imorn inm opened a heavy fire. In the course of the day, under cover of these batteries
three unsuccessful attempts were made to storm the American works. Ily fiour in
the afternoon, all their batteries were silenced, and in the following night they re turnedl to their former position. On the 4th of January, General Adair arrived
with fiur thousand IKentucky militia, principally without armns. The muskets and
munitions of war destined for the supply of this corps, were provided:tt Pitts burh,i and did not leave that place until the 2Wth of I)ecember; passed Louisville
tie fith of January, and arrived at New Orleans, several days after the balttle of
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LOUISIANA.
the 8th. On the 6th, the last reinforcement of three thousand men arrived from
England, under Major General Lambert. Before the final assault on the American
lines, the British general deemed it necessary to dislodge General Morgan and
Commodore Patterson from their positionls on the right bank. These posts so effectually enfiladed the approach to General Jackson's works, that the army advancing to the assault must be exposed to the most imminent hazard. To accomplish
this object, boats were to be transported across the island from Lake Borgne to the
Mississippi; for this purpose the British had been laboriously employed in deepmg and widening the canal or bayou Bienvenue, on which they first disembarked.
On the 7th, they succeeded in opening the embankment on the river, and comnpleting a communication from the lake to the Mississippi. in pushing the boats
through, it was found at some places the canal was not of sufficient width, and at
,thers the banks fell in and choked the passage, which necessarily occasioned great
delay and increase of labor. At length, however, they succeeded in hauling
through a sufficient number to transport five hundred troops to the right bank. At
dawn of day on the 8th, was the period fixed for the final assault on the American
lines. Colonel Thornton was detached with five hundred men, to cross the river
and attack the batteries on that side, at the same time that the main assault was to
be made, of which he was to be informed by a signal rocket. The American general had detached Colonel Davis, with three hundred Kentucky militia, badly artned,
to reinforce General Morgan. These were immediately ordered to the water-edge,
to oppose the enemy's landing. Unable in their situation to contend with a superior force of regular troops well armed, they soon broke and fled, and the Louisiana militia at (General Morgan's battery followed their example. Commodore Patterson's marine battery, being now unprotected, his crews were obliged to vield to
an overwhelming force, and the ]british succeeded in silencing both; but tlhe opposition which Colonel Thorntoni met with prevented this operation from being coinmpleted until the contest was nearly ended on the opposite side of the river.
At dav-light on the morning of the 8th, the main body of the British under their
commander-in-chief; General Pakenham, were seen advancing from their encampment to storm the American lines. rOn the preceding evening they had erected a
battery within eight hundred yards, which now opened a brisk fire to protect their
advance. The British came on in two columns, the left along the levee on the bank
of the river, directed against the American right, while their right advanced to the
swamp, with a view to turn General Jackstn's left. The country being a perfect
level, and the view unobstructed, their march was observed from its commencement. They were suffered to arproach in silence and unmolested, until within
three hundred yards of the lines. This period of suspense and expectation was
employed by General Jackson and his officers, in stationing every man at his post,
and arranging everything for the decisive event. When the British columns had
advanced within three hundred yards of the lines, the whole artillery at once
opened upon them a most deadly fire. Forty pieces of cannon deeply charged with
grape, canister, and musket balls, mowed them down by hundreds, at the same
time the batteries on the west bank opened their fire, while the riflemen in perfect
security behind their wmks, as the British advanced, took deliberate aimn, and
nearly every shot took effect. Throug,h this destructive fire, the British left column,
under the immediate orders of the commander-in-chief, rushed on with their
fascines and scaling ladders to the advance bastion on the American right, and
succeeded in mounting the parapet; here, after a close conflict with the bayonet,
they succeeded in obtaining possession of the bastion, when the battery planted in
the rear for its protection, opened its fire and drove the British from the ground.
On the American left, the British attempted to pass the swamp, and gain the rear,
bult the works had been extended as far into the swamp as the ground would permnit. Some who attempted it, sunk into the mire and disappeared; those behind,
seeing the fate of their companions, seasonably retreated and gained the hard
ground. The assault continued an hour and a quarter: during the whole time the
British were exposed to the deliberate and destructive fire of the American artillery and musketry, which lay in perfect security behind their earthen breastworks,
through which no balls could penetrate. At eight o'clock, the British columns
drew off in confusion, and retreated behind their works. Flushed with success,
609
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LOUISIANA.
the militia were eager to pursue the British troops to their entrenchments, and
drive them immediately from the island. A less prudent and accomplished general
might have been induced to yield to the indiscreet ardor of his troops; but General Jackson understood too well the nature, both of his own and his enemy's
force, to hazard such an attempt. Defeat must inevitably have attended an assault
made by raw militia upon an entrenched camp of British regulars. The defense
of New Orleans was the object; nothing was to be hazarded which would jeopardize the city. The British were suffered to retire behind their works without molestation. The result was such as might be expected from the different positions of
the two armies. General Packenham, near the crest of the glacis, received a ball
in his knee. Still continuing to lead on his men, another shot pierced his body,
and he was carried off the field. Nearly at the same time, Major General Gibbs,
the second in command, within a few yards of the lines, received a mortal wound,
and was removed. The third in command, Major General Keane, at the head of
his troops near the glacis, was severely wounded. The three commanding generals,
on marshaling their troops at five o'clock in the morning, promised them a plentiful dinner in New Orleans, and gave them booty and beauty as the parole and
countersign of the day. Before eight o'clock the three generals were carried off
the field, two in the agonies of death, and the third entirely disabled; leaving upward of two thousand of their men, dead, dying, and wounded, on the field of
battle. Colonel Raynor, who commanded the forlorn hope which stormed the
American bastion on the right, as he was leading his men up, had the calf of his
leg carried away by a cannon shot. Disabled as he was, he was the first to mount
the parapet, and receive the American bayonet. Seven hundred were killed on
the field, fourteen hundred wounded, and five hundred made prisoners, making a
total on that day of twenty-six hundred. But six Americans were killed and seven
wounded. Of General Morgan's detachment on the west bank, and in a sortie on
the British lines, forty-nine were killed, and one hundred and seventy-eight
wounded.
After the battle, General Lambert, who had arrived from England but two days
before, and was now the only survivirg general, requested a truce for the purpose
of burving his dead. This was granted until four o'clock in the afternoon of the
9th. Lines were drawn one hundred rods distant from the American camp, within
which the British were not permitted to approach. In the ditch, and in front of
the works, within the prescribed line, four hundred and eighty-two British dead
were picked up by the American troops; and delivered to their companions over the
lines for burial. The afternoon of the 8th and the whole of the 9th, was spent
by.the British army is burying their dead. The American sentinels guarding the
lines during this interval, frequently repeated in the hearing of the British, while
tumbling their companions by hundreds into pits,'Six killed, seven wounded.'
Retreat of the British.-On the night of the 18th, they broke up their encamp ment, and commenced their retreat to the place of their first landing. To accom plish this with safety, it was necessary that the army should move in one body.
With this view, immediately after the battle of the 8th, large working parties hadi
been employed in constructing a road through a quagmire, for a considerable dis tance along the margin of the bayou: by binding together large quantities of reeds,
and laying them across the mire; in the course of nine days, these parties had
constructed something resembling a road from their encampment to the place of
debarkation. Along this insecure track, the British army silently stole their march
in the night of the 18th of January. By the treading ot the first corps, the bun dles of reeds gave way, and their followers had to wade up to their knees in mire.
Several perished in the sloughs, the darkness of the night preventing their compan ions from affording relief. At the mouth of the bayou were a few huts, which
afforded shelter for fishermen in the season of catching fish for the New Orleans
market; here the troops halted and bivouacked previous to their embarkation.
Their provisions being exhausted. a few crumbs of biscuit and a small allowance
of rum was their only support. Hiere they were eighty miles from their ships, the
whole of which distance they had to traverse in small open boats; and having but
few of these, the embarkation occupied ten days. On the 27th, the whole land
and naval forces which remained of this disastrous expedition, to their great joy,
610
LOUISIANA.
found themselves on board their ships. Their ranks thinned, their chiefs and
many of their companions slain, their bodies emaciated with hunger, fatigue, and
sickness, they gladly quitted this inauspicious country. The surviving commanding general observes,'that the services of both army and navy, since their landing
on this coast, have been arduous beyond anything he ever before witnessed, and
difficulties have been gotten over with an assiduity and perseverance beyond example by all ranks.' A British officer of distinction, an actor in the scene, thus
describes his tour from the encampment to the embarkation:'For some time, our
route lay along the high road beside the brink of the river, and was agreeable
enough; but as soon as we began to enter upon the path through the marsh, all
comfort was at an end. Being constructed of materials so slight, and resting upon
a foundation so infirm, the treading of the first corps unavoidably beat it to pieces:
those which followed were therefore compelled to flounder on in the best way they
could; and by the time the rear of the column gained the morass, all trace of a
way had entirely disappeared. But not only were the reeds torn asunder and sunk
by the pressure of those who had gone before, but the bog itself, which at first
might have furnished a few spots of firm footing, was trodden into the consistency
of mud. The consequence was, that every step sunk us to the knees, and frequently higher. Near the ditches, indeed, many spots occurred which we had the
utmost difficulty of crossing at all; and as the night was dark, there being no moon,
nor any light, except what the stars supplied, it was difficult to select our steps, or
even to follow those who called to us that they were safe on the other side. At
one of these places, I myself beheld an unfortunate wretch gradually sink, until
he totally disappeared. I saw him flounder in, heard him cry for help, and ran
forward with the intention of saving him; but before I had taken a second step, I
myself sunk at once as high as the breast. I could feel no solid bottom under me,
and continued slowly to go deeper and deeper till the mud reached my arms. Instead of endeavoring to help the poor soldier, of whom nothing now could be seen
except the head and hands, I was forced to beg assistance for myself, when a
leathern canteen strap being thrown me, I laid hold of it, and was dragged out
just as my fellow sufferer became invisible. Over roads such as these, did we
continue our march during the whole of the night, and in the morning arrived at
a place called Fishermen's huts, consisting of a clump of mud-built cottages,
standing by the edge of the water, on a part of the morass rather more firm than
the rest. Here we were ordered to halt; wearied with exertions and oppressed
with want of sleep, I threw myself on the ground without so much as taking off
my muddy garments, and in an instant all cares and troubles were forgotten. Nor
did I awake from that deep slumber for many hours; when I arose, cold and stiff,
and addressed myself to the last morsel of salt pork my wallet contained. Without tents or huts of any description, our bed was the morass, and our only covering the clothes which had not quitted our backs for more than a month; our fires
were composed solely of reeds, which, like straw, soon blaze up and expire again,
without communicating any degree of warmth. But above all, our provisions were
expended, and from what quarter an immediate supply was to be obtained, we
could not discover. Our sole dependence was upon the boats. Of these a flotilla
lay ready to receive us, in which were already embarked the black corps and the
44th; but they had brought with them only food for their own use, it was therefore necessary that they should reach the fleet and return again before we could
be supplied. But as the nearest shipping was eighty miles distant, and the weather
might become boisterous, or the winds obstinate, we might starve before any supply could arrive. As soon as the boats returned, regiment after regiment embarked
and set sail for the fleet; but the distance being considerable, and the wind foul,
many days elapsed before the whole could be got off; by the end of the month, we
were all once more on board our former ships.'"
The following respecting New Orleans, is extracted from a small work, entitled "Travels in Louisiana and the Floridas in the year 1802, etc.," a very
popular volume, published in Paris, Aug., 1803. Translated by John Davis:
"New Orleans... on the east side of the Mississippi, thirty-five leagues from
the sea.... The river forms, before the city, a large creek, or kind of semi-circu
611
LOUISIANA.
lar basin, here and there widening. It is equivalent for a port on the east, where
vessels anchor close to each other, and so near the water side, that by means of a
couple of forts, in the form of a bridge, there is an easy communication from the
land to each vessel, and their cargoes are discharged with the greatest care.
The depth of the river, taken at the middle of its bed, in fr(;nt of the city, is
about forty fathoms; about half a century ago its depth at the same place was seventy fathoms. Hence it follows (if these measurements be not faulty) that the
bed of the river loses in depth what it gains in breadth; it is considerably wider
than it was. Its breadth at the same place is about five hundred fathoms, proportionate to the elevation and depression of its waters.
Behind the city is a communication by water with Lake Ponchartrain, which is
not more than two leagues distant in a right line toward the north-east from whence
small vessels come up with sails, by the way of the Bayou Saint John, which there
empties itself. At this confluence is an open canal, which was made some years
ago, under the direction of Mons. Carondelet, a work truly useful; which, in procuring to the city the advantages of a double port, purged and drained the neighboring swamps. Formerly, those very vessels navigated the canal which now
anchor before the city, but it having been neglected since the departure of the
governor, it has lost its advantages in being choked up, and is now the receptacle
of only the most diminutive barks.
The city is about 3,600 feet in length: to which may be superadded the suburbs
extending like the city along the river, and about half as long; but, strictly speaking, both the city and suburbs are mere outlines, the greater part of the houses
being constructed of wood, having but one story, erected often on blocks, and
roofed with shingles, the whole being of very combustible wood, that is of cypress.
Hence this city has been twice on fire, accidentally, in the interval of a small
number of years, in the month of March, 1788, and the month of December, 1794.
Yet, notwithstanding, the inhabitants every day build wooden houses, regardless
of the consequences.
There are a few houses, more solid and less exposed, on the banks of the river,
and in the front streets. Those houses are of burnt brick, some one, others two
stories high, having the upper part furnished with an open gallery, which surrounds the building. In the heart of the town one sees nothing but the barracks.
The streets are well laid out and tolerably spacious, hut that is all. Bordered
by a footway of four or five feet, and throughout unpaved, walking is inconvenient;
but what more particularly incommodes the foot-passenger is the projecting flight
of steps before every door. The streets being flat, the filth of the houses remains
where it was thrown; and during a great part of the year, they are a common
sewer, a sink of nastiness, dirt, and corruption.
With regard to the public buildings, these are only the Hotel de Ville and the
Parochial Church (a plain building of the Ionic order). both built of brick; the
former has, however, but one story. They stand near each other, on a spot con tiguous to the river. At both times they offered asylums to the inhabitants, many
seeking safety under their roofs, instead of exerting themselves to extinguish the
flames.
Nearly in the center of the town is a small theater, where, on my arrival, I saw
several dramas performed with considerable ability. The company was com posed of half a dozen actors and actresses, refugees from the theater of Cape
Francais, in the Island of St. Domingo. Nor is this the first instance of Louisiana
having profited by the calamities of that island. But by some misunderstanding
between the civil and military of the colony, and the indifference of the citizens
and colonists, the theatrical troop has been dispersed, and the theater shut. Not
long ago, however, some of the citizens were seized with a fit of play acting, and
a display of their dramatic talents was made in the Death of Csesar. They in
consequence stabbed with great vigor, rage, and perseverance, this enemy of Roman
liberty, in the person of an old colonist, bald headed from years and corpulent
from good living. The venerable colonist sustained his part well. But the spec.
tators, who could not yield themselves to the theatrical iulusion, ceased not to see,
through the representation, in the hero of ancient Rome, raised from the dead and
-612
LOUISIANA.
transported from the banks of the Tiber to those of the Mississippi, they did not
cease a moment to behold the venerable and portly Mr. B******.
In winter, during the Carnival, there is a public ball open twice a week, one day
for the grown people, and another for children. It is nothing but a kind of hall
made out of a huge barrack, and stands in such an unfortunate part of the city,
that it is only accessible through mud and mire. Each side is accompanied with
boxes, where the mammas form a tapestry, and where ladies of younger date, who
come merely as spectators, are accommodated with seats. The latter in irony are
called Bredouilles..... The musicians are half a dozen gypsies, or else people
of color, scraping their fiddles with all their might........It is hither, in the
months of January and February, but seldom sooner or later, that the inhabitants
repair, men and women, to forget their cares in dancing; nor will they tire at
their country dances, groso modo, from seven at night till cock-crowing the next
morning. The priceof admittance is four Dutch shillings, or half a piastre, for
every individual."
The French or Catholic Cemetery, in New Orleans, is an interesting spot.
On account of the wet nature of the soil, almost all the dead are interred
above ground. The principal cemetery (which is within the city limits), is
in three divisions, each of which is covered with a profusion of elevated
tombs. Many of these are beautifully constructed, embracing a g,reat variety of architecture. A large portion of the tombs are built against the
Tiew n the IFrench Cemnetery, Netw Orileans.
walls which surround each division of the cemetery, having tiers of
ovenlike recesses, one above each other, in eitch of which a body is
placed and then walled up by masonry, with a marble slab in front
having inscriptions to the memory of the deceased within.
BATON ROUGE, the capital of Louisiana, and the oldest town in the
state next to New Orleans, is situated on the east or left bank of the
Mississippi, 130 miles above New Orleans, and 1,120 miles S. W. from
Washington. It is mostly built on an elevated plain or bluff, some
30 or 40 feet above high water, being the first elevation on the Mississippi from its entrance into the gulf of Mexico. The city contains
about 4,000- inhabitants.
The first tomeutfBao ge w ma by the French, but
the difficulty in navigating the river with sail vessels to such a distance
from the Galfwassuch that it never increased to any great extent. At
6[3
I LOUISIANA.
the purchase of Louisiana, Baton Rouge being then in the hands of the
Spaniards, was taken by Gen. Thomas, and the Spanish rule annihilated.
The place is said to have derived its name from the symbols of a bloody
massacre by the Chickasaw Indians. A Spanish family, residing here, were
murdered by the Indians, and their heads placed on poles along the margin
of the river. A party of French, under La Salle, shortly afterward approached the place, and were appalled by the ghastly sight, and named it
Baton Rotuye (Red Stick.)
General Zachary Taylor had his family residence, for many years, at
Baton Rouge. It was a small cot tage built house, standing upon the
_____ _____bank of the Mississippi, and was
4________originally inhabited by the com _________mandant of the old Spanish fort.
It contained but three large rooms,
_______ to which were added in course of
time a surrounding veranda, and
so me out-buildings devoted to do mestic purposes. Here Col. Taylor,
when ordered to take a command in
the army south, refusing the more
ostentatious quarters of'the garri ItS 1 K | | | ~~son,' established himself, and here
-| - | 5the members of his family resided,
more or less, for the quarter of a
century that preceded his translation
to the' White House.' At the time
of the'Presidential contest,' the
thousands who traveled upon the
A... great highway of the south and west,
the Mississippi, were accustomed to
stop their steamers in front of this
humble looking house, and make the
GE. TAYLO'S SECE. welkin ring with exulting cheers;
and nothing could exceed the enthusiasm when' old Whitey,' grazing in his retirement, would start at the enlivening sounds, and sweep along the bluff in graceful movements, as if cordially acknowledging the honors paid to his master."
Western view of Baton Rouge.
614
LOUISIANA.
PURCHASE OF LOUISIANIA.*
In 1763, Louisiana was ceded to Spain, and by a secret article in the treaty of
St Ildefonso, concluded in 1800, that power ceded it back to France. Napoleon,
however, wished to keep this cession secret until he should have-as he hoped to
do-reduced St. Domingo to submission. Failing in this, he was rendered indifferent to his new acquisition. In January, 1803, he sent out Laussat as prefect of
the colony, which was the first intimation that the inhabitants had of the transfer
which gave them great joy.
On being informed of this retrocession, President Jefferson had dispatched instructions to Robert Livingston, the American minister at Paris, to represent to
the First Consul that the occupation of New Orleans by France would endanger
the friendly relations between the two nations, and, perhaps, even oblige the United
States to make common cause with England; as the possession of this city by the
former, by giving her the command of the Mississippi, the only outlet to the produce of the western states, and also of the Gulf of Mexico, so important to American commerce, would render it almost certain that the conflicting interests of the
two nations would lead to an open rupture. Mr. Livingston was therefore instructed( not onlv to insist upon the free navigation of the Mlississippi, but to negotiate for the acquisition of New Orleans itself and the surrounding territory; and
AMr. Mlonroe was appointed with full powers to assist him in the negotiation.
Bonaparte, who always acted promptly, soon came to the conclusion that what
he could not defend, he had better dispose of on the best terms; but before deciding, he summoned two of his ministers in council, on the 10th of April, 1803, and
thus addressed them:
"I am fully sensible of the value of Louisiana, and it was my wish to repair the
error of the French diplomatists who abandoned it in 1763. I have scarcely recovered it before I run the risk of losing it; but if I am obliged to give it up, it
shall hereafter cost more to those who force me to part with it than to those to
whom I yield it.'The Englishl have despoiled France of all her northern possessions in America, and now they covet those of the south. I am determined that
they shall not have the Mississippi. Although Louisiana is but a trifle compared
to their vast possessions in other parts of the globe, yet, judging from the vexation
they have'manifested on seeing it return to the power of France, 1 am certain that
their first object will be to gain possession of it. They will probably commence
the war in that quarter. T''ihey have twenty vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, and our
affairs in St. Domingo are daily getting worse since the death of Le Clerc. The
conquest of Louisiana might be easily made, and I have not a moment to lose in
putting it out of their reach. I am not sure but what they have already begun an
attack upon it. Such a measure would be in accordance with their habits; and in
their place I should not wait. I am inclined, in order to deprive them of all prospect of ever possessing it, to cede it to the United States. Indeed, I can hardly
say that I cede it, for I do not yet possess it; and if I wait but a short time, my
enemies may leave me nothing but an empty title to grant to the Republic I wish
to conciliate. They only ask for one city of Louisiana, but I consider the whole
colony as lost, and I believe that in the hands of this rising power it will be more
useful to the political, and even the commercial interests of France, than if I
should attempt to retain it. Let me have both your opinions on the subject."
One of the ministers, Barbe Marbois, fully approved of the cession, but the other
opposed it. They debated the matter for a long time, and Bonaparte concluded the
conference without making his determination known. The next day, however, he
sent for Marbois, and said to him:
"The season for deliberation is over: I have determined to renounce Louisiana.
I shall give up not only New Orleans, but the whole colony, without reservatiop.
That I do not undervalue Louisiana I have sufficiently proved, as the object of my
first treaty with Spain was to recover it. But, though I regret parting with it, I
am convinced it would be folly to persist in trying to keep it. I commission you,
*This article is extracted from Bonner's History of Louisiana.
6'15
LOUISIANA.
therefore, to negotiate this affair with the envoys of the United States. Do not
wait the arrival of Mr. Monroe, but go this very day and confer with Mr. Livingston. Remember, however, that I need ample funds for carrying on the war, and I
do not wish to commence it by levying new taxes. For the last century France
and Spain have incurred great expense in the improvement of Louisiana, for which
her trade has never indemnified them. Large sums have been advanced to different companies, which have never returned to the treasury. It is fair that I should
require repayment for these. Were I to regulate my demands by the importance
of this territory to the United States, they would be unbounded; but, being obliged
to part with it, I shall be moderate in my terms. Still, remember, I must have fifty
millions of francs, and I will not consent to take less. I would rather make some
desperate effort to preserve this fine country."
The negotiations commenced that very day. Mr. Monroe arrived at Paris on
the 12th of April, and the two representatives of the United states, after holding
a private conference, announced that they were ready to treat for the cession of
the entire territory, which at first Mr. Livingston had Haesitated to do, believing the
proposal of the First Consul to be only a device to gain time.
On the 30th of April, 1803, the treaty was signed. The United States were to
pay fifteen million dollars for their new acquisition, and be indemnified for some
illegal captures; while it was agreed that the vessels and merchandise of France
and Spain should be admitted into all the ports of Louisiana free of duty for
twelve years.
Bonaparte stipulated in favor of Louisiana that it should as soon as possible be
incorporated into the Union, and that its inhabitants should enjoy the same rights,
privileges, and immunities as other citizens of the United States; and the third
article of the treaty, securing to them these benefits, was drawn up by the First
Consul himself, who presented it to the plcnipotentiaries with these words:
"Make it known to the people of Louisiana that we regret to part with them;
that we have stipulated for all the advantages they could desire; and that France,
in giving them up, has insured to them the greatest of all. They could never have
prospered under any European government as they will when they become independent. But, while they enjoy the privileges of liberty, let them ever remember
that they are French, and preserve for their mother-country that affection which a
common origin inspires."
The completion of this important transaction gave equal satisfaction to both
parties. "I consider," said Livingston, "that from this day the United States takes
rank with the first powers of Europe, and now she has entirely escaped from the
power of England;" and Bonaparte expressed a similar sentiment in these words:
"By this cession of territory I have secured the power of the United States, and
given to England a maratime rival, who at some future time will humble her
pride." These words appeared prophetic when the troops of Britain, a few years
after, met so signal an overthrow on the plains of Louisiana.
The boundaries of the colony had never been clearly defined, and one of Bona,
parte's ministers drew his attention to his obscurity. "No matter," said he, "if
there was no uncertainty, it would, perhaps, be good policy to leave some;" and,
in fact, the Americans, interpreting to their own advantage this uncertainty, some
few years after seized upon the extensive territory of Baton Rouge, which was in
dispute between them and the Spaniards.
On the 30th of November, 1803, Laussat took possession of the country, when
Casa Calvo and Salcedo, the Spanish commissioners, presented to him the keys of
the city, over which the tricolored flag floated but for a short time. The colony
had been under the rule of Spain for a little more than thirty-four years.
On the 20th of December, in the same year, Gen. Wilkinson and Gov. Claiborne,
who were jointly commissioned to take possession of the country for the United
States, made their entry into New Orleans at the head of the American troops.
Laussat gave up his command, and the star-spangled banner supplanted the tri colo)red flag of France.
The purchase of Louisiana, which gave the United States their sole claim to the
vast territory west of the Mississippi, extending on the north through Oregon to
the Pacific, and further south to the Mexican dominions, was the most important
616
LOVISIANA.
event to the nation which has occurred in this century. From that moment, the
interests of the whole people of the Mississipi valley became as one, and its vast
natural resources began to be rapidly developed. So great are they that it is
destined to become the center of American power-" the mistress of the world."
CULTIVATION OF SUGAR CANE.*
Louisana, before the rebellion, produced about half the amount of sugar used
in the Union, or more than 350,000 hogheads yearly. Sugar is a mnodern
production: it was unknown to the
- _ — ancients, and even in the middleages
_ _ a K~~~~~~was a luxury seldom indulged in even
by the wealthiest. It is generally
G o d'.....~ co-nceded that the plant originated in
3 China. The cane was first introduced
.- ~ l~~~_ _ Binto Europe by the Saracens, who cul -______ tivated it in Sicily, and the islands in
_.X____- the vicinity: by the middle of the
13th century, it became generally
l l Amffi3- known to the European world. Soon
% ^ W a~~- ~after the discovery of America the
sugar cane was introduced by the
early colonists of St. Domingo and
other WVest India islands, Which soon
became famous for its cultivation and
L~~iz~~ 11 |1 -the extraordinary improvements in _? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I t,,|roduced there in the manufacture of
L /sgar. In 1751, the cane was intro duced into Louisiana by Jesuit priests
from St. D)omingo, who, by the indus try of negroes familiar with its cul tivation, planted it upon lands now
occupied by the most densely popu lated part of New Orleans. The cli nmate of Louisiana is far inferior to
that of the West Indies for the pro Et~~ B e ~~~~~duction of sugar; but the cane in time
E_~~~~~ ~ =- Gil_ becomes acclimated and insensible to
the cold which would destroy that
B e -~~ _m grown farther south.
!*>~ ~ ~ ~.; = J ] - Until within the memory of those
, =,i~~~~~~ A_ now living, the cultivation of the cane
was confined to the vicinity of New
I!KS~~!!~Il l i~lIl~ ~Orleans. A great change has taken
GATIIERIaNG SUGAR CANs. place: for over two hundred miles on
either side of the Mississippi, and on
the banks of many of its tributaries, together with the rich country-almost unknown except to its inhabitants-of Opelousas and Attakappas, lying westwardly
on the Gulf coast, the sugar cane flourishes in the greatest perfection. A large
number of the great cotton farms on lower Red River, have been successfully
changed into the cultivation of cane, and the "high lands," which mean those
above the annual rise of the Mississippi, have gratefully rewarded the labor of the
sugar planter.
Sugar cane is classed by botanists among the grasses. Its technical description,
except to the initiated, gives but an indefinite idea to the general reader. Superficially, it resembles, in the field, the growing corn; but, on examination, it will be
found to be very different. The stem, in every species of cane, is round and hard,
and divided, at short, irregular intervals, with joints. When it is considered, that
*Abridged from an article in Harper, by T. B. Thorpe, entitled "Sugar and the Sugar
Region of Louisiana," and from Olmsted's "Seaboard Slave States."
617
LOUISIANA.
in Louisiana, the sugar crop has to be gathered and manufactured in ninety days,
or he destroyed by the frost, and that one third of the entire crop has to be put
into the ground for "seed." and that in the West Indies the season is always favor
able for the perfection of the cane, a tolerably correct idea can' be formed of the
disadvantages under which the Louisiana planter labors, compared to those similarly engaged in more tropical regions.
The largest and most important sugar plantations of Louisiana lie, with few exceptions, upon the low lands of the Mississippi and its outlets. The consequence
is, that they are beautifully level, and present a different appearance from any other
agricultural portion of the Union. The prairies of the West roll like the swells of
the sea, but the fields of Louisiana spread out with an evenness of surface that
finds no parallel, except in the undisturbed bosom of the inland lake.
One of the most interesting and picturesque portions of Louisiana devoted to
the cultivation of sugar, lying off the banks of the Mississippi River, is the country of "the Attakappas." This earthly paradise-for such a name it really deserves
-lies west of the Mississippi River, and borders upon the Gulf of Mexico. It
would be almost impossible to describe its character, it is so composed of bayous,
lakes, rivers, prairies, and impenetrable swamps. To even a large portion of the
oldest inhabitants of the state, Attakappas is an unknown region, and so it is destined to remain, except to its immediate inhabitants, if artificial means are not
adopted to facilitate communication. In the spring you can reach the Attakappas
in a comfortable steamer; later in the season all direct communication is cut off
by the " low water."
Here, upon the borders of the Teche, is the most enchanting scenery and the
richest sugar farms of Louisiana. Unlike the Mississippi, the Teclie has no levees:
its waters never overflow.'I'The stately residences of the planters are surrounded
by gardens, the shrubbery of which reaches to the water's edgle, and hedges of rose
and hawthorn, of lemnon and orange, every where meet the ravished eye. Along
its shores the magnificent live oak rears itself in all the pride of vigorous "ancient
youth," and gives to the gently undulating landscape, the expression so often witnessed in the lordly parks of England.
The pleasant town of FRANKLIN lies upon the Teche, and is the shipping port
of the richest sugar parish of the state. Vessels of large size while in the Gulf
of MAtexico turn aside from the mud-choked mouths of the Mississippi, and floating
and cordelling through innumerable bays and bayous, finally work their way into
the "interior, and mingle their rigging with the foliage of the forest. ilere these
argosies, born in the cold regions of the Aroostook, fill their holds with sugar and
molasses, and, once freighted, wing their way to the north.
Running parallel with the Teche are magnificent lakes, that consequently lie
upon the rear of the plantations. It is the mists from these inland seas, with
those of the rivers, that rise over the sugar cane in winter, and protect it from
frosts which in less favored regions destroy the planter's prospects. To the accidental location of a plantation with regard to water, it is often indebted for a comparative exemption from freezing cold.
Immediately after the business of one year is closed, and the holidays are at an
end, one of the first things attended to, as a commencement of the year's labor, is
the clearing out of the ditches, that have become choked up by vegetation in the course
of the summer and fall months. The ditches form one of the most important and expensive necessities of a sugar estate; for, with the exception of frost, standing water
is the most destructive thing to cane. Rains that fall in torrents in these latitudes,
not only have to be guarded against, but also the more insidious and ever-encroaching "transpiration water." To form an idea of what is meant by this term, it
must be remembered that the lands on the Mississippi River are protected from
annual inundation by embankments known as "levees." In the spring of the year,
the Mississippi, as the conductor to the ocean of more than half the running water
of the North American continent, rises not only until its banks are full-but would,
if left to itself, overflow for a season the whole lower country through which it
passes. To remedy this evil, from below New Orleans and up toward the north
for hundreds of miles, the river is lined with an embankment, which, in times of
flood, confines its waters within its usual channeL These embankments vary from
618
LOUISIANA.
oix to twelve feet in hight. When the river is full, it will be noticed that there is
an inconceivable pressure made by this artificial column upon the water that lies
under the soil of the plantations. Consequently, there is a constant percolation
ur to the surface; and if this were not provided against by the most liberal and
scientific method of ditching, although the sun might shine uninterruptedly for
weeks, the cane crop would sicken and die, not as we have seen by the descending
rains, but by the ascending flood that at these particular times literally boils and
billows under the earth.
The highest land# upon the Mississippi River are those forming the banks; as
you go inland, they gradually sink. In draining a plantation, it is customary to
cut parallel ditches about two hundred feet apart, from the front to the rear of the
plantation, with cross ditches every six hundred feet. This complication of artifi-ial canals requires not only an enormous outlay of capital and occupation of valuable land, but also taxes the scientific engineer to give them their proper levels.
In many instances, it is found impossible to accomplish this, and costly drainingmachines have to be called into service. There is erected the steam-engine, that
in every revolution tumbles the superabundant water that is running so merrily in
the ditches over the back levee into the swamp.
There are plantations on which within a square mile can be found from twenty
to thirty miles of ditching. Often the "bayous" of the country are cleared out,
and form an important natural adjunct in carrying off the surplus water, but to
the labor of man is to be ascribed the making of the most formidable channels;
for on some plantations can be seen a regular system of deep and carefully constructed canals. It may be with truth said, that the industry and capital expended
in Louisiana alone, to preserve the state from inundation, have erected works of
internal improvement which, united, far surpass in extent, and if concentrated
within the vision of a single eye, would be superior in magnificence to the renowned pyramids of Egypt.
This extensive ditching has required the labor of years to accomplish. At first
very little was needed, for only the highest lands of the river were cultivated. As
plantation after plantation was opened, and the levees increased, this ditching became more important-in fact, the value of the plantation for productiveness depended upon their construction. Where the "plantation force " is large, the negroes
do most of this important work, and generally are able to keep all clean when
once they are made. But the same hardy and improvident son of Erin that levels
mountains at the north, or tunnels through their rocky hearts, that flourishing
cities may be built, and railways be constructed, finds his way to the distant south;
and with spade and wheelbarrow, is ever ready to move about the rich soil with
an energy and ease that finds no rival except in the labors of an earthquake.
For planting, new or fallow ground is prepared by plowing the whole surface.
The ground being then harrowed, drills are opened with a double mold-board plow
seven feet apart. Cuttings of cane for seed are to be planted in them. These are
reserved from the crop in the autumn, when some of the best cane on the plantation is selected for this purpose, while still standing. This is cut off at the roots,
and laid up in heaps or stacks, in such a manner that the leaves and tops protect
the stalks from frost.' The heaps are called mattresses; they are two or three feet
high, and as many yards across. At the planting season they are opened, and the
cane comes out moist and green, and sweet, with the buds or eyes, which protrude
at the joints, swelling The immature top parts of the stalk are cut off, and they
are loaded into carts, and carried to the ground prepared for planting. The carts
used are large, with high side-boards, and are drawn by three mules-one large
one being in the shafts, and two lighter ones abreast, before her. The drivers are
boys, who use the whip a great deal, and drive rapidly. In the field, says Olmsted,
in his book, I found the laborers working in three divisions-the first, consisting
of light hands, brought the cane by armsfull from the cart, and laid it by the side
of the furrows; the second planted it, add the third covered it. Planting is done
by laying the cuttings at the bottom of the furrow, in such a way that there shall
be three always together, with the eyes of each a little removed from those of the
others-that is, all "breaking joints." They are thinly covered with earth, drawn
over them with hoes. The other tools were s,) well selected on this plantation.
619
LOUISIANA.
that I expressed surprise at the clumsiness of the hoes, particularly as the soil
was lifht, and entirely free from stones. "Such hoes as you use at the north
would not last a negro a day," said the planter.
Cane will grow for several years from the roots of the old plants, and, when it
is allowed to do so, a very considerable part of the expense is avoided; but the
vigor of the plant is less when growing from this source than when starting from
cuttings, and the crop, when thus obtained, is annually less and less productive,
until, after a number of years, depending upon the rigor of the seasons, fresh
shoots cease to spring from the stubble. This sprouting of cane from the stools
of the last crop is termed "ratooning." In the West India plantations the cane
is frequently allowed to ratoon for eight successive crops. In Louisiana it is usual
to plant once in three years, trusting to the ratooning for two crops only, and this
was the practice on Mr. R.'s plantation. The cost of sugar growing would be very
greatly increased if the crop needed planting every year: for all the cane grown
upon an acre will not furnish seed for more than four acres-consequently one
twelfth of the whole of each crop has to be reserved for the planting of the following crop, even when two thirds of this is to be of ratoon cane.
Planting is finished in a favorable season-early in March. Tillage is commenced immediately afterward, by plowing firom the rows of young cane, and subsequently continued very much after the usual plan of tillage for potatoes, when
planted in drills, with us. By or before the first of July, the crop is all well
earthed up, the rows of cane growing from the crest of a rounded bed, seven feet
wide, with deep water-furrows between each. The cane is at this time five or six
feet high; and that growing from each bed forms arches with that of the next, so
as to completely shade the ground. The furrows between the beds are carefully
cleaned out; so that in the most drenching torrents of rain, the water is rapidly
carried off into the drains, and thence to the swamp; andl the crop then requires
no further labor upon it until frost is apprehended, or the season for grinding
arrives.
The nearly three months' interval, commencing at the intensest heat of summer,
corresponds in the allotment of labor to the period of winter in northern arriculture, because the winter itself, on the su,-atr-plantations, is the planting-season.
The negroes are employed in cutting and carting wood for boiling the canejuice,
in making necessary repairs or additions to the sugar-house, and otherwise preparing for the grinding-season.
The grinding-season is the harvest of the sugar-planter; it commences in October, and continues for two or three months, during which time, the greatest possible activity and the utmost labor of which the hands are capable, are required to
secure the product of the previous labor of the year. Mr. R. assured me that
during the last grinding-season nearly every man, woman, and child on his planta
tion, including his overseer and himself, were at work fully eighteen hours a day.
From the moment grinding first commences, until the end of the season, it is never
discontinued; the fires under the boiler never go out, and the negroes rest only
for six hours in the twenty-four, by relays-three quarters of them being constantly
at work.
Notwithstanding the severity of the labor required of them at this time, Mr. R.
said that his negroes were as glad as he was himself to have the time for grinding
arrive, and they worked with greater cheerfulness than at any other season. How
can those persons who are always so ready to maintain that the slaves work less
than free laborers in free countries, and that for that reason they are to be envied
by them, account for this? That at Mr. R.'s plantation it was the case that the
slaves enjoyed most that season of the vear when the hardest labor was required
of them, I have, in addition to Mr. R.'s own evidence, good reason to believe, which
I shall presently report. And the reason of it evidently is, that they are then better paid; they have better and more varied food and stimulants than usual, but
especially they have a degree of freedom,*nd of social pleasure, and a variety of
occupation which brings a recreation of the mind, and to a certain degree gives
them strength for, and pleasure in, their labor. Men of sense have discovered
that when they desire to get extraordinary exertions from their slaves, it is better
to offer them rewards than to whip them; t~ encourage them rather than drive them.
620
LOUISIANA.
It b,: season has been favorable, so that the cane is strong, and well matured,
it wi-. t..dure a smart early frost without injury, particularly if the ground is well
draii,,, but as rapidly as possible, after the season has arrived at which frosts
are to be expected, the whole crop is cut, and put in mattresses, from which it is
taken t, the grinding-mill as fast as it can be made to use it.
The business of manufacturing sugar is everywhere carried on in connection
with the planting of the cane. The shortness of the season during which the cane
.an be used is the reason assigned for this: the proprietors would not be willing
,o trust to custom mills to manufacture their produce with the necessary rapidity.
If cane should be cultivated in connection with other crops-that is, on sma!'
:arms, instead of great "sugar only" plantations-neighborhood custom-mills
wuold probably be employed.
The other prominent towns of Louisiana are Opelousas, Nachitoches, Alexandria, and Shreveport, the last named, on Red River, being the most important
commercial town in Western Louisiana, and with a population of about 3,000.
9
621
4
T E N N E S S E E.
TEN.NESSIEE was originally included within the limits of North Carolina.
The first establishment of the Anglo-Saxon race within its borders was 1Fort
Loudon, on the north bank of Lit tle Tennessee or Watauga River, about
a mile above the mouth of Tellico
River, and some 30 miles south-west
erly from Knoxville. This fortifica tion was erected by Andrew ILewis, in
1756, who was sent here for that pur ____ A X I A L ~, pose by the Earl of Loudon, the gor I_ I: - - ~ ernor of Virginia and commandel':*
___\~~ ~the King's troops in Americt. T'Z
fort was garrisoned by British troons,
and this, with other fortified places
established afterward, induced large
numbers of emigrants to settle in the
,/0 vicinity. In the spring of 1758, the
garrison of Fort Loudon was augment STATE Au.Ys OF T'ENNESSEE, ed to 200 men. In a few months, by
the arrival of traders and hunters, it
grew into a thriving village. At the time Tennessee was first explored, its
territory was a vast and almost unoccupied wilderness, over which the Indian
hunters seldom roamed. Being equi-distant from the settled territories of
the southern and northern tribes, it remained a kind of neutral ground. By
reason of the mildness of the climate, and the rich pasturage furnished by
its varied ranges of plain and mountain, in common with Kentucky, it had
become a great park in which the beasts of the forest ranged without much
molestation. The Cherokees, in the south-east corner of th.e territory, appear
to have been the only Indian tribe who had any permanent location in the
state. The other parts of Tennessee were either claimed or occupied as
liunting grounds by the Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Shawnees. The Six
idations also claimed a right to the grounds north arch east of the Tennessee
Bliver, and the first cession of lands by any of the - boliginal tribes was made
6y them.
The second fort built in Tennessee was in the north east corner of the
state, within the present limits of Sullivan co-jnt r, near tLe Virginia line, in
1758, by Col. Bird, in the French and Ep'-iap war. It was erected on a
623
TENNESSEE.
Ice,iutiful eminence on the north bank of the Hoiston, opposite the upper end
ot Long Island, and from this circumstance called Long Island Fort. The
i,'my wintered here in 1758. It was at that time supposed to be within the
limits of Virginia. After the treaty with the Indians in 1768, many emigrants flocked into Tennessee, and settled on the banks of the Holstoa and
Watauga Rivers. North of Holston, in what is now Sullivan and Hawekins
counties, was believed to be in Virginia; south of the Holston was admitted
to be within North Carolina. Of those who ventured furthest into the wilderness, with their families, was Capt. William Bean. He came from Virginia,
and settled early in 1769 on Boone's Creek, a tributary of the Watauga. His
son, Russel Bean, was the first white child born in Tennessee.
In 1769 or 1770, a company of ten hunters built two boats and trapping
canoes, loaded them with the results of their hunting, and descended the
Cumberland River-the first navigation and the first commerce probably ever
carried on upon that stream by the Anglo-Americans. Where Nashville now
stands they discovered the French Lick, and found immense numbers of buffalo and other wild game. Descending the river to the Ohio, they mnet with
Indians, who, while they stole a few articles, offered them no personal injury.
On descending the Ohio they met with Frenchmen trading to the Illinois,
who treated them with friendship. From thence they sailed down the Mississippi as far as the then Spanish town of Natchez. Here some of them
remained while the others returned.
In 1760, the Cherokees besieged Fort Loudon, with its garrison of 200
men. The garrison, having subsisted for a month principally on the flesh
of horses and dogs, agreed to capitulate, on condition they should be allowed
to return to Virginia or Fort Prince George. After marching about fifteen
miles from the fort, they were surrounded and treacherously attacked by
nearly 500 warriors; with horrid yells they rushed, tomahawk in hand, upon
the feeble and emaciated troops, and massacred nearly all of them on tho
spot. The next year, Col. Grant, with a body of 2,600 men (Highlanders,
Provincials and friendly Indians), marched into the Cherokee country, gave
battle to the Indians, burned their dwellings, and laid waste their country.
The celebrated Francis Marion was a subordinate officer in this campaign, and
in writing to a friend, he gave the following touching and picturesque account:
"We arrived at the Indian towns in the month of July. As the ground was rich
and the season had been favorable, the corn was bending under the double weight
of lusty roasting ears and pods and clusteringr beans. The furrows seerflel to rejoice under their precious loads-the fields stood thick with bread. We encamped
the first night in the woods, near the fields, where the whole army feasted on the
young corn, which, with fat venison, made a most delicious treat. The next morning, we proceeded, by order of Col. Grant, to burn down the Indian cabins. Some
of our men seemed to enjoy this cruel work, laughing very heartily at the curling
flames, as they mounted, loud crackling, over the tops of the huts. But to me, it
appeared a shocking sight.'Poor creatures!' thought I,'we surely need not
grudge you such miserable habitations.' But when we came, according to orders.
to cut down the fields of corn, 1 could scarcely refrain from tears. For who could
see the stalks, that stood so stately, with broad, green leaves, and gayly tasseled
shocks, filled with sweet, milky fluid, and flour, the staff of life-who, I say, without grief, could see these sacred plants sinking under our sword, with all their precious load, to wither, and rot untasted in the mourning fields! I saw everywhere
around, the footsteps of little Indian children, where they had lately played under
the shelter of the rustling corn. No doubt they had often looked up with joy, to
the swelling shocks, and laddened when they thought of their abundant cakes
for the coming winter. When we are gone, thought I, they will return, and, poep
624
TENNESSEE.
mg through the weeds with tearful eyes, will mirk the ghastly ruin poured over
their homes, and the happy fields where they had so often played."
The result of these measures was decisive, and a deputation of chliefs visited
the cImp to sue for peace. Among thenm was Attakulla, a (,hief /vI,) had )ecan
()-se5tC to the war, and who thus addressed Col. Grant:
" Yo,i live at the water side, and are in light. We are in darkness; but hoDe all will be
clear. i have been constantly going about doing good; and though I am tired, yet I ami
com.e to see wlhat can be dlone for my people, who are in great distress. As to what has
h,,l-)pene, I believe it has been ordered by our Father above. We are of a dif.erenrt ecolor
from the vwhite peop'e. They are superior to us. But one God is Father of us all, and we
hope what is past will be forgotten. God Almighty made all people. There is not a d,ay
but tlhat somre are coming into, and others going out of the world. The Great King told
:nc the path should never be crooked, but open for every one to pass and repass. As we all
live ini onie land, I hope that we shall all live as one people."
Pee was formally ratified, and both expressed the hope that it might last as
lo)ng as tlhe sun would shine and the rivers run.
In 1773, the population of Tennessee was found to have increased to a
ve-rv considerable extent. In the succeeding year a war broke out witl the
ilortreru Indians, residin, across the Ohio, and terminated by their suinr for
le:ice'. The ye;r 17476 is ren(lered memorable by a formidable invasion of
the ( Cherokees, whom the British had incited to attack the infant settlements.
A strong- force firom Virgiinia and the Cairolinas soon dispersed tl]Je Indians,
,:ld peace was again restored.'hen the constitution of North Carolina
'is tfermed, in 1778, Tennessee (then the L)istrict of WAashington) sent
(.epu ties to the convention. In the southlern camipaign of 1780, at the )ril i -it exploit at King's iourntain, when the British troops urnder Col. Fer usion, were either taken or saiin, the Tennessee settlers, under Col. Sevier,
:le. most im,port.nt share in the conflict. Col. 8Sevier's commanm,d was 2-1()
I wte, ll mnounted and nearly all armed with a Declol,al(r rifie.* The fbl wing elative to this period is fiom Raimsay's Annals of Tennessee:
'3"e cam} ) on Aatluga, on the twenty-fith of Septenlmber, presented an anias tell spec-tacle. Wi itli the exception of a few oeilonists oni the distant (:unberani, tie entire mnilitary force of what is now Tennessee was assemibled at the
>y.eamore Shoals. Scarc e a single gunman remained, thr.t day, at his own house.
iiT yo,in,' ar ent and energetic had generally enrolled themselves for the cainpLi:rni a,"ainst Fer,uson. The less vigoros and more ag,ed, were left, with the int;.'Iior guI.n, ill the settlements for their protection aginst the Indlians; but all h.d
a tte tld the renlezxvous. TIhe old men were there to counsel, encoura,va an(i
stirnalite the youtohful soldier, and to receive, from the colonels, instructions for
ti're defense of the satiaons durina their absence. Others were there to brins. in
ri,hli profision, the products of their farms, which wvere cheerfiully furnished grltu;toolty and without stint, to complete the outfit of the expedition. Gold and silver
tley litd not, h)ut subsistence and clothina, and equipment and the fiery ehar,eraa3;th'n: tlie frontiersman owned, in the cabin, the field or the range, was ofifred,
unosten.titoiusly, upon the altar of his country. The wife and the sister were
tL'ere, atnd, with a suppressed sigh, witnessed the departure of the husbandl and the
i,r.)ther. AnI tliere, too, were the heroie mothers, with a mournful but noble
-,e to take a fobd farewell of their ga,,llant sons.
!i-he spi'e settlements of this frontier had never before seen assemblled to(gether
a concourse of people so inimmense and so evidently agitated by great excitement.
'.I' lar,e mass of thie assembly were volunteer riflemen, clad in the homne-spun of
t'. hr wisees and sisters, iand wearing the hunting shirt so characteristic of the
; ak-woods soldierv, and not a few of them the mooc'tsins of their own manuface2.". A fe',w of the orcers were better dressed, but all in citizens' clo)thin(. TIhe
C'.
* This rifle was re.nl rkb'le for the precision and distance of its shot. It was generally
three feet six inc!hes long, weighed about seven ponds, and ran abndut seventy bullets to
the pound of leadl. It wa3 s(, called from Dackhard, the maker, in Lancaster, Pa.
40
625
TENNESSEE.
mien of Campbell was stern, authoritative and dignified(l. Shelby was grave, taciturn and determined. Sevier, vivacious, ardent, impulsive and energetic. McDowell, moving about with the ease and dignity of a colonial magistrate, inspiring
veneration for his virtues and an indignant sympathy for the wrongs of himself
and his co-exiles. All were completely wrapt in the absorbing subject of the revolutionary struggle, then approaching its acme, and threatening the homes and
famnilies of the mountaineers themselves. Never did mountain recess contain
witlhin it, a loftier or a more enlarged patriotism-never a cooler or more determined courage."
At the peace these brave men again sought their mountain homes and devoted themselves to the improvement of their settlements. In 1782, comnissioners were appointed by government to explore Davidson county (at that
time quite extensive), and report which part was best for the payment of the
bounty promised to officers and soldiers of North Carolina during the Revolution. A settlement had been made in this part of Tennessee, by Col. Robertson and some two or three hundred followers, at Nashville, in 1780, and
the county received its name in honor of Gen. Davidson, who fell in opposing Cornwallis in 1781. The military warrants were made out, many of the
officers and soldiers came to this section to secure and settle their lands, and
many purchasers from various states of the Union became settlers.
In 1785, the inhabitants of the counties of Sullivan, Washington, and
Greene, lying directly west of the Alleghany Mountains, feeling the incon v e niences of having a government so remote a s that of North Carolina,
framed a constitution, elected their governor, and erected themselves into an
independent state by the name of the State of Fraudiig. This premature
s t a t e was to comprehend "all that traet of country w hich lies between the
m o u n t a i n s and the such or iwhirl of Tennessee River." The legislature of
the new state met at Jonesboro': John Sevier was elected governor; a judi ciary system was established, David Campbell, Joshua Gist, and John An derson were appointed judges. These proceedings occasioned great confu sion and warm disputes, which continued until 1788, when the thoughts of
independency were relinquished and tranquillity was restored. The territory
was finally ceded to the United States in 1790, and a territorial government
was established under the name of the "Territory of the United States
south-west of the river Ohio." William Blount, of North Carolina, was
appointed the first governor.
In 1794, Tennessee was constituted a separate territory, the general assem bly of which met at Knoxville. In 1795, the inhabitants of the territory
numbered 77,262, of which number 10,613 were slaves. The next year,
1796, a convention met at Knoxville and formed a constitution for state gov ernment, and the name of Tcetcessee was adopted for the new state. The
constitution was approved by congress, June 1, 1796, and Tennessee en tered the, Union. John Sevier was elected the first governor. William
Blount and William Cocke were elected'the first senators to congress. The
first constitution remained unaltered for about forty years. The present con stitution was adopted in 1835.
Tennessee is bounded N. by Kentucky and Virginia, S. by Georgia, Ala bama and Mississippi, E. by North Carolina, and W. by Arkansas and Mis souri, from which it is separated by the Mississippi River. It extends east
and west between 81~ 37' and 90~ 28' W. long., and between 35~ and 36~
35' N. lat. Its mean length from east to west is 400 miles, breadth, 114.
Its area is computed at about 45,000 square miles.
The state is usually considered as being divided into three nominal divisions,
626
TENNESSEE.
severally known as East, }Vest, and Ai'ddle Tennessee. East Tennessee, bordering on North Carolina, is an elevated region, containing numerous lofty
and picturesque ranges of the Cumberland and Laurel Mountains, and other
conspicuous branches of the Alleghany range, mostly covered to their summits with noble forests. West Tennessee, between the Mississippi and
Tennessee Rivers, has generally an undulating surface, though some parts are
quite level, with a light but productive soil, producing large quantities of
cotton. Middle Tennessee is uneven and hilly, though not mountainous, and
the lands are of good quality.
Tennessee is watered in various directions by important streams. The
MIississippi washes its western borders; the Tennessee crosses the state between Middle and Western Tennessee; the Cumberland has its principal
course in this state; the Holston, Clinch, French, Broad, and Hiwassee, are
branches of the Tennessee. The mineral resources of the state are very great,
consisting of iron, coal, copper, lead, etc. Indian corn, tobacco and cotton
are the principal staples. In 1851, at the World's Fair, the wool of Tennessee was awarded the premium of the "Golden Fleece."& The climate is
mild and genial, being free from the extremes of heat and cold. Population
in 1790, 35,791; in 1820, 422,813; in 1840, 829,215; in 1850, 1,002,725,
in 1860, 1146,640, of whom 287,112 were slaves.
2orf(herit viewc of A\as7tville.
The view shows tile app-ar, nec of Nasille as it is entered,.I-on tlhe TLoisvillc and Nash,ville Rtilroad.
On the left is seen thell suspensio bridge osver C erl.isn iver, witll pa).trt of tile stea imlboat la(tincg
and the steam ipriltiig establishmien.t of the 3iethoiist Episcop)al Chrch South. T'lIe State tons ai.)fpears
on lhe eixtrelne right.
NASiIYILLE, city, port of entry, county seat for D)avidson county, and capital of the state of' Tenne,ssee, is situated on the left bank of Cumberla- dl
River, at the head of iteamboat navigation, about 200 miles, following the
.:-'" The mountain district of Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. comlbinev evpry chief
feature wvhich ad(lapts a country to the raising of sheep on a large scale. The warm and
sheltered valleys where little snow ever falls, afford t winter horne fo)r the flocks, where little defense from storms and cold is required, and where much of their food can be obtained
627
TENNESSEE.
State lc,7.se of Te(!niessec, A-(t/hrille.
The State Hotlse, a most noble ad nl ifiet suture s,' o the hi,est r of tile city, one
Ihundred and seventy-five feet above the river. Its di esions Ire - y 1 b t, and( cost abnut. niilli(tn
of dollars.
in the fields and woodlands; while the hill slopes andcl moiuntain sides will afford precisely
the kind of pLsture most conducive to the hea.ltll of the animalts and the excellence of the
fleece. In such a climnate, and in such circumstances, the finest and softest wools of the
world are produced. In proof of this, it may be stated that at the lcWorld's Fair, in London, when all the world was engaged in competition, the wivool which received the prize as
the best which the nations then could boast, was sheared from the flocks which had beein
reared in this very region, on the hills of East Tennessee. Mark R. Cockrell, Esq., an extensive wool grower of Tennessee, attended the IWorld's Fir in Lond(on, in -5, and presented some of his wool in competition with the wools of Europe. The contest under the
rules, was between countries, not individuals. The premium of the' Golden Fleece' was
awarded to Tennessee. The legislature of that statte, the winter following, passed a resolution tendering Mr. C. its thanks, and ordering the preparation of a gold medal, to be
given to him as a token of respect. On its presentation he said,' Germany, Spain, Saxony
and Silesia, were there; the competition was honorable, strong and fair. Nature gave me
the advantage in climate, but the noble lords and worthy princes of Europe did not know
it until we met in the Crystal Palace, in London, before millions of spectators. While their
flocks were housed six months in the year, to shelter them from the snow of a high latitude,
mine were roaming over the green pastures of Tennessee, warmed by the genial influence
of a southern sun-the fleece thus softened and rendered oily by the warmth, and green
food producing a fine, even fiber.' "-Prof. Christy's Report.
The mountain regions of this section, elevated above the frost belt, it is believed, possess
the very best climate and soil east of the Rocky Mountains, for the production of fruit,
particularly the peach and the grape. On the elevations grapes and peaches are as certain
a crop, as is corn generally elsewhere. In some instances, European grapes have, for twenty
years, borne twenty consecutive crops, without mildew or rot, and producing a third more
than iii France. The dried peaches of Tennessee and North Carolina have an unrivaled
reputation in northern markets. In time this will probably become the great wool growing,
wine producing, and fruit raising region of the Atlantic states. Population, capital, and
improved railroad facilities are alone wanting to soon bring this consummation. The great
tide of emigration has now nearly reached the broad belt of arid land that stretches for
hundreds of miles across the continent, east of the Rocky Mountains. When its streams
are diverted southward, to the beautiful climate of the south-western Alleghanies, we shall
ase this noble country rapidly developing its natural riches to the hand of industry and en terprise.
628
0
lengtl of-t- nte, 8o tii-tt it wis v iii tii nl (tft lilt t! t, ilei nd hests
could ta.vel,'td tle iy sufi%'ed l'ettlv ii obt'illi(' f:)d( or (liedl of
w-a ilt ancd ni i(. I 14': the i(o iisI~tnd Ip N1il'a"oli
estaiblishecl a to wn h-rc' ec allin i it Nasli vii!e, iii loI()io of Co). Fiai-eis
s'ash, wlo f, ll at t!e tlead of is l'-ii.izlt:tt tl httle of (Geir-nntown1
The followiin is tlie iiinciption nii tlio monunient standing in the front yanr of
the Polk manrsion, on Vine-street in the city of Nasliville:
"The mortal remaiiis of J. K.o:s JOX OLK are resting in the vault beneath. lie
was born iin Meck.cnbuih'o, North CLarolina, iid emigarated with his father,
Stmnuel Polk, to Tennessee
in 1806. The beauty of vir tue was illustrated in his
life: the excellence of Christ ianity was exernplified in his
~_ ~death. 1tis life wats devotel
_~~_ T = ~~to the public service. lie
was eleate d successively to
~-o-=~~~ ~the first places in the Sttte
and Fle deral Governmiuent: a
mnember of the Ger~nerail As semblyl; at mi~ember o,f Con gress, ia nd c hairman of the
iost important Congression al Comiiiittees; Speaker of
the House of Represenht tires; GLovernor of Tnnies see, and President of the
'' ['.s.!!;!, i' — United States. 1By his ptl) =~~~__ = =-,, S~~~lie policy he defined, estab lislied and extended the
i_oundniries of his C'ountiry.
lie planted the Laws of the
MIAx:SiO\ XXD o.n:TIL:T 0- } PrsIDET ixrOLK. American Union on tlle
shiores of the PACIFIC.. lis,3
influence and his counsels tended to or,anize thle National Treasury on the principles of the Constitution, and appl, the rules of Navigation, Trade and Industry.
James IKnox Polk, l10th President of the IJ S., born Nov. 2, 1795, died June 1a,
1849."
TENNESSEE.
3IErPHIS, city, is on the east bank of the MIississippi, beautifully situated
on a bluff sonme twenty to thirty feet above the highest floods, 191 miles
r. S.W. from Nashville; 420 below St. Louis, and 781 miles above New Orleans. It lies on one of the only three bluffs on the Lower Mississippi,
where it is possible, without great expense for artificial works, to build a
View of.3emphis from the JJrest bank of the Mississiprpi.
The Exchan(e, or Court House buiilding, is sen on the left; the principal Steamboat Landing on the e.t-eme right. Tle front role of mercantile buildings appear on the snunmit of tlhe Bluff. Thie view shows
the city as seen from the Memlhis and Little l'oek Railhoatd, on thie Arkansas side of the Mississippi.
large town. It has rreat commercial advantages, and is on the line of important railroids, built or contemplated, in almniost every direction. Meimphis, since 1850, when its population was 6,427, has taken an astonishing
stride in commercial prosperity, it being now the most growing and prosperous city of the south-west, and second in importance only to New Orleans.
It has a superior system of free schools and a large number of mercantile
and mnanufatturing establishments. Connected with the rich cotton growing
region of North Mississippi, it is a great point for the shipment of cotton.
Population is about 35,000.
The adjacent country is one of the most beautiful and extensive bodies of
tillable land contiguous to the Mississippi River, between the mouth of the
Ohio and New Orleans. It is elevated, dry and level, possessing a fertile
and productive soil, and extending east, north-east, south and south-east for
nearly one hundred miles. Corn, cotton, wheat, and tobacco, can be cultivated to great advantage.
As early as 1736, the Bluff on which Memphis now stands, was, on account of its superior advantages, selected by the French as a suitable posi.
tion for a garrison. It appears, however, to have been inhabited by uncivilized Indians and wild beasts, in 1782. In 1783, the Spanish government
directed W. H. Gayoso, then acting governor of thl Territory of Louisiana,
to take steps for the occupation of this point. The following historical items
are extracted from Rainey's Memphis City Directory for 1855-6:
630
TENNESSEE.
"The Indians manifesting a disposition to receive the officers of the Spanish
Government, Gov. Gavoso came up with a sufficient number of troops and built
Fo(rt St. Fernando, on the bluff, at the mouth of WTolf River, the site of which is
now covered by a portion of the Navy Yard. The Spanish continued in occupation of this garrison, until the ratification of the treaty by which Louisiana was
ceded to the United States Government, and 33 degrees of north latitude established as the boundary line between the two governments.
Soon after this, Gen. Pike (then Lieut. Pike), was sent by the government of the
United States, with troops, to occupy Fort St. Fernando, and the Spanish troops
evacuating it, crossed the river and established Camp'Lesperance (afterward
called Camp Good Hope), at or near the termination of the Military Road. Gen.
Wilkinson came on soon after Lieut. Pike arrived, and dismantled Fort St. Fernando, and established Fort Pickering.
In 1783, the government of the United States granted to John Rice the tract of
land on which Memphis stands, who devised it to Elisha Rice, and he sold it to
Jolir Overton.
I]l 1819, John Overton sold one undivided half of the tract to Gen. Andrew
Jackson and Gen. James Winchester, and these three (Overton, Jackson and Winchlester), laid out the town of Memphis."
The first public sale of lots was made in 1820, at which front lots were
deemed high at one hundred dollars each, and back lots in proportion. The
principal business of the place was confined to the Indian trade for several
years afterward, and the new town attracted but little attention until after
1830, in which year it was but a village of 704 inhabitants.
"In 1841, ConLzress appointed Commissioners to select and survey a site for a
N-avy Yard upon the Iiissippi River, who, after a toilsome examination of its
lwhole length, from New Orleans to the miouth of the Ohio, reported the position
at the mouth of Wolf, as being the most suitable one they could find for the purpose; and, at the session of 1842-3, Congress passed a bill for the erection of a
avy Yard at MAemphis.
The principal portion of the ground which the Navy Yard occupies, has been
formed by deposites of sand and mud from the river, since 1830.
KNOXVILLE is situated on the north bank of Holston River, 4 miles below the junction of the French Broad River, 185 miles east from Nashville,
and 2)4 from Lexington, Ky. It is quite a flourishing place, a central point
of intersection of all the treat railroads of the country, east, west, north and
south. Fine marble quarries and iron ore abound in this section, and beds
of bituminous coal on the line of the railroads. The river is navigable
downward for steamboats at all seasons, and in the spring some 30 or 40 miles
above to Dandridge. Few places possess such a variety of scenery as can
be found within the limits of Knoxville, exhibiting on the banks of the
Holston the wild and picturesque beauty of nature, the hills and valleys of
the cultivated country, the manufacturing village, and the features of the
city. Knoxville contains six churches, the county buildings, of which the
jail, a castellated building, makes a striking appearance, the University
buildings, and the State Deaf and Dumb Asylum. Population about 9,000.
East Tennessee College, or University, is located on a commanding eminence,
upward of 200 feet high, and about half a mile from the court house. This
institution was founded in 1792.
Knoxville was first laid out by Gen. James White, the first patentee. East
Knoxville was laid out by Moses White, his son, and at first was called
MAechaniesburg. The west end of the town was laid out by Col. John Williams, and was for some time called Williamsburg. Gov. Blount's residence
was on Barbara Hill, where the University buildings now stands. The hill
received its name from Barbara, the daughter of the governor, who was
631
TENNESSEE.
born on its summit. The Presbyterian church was the first house of worship erected in the place, Rev. Win. Carrick the first minister. Dr. Stron,
the first physician, was previously a surgeon on board the U. S. frigate Cons+titution. John Crosier, it is believed, was the first post-master. The Hlon.
Soiuit-western view of ni?oxville.
Theo viesows tle appearance of Knoxville, deseniding tlhe hill on the old country ro((,d i) fr)ont of tle
Uoivers;tly. lPart oI' Cumiiie}rlanld-stre,,t is soon oni tlhe left; lai-street n tile right; the C.lI)ola of the
Coolrt nouse ill tll cee:t:.al part; Hlam~})de(n Sidney Ac adei y on the extrene lefth th e Female Institute on
the rig,ht.
]tugh L. White, U. S. senator, who died in 1540, was the son of Gen. White.
Robert Huston was the first sheriff, and iRobert Armstirong the first surveyor.
John HIood was the first, or one of the first printers in Knoxville; hle printed
the Knoxville Gazette.
The followin- are towns of local note in different parts of Tennessee, of'
from 1,000 to 4 000 inhabitiants each: Cl,titatooya is situated on the left or
south bank of Tennessee R'ivel' in the south part of the tate, and near the
boundtlary lines of Georgit adcl Alibainma, 150 miles S.. of Nashville, 447
from Charleston, S. C.,,ndi 4t'-2 fioin Sitvannah, Geo. It is t-he center of
several iiaporta,.t irailroads, both completed and plo,lressing, which extend
from. Richlimonid, Clharleston and- Savannah, onr the Atlantic, to the Mississippi
and Ohio Rivers. The place is, for the most part, situated in a ni,trrow valley, in the nidst of hills or mountainous elevations on almost every side.
l:it/'esboso',o the countv seat of PRutherford county,.is on the line of the
Xslhville and Chlttaniooga Ritilroad, about 30 miles S.E. from Nashville.
it was the capital of the state from 1817 to 1827. It contains several
,lturches, the county buildinig, an academy, and Union Colleg,e, und(er the
1},~tronp~,e ot t e BLptist tdeno ination, established in 1848. iMurfireesbor)o'
is reil laid out, in the midst of a fertile region of corn and tobacco 1landl, and
tlas a large trade in the products of an extensive and hitghly cultivated disret. J(otesboro', the counrty seat or Washing(ton county, about 100 miiles
iorthl-eastelIy from Knoxville, contains about 700 inhabitants. It was laid
off and established as a seat of justice for Washington county, in 1779, by
632
TENNESSEE.
the legislature of North Carolina: it is the oldest town in Tennessee. It
was named in hon.Ior of Willie Jones, Esq., of Halifax county, North Carolina, a friend to the growth and prosperity of the western counties, and aiii
active patriot of the Revolution. Lebatoa, capital of Wilson county, 30
miles east of Nashville, is distinguished as a seat of learning. Here is Cuniberlind University, a flourishing institution, founded in 1844, under the direction of the Cumberland Presbyterians; the law school attached to it was
founded in 1847, and has more students than any other in the Union. SheI(yvil/e, capital of Bedford county, is on Duck River, and at the end of a
hranch of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, 59 miles S.S.E of Nashville. Acz viie, capital of Warieii county, on the MeMinnville and
3Itianecester Iuilroad 75 miles S.E. from Nashville. l;fiatchester, capital of
Franklin, on the Winchester and Alabama Railroad, 2 miles south fri-om the
Nashville and Clattanooga Railroad, and 84 miles S.E. of Nashville. A
branch of the Winchester and Alabama Railroad connects this place with
Huntsv ille, Alaba-al. The tunnel which has been cut in this county,
tlhroutlh the Cunmberland MIountains, for the Nashville and Chattanooga Ptailroad, is one of the most milanificent works of the kind in the Union, extendin, 22'O0 feet, mostly thlrough solid rocki. ]u'yetteville is the capital of Lincoln county, 73 miles S. by E. fiom Nashville. Cleelaiiad, county seat of
Bradley, on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, 83 miles S.W. of
Knoxv"ille, is the shipping point for the rich copper miines of East Tennessee.!,7.1, cs, eapital of )Icliinn countv, 154 miles E.S.E. of Nashville.
c'',e, apital of Green county, is 66 miles E,. by N. fromi IKnoxville.
Coliet)i,bia, the capital of 3l-iury counlty, is 41 miles S. by W. firom Nashville,
on the Tennessee atnd Alabama PRailroad. It is the seat of Jackson College,
founded in 1833, and also three feiale seminaries. The town is in a beautiful country, is noted for its educational institutions, has a fine trade, and
was thie residence of President Polk, previous to his electibn in 1844. Galltti', county seat of Sumnner, is 925 mliles N.W. of Nashville. Cla)-ksville is
on the Cumberland, at the mouth of Red River, about 50 miles N.W. of
Nashv-ille: it is an important point for the manufacturing, and shippingl of
tolbacco. and a very flourishing business town. J(,tcso?I, capital of Madison
country, in Wrest Tennessee, is on the line of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.
The coppEnt MINES of East Tennessee are proving a most important
element in the industry of the country. The famous Ducktow)t?Li,es are in
Polk. county, forty miles easterly fromi the little thriving town of Cleveland,
on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, which is their point of shipment. The first mine was discovered in 1850, and, for want of roads, it was
a long time before any ore could be sent away. The earlier shipments had
to be made to Dalton, Georgia, a distance of seventy-four miles. Notwithstanding, these inconveniences, there had been 14,291 tuns of copper ore
shipped from these mines before the close of 1855, which was sold for more
than a million of dollars. In September of 1855, seven of the mines produced ore to the value of $80,000, or at the rate of nearly a million of dollars per annum. The discovery of these mines led to great excitement and
lirge expectations when it was known that the supply of copper throughout
the world was not equal to the demand. Lands which were nearly quite
worthless before the veins were discovered rose to a great value. In one instance, a tract of one hundred acres with a mine fully developed, sold for
$460,000. A late visitor at Ducktown thus gives us his experience there:
633
TENNESSEE.
The Ducktown copper mines have been opened in some low ranges of hills which
seem to form the highest point in a broad, rolling plain, surrounded on all sides,
apparently, by lofty mountains, so distant as to be clothed with blue, and lifting
many a bold peak far into the sky. The scene is one of great beauty, when seen
as we first beheld it, at sunset, when the western crests of the far-away hills seemed
to blaze in the sunbeams, while their bases lay in a shadow of the deepest blue,
deepening every moment into the evening gloom, and the eastern ridges were yet
i)urple with the fading glory of the day. Woodlands thinned by the ax, and spoiled
of half their beauty, were near at hand, but at a little distance the dark, dense
forest seemed to begin and stretch away almost unbroken to the distant mountains.
The few clearings scarcely broke the continuity of the woods, and man seemed not
much to have marred the beauty of the works of God. Before us, as we approached
Ducktown, tall columns of smoke, from the furnaces, marked its situation, and this
smoke was already settling into and filling to the brim the eastern valley.
It presents, however, the usual aspect of a mining village, and the buildings, perhaps, are all that circumstances require. The people had comfortable, though not
elegant dwellings, plenty of proper food, schools for their children, and preaching
on the Sabbath. There'is here a population of about five thousand, many of whom
are English and Scotch, with a few Irish and Welsh. The mines are mostly controlled by English capitalists, and no slaves are employed in them. There is, indeed, no mechanical work in which slaves as a body can be profitably used.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
Gen. Jamnes Robertson, one of the principal flithers of Tennessee, was a native
of North Carolina, the patriarch of Watauga, and the founder of the Cumberland
settlemnents. He emigrated to Watauga in 1769. "To his wife he was indebted
for a knowledge of the alphabet, and for instruction how to read and write. To
his Creator he was indebted for rich mental endowments-to himself for mental
improvement. To his God he was indebted for that firmness and indomitable courage which the circumstances that surrounded him called so constantly into exercise A detail of his acts in behalf of his country, and an enumeration of his sufferiniis by personal exposure in the wilderness, in the field of battle, in the besieged
fort and the assaulted station, in losses of relatives and of private property, would
fill a volume. Previous to a.d at the time of his death, Gen. Robertson was the
United States agent at the Chickasaw nation." He continued to the close of his
useful life an active friend to his country, and by his services to the western settlements, in peace and in war, he has caused his name to be remembered with gratitude and veneration. He died at the Chickasaw agency, Sept. 1, 1814.
Johin Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee, the compatriot and colleague of
Gen. James Robertson, was born in Shenandoah county, Va., in 1744. His ancestors were French Huguenots; the family name in France is Xavier. The Earl of
Dunmore, then governor of Virginia, appointed young Sevier a captain in the military service of the colony. Not long after the family emigrated to the west to the
Holston, and finally to the Watauga. Inheriting the sprightliness, gallantry and
generosity of his French ancestry, Capt. Sevier soon became a faivorite in the wilds
of Wata,u a In the revolution, when the British troops were sweeping the friends
of liberty before them in the southern states, Sevier and his companions in arms
hastened to the rescue. His services in the important conflict at King's Mountain
are well known. He was the first to introduce the Indian war-whoop among the
soldiery. The British prisoners at King's Mountain said they could stand the fighting, but the hallooing confused them, making them believe that "the mountains
had regiments instead of companies." Sevier was the idol of his soldiers, who were
generally his neighbors and the members of his own family. Often no public provision was made for their pay and equipments. These were furnished by himself
he being at once commander, commissariat and paymaster. On the formation of
the new "State of Franklin," Sevier was chosen governor. In the trouble and con
634
TENNESSEE.
fusi -n which followed that event, he was seized by an armed posse, and conveyed
to Morgantown on a charge of treason against the state of North Carolina. At the
time of his trial he was rescued by his friends, and his return was everywhere welcomed with joy. He was afterward restored to favor, and was elected the first
member of congress from the great valley of the Mississippi. In 1815, he was appointed commissioner bv President Monroe to run the boundary of territory ceded
by the Creeks to the United States. He left his home, near Knoxville, in June, for
that purpose, and died of a fever September 24th, in the 71st year of his age. He
was buried, with the honors of war, on the east bank of the Tallapoosa, near Fort
D)ecatur, in Alabama
William Blotint, the first governor of the "Territory south-west of the River
Ohio," was a native of North Carolina, and his relatives were distinguished during
the revolutionary period. He received the appointment of governor under the administration of Washington in 1790. He was remarkable for his urbanity, hospitality and commanding presence. At first he made his residence in the fork of
Holston and Watauga Rlivers, at the house of Wm. Cobb, where he held his court
in the ancient woods of Sullivan. After he removed to Knoxville, the friendly In
dianI chiefs paid frequent visits to the new capital. Mrs. Blount, the wife of the
govelnor, an accomplished lady, became much interested in them, and by her ad
dress and persuasion induced them to restrain their young warriors from aggres
sion upon the frontier people. Grainger county and Fort Grainoer, at the mouth
of the Tennessee, were named from the maiden name of Mrs. Blount. Governor
Blount was cut off in the prime of life, and his remains were interred in the buryin-, ground of the First Presbl)yterian Church, having a slab with the simple inscription:' "William Blount. died March 21, 1800, aged 53 years."
Azdreew Jackson. "'Ask nothing but what is right-submit to nothing wrong,'
was Andrew Jackson's great political maxim, and it was an abiding principle in
his character from his earliest youth until the close of his life. That noble principle was the key to his great success in whatever he undertook, and is worthy of
adoption by every young man when he sets out upon the perilous voyage of active
life. Jackson's parents were from the north of Ireland, and were among( the early
Scotch-Irish settlers in the upper part of South Carolina, in the vicinity of Waxhaw
creek. Jackson's father lived north of the dividing line between North and South
Carolina, in Mecklenburg county, and there Andrew was born on the 15th of
Mtarch, 1797. His father died five days afterward, and a month later his mother
took up her abode in South Carolina, near the meetinghouse of the Waxhaw settlement. He received a fair education, but his studies were interruptedxby the tumults of the on-coming revolution, and soon after the fall of Charleston the Waxhaw settlement became a terrible scene of blood, in the massacre of Buford's reiment by the fiery Tarleton. Every element of the lion in young Jackson's nature
was aroused by this event, and, boy as he wa, not yet fourteen years of age, he
joined the patriot army and went to the field. One of his brothers was killed at
Stono, and himself and another brother were made captives in 1781. The widow
wais soon bereaved of all her family but Andrew, and after making a journey of
mnercy to Charleston, to relieve sick prisoners, she fell by the wayside, and'the
place of her sepulcher is not known unto this day.' Left alone at a critical period
of life, with some property at his disposal, young Jackson commenced a career
that promised certain destruction. He suddenly reformed, studied law, and was
licensed to practice in 1786. He was soon afterward appo)inted solicitor of the
western district of Tennessee, and journeying over the mountains, he commenced,
635
-1e- /v~ 21gs
'' X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~eW
_ 4 - _.~~~~~1
TENNESSEE.
in that then wilderness, that rcemarlkable career as attorney, judge, legislator and
miiitary comrnmander, which on contemplation assumes the features of the wildest
rom,nace, viewed from any point of appreciation. His lonely journeyingrs, his collisions with the lndians, his difficulties with gamli)lers and fraudulent creditors and
land speculators, and his wonderful personal triumphs in hours of greatest danger,
m:tke the record of his life one of ra,iie interest and instruction.
In 1790, Jackson madc his residence at Nashville, and there hlie married In iccomiaplished woman, who had been divorced from her husband. In 1795, le assisted in forming a state constitution for Tennessee, and was elected the first representative in congress of the new state. In the autumn of 1797, he took a seat in
t'ie United States senate, to which he had been chosen, and was a conspicuous suppor ter of the democratic party. He did not rem.in long at Washin ton. Soon after
leavin the senate, he was appointed judge of the suprenmie court of his state. lie
resigned that office in 180S4, and retired to his beautiful estate neal Nashiville.
Tliere he was visited by Aaron Blurr, in l80t)5, and entered warmly into his schemes
foi invadin,g iexico. WThen 1]urr's intentions were suspected, iJackson refused
fuirthir intercourse wittli him until lie should pIrove thle purity of his intentions.
For many years Jackson was chief miilitati y e()uiliander in his section, an(l when
a.r against Great Britain was proelIiiaed in 1812, he longed for emiployiuent in
the fl & li-le vas calledI to duty in 1S13. Erl the following vear he wais made
< mIa jr-lq house is of'he~, wlors:
',,..' 3 __.._7_ —-,:___ —.... origninally it tod cat
and clay chiimneys.
These have giveii
place to stone, and
a DAVID CrolCKETT"S CAT31. the logs,are n o w
[Drawn by Itenry Howe, Nov., 1859.] weatlieiboarded. It
is about 40 feet long
find 14 wide, and is whot is termed "a doul)le calMiz"-a favorite kind of
backwoods structure in the south-west. The open space between the diuferent parts of the cabin, in tlhe heats of summer, is a common plac-e for the
toi'aiiies to partake of their meals, for the females to sew, and for geneiril social
intercourse. Independence, buoyant health, solid, substantial comroft,,nd
eoueral freedom from oppressive care, may be said to be the gencral condi io of Americans who find their homes in double cabins.
Lile country in the vicinity of Crockett's cabin is yet in a soiuneat wil1erine.ss condition, though it is now rapidly improving, under the imipetus
'ivien, of lote years, to the cotton growing region. When in the county to
Tn ike a sketch of the place for this work, we became acquainted with severia.i
r.: _y-headed men, who evidently took pride in stating, they had "voteld jor
iz'oeket.t." They described him as a man tall in stature, risin six feet, of
siacwy fiamne, independent in manner, and an excellent story-teller. III his
l',st canviss for congress he was beaten, and therefore emigrated to Texa.t
they elated many anecdotes of his goodness of heart and generosity
'i.moig theni this: In the autumn of 183S, a general migration of sqiiirieli
froni the north crossed that section of country, devouring all tLe corn iin
their path, so that a famine threatened the inhabitants. Crockett, upon this,
6 IL 11)
TENNESSEE.
went to the Wabash country, bolught a flat-boat loaded it with corn, and
floating down the Ohio into the Mississippi, and thence to the mouth of the
Obion, a distance of several hundred miles, poled it up that stream 130 miles
further by its various windings, to the forks of the Obion, and there distributed it among his suffering neighbors. His first question, when a manl
came to buy, was, "Have you got money to pay for it?" If the reply was,
"Yes," Crockett would rejoin, "then you can't have a kernel. I brought it
here to sell to those who have no money." Another question was, "how
many have you in your family?" This ascertained, he would sell none
more than their share, taking firom all due bills, and refusing credit to none,
however untrustworthy their reputation, or great their poverty. The following sketch is from Lossing's American Biography:
"'Be sure you are right, then go ahead,' is a wise maxim attributed to one whose
life was a continual illustration of the sentiment. Every body has heard of'Davy
Crockett,' the immortal backwoodsman of Tennessee-the'crack shot' of the wilderness-the eccentric but honest member of congress-the'hero of the Alamo'
-yet few knew his origin, his early struggles, and the general current of his life.
History has but few words concerning hlim, but tradition is garrulous over his
many deeds.
David Crockett was born at the mouth of the Limestone River, Greene county,
East Tennessee, on the 17th of August, 1786. His father was of Scotch-Irishl descent, an d took a prominent part in the War for Independence. It was all a wilderness around David's birtl-h-place, and his soul communed with nature in its unbroken wildness, from the beginning. Ile grew to young manhood, without any
education from books other than he received in his own rude home. When only
seven eears of a(e, David's father was stripped of most of his little property, by
fire.'le opened a tavern in Jefferson county, where David was his main'help'
until the a,e of twelve years. Then he was hired to a Dutch cattle-trader, who
collected herds in Tennessee and Kentucky, and drove them to the eastern markets. T his vagrant life, full of incident and adventure, suited young Crockett, but
)ecomniing, dissatisfied with his employer, he deserted him, and made his way back
to his father's home. After tarrying a year, hlie ran away, joined another cattle-merchant, and at the end of the journey, in Virginia, he was dismissed with precisely four
dollars in his pocket. For three years he was'knocking about,' as he expressed
it, and then he sought his faither's home again. He now enjoyed the advantages
of a school for a few weeks; and, finally, after several unsuccessfiul love adventures, he married an excellent girl, and became a father in 1810, when 24 years of
age. ie settled on the banks of Elk River, and was pursuing the quiet avocation
of a farmer in summer, and the more stirring one of hunter in the autumn, when
war was commenced with Great Biritain, in 1812. Crockett was one of the first to
respoud to Gen. Jackson's call for volunteers. and under that brave leader he was
engaged in several skirmishes and battles. Hle received the commission of colonel
at the close of the war, as a testimonial of his worth. His wife had died while lie
was in the army, and several small children were left to his care. The widow of
a dece ased friend soon came to his aid, and in this second wife he found an excellent guardian for his children. Soon after his marriage, he removed to l,aurens
county, where hle was made justice of the peace, and was chosen to represent
the district in the state legislattuire. Generous, full of fun, possessing great shrewdiicss, and'honest to a fault,' Crockett became very popular in the legislature and
amon g his constituents. In the course of a few years he removed to Western Tennessee, where he became a famtous hunter. WVith the rough backwoodsminen there
hlie ws a mman after their own hearts, and he was elected to a seat in congress, in 1828,
and ag r in in 1830. lie and the opposing candidate canvatssed their district together, and made stump speeches. Crockett's opponent had written his speech,
and delivered the same one at different places. David was always original, andi he
readilv yielded to his friend's request to speak first. At a point where both wished
to m'lke a good impression, Crockett desired to speak first. His opponent could
uot refuse; but, to his dismay, he heard David repeat his own speech. Tho colo 41
641
TENNESSEE.
nel had heard it so often that it was fixed in his memory. The other candidate
was speechless, and lost his election. When the Americans in Texas commenced
their war for independence, toward the close of ] 835, Crockett hastened thither to
help them, and at the storming of the Alamo, at San Antonio de Bexar, on the
6th of March, 1836, that eccentric hero was killed. He was afterward found dead,
surrounded by a pile of the enemy, who had fallen beneath his powerful arm. iHe
was then fifty years of age."
Hiiqh Lawson White, an eminent statesman and jurist, was born in North Carolina, in 1773, and when 13 years of age emigrated with his father's family to Knox
county Tennessee. Hle was educated to the law in Pennsylvania, and in 1796, began the practice at Knoxville. Though his education was limited, he was clear
headed, logical and self-relying, and attained distinction throughout the entire
south-west, where he was "familiarly compared to Aristides, and reverentl regarded as the Cato of the republic." He served in many offices of trust, as ~. S.
Brainerd, the Ancient Missiosiary Station among the Cherokees.
The engraving shows the Itission Church, Store House, and other buildings connected with the Mission
as they appeared about the year 1821. The grave of Dr. Worcester": is sooeen on the left, at the spot where
two persons are standing.
district attorney, judge of the supreme court of Tennessee, state senator, president
of the state bank, etc. He was appointed commissioner by President Monroe to
adjust claims of our citizens against Spain. In 1825, 1831, and 1837, he was successively elected to the senate of the United States, where he served with signal
ability. At the election for vice president of the United States, in 1836, he received all the votes of Georgia and Tennessee. In 1839, having received instructions from the legislature of Tennessee to vote in the senate contrary to his own
judgment, he resigned his seat in that bo(ly,which he had held sixteen years. He
died at his residence in Knoxville, April 10, 1840, in the 68th year of his age.
THE CHEROKEE MIISSION.
The first mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions among the Cherokees, was commenced in 1817 at Brainerd, a spot
within the limits of Tennessee, on the western side of the Chickamauyga
Creek, which is navigable to Brainerd, being about 15 miles from its confluence with the Tennessee. It was, at that time, nearly equi-distant from the
eastern and western extremities of the Cherokee country, and perhaps 25 or
30 miles from the northern limit, which was the mouth of Hiawassee. A
Rev. Dr. Worcester, of Massachusetts, an active member of the American Board, died
in his visit to the Cherokees, at Brainerd, June 7, 1821, and was interred on the Mission
premises. His remains were taken up several years since, and carried to Massachusetts, by
his son, a clergyman of that state. The mission grounds are now owned by A. E. Blunt,
Esq., who was formerly connected with the mission as a farmer, mechanic and teacher. The
wife and two children of Mr. Blunt were buried by the side of Dr. Worcester, with others of
the mission family. The old Mission Church is still standing.
642
TENNESSEE.
church was organized in Sept. 1817, and Catherine was the first fruit pf mis.
sionary labor. This place was visited by President Monroe, in May, 1819
on his grand tour through the United States.
The missions continued to flourish: 8 churches, or stations, were estab lished, and the mass of the people became civilized, and, externally, embraced
the Christian religion. In 1828 and 1829, the state of Georgia, repudiating
the independent government which the Cherokees attempted to establish
among themselves, extended her laws over them, and forbade the missiona ries of the board to reside among them. Mr. Worcester and Dr. Butler, for
violating this law, were imprisoned in the Georgia penitentiary. The case
was brought before the supreme court of the United States, in 1832, which
ordered their release. The bill for the removal of the Indians west of the
Mississippi, passed congress in 1830. On Sunday, the 19th of Aug., 1835,
the church at Brainerd gathered, for the last time in that place, around the
sacramental table. In 1836, some of the principal chiefs negotiated a treaty
at New Echota, for the sale of all their lands east of the Mississippi, for five
millions of dollars. In 1838, the whole nation, 16,000 in number, were on
their march for the west, in fourteen companies. Several missionaries accom panied them on their way. Their journey of 600 or 700 miles, was per formed in four or five months. On the 22d of June, 1839, Major Ridge,
his son, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot, Cherokee chiefs, were assassinated
by their countrymen, for the part they took in selling the lands of the
nation.
THE JERKS.
About the beginning of the present century, the religious meetings of the
west were attended by singular mental and physical phenomena, resembling,
in some of their phases, the mesmeric phenomena of our time. These were
comprised under the general name of "the Jerks." The first recorded instance was at a sacrament in East Tennessee, when several hundred of both
sexes were seized with this strange and involuntary contortion. A clerical
writer, Rev. Barton W. Stone, has, in his biography, left an account of what
he personally witnessed of these strange phenomena, which we here transcribe:
The bodily agitations or exercises attending the excitement in the beginning
of this century were various, and called by various names, as the falling exercise,
the jerks, the dancing exercise, the barking exercise, the laughing and singing exercises, and so on. The falling exercise was very common among all classes, the
saints and sinners of every age and grade, from the philosopher to the clown. The
subject of this exercise would generally, with a piercing scream, fall like a log on
the floor or earth, and appear as dead. Of thousands of similar cases, I will mention one. At a meeting, two gay young ladies, sisters, were standing together, attending the exercises and preaching at the same time, when instantly they both
fell with a shriek of distress, and lay for more than an hour apparently in a lifeless state. Their mother, a pious Baptist, was in great distress, fearing they would
not revive. At length they began to exhibit signs of life, by crying fervently for
mercy, and then relapsed into the same death-like state, with an awful gloom on
their countenances; after a while, the gloom on the faice of one was succeeded by a heavenly smile, and she cried out,'Precious Jesus!' and spoke of the
glory of the gospel to the surrounding crowd in laniguage almost superhuman, and
exhorted all to repentance. In a little while after, the other sister was similarly
exercised. From that time they became remarkably pious members of the churchiL
I have seen very many pious persons fall in the same way, from a sense of the
danger of their unconverted children, brothers, or sisters, or from a sense of the
danger of their neighbors in a sinful world. I have heard them agonizing in tears,
643
TENNESSEE.
and strongly crying for mercy to be shown to sinners, and speaking like angels all
around.
The jerks can not be so easily described. Sometimes the subject of the jerks
would be affected in some one member of the body, and sometimes in the whole
system. When the head alone was affected, it would be jerked backward and forward, or from side to side, so quickly that the features of the face could not be
distinguished. When the whole system was affected, I have seen the person stand
in one place, and jerk backward and forward in quick succession, the head nearly
touching the floor behind and before. All classes, saints and sinners, the strong
as well as the weak, were thus affected. I have inquired of those thus affected it
they could not account for it, but some have told me that those were among the
happiest seasons of their lives. I have seen some wicked persons thus affected.
and all the time cursing the jerks, while they were thrown to the earth with violence. Though so awful to behold, I do not remember that any one of the thousands I have seen thus affected, ever sustained any injury in body. This was as
strange as the exercise itself.
The dancing exercise generally began with the jerks, and was peculiar to professors of religion. The subject, after jerking awhile, began to dance, and then
the jerks would cease. Such dancing- was indeed heavenly to the spectators.
There was nothing in it like levity, nor calculated to excite levity in the beholders.
The smile of Heaven shone on the countenance of the subject, and assimilated to
angels appeared the whole person. Sometimes the motion was quick, and sometimes slow. Thus they continued to move forward and backward in the same
track or alley till nature seemed exhausted; and they would fall prostrate on the
floor or earth, unless caught by those standing by. While thus exercised, I have
heard their solemn praises and prayers ascend to God.
The barking exercise, as opposers contemptuously called it, was nothing but the
jerks. A person affected with the jerks, especially in his head, would often make
a grunt or a bark, from the suddenness of the jerk. This name of barking seems
to have had its origin from an old Presbyterian preacher of East Tennessee. He
had gone into the woods for private devotion, and was seized with the jerks.
Standing near a sapling, he caught hold of it to prevent his falling, and, as his
head jerked back, he uttered a grunt, or a kind of noise similar to a bark, his face
being turned upward. Some wag discovered him in this position, and reported
that he had found the old preacher barking up a tree.
The laughing exercise was frequent-confined solely to the religious. It was a
loud, hLearty laughter, but it excited laughter in none that heard it. The subject apeared rapturously solemn, and his laughter excited solemnity in saints and sin ners: it was truly indescribable!
The running exercise was nothing more than that persons feeling something of
these bodily agitations, through fear, attempted to run away and thus escape from
them; but it commonly happened that they ran not far before they fell, where they
became so agitated they could not proceed any fairther.
I knew a young physician, of a celebrated family, who came some distance to a
big meeting, to see the strange things he had heard of. He and a young lady had
sportively agreed to watch over and take care of each other if either should falL
At length, the physician felt something very uncommon, and started from the con gregation to run into the woods. He was discovered running as for life, but did
not proceed far until he fell down, and there lay until he submitted to the Lord,
and afterward became a zealous member of the (Church. Such cases were com mon.
The singing exercise is more unaccountable than any thing else I ever saw. The
subject, in a very happy state of mind, would sing most melodiously, not from the
mouth or nose, but entirely in the breast, the sounds issuing thence. Such noise
silenced everything, and attracted the attention of all. It was most heavenly none could ever be tired of hearing it.
644
ARKANSAS.
The first European who traversed the territory of Arkansas was De Soto,
the celebrated Spanish adventurer, who after his wanderings east of the Mis sissippi, about the 1st of May, 1541,
___~ ~ reached the great river of the west,
___?9~ ~not far from the site of Memphis,
4 _ S * Tenn., where he encamped and tarried
for about twenty days, in order to
= EAdd\ construct boats to cross the river.
7-2~~~~ 3m'~On the opposite bank a great multi tude of Indian warriors assembled,
well armed, and with a fleet of canoes,
T~~IJ~~ i 1/to defend the passage. The morning
after De Soto had encamped, some of
the natives visited him. "Advancing
wi thout speaking a word, and turning
! b1,,(,~ ~ their faces t o the east, they mad e a
profound genuflexion to the sun; then
facing to the west, they made the
ARMS OF ARKANSAS. same obeisance to the moon, and con cluded with a similar, but less humble,
KoTTo —Regantpopu// —The people govern.
MOO- a ppulThe people govern. reverence to De Soto." They informed him they came in the name of the chief of the province, to bid them
welcome, and offer their friendship and services. When the time had arrived
for crossing over, De Soto, about three hours before day, ordered the four
boats he had built and launched to be manned, and four troopers of tried
courage to go in each. As they came near the other shore, meeting with no
opposition, the troopers dashed into the water, easily effected a landing, and
made themselves masters of the pass. Two hours before the sun went down
the whole army had passed over the Mississippi. "The river in this place,"
says the Portuguese historian, "was half a league from one shore to the
other, so that a man standing still could scarce be discerned from the opposite bank. The stream was of great depth, very muddy, and was filled with
trees and timber carried along by the rapidity of the current."
De Soto now pursued his way northward, and then turning westward again..
they marched more than two hundred miles from the Mississippi to the high 645
I
I
lands of White River. But still they found no gold (the object of their
search), no gems, no cities: only bare prairies, tangled forests, and deep morasses. To the south they again toiled on, and passed the winter wandering
upon the Washita. In the following spring (1542), De Soto, weary with
hope long deferred, descended the river to its junction with Red River and
the Mississippi. His men and horses wasted away, the Indians around him
were hostile, and, his hopes being blasted, he sickened and died, and was buried
in the Mississippi, "thus meeting, in all his travels, with nothing so remarkable as his burial place."
The territory of Arkansas appears to have been next visited by Father
Marquette, and a few others, who came down from Canada in 1673. The
French voyageurs, from the Ohio, passed down the river to the neighborhood
of the "Arkamseas," or Arkansas, where they were kindly received. According to some accounts, the French had a settlement or military establishment
at Arkansas Post, as early as 1685. It is stated, also, in 1748 (whether here
or at the mouth of the Arkansas, does not distinctly appear), "the Chickasaws attacked the post, slew many, took thirteen prisoners, and drove the rest
into the fort." At this time, "from the Arkansas to the Illinois, near five
hundred leagues, there was not a settlement."
This state was originally included within the limits of Louisiana, from
which, in conjunction with Missouri, it was set off, becoming a part of the
latter, under the name of Missouri Territory. In 1819 Missouri was divided,
and the southern portion became the Territory of Arkansas. The seat of
government was originally located at Arkansas Post. Gen. James Miller, a
distinguished officer, and a native of New Hampshire, was the first governor.
lie was succeeded by Gen. George Izard. The first territorial election took
place in Nov., 1819. The first legislature met at Arkansas Post, Feb. 20,
1820. The members of the general assembly were as follows: Sylvanus
Phillips, William O. Allen, and Wm. B. R. Horner, Arkansas county; Edward McDonald, Jo. Hardin, and Joab Hardin, Lawrence county; David
Clark, Wm. Stephenson, and John English, Hempstead county; John McElmurry, Radford Ellis, and Thos. H. Tindell, Pulaski county; Jacob Barkman and Thos. Fish, Clark county. Gen. Wm. Allen, who afterward lost
his life in a duel, was appointed brigadier general of the Arkansas militia.
James Woodson Bates was elected delegate, and Robert Crittenden, secretary. The seat of government was removed to Little Rock in 1820. In
1836, Arkansas was admitted as an independent state, constituting the twentysixth member of the American Union.
Arkansas is bounded N. by Missouri, on the E. by the Mississippi River,
separating it from Mississippi and Tennessee, S. by Louisiana, and W. by the
Indian Territory and Texas. It extends between 33~ and 36~ 30' N. Lat.,
and between 89~ 30' and 94~ 30' W. Long. It is 242 miles long from N.
to S., and from 170 to 258 wide from E. to W., having an area of 52,198
square miles.
In the eastern part of the state, bordering on the Mississippi and the large
rivers which empty into it, the country is low and swampy, with a heavy
growth of timber, and is frequently overflowed. Toward the central part it is
generally hilly and broken, though interspersed with numerous prairies. The
western section is crossed by several mountainous ridges. The Ozark Mountains
rise to an elevation of from 1,500 to 2,000 feet. The Washita Hills have
also a considerable elevation.
"Arkansas gives indications of considerable affluence in mineral resources, which
646
ARKANSAS.
ARKANSAS.
arc principally coal, iron, lead, zinc, manganese, gypsum, and salt. The coal field
of Arkansas commences 40 miles above Little Rock, and extends on both sides of
the river beyond the western boundary of the state. Cannel, anthracite and'bituminous coal are found in the state. Gold is said to have been discovered in White
county. Near the Hot Springs is a celebrated quarry of oil stone, superior to anything else of the kind in the known world: the quantity is inexhaustible: there
arc great varieties, exhibiting all degrees of fineness. According to a writer in
De Bow's Resources of the South and West, there is manganese enough in Arkansas to supply the world; in zinc it excels every state except New Jersey; and has
more gypsum than all the other states put together, while it is equally well supplied with marble and salt The lead ore of this state is said to be particularly
rich in silver."
"Among objects of interest to tourists, are the Hot Springs, about 60 miles S.W.
of Little Rtgck. From a point or ridge of land, forming a steep bank from 150 to
200 feet high, prqojecting over Hot Spring Creek, an affluent of the VWashita, more
than 100 springs issue at different elevations, and at different temperatures, from
135 deg. to 160 deg. of Fahrenheit. A considerable portion of this bank consists
of calcareous deposits, formed from the water as it is exposed to the air. These
springs are visited annually by thousands of people. The waters are esteemed
particularly beneficial to persons suffering from the chronic effects of mercury;
talso in rheumatism, stiffness of the joints, etc. Near the top of the bank above
alluded to, there is a fine cold spring, so near to the warm springs that a person
can put one hand into c(old and the other into warm water at the same time. The
creek below the springs is rendered warm enough to bathe in, even in the coldest
season. Cane Hill, in Washington county, elevated about 1,000 feet, is flat or rolling on the top, with exactly the same growth of trees, etc. (including the grapevine, pawpaw and gum trees) as on the river bottoms. It was originally covered
with cane, hence the 4ame. It is four or five miles wide, and perhaps ten miles
long, and densely populated. The mountains on the western border of the state,
abound with picturesque and romantic scenery. There is in Pike county, on the
Little Missouri River, a mountain of alabaster, said to be of the finest quality, and
white as the driven snow. In the same county also there is a natural bridge,
which is regarded as a great curiosity."
The state is traversed or washed by several of the largest rivers in America. The Mississippi laves its eastern front for more than 350 miles by its
windings. The Arkansas, one of the largest tributaries of the Mississippi,
traverses the whole breadth of the state, through its center by a very tortuous course, and is navigable for the greater part of the year far beyond its
western limits. The Red River flows through the south-western corner of
the state: the White River in the northern part of the state, and the Washita
in the southern, are both important and navigable streams.
The soil is of every variety, from the most productive to that which is
sterile. On the margins of rivers, it is exceedingly fertile, but back of this the
land in many places is sterile, there being a scarcity of water. Cotton and Indian corn are staple productions, but the country is well calculated for raising
cattle. Wild animals and fowls abound, such as buffaloes, deer, beaver, wild
turkeys, geese, quails, etc. Within the last few years, the state has rapidly
advanced in wealth and population, consequent upon the impetus given to the
cultivation of cotton. Population, in 1850, 209,639, of whom 46,982 were
slaves; in 1860, 435.427, including 111,104 slaves.
LITTLE ROCK, the capital and chief town in Arkansas, is situated on the
Arkansas River, about 100 miles in a direct line from Napoleon, at the mouth
of the river, but more than double that distance following the course of the
stream: distant from New Orleans, by the rivers, 905 miles, and 1,086 W.
from Washington. The town is built on a rocky bluffs, some 40 or 50 feet
647
high. It contains the state capitol, the state penitentiary, U. S. arsenal, 5
or 6 churches, several literary institutions, manufacturing establishments, and
4,000 inhabitants.
Little Rock.
The view shows Little Rock, as it appears from the opposite bank of the Arkansas. The Steamboat
and Ferry Landings are seen on the right. Part of the city buildings appear on the bluff, the Postoico
on the left, and the State House onl the right.
The first rock which appears, in ascending the Arkansas from the Mississippi, is seen in the bank near the steamboat landing in this place. About
one and a half miles above the town, on the opposite side of the streani, is a
large perpendicular rock, some 300 feet high; this is called "Big Rock,"
while the other was known by the name of "Little Rock." Hence the present
name of the city, which was originally called Arkopols. The seat of government for Arkansas Territory was laid out here in 1820, at which time the
steamboat Contet arrived, in eight days from New Orleans, the first steamboat
that ascended the Arkansas. The river at Little Rock is about half a mile
in width. In the summer months, when the water is at a low stage; only
boats of a light draught can ascend as high as this point. During flood
times the river has been known to rise twenty feet in twelve hours. In
severe weather in winter, it is sometimes frozen over. Opposite the city the
soil is very fertile, producing cotton from five to eight feet high.
Batesv?ille, the county seat of Independence county, 95 miles northerly firom Little Rock, is on the left bankli of the White River, about
250 miles southwesterly fiom St. Louis, and 1,040 fiom Washington.
It lies at the head of steam navigation, small steamboats ascending
at nearly all sea.sons. The place contains about 1,000 inhabitants.
In 1826, says Col. Noland, in his sketches of " Early Times in Arkan ss," Batesville was the second town in importance in Arkansas. At
648
ARKANSAS.
ARKANSAS.
that time there were no towns or villages on White River from Batesville to its mouth.
HELENA, on the right bank of the Mississippi, is 100 miles from
Little Rock, 100 fiom Napoleon, and 100 from Memphis. It has a
large trade with the back country and the settlements on St. Francis
Helena.
Riveiy fi'om whlich it ieceives considerable cotton for shipment. There
is:t fine l'n~(re of hills baick of thie landing, the first to be seen on the
western bank of the M1ississippi.
The view shows the appearance of Napoleon as seen from the northern bank of the Arkansas, at the
point where it enters the Mississippi. The U.S. IIospital and the mouth of the Arkansas are seen on the
right; the Steamboat Landing and the Catholic Church on the left; the Ferry Landing and Court House
in the central part.
Napoleon.
NAPOLEON iS situated on the southern side of Arkansas River, at
its entrance into the Mississippi, about 100 miles in a direct line from
Little Rock, by the river about 600 from New Orleans, 1,087 from St.
Louis, and 1,583 from Cincinnati. It has 600 inhabitants.
Arkansas Post, the oldest settlement in Arkansas, is situated on the
northern bank of the Arkansas river about 50 miles above its juuction
649
',2
0
ARKANSAS.
the Mississippi. The French located themselves here as early as 1685. It
was formerly a place of some importance, being the chief depot of the peltries of the country far around. There is now scarcely a single house remaining. "A happier people," says Col. Noland, "than those who once
lived here were not to be found anywhere. Principally of French descent,
they were fond of frolic; dancing, balls, and card playing were the order of
the day. HIlospitable as people ever get to be, every manai's latchstring hung
on the outside of his door. The great man of the place was Frederick Fotrebe, of great strength of mind and business capacity. He was the great
merchant for all Arkansas east of Little Rock."
View on the Arkansas.
~ine Bltff, the county seat of Jefferson county, on the right or southern
bank of Arkansas River, is by land 45 miles south-westerly from Little
Rock, and 90 by land from Napoleon, at the mouth of the river. The place
derives its name from the pines growing on the bluff (some 40 or 50 feet
high), on which the place is situated. The village contains three churches,
a fine court house, erected at an expense of $18,000, and about 1,000 inhabitants.
The TVhite Sulphur Springs, about seven miles from Pine Bluff, is beginning, to be quite a place of resort, from the medicinal properties of its
waters.
Fort Smith is about 160 miles from Little Rock, on the W. line of
the state, where it is crossed by the Arkansas River, also on the line
of the great overland mail route from St. Louis to San Francisco. It
has long been noted as a military post on the Indian frontier. St.
Andrewv's College, a Catholic institution, is located near this place.
The Ecclesiastical Seminary, considered one of the finest edifices in
the country, is located on the college grounds. Steamboats ply bet tween this place and New Orleans.
Van Buren is on the N. bank of the Arkansas River, five miles from
the state line dividing it from the Indian Territory. It has a large
commerce with the Indians and the immediate neighborhood.
Jtot Springs, in Hot Springs county, is a small village 47 miles S.
650
ARKANSAS.
W. of Little Rock. It is distinguished as being the seat of a large
number of hot springs. The temperature of the several springs vary
from 110~ to 150~ Fahrenheit. About three miles N. E. are the chalybeate springs, the waters of which are cold, and in Montgomery
county, 50 miles westward, are also sulphur springs. The whole
neighborhood is of volcanic formation, and the scenery romantic.
The springs are a highly popular place of resort for invalids and
pleasure seekers.
Fayetteville, in the northwestern corner of the state, is a beautiful
town, long noted for its literary institutions.
651
11
I
TEX A S.
THE signification of the word Texas is unknown. The name, on the first
discovery of the country, was that of an Indian town on the Neches. In
very early times, Texas was known as
the "NAew Philippines," and was so
alluded to in Spanish official papers.
The first landing of any white per sons on the soil of Texas was made
____ ___~_ \ by La Salle and his companions, Feb.
__ ~ a 18, 1685. This adventurer, who was
under the patronage of Louis XIV,
of France, after his discovery of the
mouth of the Mississippi, in 1682,
was sent out on a second expedition
to take possession of the Mississippi
. _ r ~country and that adjacent, in the name
of the king of France, and to secure
the same by actual settlement. This ex pedition consisted of four vessels and
ARMs OF TEXAS. about 300 men. La Salle, by mistak ing his course, proceeded too far to
the south-west, and made his entrance into Matagorda Bay, which he supposed to be one of the mouths or outlets of the Mississippi. which river ho
had previously discovered. He proceeded about six miles up the Lavacca
River, and built a fort on its banks, which he called Fort St. Louis. He
afterward explored the country to the eastward as far as the Colorado River,
when he became satisfied of his error, and that he was still far to the west
of the Mississippi.
Having ascertained nearly his actual position, hlie determined on opening a
communication with the French settlements in Illinois, and for this purpose,
on March 22, 1686, with twenty of his men, set out on a journey of 2,)000
miles, over an unexplored country. He encountered many difficulties on his
progress toward Eastern Texas. He proceeded, it is supposed, as far as tho
Neehes River, where he was taken sick. He was kindly treated there by tho
(Cnis tribe of Indians, but on his recovery, he found his stock of alummunition so reduced that he was compelled to return to his small colony for
653
another outfit. From various causes the number of the colonists was reduced
to forty men. Leaving one half of these at the fort, La Salle, on the 12th
of Jan., 1687, commenced a second journey to Illinois. Having arrived
again among the friendly Cenis Indians, his men being quarrelsome, killed
several of their companions, and afterward murdered La Salle himself, on
the 20th of March, 1687. The survivors continued their quarrels till the
murderers themselves were assassinated. Finally Joutil, the historian of the
expedition, with six others, continued their journey to Illinois, where five of
them arrived in safety, and thence proceeded, by way of Canada, to France.
When the Indians in the neighborhood of Lavacca heard of the death of La
Salle, they attacked the garrison in St. Louis, and killed all but four, whom
they took prisoners. Thus ended the first attempt at a settlement of Texas.
The Spanish government having heard of La Salle's expedition to Texas,
and wishing to contest the claim of France to the country, sent Captain De
Leon with an expedition to Matagorda Bay. They arrived at Fort St. Louis
April 22, 1689. From this point he proceeded to the Cenis nation, where
he found two of the French colonists, whom he took and sent to the mines
in Mexico. De Leon was afterward sent into Texas a second time, where he
established several missions and military posts. In 1691, Teran was appointed, by the government of Spain, governor of Texas and Coahuila, this
being, the first attempt to organize a government here. Teran established
posts and formed settlements on Red River, on the Neches and Guadaloupe.
About this time was established the missions of San Francisco and San Juan
Bautista. This last was situated on the'"old San Antonio road," which was
laid out about this time, by St. Denis, the French commandant at Nachitoches, with a view to open a trade with Mexico, and which continued to be
traveled by Mexican traders and others, for 140 years afterward.
The hostility of the Indians, and the heavy expenses attending these efforts
to colonize Texas, caused the king of Spain to abandon, for a time, this enterprise. The missions, however, struggled along under many discouragements. In 1712, Louis XIV, of France, still disputing the Spanish claim,
granted a charter to Crozat, including both Louisiana and Texas, and appointed Condillac governor of the whole territory. In order to obtain possession of the rich mines in the interior of Mexico, Condillac sent St. Denis
with a command, to establish settlements and open a way to the mining regions. The Spanish authorities in Mexico became alarmed by these proceedings, and in order to defeat the enterprise, sent Capt. Don Ramon to
establish new posts and fortify the missions previously established. Ramon
established many missions, in different parts of Texas, in the year 1715,
which has, therefore, been called the "year of missions in Texas." From
this year the permanent occupancy of Texas by Spain may be dated.
Ill 1721, De Bienville, the governor of Louisiana, fitted out an expedition
to drive out the Spaniards from Texas. The expedition landed in Matagorda
Bay, but on account of the hostility of the Indians, they soon returned. In
1728, the Spanish government made an order to send 400 families to Texas,
to be taken from the Canary Islands. The first of these emigrants settled
in San Antonio; and these, together with others from the city of Mexico,
who arrived about the same time, laid the first permanent foundation of that
city. About this time, the Natchez, a powerful tribe of Indians in Louisiana, and the Ap)aches, and some other warlike tribes in Texas, made war
against both the French and Spanish settlenmehts. The Apaches made frequent incursions upon San Antonio, and greatly harassed the inhabitants;
6.54
TEXAS.
while the Natchez attacked the French garrison at Natchitoches. This war
broke out in 1730, and continued for two years, when the Spaniards defeated
the Indians in a great battle, which, for a time, gave peace to the country.
In 1762, France ceded Louisiana to Spain, who, having thus acquired
possession of both Louisiana and Texas, established some new frontier defenses, but allowed only two garrisons to Texas, the one at San Antonio, and
the other at La Bahia. The trade of Texas, consisting almost entirely in
horses, cattle and sheep, was, after this, prosecuted with New Orleans with
less difficulty, and the precious metals from various parts of Mexico passed
through Texas without opposition. The policy, however, of the Spanish
government, in not allowing any free trade, cut off all commerce from the
coast of Texas, which was but imperfectly known, only now and then a contraband trader, or a piratical cruiser, coming into Galveston to conceal a
prize.
"In 1765, the population of Texas, confined almost entirely to Adaes, San
Antonio, La Bahia, with a few at Nacogdochcs,. Orquisaco and Mound Prairie,
is said not to have exceeded 1,500, one half of whom were Indians domiciliated." When Spain declared war against Great Britain, in 1779, ]Don Jose
Galvez, then governor of Louisiana, engaged in active hostilities, and received a few recruits firom Texas, who aided in the victories at Natchez, Pensacola, and other places. Previous to and during the American ]Revolution,
an active trade was carried on by the Spanish settlement at Natchez, through
Nacogdoches, to the interior of Texas, and it was through those engaged in
this trade that its beauty and fertility became known to the Americans, and
attracted adventurers from the United States.
In Oct., 1800, Spain, by secret treaty, retroceded Louisiana back to France.
In 1803, Bonaparte, being in want of money, sold the whole of Louisiana to
the United States. The western boundaries of this territory were quite undefined, but the River Sabine was finally, in 1819, in treaty with Spain,
agreed upon as the boundary upon the gulf. At the close of 1806, Texas
wis comparatively prosperous, owing chiefly to the disbursement of money
for the support of the troops at the fortified places; the population at this
time was estimated at about 7,000. Some few Americans had settled along
the San Antonio road, in spite of the hostile disposition manifested toward
them. Nacogdoelhes, at this time, contained about 500 inhabitants, alllong
whom were quite a number of Americans.
West of the Sabine was a tract, called the " Neutral Ground," which was
occupied by bands of outlaws and desperate men, who lived as buccaneers,
by robbery and plunder, perpetrated upon the traders. The Spanish authorities had endeavored to expel them, but could not. The United States sent
a foree against them and drove them away, but they returned again, and renewed their depredations. About this time, Lieut. A. W. Magee, a native
of Massachusetts, who had commanded an expedition against these outlaws,
conceived the idea of conquering Texas to the Rio Grande, and of establishinm a republican government. This enterprize was undertaken in the name
of Don Bernardo Gutierres, though Magee was in reality at the head of the
movement. The fieebooters of the neutral ground joined his standard, ill
Jiute, 1812. The civil war at this time raging in Mexico, favored the desigas of lIagee, who had with him nearly every able bodied man east of the
,li,iity. lie crossed the Colorado with about 800 men. At this point, he
l(e-, neli that Salcedo, the royalist governor of Texas, had come out against
hil as far as the Guadaloupe, with 1,400 men, where he lay in ambush. Magee
TEXAS,
655
then made a forced march, and reached La Bahia on the 14th of November,
which was surrendered to him with but little opposition. Here Magee was
besieoed by Salcedo for three weeks. Previous to the last assault, Magee
agreed to deliver up the fort and return home. When this agreement was
minade known to the army, it was unanimously voted down. Major Kemper,
the next in command, took the lead. Magee, deeply mortified? retired to his
tent, and, it is said, died by his own hand a little after midnight. The Spaniards withdrew to San Antonio, after having continued the siege till the 12th
of March, 1813.
The Americans, being reinforced, marched on San Antonio. When within about nine miles of that place, they came upon the Spanish army, under
Gov. Salcedo, about 2,500 strong, being about double the number of the
Americans. The battle of Rosalis ensued, nearly 1,000 of the Spaniards
were slain, and some few taken prisoners. The next day Gov. Salcedo surrendered, and being put in charge of a company of Bexar Mexicans to be
transported to New Orleans, he, with 13 other officers, among whom was exGovernors Herrera and Cordero, were taken to the bank of the river below
the town, where they were stripped and tied, and their throats cut! Col.
Kemper, Maj. Ross. and others, beirng disgusted with such treachery and
barbarity, left the army and returned home. Capt. Perry now took the command, and on the night of June 4th, attacked and routed an army of over
2,000 sent against them. The Republicans, however, were finally defeated by
another army, under Gen. Arredondo, on the Medina, with great slaughter.
Only 93 Americans reached Natchitoches, among whom were Col. Perry and
Capts. Taylor and Ballard. The Spaniards being successful, in revenge, coinmmitted horrid atrocities upon the friends of the Republican party. Thus ended
the first effort at Texan independence.
In Feb., 1819, in a treaty with Spain, the Floridas were ceded to the
United States, and the Sabine agreed upon as the boundary of the Spanish
possessions. Texas thus being relinquished for Florida, a far less valuable
territory, gave much dissatisfaction to the southern portion of the people of
the United States. Early in 1819, Dr. James Long raised a company in
Natchl-ez, of 75 men, and proceeded to Nacogdoches, and on his arrival, being
joined by Col. Davenport and Bernardo Gutierres, his command was increased to 300. A provisional government was then formed, and Texas was
declared to be a "fr'ee and iidepende'it republic." They also enacted laws,
and fixed the price of lands, those on Red River being estimated at a dollar
pier acre. They also established the first printing office, Iloratio Bigclow
being the editor of the paper. Gen. Long posted a few troops at the crossing of the Trinity, the talls of the Brazos, and at other places; lhe also dispatched Col. Gaines to Galveston, in order to obtain the co-operation of Lafitte, the fireebooter, in the revolution. This was declined, Lafitte statiing the
forces were entirely inadequate for the purpose. Mleantime, the royalists,
under Col. Parez, came and took the post on the Brazos, with eleven prisoners, Oct. 11, 1819, and on the 15th they took La Bahia (now Goliad), and
afterward the post on the Trinity, and then proceeded to Nacogdoches, Gen.
Long and his men having barely made their escape to the Sabine. Parez
proceeded to Cooshattie village, and about 40 miles below that place, a,fter a
severe conflict with the Republicans, routed them. The latter fled to Bolivar Point, near Galveston, where Gen. Long afterward joined them.
Gen. Long appears to have continued his head-quarters at Bolivar'Point
for some time; meanwhile Lafitte was obliged to leave Galveston. On the
656
TEXAS.
TEXAS.
very day on which he left, Gen. Long, with Col. Milam and others, came
over from Bolivar Point, and dined with Lafitte. Soon after, Long,
MIilam, and Trespalacios, collecting their forces sailed with them down the
coast. Gen. Long landed near the mouth of the San Antonio, and proceed ing with a party took possession of La Bahia. Milam and Trespalacios soon
after went to Mexico, in order to raise funds from the Republican govern ment, for at this time the Revolutionary cause was gaining ground in Mex ico. Notwithstanding this, it appears that the royalists succeeded in captur ing Gen. Long soon after, when he was sent to the city of Mexico, and then
set at liberty, and finally assassinated. The wife of Gen. Long, who re mained at Bolivar Point, during the absence of her husband, having heard
of his death, returned to her friends in the United States.*
In Dec., 1820, Moses Austin, a native of Connecticut, but for some time
a resident of Missouri, set out for San Antonio de Bexar, to solicit the sanc tion of the government, and to procure a tract of land, for the settlement of
an Anglo-American colony in Texas. On presenting himself to the governor, he was, according to the Spanish regulations respecting foreigners, ordered to leave the province immediately. On crossig the public square, he
accidentally met the Baron de Bastrop, with whom he had a slight acquaintance in the United States, many years before. By his influence he obtained
a second interview with the governor, the result of which was that his petition to introduce three hundred American'families into Texas, was recommended and forwarded to the proper authorities in Mexico. It was granted
in Jan.? 1821: Mr. Austin returned before its fate was known, and died
shortly afterward. He left special injunctions to his son, Stephen F. Austin,
to carry out his cherished plan to establish a colony.
On July 21, 1821, Stephen F. Austin, accompanied by Senor Seguin and
seventeen pioneers, entered the wilderness of Texas to lay the foundation of
her present prosperity. He explored various parts, and after meeting with
losses and difficulties, located his colony on the Brazos. Austin soon repaired
to San Antonio, to report to the governor, who appears to have been friendly
to the enterprise. When he arrived there, in March, 1822, he learned, with
much regret, that it was necessary to make a journey to the city of Mexico,
to procure a grant from the supreme authorities. On the 29th of April ensuing, Col. Austin arrived in Mexico, and succeeded in obtaining from Iturbide, then emperor, a confirmation of the grant made to his father. When
about to return to Texas, Iturbide was overthrown, and his acts declared null
and void. Austin was again obliged to apply to the reigning authorities,
who renewed the grant, and in effect clothed him with almost sovereign
power. In conjunction with Baron Bastrop, Austin fixed his colonial capital
on the Brazos, calling it San Felipe de Austin.
* Mrs. Long, formerly Miss Wilkinson, of Maryland, remained for a considerable period
with two young children, attended by only a single servant. While in this lonesome situation, exposed to many dangers, her youngest child, a daughter, was born, being, it is believed, the first born of the Anglo-Saxon race in southern Texas, and possibly the first in
the state. She was born Dec. 14,1820, and died at the age of 2~/ years, in Jefferson county,
Mliss., near Rodney. She named her little daughter Mary James, but in accordance with
the wishes of some of her Mexican friends, she received the baptismal name, at San Antonio, of lA'r?-ie Araosa.s Jacoba Pedro. While Mrs. L. remained alone on the point, she lived
in apprehension of a visit from the Cannibal Indians, a murderous race who frequented the
coast and Galveston Island. By the aid of a spy glass, she could discern the movements
of thl. Indians, and when they appeared to be making for the Point, she raised a flag and
fired off a cannon, and by this means probably saved the lives of herself and children.
Mlrs. Long, at present, resides at her plantation, near Richmond, Texas.
42
657
I
When the Mexican government, in 1825, abolished slavery within her
limits, most of the settlers in Texas being planters from the southern states,
who had brought their slaves with them, felt themselves aggrieved, and petitioned the Mexican congress in vain for relief. On the establishment of
Ceiral/sin, under Santa Anna, Texas, in 1835, declared her independence.
In 1836, Santa Anna, president of Mexico, with a force of several thousand
men, moved forward, threatening to exterminate the Americans, or to drive
them from the soil of Texas. In March, San Antonio de Bexar was besieged; the Alamo there, defended by only 187 Americans, was carried by
storm, and all slain: among them were Col. Travis, Col. David Crockett and
Col. Bowie, the inventor of the bowie-knife. While Santa Anna was engaged
at San Antoni%o, Gen. Urrea marched upon Goliad. He had a severe contest
with Col. Fannin's troops, who, on March 20th, surrendered themselves as
prisoners of war. Nine days afterward the Texan prisoners were led out and
massacred, to the number of 330, in cold blood.
On the 7th of April, 1836, Santa Anna arrived at San Felipe with the divisions of Sesma and Tolsa. He proceeded down the west bank of the
Brazos, crossed the river at Richmond, and on the 16th reached Harrisburg.
The Texans, under Gen.?ouston, now reduced to less than 800 men, retiring
before his advance, proceeded down the bank of the Buffalo Bayou, and took
a position near the River San Jacinto. On the 21st of April, 1836, Santa
Anna, with a force of over 1,700 men, being encamped near Gen. Houston,
was attacked by the Texans. When within about 600 yards, the Mexican
line opened their fire upon them, but the Texans, nothing daunted, pressed
on to a close conflict, which lasted about eighteen minutes, when the enemy
gave way, and were totally routed, nearly every man was either killed,
wounded, or taken prisoner. The Texan loss was but 2 killed, and 23
wounded. This victory secured the independence of Texas.
In 1841, President Lamar organized what has been termed, the "Santa Fe Expedition," the object of which was, to open a trade with Santa Fe, and to establish
Texan authority, in accordance with the treaty of Santa Anna, over all the territory east of the Rio Grande. Santa Fe, lying east of that river, was still in possession of the Mexicans. On the 18th of June, the expedition, numbering three
hundred and twenty-five men under Gen. M'Leod, left Austin, the capital of Texas,
and after a journey of about three months, arrived at the Spanish settlements in
New Mexico. They were intercepted by a vastly superior force, and surrendered
on condition of their being allowed to return; but instead of this, they were bound
with ropes and leather thongs, in gangs of six or eight, stripped of most of their
clothing, and marched to the city of Mexico, a distance of 1,200 miles. On their
route, they were treated with cruelty, beaten, and insulted; forced to march at
times by night, as well as by day; blinded by sand; parched by thirst, and fam ishing with hunger.
Having arrived at Mexico in the latter part of December, they were, by the or ders of Santa Anna, thrown into filthy prisons. After a while, part were com pelled to-labor as common scavengers in the streets of the city; while others were
sent to the stone quarries of Pueblo, where, under brutal taskmasters, they labored
with heavy chains fastened to their limbs. Of the whole number, three were mur dered( on the march; several died of ill-treatment and hardship; some few escaped,
some -wNere pardoned, and nearly all eventually released.
Foon after the result of this expedition was known, rumors prevailed of an in ten(-l(, invasion of Texas. In September, 1842, twelve hundred Mexicans under
Gen. WVoll, took the town of Bexar; but subsequently retreated beyond the Rio
G arade. A Texan army was collected, who were zealous to carry the war into
Mlexi;,. After various disappointments and the return of most of the volun teers, three hundred Texans crossed the Rio Grande and attacked the town of
Miei, which was garrisoned by more than two thousand Mexicans strongly posted.
658
TEXAS.
TEXAS.
In a dark, rainy night, they drove in the guard, and in spite of a constant fire of
the enemy effected a lodgment in some houses in the suburbs, and with the aid
of the deadly rifle, fought their way into the heart of the place. At length, Ampudia sent a white fl,ag, which was accompanied by Gen. La Vega and other officers,
to inform the Texans of the utter hopelessness of resistance against an enemy ten
times their number. The little band at length very reluctantly surrendered, after
a loss of only thirty-five in killed and wounded, while the Mexicans admitted theirs
to have been over five hundred.
The Texans, contrary to the stipulations, were marched to Mexico, distant one
thousand miles. On one occasion, two hundred and fourteen of them, although
unarmed, rose upon their guard of over three hundred men, overpowered and dispersed them, and commenced their journey homeward; but ignorant of the country and destitute of provisions, and being pursued by a large party, they were
obliged to surrender. Every tenth man was shot for this attempt at escape. The
others were thrown into the dungeons of Perote, where about thirty died of cruel
treatment. A few escaped, and the remainder were eventually released.
Early application was made by Texas to be annexed to the United States.
Several years passed over without any serious attempts having been made by
Mexico to regain Texas, and the political freedom of the country was thus
considered as established. Presidents Jackson and Van Buren, in turn, objected on the ground of the unsettled boundary of Texas, and the peaceful
relations with Mexico. President Tyler brought forward the measure, but
it was lost in congress. It having been the test question in the ensuing presidential election, and the people deciding in its favor by the election of the
democratic candidates, Texas was annexed to the Union by a joint resolution
of congress, Feb. 28, 1845.
The Mexican minister, Almonte, who had before announced that Mexico
would declare war if Texas was annexed, gave notice that since America had
consummated "the most unjust act in her history," negotiations were at an
end.
War with Mexico then ensued. The theater of war in this state was on
the Rio Grande. Gen. Taylor, with the American troops, routed the Mexicans on the soil of Texas, at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and the
arms of the United States were every where triumphant. The state government was organized on the 19th of Feb., 1846. The boundary between New
MIexico and Texas, the latter of which claimed the line of the Rio Grande,
was adjusted by treaty in 1850.
The joint resolution by which Texas was annexed to the Union, gives permission for the erection of four additional states from its territory, and in
these words-" New states, not exceeding four in number, in addition to said
state of-l Texas, and having sufficient population, may hereafter, by the consent of said state, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission under the provisions of the Federal constitution."
The opposition to the annexation of Texas was, at the time, very great in
the North. Massachusetts, through her legislature, declared "that re-annexation of Texas was a virtual dissolution of the Union." The term re-aitnexatioi., used at that period, grew out of the claims acquired by the purchase
of Louisiana of France, in 1803. The French claimed, at the time of the
sale to the United States, that the western limit of Louisiana, on the Gulf
of Mexico, was the Rio Grande, 500 miles west of the Sabine. The limit,
however, was undefined, and a large tract west of the Sabine, as before observed, bore for many years the term of "Neutral Ground," which was, by
the citizens of the south, considered of right as belonging, to the United
States. \When the Sabine was fixed upon as the boundary, by the treaty of
659
1819, with Spain, which gave us Florida, all the territory west of that stream
was lost, until it became securely fastened by what has been termed the "reannexation of Texas."
Texas is bounded N. by New Mexico and the Indian Territories, from the
latter it is divided chiefly by the Arkansas and Red Rivers; E.: by Arkansas
and Louisiana, being separated from the latter by Sabine River; S. by the
Gulf of Mexico; and west by Mexico and the Territory of New Mexico,
being separated from Mexico by the River Rio Grande. It is situated between 26~ and 36~ 30' N. Lat., and between 93~ 30' and 110~ W. Long. from
Greenwich. It is 800 miles long from E. to W., and 700 from N. to S., containing, it is estimated 237,321 square miles.
The surface of the country has been described as that of a vast inclined
plane, gradually sloping from the mountainous regions of the west toward
the sea coast in the south-east, and traversed by numerous rivers, all having
that direction. Texas may be divided into three regions: the first, which is
level, extends along the coast, with a breadth varying from 50 to 100 miles,
being narrowest at the south-west; "this part of the state has a rich, alluvial
soil, and is singularly free from swamps and lagoons. Broad woodlands
fringe the rivers, between which are extensive and rich pasture lands. The
second division, the largest of the three, is the undulating prairie region,
which extends from 150 to 200 miles further inland from the level section.
Here are the beautiful "islands of timber." Here the soil, a little broken,
is as rich as the land in the alluvial country below, more easily worked, and
produces a greater variety of products. In this region, the planter may raise
all the cotton, corn, rice, -rain and tobacco he requires, and stock to any extent, without much labor or care. The third, or mountainous region, in
the W. and S.W., forming part of the Sierra Madre, or Mexican Alps, has
been but little explored. Texas abounds with minerals, and is interesting
in its geology. Silver, gold, lead, copper, alum, etc., are found. Iron ore
pervades the greater part of the country, and bituminous coal on the Trinity
and Upper Brazos.
The Texan year is divided into a wet and dry season. The former lasts
from December to March, and the latter from March to December. Though
varying with location from tropical to temperate. the climate is remarkably
delightful and salubrious. During the heat of summer, refreshing breezes
blow from the south, almost without interruption. In the winter ice is seldom seen, except in the northern part of the state. Cotton, tobacco and
sugar are the great agricultural staples: in cotton it is pre-eminent. Fruits
of almost every kind flourish. Great numbers of cattle, sheep and horses
are reared, vast herds of buffalo and wild horses roam over the prairies, while
deer and game are abundant. Population, in 1850, 212,592; in 1860,
601,039 including 180,388 slaves.
GALVESTON CITY, the commercial capital of Texas, is situated at the eastern end of Galveston Island, Lat. 290 18' 14" N., Long. 84~ 46' 34" W.,
about 300 miles westward of New Orleans, and upward of 250 from Austin,
the capital of the state. The island on which the city is built is very level,
slightly elevated above the level of the sea, about 28 miles long, and from
1- to 31 miles broad. There is 12 feet water over the bar at low tide. Yessels of 800 tuns can cross it with 1,200 bales of cotton, and receive, by light.
ering, 800 bales more at the outer bar.
TEXAS.
660
TEXAS.
When the island was first discovered by La Salle, in t1686, it was called San
Louis, but aiterward it was nalted Galveston, fronm Galvez, a Spanish nobleman.
The first settlement was aboutt the ear 1836, by persons who (ltlril,, the Texas
Revolution, fled fihon the interio. At thie period of the war of 1812, Lafitte, the
pirate, had a port lieie. Itis vessels latv wiee the wharf is represented in the
foreground of the picture. Population, i,00()()O.
Yorth eastern view of Galveston.
The view showvs the appearance of the most compact part of Galveston, as seen from Kulhn or fHendley's
wharf, which, like the others, extends a considerable distance from the shore. The towers of the Catholic
Church, the Mariket cupola, and the Movalble Light are seen onl the left, and the tower of the Episcopal
Church on the right. The Railroad, extending over the bridge from Virginia Point to the island, is in the
extreme distance on the right.
S,A AN,TO.'tIO stands on btoth sides of the San Antonio, and is about 70 miles
S. W. of Austin, anti 1,476 fiom San Diego, California, and lias about 8,000 inhabitants. It was for years the headquarters of the United States army in Texas:
the great starting poiit for military expeditions across the plains, between here
and the Pacific. A very laiie proportion of the population are of the Mexican
race, and Mexican habits, ia.niiei, and customs are largely prevalent. The
ALA,:o so celebrated in Texan history is in San Antonio, on the eastern side of
the river, the public square aud the principal part of the town being on the west
side. The word ala,nlo, in Spatishl, signifes'cottonwood," from which it is inferred that a grove of cottonwood stood on or near its site.
Col. Ed. E. Cross, of thle 5thl New Ha) psliire Volunteers, killed at Gettysburg,
gave this description of San Antonio about thie year 1859:
"San Anto-nio is like Quebec, a city of the olden time, jostled and crowded by
modern enterprise. The latter-day Amrerican building, with its four or five stories,
and half glass front, overtops the grimn old- Spanish wall and the dilapidated Mexican'hacal,' which betokens a by-gone era. Here have the Germans settled in
large numbers, bringiing good old fashioned industry along with their lager beer.
Their neat cottages and vegetable garden, are noticeable all about the suburbs. As
661
a general thing, they are a better class of emigrants than those found in our large
cities. There is not a steam engine nor a flour mill in San Antonio. All the dry
goods, groceries, and manufactured articles needed for a city of eight thousand or
ten thousand people, whose trade with the frontiers amounts to millions every year,
are hauled from the sea coast, one hundred and fifty miles, upon wagons and rude
rain Plaza, San Antontio.
S;,n Antonio is one of the oldest towns in the United States. " Thle Public Square is divided by the
Chlirch and some other buildings into two; or rather the original square, or military plaza, was laid off
and improved in 1715, having on its east side the Church and the offices of priests and officers. In 1731
was laid off the main square or Plaza of the Constitution."
carts. Flour, potatoes and onions are among the articles of import, the attention
of the inhabitants being.concentrated upon cotton and cattle. There is not a good
bakery, a first nor even a second class hotel in the city. Ice, cut from the ponds
of Massachusetts sells, whenever there is a load in town, at from fifty to seventyfive cents per pound. Nothing is cheap but the tough, stringy grass-fed beef, which
may be bought in the hoof for from two to two and one half cents per pound. One
of our New Englanders who spent a day or two in the city, declared that the opportunities for making money were so many and varied for a man of small capital,
that the very contemplation made him feel worth at least half a million.
Walking about the city and its environs, you may well fancy yourself in some
strange land. The houses, many of them built of adobe, one story high, aind
thatched, swarm with their mixed denisons, white, black, and copper-colored. The
narrow streets, the stout old walls, which seem determined not to crumble away,
the aqueducts, along which run the waters of the San Pedro, the Spanish language,
which is spoken by almost everybody, the dark, banditti-like figures that gaze at
you from the low doorways-everything, in the Mexican quarter of the city especially, bespeaks a condition widely different from what you are accustomed to behold in any American town. To conduct trade successfully, it is necessary to employ clerks who understand Spanish, or the tongue spoken by Mexicans and called
Spanish, as a large amount of trade is done by Mexicans.
The better class of people, Americans and foreigners, speak of "the states" and
"news from the states," when referring to any other portion of the country than
Texas, except to the west.
A large element of the population of San Antonio is Mexican. There are a few respectable, intelligent and wealthy families, but the majority are of the lower order, with
all the vices and none of the virtues belonging to the better situated. The men, whenever
they work, are employed as teamsters, herders and day laborers. It is the general belief,
662
TEXAS.
TEXAS.
founded as I believe on fact, that a Mexican is good for nothing unless in service over cattle, horses and mules. The bend of their talent is toward live stock. As little Cape Codttes divert themselves bv plaving whalemen, and in that amusement harpoon kittens and
chickens, so does the juv enile Mexican take at once to the lasso, and with precocious skill
lariat dogs, goats and calv es; and thus, growing up ill constant practice, the lariat becomes
in his hands a deadly snare. Its throw is swift and certain, and it is alike dreaded by man
and beast. Every cattle farm and horse range has its lasso men, or "ropers" as tliev are
called in Texas, whose duty it is to catch runaway and refractory mules, horses and cattle,
and in this business they become wonderfully expert. It is ludicrous to see the chopfallen
air which at once comes over an old mule wihen the lasso has tilghtened around his thrioat.
Experience has taught him that all attempts at escape are vain, and with a miserable look
of resignation he submits to be led off.
The free-and-easy style of life which is characteristic of the lower order of Mexicans is
sure to surprise a stranger. He
a f_.=___~ ~_-~_ sees children of both sexes,
: —.................from two to six years of age,
e -_________~_ __ stiollinig about in the econom ~ -..._... _ ical and closely-fitting costume
bestowed upon them by nature.
~Ad~~~~~~ = A==== A=Women, short,anid dumpy,
-ith forms guiltless of artifi civil fixtiii es, iid in the single
T_X= ==__ article of attire deinoniiiated
a tpetticoat, brief at both ends,
i,re observed in -dooiri ad out,
m nI,ifesting not the slilghtest
regard for the curious gl ices
of' the passers by. Parties of'
meii, women an d children
Tur. CIInUC- OF THE'. ALA.Io. tI) tlhe in the San Antonio
Ricer, just outside the coiporate limits, without the anrnoyancee of dresses. This comfort.able fasllion was formerly in
vogue within the city, until the authorities concluded it might with propriety be dispensed
with.
Mexican amusements, in the shape of cockfights and faidangoes, help to elevate and
refine the people of San Antonio, such a, choose to participate. Every Sunday, just after
mass at the old Mission CLIIuril, there is a cockfight, generally numerously attended.
The pit is located in rear of the church, about one square distant. On last Sabbath, going
past the church door about the time of service, I observed a couple of Mexicans kneeling
near the door in a pious attitude, which would doubtless have appeared very sober and
Christianlike, had not each one held a smart gamecock beneath his arm! Pious souls!
They had evidently paused a moment on their way to the cockpit, in order to brush over
their little shortcomings for the p:ist week.
-The fandangoes take place every evening, and are patronized by the lower orders of
people, who, as the sapient circus proprietor in "Hard Times" would declare, "must be
amuslied." A large hall or square room, lighted by a few lamps hung from the walls, or
lanterns suspended from the ceiling, a pair of negro fiddlers and twenty or thirty couples
in the full enjoyment of a "bolero," or the Mexican polka, help make up the scene. In
the corners of the room are refreshment tables, under the charge of women, where coffee,
frijoles, tortillas, boiled rice and other eatables may be obtained, whisky being nominally
not sold. From the brawls and free filghts which often take place, it is surmised that the
article may he had in some mysterious manner. At these fandangoes may be seen the
muleteer, firesh from the coast or the Pass, with gay clothes and a dozen or so of silver
dollars; the United States soldiers just from the barracks, abounding in oaths and tobacco;
the herdsman, with hi% blanket and long knife, which seems a portion of every Mexican;
the disbanded ranger, rough, bearded and armed with his huge holster pistol and long
bowie-knife, dancing, eating, drinking, swearing and carousing, like a party of Captain
Kidd's men just in from a long voyage. Among the women may be seen all colors and
ages from ten to forty; the Creole, the Poblano, the Mexican, and rarely the American or
German-generally, in such cases, the dissipated widow or discarded mistress of some soldier or follower of the army.
San Antonio is rapidly improving. Near the Alamo a fine hotel of stone is being
erected by an enterprising German. The new Catholic Church is a grand edifice for
Texas. Near the city is a quarry of limestone, so soft that it can be cut with a common
knife. Exposed to the air for any length of time, it hardens and becomes solid. Some
fine warehouses have just been completed; one is rented by the United States for a store
663
nou.se and barrack building. The wealthy and refined portion of the ihibabil:,nts (do not
seem disposed to erect costly dwellings, probably for the reason that a buildiog of anv
pretensions to style and finish is a remarkably costly affair. Everythill.; but thie stole
must be imported; iron from Cincinnati; window filames firom Boston; rid pile lumber
from Florida. Even shingles are brought firom Michigan, and glass from Pittsblurg. A
railway from some point on the coast is needed to develop and improve the country, and
until one is constructed San Antonio will be a peculiar and isolated city.
The foundation of San Antonio was an Indian mission, as were generally
the first settlements under the Spaniards in Texas. This work was undertaken in Texas by the Franciscans, a religious order founded by St. Francis
d'Assisi, at Naples, in 1208. Befbre giving a particular history of this mission, we extract from Yoakum a description of these establishments, with
their mode of government and discipline:
The establishments formed in Texas were known as presidios,* or missions.
There was a mission at each presidio; but many missions were without soldiers,
at least in any considerable numbers. Each presidio was entitled to a commandant, and the necessary officers for a command of two hundred and fifty men;
though, from various circumstances, the number constantly varied, and was generally less. The troops were inferior, badly clothed, idle, and disorderly. The
buildings were erected around a square, plaza de armas, and consisted of the
church, dwellings for officers, friars, and soldiers, with storehouses, prisons, etc.
The size of the square depended on the population, the strength of' the force intended to be stationed there,,nd also upon the extent of the district dependenit on
the presidio. Huts were erected at a short distance from the principal edifices,
for the converted Indians. The unmarried of either sex were placed in separate
huts, and at night locked up by the friars, who carried the keys. They encouraged chastity among the Indians, and punished its violation by public or private
whipping, as the offender was a male or a female.
Forts were erected near the presidios, and sometimes the church w'as fortified.
The civil and military authority was united in the commandant, which, in some
matters, was subordinate and in others superior to the ecclesiastical power. The
principal duty of the military was to repel the invasion of the wild Indians, and
to suppress the rebellious spirit of the converts. The Indians were well fed,
clothed, and cared for; their labors were not heavy; and, in these particulars, they
could not complain. But they were compelled to perfo)rm certain religious ceremonies before they could understand anything of their meaning. Sundry rules
were laid down for their every motion, a departure from which was severely punishlied. It was this tyranny over the minds and bodies of the Indians that enfeebled and wasted them. They were willing to forego the food and raiment of the
missions, for the sublime scenery of the vast prairies, the liberty of roaming unmolested over them, and chasing the buffalo and the deer. Freedom, dear to all,
is the idol of the Indian. He worships the liberty of nature. When restrained
from his loved haunts, he pines, and sickens, and dies. Had the Franciscans, like
the Jesuits on the lakes, gone with their flocks on their hunting excursions, joined
them in their feasts, and praised them for their skill in the chase, they would have
met with greater success. But the Jesuits possessed a twofold advantage: they
had the power of dispensing with tedious and uninteresting prayers and ceremonies; and they also enjoyed the aid of the cheerful, talkative, open-hearted French;
while the Franciscans, without such dispensing power, were likewise bound to cooperate with the gloomy, suspicious, and despotic Spaniards.
The Franciscan fathers made regular reports of the success of their missions to the
superior, and the latter to the general of the order. On these reports depended to a
great extent the favor shown the missionaries; hence they were excited to zeal in
their efforts to make converts. Not content with the fruits of persuasion and kind
treatment, they made forays upon the surrounding tribes. The soldiers performed
*Presidio, a garrison of soldiers.
.664
TEXAS.
TEXAS.
this duty. The prisoners taken, especially the young, were trained alike in the mys teries of the Christian faith and agriculture. To effect their training, they were
divided among the older and more deserving Indians of the mission, whlo held them
in servitude until they were of an age suitable to marry. At the proper tiune-this
rite was faithfully performed, and thus there grew up a race of domestic Indians
around the missions.
To add to the strength of the missions and the number of the converts, reliable
Indians of these establishments were sent out among their wild brethren to bring
them in. This was sometimes done by persuasion, and sometimes by deception
and force. However, they were brought to the missions, and incorporated among
the learners and workmen of the fold.
When we call to mind the fanaticism and ignorance of that age, and the important fact that the Indians who remained long in the missions became greatly attached to their spiritual gutides and the form of their worship, we must admit that
these pioneers of religion deserved some praise. Their toils and privations evinced
their faiith-their patience and humility should satisfy the world of their sincerity.
Until the present century, the Catholics did more for the cause of missions than
the Protestants; and if, a century and a half ago, they committed fatal errors in
their religious enterprises, it is no more than has since been done. The fate of
the aboriginal races of the New World, and even of the Pacific islands, is peculiar.
A well-defined instance of any tribe or nation that has been civilized, without a
total or partial destruction of its people, can scarcely be produced. This may, to
some extent, be attributed to the vices introduced by the friends of the missionaries.
Yoakum gives this history of the founding of the mission at San Antonio:
The venerable mission of the Alamo, the second in Texas, deserves some consideration.
It was first founded in the year 1703 by Franciscans of the apostolic college of Queretaro,
in the valley of the Rio Grande, under the invocation of San Francisco Solano. Here it
remained for five years, but for some reason was removed to a place called Sln Ildephonso,
whei-e it seems to have remained till 1710, at which time it was moved back to the Rig,
Grande, and reinvocated as the mission of San Jose. Here it remained iuder the guidalee of the good father Jose de Soto till the 1st of May, 1718, when, on account of' the
scarcity of water, it was removed to the west bank of the San Pedro, about three fourths
of a mile north-west of the present parish church of San Antonio. Here it remained, under the protection of the post [fort] of San Antonio de Valero, whose name it assumed,
until 1722, when, on account of troubles with the Indians, it was once more removed, with
the post, to what is now known as the Military Plaza. The main square, or Plaza of the
Constitution, was formed in 1730, by the colonists sent out at the request of De Aguayo.*
'She establishment around the Military Pl.za was properly called San Antonio de Bexar
(Vejar), while the town on the east of the church was known as San Fernando.
In May, 1774, the people, tired of the lawsuit between the ex-governors Sandoval and
Franquis, laid the foundation of the church of their old mission, where it now stands unfinished, as the church of the Alamo. It had been seeking a resting place for nearly half
a century, and it was time that it should find one. From this period until 1783, it was still
known and conducted as the mission of San Antonio de Valero. In the meantime, the
number of Indians under its charge increased, and as they became civilized, were settled
around the mission, thus forming a town on the east side of the river. The company of
San Carlos de Parras was stationed there for the protection of the town and mission. It
enjoyed a separate organization, and had its own alcalde, and place of worship. But, about
this last-named period, the place ceased to be a missionary station. All the Indians
brought in for conversion had for some time previously been taken to the missions below
the town-perhaps the better to secure them against its corrupting influences; so that, having no further missionary wodrk to perform, San Antonio de Valero became an ordinary
* " In the course of that year, says the ancient record, came twelve families of pure Spanish blood, from
the Canary Islands, who laid out and founded thle city of Sanl Antonio. Among the settlers was a Garcia,
a Flores, a Navarro and a Garaza, names afterward prominent in the revolutionary history of Texas, while
it was claimed as a Spanish colony. One year after their arrival the colonists, assisted by the Franciscan
fathers and their crowds of Iodia, converts, erected the quaint church which now, defaced and battered
by the storms of one hundred and twenty-seven years, stands in the main plaza of the city, a monument.
of the almost buried past. Its evening bells echo sweetly their chimes as in the days of long ago, and
crowds of worshipers still kneel upon the old stone floor, and bow before the venerable picture of the
Crucifixion which hangs, all dim and discolored, above the altar."
665
1.
Spanish town, and the old missionary church of the Alamo became a common parishchurch.
The tr aveler already quoted from, in describing the Missions on the San
Antonio River, in the vicinity of the town, which were named respectively
San Jose, La Espada, San Juan and Concepcion, says:
They were large, strong, half church, half fortress edifices, in appearance some thing like the feudal castles of
_ — m' m olden time, whose ruins are scat _________________ _ A =tered all over Europe, surround ed by a high and massive stone
z _____ ~ wall, with only one entrance.
LAW _______ _ _ _'IThe buildings, consisting of
___==______= ___X-___ Achapels, dormitories, halls, cells
____I ________ ~~and kitchens, were all built of
/__-~~-~::<:~~~',',~~ limestone, the quarrying and
?_-_-~ — 4'~:71~ —:~: e. ",trans'portin of which m u s t
'-;~:~~,,,~: ] alone have been an immense la!. —~_: _ ~ bor, as some o'f the edifices were
lo-: == ~of great extent. Each mission
was surrounded by an extensive
{ frin, whose acequias and irri g_atin,g ditches are yet visible.
_;___-_''-'~ Ainong, all the missions in this
ISSIO OF SAN JOSE. ection that of San Jose must
have been conspicuous from its
size, its strength, and the rude splendor with which it was decorate(]. Still may be
seen caqrvin s of slints and sia,red relics upon the wtlls and ceilings. Over the
rnain entrance, which is garnished by many ornaments, there is yet at battered re
prescrit,Ltion of the Virgin and her infant, and the patron, San Jose, cut in the hard
limestone. Profane heritics have used the eyes and nose of the venerable saint,
and the place "where his heart ought to be," for targets, where they have chroni cled their skill as marksmen. The chapel front is ornamented with coarse fresco
painting, in red, yellow and blue, in its day, doubtless, to the ignorant beings who
worshiped there, a grand exhibition of art. From San Jose we visited the mis sion of Concepcion, which was once a lofty structure with two tall towers and a
dome, surrounded by athick arched wall. We found a lot of Mexican cattle-herd ers in full possession, and the main chapel room filled with filth and rubbish. The
outbuildings and arches are overgrown with moss and weeds. In the soft twilight
which was slowly stealing over the San Antonio valley the scene was solemn and
sad, and we startled at our own footsteps upon the desolate pavement, half expect ingr to see the cowled figure of some ghostly monk start from the gloomy arches to
rebuke our unhallowed intrusion.
Crossing the San Antonio River from the main plaza, we came to a quaint old
edifice, whose seamed and battered front betokens an acquaintance with shot and
shell. It was built after the Moorish style, and although of late a modern roof
has been added, is the same old edifice, memorable in the annals of Texan
independeizee-the Alamo! a name familiar to the American people as a "house hold word "-a name associated with a siege and a defense the like of which can
scarcely be found in the history of any state. The place where fell Bowie, Travis,
Crockett, and a band of as brave spirits as ever upheld struggling freedom in any
quarter of the globe.
The Alamo was never intended for a fortress, but its walls are very strong,
and it has been the scene of severe conflicts beside that which has given it
such wide renown. One of these was in the year 1835, when Gen. Cos, commanding a strong Mexican force, was besieged in San Antonio by the Texans,
under Gen. Burleson. The siege was about to be abandoned, when informa
666
TEXAS.
TEXAS.
tion was given of the position of affairs in the town by a M(exican deserter.
This was on the 4th of December, and so aroused the military spirit of Col.
Benjamin R. Milam, that he exclaimed, "Whlo willgo with old Ben Jiliam into
S(Att Antonio2?" The reply was an approving shout from the officers and
The Alamo, Saln Anltonio.
The Alamo, the "Thermopylse of Texan Independence," where fell Bowie, Travis, Ciockett,v with all the
rest of its brave garrison, not even one being left to tell the story of its heroic defense, is yet stan-ding in
the town of San Aintonio, and is used by the Quartermaster's Depirtmnent of the U. S. Army. The view is
faithfilly taken in all its details and adjuncts, even to the costumes in the foreground, where is showvii the
Mexican ox-cart, with its broad wooden wheels devoid of iron tires. The church, which was the main for.
tress, is shlown, on a larger scale, on a preceding page.
imen, who volunteered, to the number of 301, to make the assault, and elected
31ilam as their leader. The plan adopted was to storm the town the next
morning in two divisions, the first under Col. Milam, and the second under
Col. Frank W. Johnson.
The town was fortified at the public square by breastworks and batteries, besides
which the houses being of stone were in effect like so many forts. The Alam6,
which is on the east side of the river-the main part of the town, with the plaza,
being on the west-commands some of the entrances to it, and was, at the time,
strongly fortified and garrisoned. The assault began just before daylight on the
morning of the 5th, the first division attacking on one side of the town, and the
second on the opposite. The storming lasted three days. The Texans gradually
worked their way to the center of the place. The Mexicans occupied the tops of
the houses, and cutting loopholes in the parapet walls, fired upon their foe. The
Texans, with picks and crowbars, made passage ways through the houses; first
thrusting through their rifles and firing upon their defenders, they drove them from
room to room, and from house to house, until, thus gallantly fighting inch by inch,
they had penetrated so near the plaza, that Gen. Cos, on the morning of the 9th,
seeing further resistance hopeless, sent in a flax of truce, expressing a wish to capitulate. The next day the terms were concluded. They were most honorable to
the Mlexicans, and more glorious in their moderation to the Texans, than the victory itself. The Mexican officers were permitted to retain their arms and privato
667
TEXAS.
pioperty, and the officers and troops allowed to return to Mexico. The enemy lost
about 150 pmen, the Texans but a few. Among them was the heroic Milam, who
wis instantly killed by a rifle shot in the head, while crossing a yard between two
houses. By his death the command devolved on Col. Johnson. who had the honor
of raising the flag above the walls of Bexar, after a victory of 300 men over 1,400
entrenched in a strongly fortified town.
The "Fall of the Alamo," like the famous defense of Thermopylor, is an
event that will long live among the heroic incidents of history. At two
o'clock in the afternoon, Feb. 23, 1836, Santa Anna, with the second division of the Mexican army, marched into the town of San Antonio, having
been preceded by an advance detachment the second day preceding. His
army numbered several thousand strong, and comprised the choicest troops
of his country. On the same day a regular siege of the Alamo commenced
and lasted eleven days, until the final assault. The Alamo was then garrisoned by 156 men, under Lieut. Col. Wm. Barret Travis, with Col. James
Bowie, second, as is believed, in command. Col. David Crockett was also
with the garrison, but it is unknown whether he had a command, as he had
joined it only a few weeks before:
Santa iAnna immediately demanded a surrender of the garrison without terms!
their reply was a shot firom the fort. He then raised a blood red flag on the church
at 1,exari, as a token of vengeance against the rebels, and began an attack, and
this by slow approaches. Tryivis sent off an express with a strong appeal for aid,
declaring,, that he would never sur'ender nor retreat. For many days no marked incideits occurred in the siege. On the 1st of March, 32 gallant men, from Gonzales. under Capt. John \W. Smithi, entered the Alamo, and raised the effective
force to 188 men. On the 2d, Travis sent out by a courier a last appeal, setting
forth fully his determination to remain until he got relief or perished in the #]fense. About the same time he also wrote an affecting note to a friend, "Take
care of my little boy. If the country should be saved, I may make him a splendid fortune; but if the country should be lost, and [ should perish, he will have
tiothring but the proud recollection that he is the son of a man who died for his country"
The account of the final assault, with the accompanying description of the
Alamo, we take from the "Fall of the Alamo," a pamphlet by Capt. R. M.
Potter, published at San Antonio, in July, 1860. He had unusual opportunities for obtaining all that can be known of the final tragedy, the details of
which have not been accurately given, for the reason that not a single lefender survived it:
Santa Anna after calling a council of war on the 4th of March, fixed upon the morning
of Sunday, the 6th, as the time for the final assault. Before narrating it, however, I must
describe the Alamo as it then existed. It had been founded soon after the first settlement
of the vicinity, and being originally built as a place of safety for the settlers and their
property in case of Indian hostility, with sufficient room for that purpose, it had neither
the strength nor compactness, nor the arrangement of dominant points, which belong to a
regular fortification.*
As its area contained between two and three acres, a thousand men would barely have
sufficed to man its defenses, and before a heavy siege train its walls would soon have
crumbled.
From recollection of the locality, as viewed in 1841, I can trace the extent of the outer
w.ills, which were demolished thirteen years ago; and the accompanying diagram is made
frotn actual measurement.
(A) Represents the Chapel or the fortress, which is 75 feet long, 62 wide, and 22/
high, the wall of solid masonry being four feet thick. It was originally in one story, but
* The front of the Alamo Chapel bears the date of 1757; but the other works must have been built
earlier.
668
TEXAS
had upper windows, under which platforms were erected for mounting cannon in those
openings. (B) designates one of those upper windows which I will lhave occasion to mention. and (c) the front door of the church. (D) is a wall 50 feet long, connecting this
church with the long barrack (E E). The latter is a stone house 186 feet long, 18 wide,
Q
OF THE
A L A O
1836
0
K
n y
j
,,n :nta Anna \wavs taken the next day after the battle, a,bout eight miles above the
battle,rround by Lieut. Sylvester, a volunteer from Cincinnati, who was hunting
to obtain venison for his breakfast. Santa Anna had concealed himself in the
high grass of the prairie, and on being discovered endeavored to escape, but was
686
TEXAS.
ordered to stop. He was disguised as a countryma,n, and surrendered hiimself as
a. common soldier. Sylvester, however, suspected him to be an officer from the
diamond breastpin on the fine linen shirt which he wore under his rustic dress. IHe
ordered him to get behind him on his horse, and then rode with his prisoner to
Houston's camp. He knew not his rank till he was passing the Mexican prisoners,
Soldicr's Grate'crc,,a nt Jacitito Battle Groitiid.
The bround in front, at the eastern extrenity of THotston's camp ground, is now used as a Cemetery.
The battle field is see n in tie d istance ecenig on the left. Gern. Houston, oin his advance, passed
throu,h tie small thicket on the extreme left. The thicket on the extremice righit, is thie place where Col.
Sherman had a skirmiisl witl the enemiy before thie main battle.
when they exclaimed, as they lifted their caps, "'El P'residcete!" Santa Anna,
being thus discovered, begged to be taken immediately to Gen. Houston. On
comnin into his presence, he found Houston wounded, sitting on the ground and
reclining against a tree. Dropping on his knee, he kissed Tlouston's hand, and ex claimed, that he was born to no common destiny, for he had conquered "the -7a, poleoit of the Soit lh!"
The i21st of April is celebrated annually, on HIouston's camp ground, by military companies from Galveston, Houston, and other places: orations are delivered and
the da honored somewhsat in 4th of July style. Across the bayou from the camp
ground is the residence of Gen. Lorenzo de Zevalla, who espoused the Texan cause
durinz their struggles for independence. At the time of the battle, the persons
fiqendly to the Mexicans, or "tories," as they were called, assembled on an elevatio7n a short distance east of the Lynchburg Hotel, and from this spot, since called
'Toi/ ill," the conflict between the contending parties was easily seen. The
bodies of the Afexicanl soldiers were left unburied, and the effluvia from their remainrs tainted the atmosphere for some time a.fterward. The hogs, it is said, fed
on tihe bones of the slain. The house of Ex-President Bernet is about one and a
half miles from the hotel.']he Methodists have commenced holding their camp
meetirn's in the "rove on Houston's camp ground, being very convenient of access.
ParIt of the ground is lsed as a cemetery., and some fifty interments have been
made. Seven of the Texans, who were killed or died of their wounds, are interred
here side bd sive. The first of the following inscriptions is in memory of a young
man wh-Io fell in the battle:
Sacred to tie memory o(f B-NJxA\ri RICE GBRIOtAM, son of Major A. and Eliza S. Brigham, who departed this life April 21, 183o, aged 21 years.
TEXAS.
587
In mmniory of Rev. WILLIAMSON WILLIAMS, of Texas Conference, a native of Virginia,
died near Lynchburg, Sept. 18, 1855, in his 33d year. Ereted by the Methodist Preachers.
The following list of officers, noncommissioned )fficers and privates, engalged in the battle of San Jacinto, is firom the Texas Almianac for 1859:
Ma',jOr-General SAM HOUSTON, Commander-in-Chief of the Texan forces.
St,f — John A. Wharton, adjt. geri.; Geo. W. Il(ekley, insp. gen.; John Forbes, corn. gen.;
William G. Cooke, asst. insp. gen.; A. Ho)rton, Win. H. Patton, Jas. Collinsworth, aids-decap); J,as. H-. Perry, R. Edten Handy, R. M. Coleman, vol. aids; Hon. Thos. J. Rusk, secretlsry of v war; W;in. -Motley, M.D.
Mledi/cal St- -Alex. Ewing, surg. 1st regt. artillery, acting sung. gen.; Davidson, surg.
]st ie,t. vol.; Fitzhhuch, asst. surg. 1st regt. vol.; A. Jones, surg. 2d regt. vol.; Bookelr, surg.
'e( ret. vol.: Labadie, surg.
Arti/lery C(or)s-J. C. Neil, lieut. col., wounded on the 20th; J. N. Moreland, capt.; W.
Stillwell, Jst lieut.
!7~ iv tteS —T. o. 1larris, John M. Wadce, Hugh MI. Swift, Wm. A.:Park, wounded on the
21st, Thols. Green, Clark M. Hlarmon, T. J. Robinson, Ml. Baxter, Thos. Plaster, 2d sergt.,
WVillis Collins, Benj. M'Culloch, Riehardson Scurry, 1st sergt., Jos. White, Thomnas N. B.
Green, Joln Feirill,Jos. Floyd, Alfred 3Beton, D. T. Dunham, T. C. Edwards, S. B. Bardwell, assisted by the following regulars irom the coinpanies of Captains Teal and Turiner:
Camnpbell, Milillerman, Gaiier, Cuiiiberlan(, of Te l's companyy; Benson, Clayton, Merwiii,
I eg, o' Turner's eompaniy.
Ckeot~r// CorpsR-Miiabceau B. Lanar, commander; Iienry Carnes, captain; J. R. Cook, Ist
lieut., Win. Ilarness, 2d lieut.; W..11 Siith, cailt.; Leoin. Gustinie, M.D.; V. Seeetts, F.
Secretts, A. Allsbury, W. B. Sweeney, Berj. F.,iiith,'Thos. 1oblinis, S. C. Tlunrnage, I).
W. ReHves, E. R. Rainwater, J. D1). Ellio(tt, J. P. Davis, J. Ncil, N. Nixonl, G(. Deai(i,
J. Naish, Isaac W. 13enton, Jacob DaIncein, J. W1. till, P. AllshLiy, D. McKayi, A. J. C.
Piere,i W. loing, Tios. Bleckwvell, Goodwiii, J. Coker, Elish. Clapt, 11. IIei(derso), Geo.
Johnson, J. W1. \illiiamson, Wilson C. Lrowii, J. TI,oiiipson, Johbn -Robbins, bi. F. Young,
J,s. Dionthalt, John Caiipenter, Win. Tyloir, Aintliotiy Foster, Z. Y. Beaufor(d, Spenser
Townsend, Jas. Shawv, Win. D). Pedd, Cloppi)e, P. II. Bell, J. W. ILo)insol.
7^, ip " 7.., I
Lieut. Col HIenrv Millard, commandin; C(: t)t. John M. Allen, aicting major.
Co-:, vk A-Ainiorew Briseoe, epipt.; ltiK K. Sniell, Ist lieut.; Robeit MeClo,skey, 2d
I,eLt.: Lan F. Rounds, 1st sergt. Daoil G. 1elsor, 2(1 sergt.; Dan. 0'Driscoll, d secigt.;
Chas. A. Ford, 4th sergt.; Riehardson, 1st rol).; Ii~trry C. Craig, 2d corp.; Bear, 3d corp.;
Flores, musician.
Jsisoti.'-Biiff, Bebee, Benton, I-I. P. Brewster, Cassady,' Dutcher, Darrl, Elliott, Flyn,
Failey, Guoieves, Warner, Hlenderson, La,ng, Larbortae, Liaiski, MIaison, Montgoinery,
Marsa. MIorton, O'Neil, Pierce, Patton, Hleinhart, Itoiner, Richatrdson, Smith, 1st, Suithl,
2d, Sullivail, San nders, Swain, Tiidall, 1st, Taylor, Van Winkle, Wilkinson, Webb.
VOL),UNTEERS.
Co\.Av.,Y B-A. Turner, capt.; W. Millen, lst lieut.; W. W. Sumineirs, 2(1 lieut.; Chas.
Stevwart, Swearinger, sergts.; Ho)bert Moore, Thos. Wilson, and M. Snyder, corp'ls.
Privcttes-Bernari, PBrcowniiig, Bissett, Beldcen, Cl)ton, litiper, Ilogan, Iltrvey, Johnson,
Heelland, N\irl Is,-, Paschal, Pililli)s, Simith, 1st, Syith, 2d, Callahai, Clhristie, Clarkson, DI)al ry-pt e, IEhhidg^e, Ldsor, Ludus, Lind, Iinitt, Moldorilr, Iossie, Moore, 2d, Scheston,
Sigman,i Tyler, ye Wood I, Wardryski.
(COPA-Y B-A. R. Rormans, calt.; Nicholas Daiwson, 2d lieut.; Jas. AVWhharton, A. Mitch I1, S. I,.'Vlieeler, sergeants; A. Taylor, J. D. E,bert, Cilarles A. Clalke, P.. Moore,
i-srp-'a.ls.
?rir!.(ts-Angel, Ol.'Brown, Jos. Barstow, J. B. Bradley, B. Coles, J. S. Conn, J. W. T.
)ix,n, WV'in. Dunbar, 11. iloiian, J. M. Jett, Stev. Jett, A. S. Jorda.n,i S. V. Laiiiar, ElBw.
lJevis, J. B. a. MI'Flarlane, A. iM'Stea, II. Miller, W. G. Newtnan, WV. Hiehrson, I). Tin dile, J. Vinater, C. W. WValdron, F. F. Williaus, James Wilder, YW. S. Valker, J.Lmes
Owenlby.
C?om'Ixv T-aI. S. Fisher, capt.; R. WV. Carter, 2d lieut.; Jones, seigt.
]5'ic- tesIeo. V. Leek, N. Rudders, J. W. Strode, Jos. Sovereign, VW. Sargeant, H. J.
I,. Reel, Httfus WAright, Jos. MeAlister, B. F. Starkcley, Day, John Morgan, WV. S. Aunlot.
M. W. Brigham, P. Burt, Tewister, Slack, R. Banks, Jac. Maybee, Graves, B. F. Fry, E.
IJ. YI iyie, Mi'Neil, J. M[. Shreve, W. Pace, Ch. Stibbins, IH. Bond, Geo. Fecnell, iV. Gill,
H'. Crittonlsen, A(dain Mosier, J. S. Patterson,,os. I)osane, G. WV. Mason. Thoias Pratt,
E. KI1noland, A. II. Iiles, Jno. Llewelyn, James Joslyn, Jo. Gillespie, A. J. Hlarris, I).
James.
STAFP' or THe: OOMM,:.
Nie',' lta Lyotnh, aodtant; W. M. Carper, sugeon; Julin Smith, sergeant maior; Pini,key
C,idwell, quartermaster.
688
TEXAS.
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FIRST REGIMENT TEXAN VOLUNTEERS.
Edward Burleson, colonel; Alex. Somerville, lieut. colonel; Jas. W. Tinsley, adjutant;
Cleveland, sergt. major.
CO.MPANY A-Wm. Wood, capt.; S. B. Raymond, 2d lieut.; J. C. Allison, Jas. A. Sylves ter, 0. T. Brown, Nathaniel Peck, sergeants.
Privates-Irwin Armstrong, W. H. Berryhill, Uriah Blue, Seym Bottsford, Luke W.
Bust, James Cumbo, Elijah V. Dale, Abner C. Davis, Jacob Eiler, Simon P. Ford, Garner,
G. A. Giddings, Jas. Greenwood, Wm. Griffin, W. C. Hays, T. A. Haskin, Robert Howell,
Wm. Lockridge, J. D. Loderback, Edward Miles, Benj. Osborne, J. R. Pinchback, Josechli
Rhodes, John W. Rial, Ralph E. Sevey, Manasseh bevey, Ed. W. Taylor, John Viven, Gco.
Waters, Jas. Welsh, Ez. Westgate, Walker Winn.
COMPANY C-Jesse Billingsly, capt.; Micah Andrews, 1st lieut.; Jas. A. Craft, 2d lieut.;
Russel B. Craft, Win. H. Magill, Campbell Taylor, sergeants.
Privates-L. S. Cunningham, John Herron, Preston Conly, Jackson Berry, Jefferson Bar ton, Deinry Pace, John W. Banton, Wm. Criswell, Sam. M'Clelland, Lemuel Blakely, Geo.
Self, Thos. Davy, Jacob Standerford, Wayne Barton, Sampson Connell, Calvin Gage, MaIr tin Walker, Gern E. Brown, Log. Vanderveer, Wash. Anderson, Wm. Standerford, Wm.
Simmons, Geo. Green, Geo. P. Erath, T. M. Dennis, Jas. R. Pace, John Hobson, Lewis
Goodwln, Jos. Garwood, Willis Avery, Jesse Halderman, Chas. Williams, Aaron Burleson,
R. M. Cravens, Walker Wilson, Prior Holden, Thos. A. Mays,A. M. H. Smith, Jas. Curtis,
V. M. Rain, Robert IHood, Dugald M'Lean, Thos. A. Graves.
COMIPANY D —Mosely Baker, capt.; J. P. Borden, 1st lieut.; John Pettus, 2d lieut.; Jos.
Baker, E. C. Pcttus, M. A. Bryan, sergeants; Jas. Bell, Jas. Friel, J. L. Hill, corporals.
Pritvetc.s-O. D. Anderson, J. B. Alexander, John Beachom, T. 1-1. Bell, S. R. Bostick, P.
P. Borden, J. Carter, Samuel Davis, G. W. Davis, J. R. Foster, A. Greenllaw, Fowler, I-Iuli
Frazier, Win. Isbell, R. Kleburg, Mat. Kuykendall, Rob. Moore, Jos. McCrnibb, Louis Ror* der, V. V. Sweareugen, Jos. Vermilion, I. E. Watkins, A. W. Wolsey, W. R. Willitams,
Ellison tYork, Patrick Usher, J.S. Menifee, Paul Scarborough, John Flick, J. H. Money,
Weppler, John Marshall, Win. Bernbeck, Millett, Philip Stroth, Andreas Voyel, Nicholas
Peck, Win. lI:-wl ins, J. Duncan, Geo. Sutherland, Thos. Gay, Jos. Miller, G. W. Gardner
Win. Mock, S. H. Isbel, Jas. Tarlton, Allen Ingraham; McHenry Winburn, W. R. Jack sonii, D. D.. Baker, officers belonging to the regular service.
CoMPANiT K-R. J. Calder, capt.; J. Sharper, 1st lieut.; M. A. Bingham, 1st sergt.
tbci,!e.sB. ]Brighamn, J. Conner, F. S. Cooke, T. Cooke, S. Conner, G. J. Johnstone,
Granvi'le Eills, ltias Baker, H. Dibble, T. M. Fowler, H. Fields, I. C. Franklin, J. Green,
W. C. Hogg, J. IHall, E. B. HIalstead, J. W. Hiassell, W. Lambert, B. Mims, W. Muir, P.
D. MI'Neil, C. M'filone, J. Plunkett, W. P. Recse, C. K. Reese, J. A. Spicer, II. Stonfer, J.
Threndgil, A. P. Scott, R. Crawford, S. B. Mitchell, B. F. Fitch, W. W. Grant, J. S. Ed gar, J. Smith, T. D. Owen, W. Hale, A. G. Butts, D. Dedrick, C. Forrister, W. K. Den ham.
CO.MPANY F-Win. J. E. Heard, capt.: William Eastland, 1st lieut.; Eli Mercer, Wilson
L,ightloot, sergts.; Alfred Kelso, Elijah Mercer, corporals.
Priv,tes —Rob. M'Laughlin, Leroy Wilkinson, Wm. Lightfoot, Dan. Miller, Jesse Rob inson, Josiah Hagans, John M'Crab, Maxwell Steel, John Bigley, Hugh M'Kenzie, Joseph
luinger, John H1lliet, J. Robinson, D. Dunham, Wm. Passe, Jas. S. Lester, Phillilla Brad ing, Christian Winner Jeas. Nelson, John Tumlinson, F. Brockfield, Chas. M. Henry, Jas.
Byrd, Naitli'l Reid, Andrew Sennatt, P. B. O'Conner, Thos. Ryons, John Lewis, Jos. High land, Leander Beason, S. T. Foley, Allen Jones, Thos. Adams, Mitchell Putnam, T. M.
Hardiman, Chas..Thomnpson, Win. Waters.
CO.APANa.-Y H-Wm. W. Hill, capt. (sick), commanded by R. Stephenson; H. H. Swisher, 1st
lieut.; C. Raney. A. R. Stevens, W. H. Miller, sergeants.
Pviv,,tevs-E. Whitesides, J. S. Stumnp, J. M. Swisher, Moses Davis, John Lyford, John
Tom, Nicholas Crutk, Lewis CIemins, Wmin. Hawkins, J. W. Cannon, James Farmer, R.
Bowen, A. Le.stssiemn, W. K. Dallas, M. B. Gray, Jas. Gray, B. Doolittle, John Graham,
J1as. M. Hill, J. Ingralham, John Gafford, N. Mitchell, David Korneky, Geo. Petty, James Everett, Prosper Hope, J. Powell, Matthew Dunn, J. D. Jennings, John C. Hunt, Jacob
Groce, F. B. Gentry, J. G. Wilkinson, A. Dillard, F. K. Henderson, Uriah Saunders, John
Craddick, J. Lawrence, A. Caruthers, Daniel McKay.
SECOND REGIMENT TEXAN VOLUNTEERS.
Sidney Sherman, colonel; Jos. L. Bennett, lieut. col.; Lysander Wells, major; Edw. B.
Wood, adjutant, Bennett MeNelly, sergeant major.
FIRST COMPANY-IHaydoen Arnold, capt.; R. W. Smith, 1st lieut.; Isaac Edwards, 2d
licut.
P,iv,te,s-Sami. Leiper, Peter WV. Holmes, W. P. Kincannon, Dan. Doubt, John Moss, B
l. Hainilton, David Rusk, W. F. Williams, J. W. MelIorse, H. Malena, Alexin, John Harvey, M. G. Whitaker, John Yaney, S. Yarbrough, Th(s. G. Box, Nelson Box, G. R. Mer-.
ser, Wiii. Nabors, Win. T. Saddler, Jas. Mitchell, Jas. E. Box, Sam. Phillips, John B. Tre
ay, Levy Perch, Crawf Grigsby, John McCoy, Dickins Parker, Jesse Walling, J. W. CA
44
689
Al
enter, John Box, W. E. Hallmask, Thos. D. Brooks, S. F. Spanks, Howard Bailey, H. M.
rewer, Stephen McLin.
SECOND COM.PANY-Wm. Ware, capt.; Job S. Collard, 1st lieut.; Geo. A. Lamb, 2d lieut.;
Albert Gallitin, Wm. C. Winters, sergeants.
Privwtes-J. - Winters, J. W. Winters, C. Edenburg, Lewis Cox, G. W. Robinson, G. W.
Lawrence, W. Cartwright, John Sadler, James Wilson, James Derritt, Matthew Moss, Jesse
Thomson.
THIRD COMPANY-Wm. M. Logan, capt.; Franklin Harden, 1st lieut.; B. J. Harper, 2d
lieut.; E. F. Branch, 1st sergt.
Pritrotes-John Biddle, J. M. Maxwell, M. Charencan, E. Bulliner, P. Bu'liner, J. Sleighston, Patrick Carnel, Wm. M. Smith, David Choat, David Cole, Q. Dykes, David M'Fad(len,
Thomas Orr, Luke Bryant, W. Kibbe, E. M. Tanner, 11. R. Williams, Michael Poveto, Lefray Gedrie, Joseph Farewell, C. W. Thompson, Cornelius Devois, M. J. Brakey, Thomas
Belnop, Win. Duffee, Joseph Ellender, William Smith, Wm. Robertson, W. A. Smyth, Jas.
Call.
FOURTH COMPANY-Wm. H. Patton, capt. (before entered as aid to Gen. H.); David Mlurphy, 1 st lieut.; Peter Harper, 2d lieut.; John Smith, Pendleton Rector, A. W. Breedlove,
sergeants; G. L. Bledsoe, corporal.
Privates-Jas. Bradley, J. C. Boyd, Robt. Carr, A. J. Beard, Alex. Bailey, J. J. Childs,
St. Cltir Patton, Claiborn Rector, Phinees Ripley, Thos. Leveney, J. B. Taylor, L. Willoughby, G. Wright, M. B. Atkison, Holden Denmon, Ed. DaIist, R. B. Dtist, J. K. Davis,
E. Gallaher, Jas. Hall, S. Phillips, Thos. McGay, J. A. Barkley, Francis Walneet, Hlinson
Curtis) J. B. Grice, Nat. Hager, B. F. Cage, J. M. McCormack, Jas. Haye, Chas. Hick, A.
D. Kenyon, G. W. Lewis, J. Pickering, Jats. Harris, Wm. Brennan, Wmn. I11. Jack, Dr. Baylor, Thos. F. Coney, A. Lewis, W. P. Lane, E. G. Rector.
Thos. H. M'Intire, capt.; John P. Gill, 1st lieut.; Bazil G. Gians, 2d lieut.; Robt. D. Tyler, John Wilkinson, sergts.; E. G. Coffman, corp.
Privates —-Wm. Boyle, Benj. Bencroft, Geo. Barker, Wm. Bennett, John Clarke, J. B. Coiiant, J. Campbell, Cooper, T. Davis, Oscar Farish, Thos. Hopkins, Jack Lowrie, Placido
M'Curdy, David Oden, G. W. Penticost, S. W. Peebles, Samuel Sharp, Isaac Jacques, John
Chevis, 1st, John Chevis, 2d, Thos. Cox, Cyrus Cepton, Ambrose Mayer, Moses Allison,
Isaac Maiden, F. Wilkinson.
James Galsaspy, capt.; Wm. Finch, 1st lieut.; A. L. Harrison, 2d lieut.; R. T. Choderick,
1st sergt.
Pritates-John Sayres, F. B. Lasiter, M. K. Gohoen, T. H. Webb, John Peterson, J.
Montgomery, T. F. Johnson, Hez. Harris,W. F. Ferrill, Samuel Wyley, Wm. Fertilan, A.
Montgomery, A. Lolison, E. M'Millan, S. Daling, J.W. Scolling, J. Richardson, Obanion,
Willis L. Ellis, Jas. Walker, Alphonzo Steel, Benj. Johnson, F. M. Woodward, Wm. Peterson, J. C. White, Rob. Henry, Elijah Votan, G. Crosby, Joel Dederick, L. Raney.
B. Bryant, capt.; John C. Hales, 1st lieut.; A. S. Lewis, 2d lieut.
Privates-Wm. Earle, J. S. P. Irven, Sim. Roberts, Jos. P. Parks, C. Rockwell, R. B.
Russell, L. H. White, A. M'Kenzie, A. Cobble, John F. Gilbert, D. Roberts, Wm. B. Scates,
J. R. Johnson, Wm. Pate, B. Lindsay, Jas. Clarke, Robt. Love.
Wm. Kimbo, capt.; James Rowe, 1st lieut.; John Harman, William Fisher, Henry Reed,
sergeapts.
Privates-D. Brown, Wm. Bateman, J. A. Chaffin, H. Corsine, Joel Crane, R. T. Crane,
Joshua Clelens, W. H. Davis, S. Holeman, H. Hill, G. D. Hancock, E. 0. Legrand, D. Love,
D. H. M'Gary, Thos. Maxwell, A. G. M'Gowan, J. W. Proctor, Benj. Thomas, D. Watson,
Lewis Wilworth, R. Stevenson, G. W. Jones, W. B. Rrown, B. Green, J. Kent, Caddell, R.
Hotchkiss, Thos. M. Hughes, A. Buffington, Jas. Burch, R. Burch, A. E. Manuel.
Juan N. Seguin, capt.; Manuel Flores, Antonio Menchasen, sergeants; Nep Flores, Ambro Rodridge, corporals.
Prive,tes —Antonio Cruz, Jose Maria Mocha, Eudnado Samirer, Lucin Ennques, Maticio
Curvis, Antonio Cueves, Simon Ancola, Manuel Tarin, Pedro Henern, Thos. Maldonart,
Cecario Cormana, Jacinto, Pena, N. Navarro, A. Vareinas, Manuel Avoca.
Buffzlo Bayou is perhaps the smallest navigable stream in Texas, but at
presceot it is one of the most important means of communication with the interior. From Galveston Bay to Houston, the ancient capital of Texas, a distance of about 20 miles, this small stream is navigable for steamboats of a
large size, although in some places it is not of sufficient width to allow
one to turn lengthwise across the stream. The elevated banks which slope
690
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to the water's edge, are thickly set with forest trees, havi-g their branches
covered with pendant moss. A striking scene is presented at night, when
the steamboat steers her way, as it were, through the forest, with torchlights
on both sides.
Nig;ht Scene on Bi.ralo Bayou.
Brownsville, the county seat of Cameron county, is situated on the N. bank
of the Rio Grande, about 50 miles by the course of the river from the Gulf
of Mexico, and 326 S. from Austin. It is a flourishing place and has considerable commerce with the river towns. It lies opposite Matamoras, in
Mexico. Brazos Santiago is the shipping point. The place received its
name from Maj. Brown, who was mortally wounded in the defense of the
fort here, during the Mexican war, in 1846.
After the terms of annexation were accepted (July 4, 1845), Gen. Taylor
was ordered to western Texas. At the head of a considerable force he established his camp at Corpus Christi, then the furthest point west to which the
Texan population had extended. In Jan., 1846, he was ordered to march
through the uninhabited region between the Nueces and Rio Grandc, and
take possession of Point Isabel and the points opposite Matamoras and Mier.
This was accomplished, some skirmishes ensued, and several being killed
soon brought on open and avowed hostilities between the two nations. The
following narrative of the battles which ensued, Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma, is from " Howe's Achievements of Americans," and is especially valuable from giving the first experience of a soldier in the business of war:
Throwing a, garrison into Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, Gen. Taylor, on the
1st of May, broke up the camp and started with the whole army for Point Isabel,
to bring up a large depot of provisions to the fort; we arrived there the succeeding
forenoon, and were set to work building intrenchments.
On the 7th, the army set out on its return to Fort Brown, and after proceeding
about seven miles, we encamped beside a pond, where the lmusquitoes were so
plenty that we could not sleep. The next morning we resumed our march, caleculating to get througih if nothiog prereited; but about noon, the dragoons brought
intelligence that the enemy were in force in frost. "Now we'll have it, boysl'
691
said the men; and, I must confess, I felt a sudden thrill at this intelligence. Gen.
Taylor in a few minutes ordered a halt beside a-pond of water, for the men to fill
their canteens.
Here we got our first view of the enemy. "Look! look! Oh! look at them!"
cried several at once. "My stars! what a host!" exclaimed others. We now advanced slowly in order of battle, occasionally halting, until we. were within a little
over half a mile distant from them. Their appearance was exceedingly grand;
directly in front stood their infantry, with here and there an interval of artillerytheir bright brass guns reflecting the rays of the sun. On each side, stretching
over the prairie, was their cavalry, with a host of sharp-pointed, bright-shining
lances, with their pendants of red and blue. Vast masses of infantry, in rear of
their front line were moving into different positions for the coming fray, and their
field officers were galloping up and down, giving out their respective orders. When
all was completed, their army stood perfectly still; their right resting on a dense
thicket of chapparal, and their left stretching across the road, and protected at the
end by a swamp. Their whole line was about one mile in length; they had eleven
field pieces and about six thousand men. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle-those
Mexicans on the field of Palo Alto.
Now let us look at our little army. Our regiments, from sickness and other
causes, had not over one half of the usual number of men, and here we were on
the day of battle in a miserably weak condition. The company; to which I belonged, "B," had only sixteen bayonets. We had nine regiments, and they numbered, officers and all, but a little over twenty-two hundred men; but there was a
self-reliance among them that seemed to au,ulr success.
Gen. Taylor, for simple hard fighting, wis an excellent officer, but he knew little
of tactics, rarely put any military evolution in practice, and had not the confidence
of the army like Worth and Scott. In this battle we had two light batteriesRin,ggold's and Duncan's-of four pieces each, anrd two eighteen pound iron guns,
under the command of Lieut. Churchill, and the battle was mainly fought with
artillery. The eig,hteen-pounders were on the right of our regiment, which was
near the center of our line; I was on the extreme left of the regiment. Churchill's
guns were each drawn by two yoke of oxen. A Texan boy drove one of the teams;
as we were coming into position his coolness was remarkable, and his talk to his
oxen amusing. "Go aloung, buck!" he said, "if you're killed, you are fat and will
make good beef." When all was ready, both armies stood still for about twenty
minutes, each waiting for the other to begin the work of death, and during this
time, I did not see a single man of the enemy move; they stood like statues.
We remained quiet with two exceptions; Gen. Taylor, followed by his staff, rode
from left to right at a slow pace, with his right leg thrown over like a woman, and
as he passed each regiment, he spoke words of encouragement. I know not what
he said to the others, but when he came up to where we stood, he looked steadily
at us; I suppose, to see what effect the circumstances in which we were placed had
upon us, and, as he gazed, he said: "The bayonet, my hardy cocks! the bayonet is
the thing!" The other occasion was that of Lieut. Blake, of the engineers, who
volunteered to gallop along the enemy's line, in front of both armies, and count.,
their guns; and so close did he go that he might have been shot a hundred times.
One of the officers of the enemy, doubtless thinking he had some communication
to make, rode out to meet hinm; Blake, however, paid no attention to him, but rode
on, and then returned and reported to Taylor.
Thus stood those two belligerent armies, face to face. What were the feelings
of those thousands! How many thoughts and fears were crowded into those few
moments! Look at our men! a clammy sweat is settled all over faces slighltly pale,
not froin cowardly fear, but from an awful sense of peril combined with a deter minationl not to flinch from duty. These are the moments in which true soldiers
resign themselves to their fate, and console themselves with the reflection that
whatever mlay befall them they will act with honor; these are the mnomnents when
the absolute coward suffers more than death-when, if not certain hlie would be
shot in his tracks, he would turn and flee. Fighting is very hard work; the man
who has passed through a two hours' fight, has lived through a great amount of
mental and physical labor. At-the end of a battle I always found that 1 had per
TEXAS.
692
TEXAS.
spired so profusely as to wet through all my thick woolen clothiing(, and when I had
got cool, I was as sore as if I had been beaten all over with a club. When the
battle commences, the feelings undergo a change. IReader, did you ever see
your house on fire? if so, it was then you rushed into great danger; it was then
you went over places, climbed up walls, lifted heavy loads, which you never could
have done in your cooler mominents; you then have experienced some of the excite ment of a soldier in battle. I always knew my danger-that at any moment I was
liable to be killed, yet such was my excitement that I never fully realized it. All
men are not alike; some are cool; some are perfectly wild or crazy; others are so
prostrated by fear that they are completely unnerved-an awful sinking and re laxation of all their energies takes place, pitiable to behold; they tremble iike an
aspen, slink into ditches and covert places, cry like children, and are totally in sensible to shame-dead to every enmotion but the overwhelming fear of instant
death. We had a few, and but a few, of such in our army.
As the two armies were facing each other, it was remarkable to see the coolness of our
men; there they stood, chewing bits of biscuit, and talking about the Mexicans-some
wondering if they would fight; others allowing that they would, and like demons, etc. I
kept my eye on the artillery of the enemy, and happened to be looking toward their right wing when suddenly a white curl of smoke spratng up there from one of their guns, and
then I saw the dust fly some distance in front where the ball struck. Installntly another,
and then another rich curl of smoke arose, succeeded by a booming sound, and the shot
came crashing toward us. The enemy fired very rapidly, and their balls knocked the dust
about us in all directions-some went over our heads, others struck the ground in front and
bounded away.
Our batteries now went to work, and poured in upon them a. perfect storm of iron; Licut.
Churchill and his men began with their eighteen-pounders, and when the first was fired, it
made such a loud report that our men gave a spontaneous shout, which seemed to inspire
us with renewed confidence. I could hearevery word the lieutenant said to his men. When
the first shot was fired, he watched the ball, saying," Too high, men; try another I "-" too
low, men; try again-the third time is the charm!" The third shot was fired. and I saw
with my own eyes the dreadful effect of that and the following shots. " That's it, my
boys I" shouted Churchill, jumping up about two feet; "you have them now I keep her at
that!" and so they did, and every shot tore complete lanes right through the enemy's lines;
but they stood it manfully. The full chorus of battle now raged; twenty-three pieces of
artillery belched forth their iron hail.
We were ordered to lie down in the grass to avoid the shot; this puzzled the enemy, and
they could not bring their guns to bear upon us, making our loss very small. Many were
the narrow escapes; one ball came within six inches of my left side. The force of the
shot was tremendous; a horse's body was no obstacle at all; a man's leg was a mere pipe
stem. I watched the shot as it struck the roots of the grass, and it was astonishing how
the dust flew. In about an hour, the grass caught on fire, and the clouds of smoke shut
out the opposing armies from view. We had not as yet lost a man from our regiment. In
the obscurity, the enemy changed their line, and the eighteen-pounders, supported by our
regiment, took a new position on a little rise of ground. As we moved on to the spot, a
six-pound shot carried away the lower jaw of Capt. Page, and then took off a man's head
on the right, as clean as if with a knife. The blood of poor Page was the first blood I
saw; he was knocked down in the grass, and as he endeavored to raise himself, he pre,ented such a ghastly spectacle that a sickly, fainting sensation came over me, and the
mnemory of that sight I shall carry with me to my dying day. A little later, Major Ringgold was mortally wounded at his battery; I saw him just after it. The shot had torn
away a portion of the flesh of his thighs: its force was tremendous, cutting off both his
pistols at the locks, and also the withers of his horse-a splendid steed which was killed tc
relieve him of his misery. The enemy tried hard, but without avail, to hit our eighteenpounders. The battle continued until night put an end to the scene. We bivouacked where
we were, and laid on our arms; we slept, however, but little, thinking we might be attacked
in our sleep.
The enemy had been very severely handled, owing to the superiority of our artillery. The
gunners went into it more like butchers than military men; each stripped off his coat, rolled
up his sleeves, and tied his suspenders around his waist; they a,ll wore red flannel shirts, and,
therefore, were in uniform. To see them limbering and unlimbering, firing a few shots,
then dashing through the smoke, and then to fire again with lightning-like rapidity, partly
bid from view by dense clouds of dust and smoke, with their dark-red shirts and naked arms,
yelling at every shot they made, reminded me of a band of demons rather than of men.
On the morning ot the ninth, the sun rose in splendor. The enemy having retired into
the chapparal., we resumed our march toward the fort. On arriving at the position the
enemy bad occupied the day befo et the scene was shocking; here lay a beautiful black
693
horse and rider, both dead; a little beyond was a heap of artillery-men horribly mangled,
some entirely headless, others with their bowels torn out, and again others with an arm or
a leg, sometimes both, shot away. One man, I noticed, had been shot in a singular manner; the ball must have bounded, and, as it was rising, struck its victim about the right
haunch, then passing up diagonally through his body, came out under his left arm. The
positions of the dead were in many instances peculiar; some in their death-agonies had
caught with their hands in the grass, and thus died: some others were in a kind of sitting
posture; the countenances of some were horribly distorted, others had a siile-an absolute
laugh. The enemy had left behind a part of their wounded; one poor fellow who appeared
to be quite intelligent, was badly wounded in the ankle; when we camne near him, he called
out piteously, "Bueizo Asmericaoio I Agua, Setor I ayoia, Setor! "-Good American I Water,
sir! water, sir! We ran and offered him our canteens, and gave him biscuit, for which he
appeared grateful.
Our advance guard had been through, and ascertained that the enemy were posted at
Resaca de la Palma, a few miles off. A ravine here crossed the road, and on each side it
was skirted with dense chapparal; the ravine was occupied by their artillery. We marched
on the narrow road through the chapparal toward their position. The battle commenced
with those in advance. The balls began to crash through the woods over our heads, when
our regiment deployed to the left and then to the right of the road, and advanced through
the chapparal toward the enemy, whom we could not then see. Lieut. Haller called out,
"Fourth and Fifth Infantry, charge I" Both regiments responded with a cheer, and rushed
on. In a few paces we came to a small pond, and here I had my first chance for a shot at
the Mexicans, who were in line on the opposite bank, and were pouring their balls right
into our faces. The bushes screened all below their waists. I kneeled down on my right
knee, cocked my musket, and brought it to an aimn on the mass in front of me, making my
first shot at the human fadmily. I fired four shots in this manner, the branches in the
meatnwhile dropping off and the dust springing up all around me from the shot of my
friends across the little water. The word was then given to charge, and we dashed into the
water which took me about half-thigh deep; when in the middle, a ball just grazed my
right ear, and another struck a lieutenant by me in the right arm. The Mexicans broke
and aitn, and we continued charging along the pond until we came to where their guns were
stati;..ed. Here our troops, of different regiments, got mixed up. The Mexicans fought
desl)e,'ately, and many were slain.
WA i,in our infantry closed upon their artillery, some of our men were killed by a shot
froti Duncan's battery, which remained on the east side of the ravine. The fight was now
confin,ed to this central position; their guns on the right and left of it having been taken.
Here stood Gen. La Vega almost alone, his mlen having been shot down around him from
the c)omlbined effects of our infantry on the right and left, and Duncan's battery in front.
Just at this moment, when the infantry of all the regiments there engaged rushed in upon
La VegL's position, Capt. May charged with the dragoons who received the last gun that
the enemy fired; but before the dragoons had got up, La Vega was captured with a large
number of the officers and men of the enemy. The dragoons charged clear past this point,
and having received a heavy volley from the enemy's infantry and cavalry who were rally ing beyond, May ordered a retreat. As he was returning, La Vega, already a prisoner and
held as such by the infantry, judging that May was a superior officer, gave up his sword to
him.
After those guns were captured, about thirty of us went in pursuit of the retreating
enemy until we came upon an open space of, perhaps, two acres; here we found a large pack
of mules and the abandoned tent of Gen. Arista; we stopped a moment, and then con tinued on the road until we were charged by the lancers. Lieut. Hays sang out, "They
are too strong for us, boys!-retreat! retreat l" which we did for a short pace, and
then faced the enemy. The lancers came down upon us, when we poured in a volley which
sent them back. Lieut. Cochrane, instead of coming on with us, ran behind a small clump
of bushes on the opposite side of the road, when a lancer rode up and deliberately lanced
him. We reloaded, and on they came again, headed by an officer mounted on a splendid
white horse. Some one sang out, "Shoot that man on the white horse! " We poured in
another volley, and down went both horse and rider, beside numerous others; among them
was the man that had killed Lieut. Cochrane. I went out and picked up his lance; it was
covered with the blood of the poor lieutenfant. At this moment came up our light artillery
and the dragoons, who pursued the enemy to the river where many were drowned in cross ing, and thus ended the battle of Resaca de la Palma. Then I never heard such shouting
as came from our men; they seemed nearly crazy with joy. I can not describe my feel ings when I saw what a victory we had won I
Nacoydoches is 60 miles W. of the Sabine, and 210 E. from Austin, on an
elevated triangular plain, at the head of several small streams which enter
the River Angelina. It contains a fine court house, several churches, and
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about 1,000 inhabitants. This place was one of the first settled by the
Spanish in Texas, being occupied as a military post. Its improvement did
not commence till 1788, when many persons moved there fromn New Orleans,
and Capt. Gil. y Barbo, the first commandant, established an arsenal and
barracks, and built the "old stone house," which still remains. The county
of Naco-doches was created in 1836, from the municipality of the same
nanie. The white population of the county is about 8,000, mostly Amnericains. Churches and schools are liberally supplied, and the state of society
generally good. Previous to and during the American Revolution, an active
trade was carried on by the Spanish settleimeI)t at Natchez, th'ough Nacogdoches to the interior of Texas, and it was through those engaged in this
trade that the great beauty and fertility of country became known to the
Americans, and attriacted many adventurers.
Sat Aug.yustine is situated in a rich cotton growing region, on a branch of the
Neches River, 27 miles from the Sabine, and 360 from Austin. It was laid off
in 1833, and contains a court hlouse, several churches, and about 1,500 inhabitants. It is very healthy, being built on the hioh rolling lands, and is one
of the most beautiful towns in Texas. The University of San Augustine
was incorporated in 1837.
Po-t L(avacca is the capital of Calhoun county. It is on the W. side of
Lavacca Bay, about 160 miles S.Ei. of Austin, and is the principal shipping
port of that part of Texas. Population about 600.
3Iatayoi-da, on Matagorda Bay, at the mouth of Colorado River, 250 miles
S.E. from Austin, is a place of considerable commerce, being the depot for
the produce of the fertile Colorado valley. Population about 600.
There are many towns in Texas beside those mentioned, that have 1,000
inhabitants. Marshall, Gonzales, Victoria and Paris have each of them over
that number, and though neither of them reach 2,000, they are important
business centers for their respective districts.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
Moses Austin was born in Durham, Connecticut, about the year 1764, and of a
highly respectable family. He was well educated, and was bred a merchant, and
possessed uncommon energy and enterprise. He engaged in merchandising in
Philadelphia, then in Richmond, and later botught lead mines in Wythe county, Va.,
where he engaged in mining, introduced artisans from England, and established
the first shot and sheet lead manufactory in the United States. In 1799, he removed to the MAine-a-Burton lead mine in Missouri, and there established the business of lead mining in the wilderness, surrounded by savages: his ore was conveyed on horseback to St. Genevieve, 40 miles distant. Until 181,7, he conducted
a prosperous business, his house became the abode of elegant hospitality, and the
wilderness around was made to smile under his enterprise. Then the failure of
the Missouri bank so embarrassed his circumstances that he then, at the age of 55
years, voluntarily gave up all his property to his creditors, and with invincible
firmness prepared to found an American colony in Texas. In the execution of his
plans he had the aid of his son Stephen. He did not live to see them consummated,
as he died on the eve of their accomplishment, June 10, 1821, leaving on his death
bed the message to his son to carry forward his enterprise.
Gent. Stephen F. Austin, sometimes called "the Father of Texas, was born in
Wythe county, Va,, in 1793. He began his education at Colchester, Conn., and
finished it at Transylvania University, in Kentucky. At the time of his father's
death he was 28 years of age. He resolved to accept his father's dying trust, and
after much toil and with great address, he succeeded in the enterprise, fixing his
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colonial capital on the Brazos-San Felipe de Austin. Gov. Austin died Dec. 25,
1836, in the 45th year of his age. His qualities of head and heart made him loved
by all. "Every log cabin in the land was open to him. Every child of every colonist knew him, and was permitted to play upon his knee. When he first entered
the province of Texas, in 1821, there was but one settlement from the Sabine to
San Antonio —Nacogdoches, and in it was only one family and three unmarried
men. The ring of the axe had never been heard on the Brazos and Colorado. The
settlers followed in the wake of their young and adventurous leader, with the rifle,
$he ax, the plow and the seed corn. Soon the green blades of corn waved over
the luxur'iant virgin fields, and the smoke arose from 300 cabins, and 300 good
rifles were ready to follow him to-battle for the right." In 1823-4, Austin's colony was infested by robbers and fugitives from justice from the United States. At
first mild measures were tried to put a stop to their depredations. This only emboldened to greater crimes, they adding murder to robbery. At length a band of
these desperadoes were attacked and all but one killed, who escaped. The head
of one of them was cut off and set on a pole as a warning to like offenders.
David S. B?trnet was born in Newark, New Jersey, April 4,1789. His father.
Dr. William Burnet, was a medical officer during the Revolutionary war, and was
also a member of the continental congress. His brother, Maj. Ichabod Burnet
was aid to Maj. Gen. Greene. Judge Burnet was educated at a highly respectable
acad(lemv in his native town. Hlie had a predilection for the navy, but was persuaded to give it up, and to place himself in a counting house in New York in
1805. Early in 1806, with the consent of his friends, he joined the celebrated expedition under Gen. Miranda, which was organized in New York. MIirinda sailed
from New York in Feb., 1806, and made the first aggressive demonstration toward
the emancipation from Spanish domination at La Villa de (oro, on the Gulf of
Venezuela. A landing was effected in front of a battery, and the enemy were fo)rced
to retire. Lieut. Burnet commanded in the launch from the frig(ate, and consequently was one of those who fired the first gun in favor of Spanish American independence.
The expedition was finally abandoned, and most of the survivors of the original
party returned to New York. In 1 817, Mr. Burnet was a merchant in Natchitoches,
a. Being threatened with pulmonary consumption, he was advised by his physician to adopt the Indian life and manner of living; he accordingly went among
the Comanches on the Colorado, and remained more than a year, during which
time he subsisted on buffalo and other wild meat, without bread or vegetal)les of
any kind, and by this means his health was restored. He afterward removed to
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied law. In 1826, Mir. Burnet emigrated to Texas.
In 1833, he was elected to the convention at San Felipe, for the purpose of obtaining a separate state organization from the Federal Government at Mexico. In
1834, he was appointed by the state government judge of the municipality of Austin, co-aprehending about one half the population of Texas. When the spirit of
war began to be exhibited against the MAexicans, Judge Burnet was in the opposition, and continued quiet on his little farm. But when the news arrived that Santa
Anna had assumed dictatorial powers, and abolished the state governments, hlie took
a decided stand in favor of resistance. In 1836, he was elected by the convention
that declared independence, president ad interim of the incipient republic. lHe
was afterward chosen vice president. Since this period he has lived in retirement
on his farm, near and in sight of the battle field of San Jacinto.
ivirabea?t B. Lamar, the third president of Texas, was born in Jefferson county,
Georgia, in 1798. His ancestors were French Huguenots, who fled from persecution in their native land, and settled in the southern states. He came to Texas in
l3, to aisl the people in their resistance against the arbitrary power of Santa
Alita. Hlie opposed all timid counsels, and boldly advocated a declaration of indepen,If.nce, like that of July 4, 1776, and it is stated that his speech, delivered in
the towsn of Washington, was the first open advocacy of that policy. He first distinguished himself as a soldier in the cavalry action previous to the battle of San
Ja, into. After this victory he was placed by President Burnet at the head of the
war department. He was subsequently elected the first vice president undw the
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Constitutional Republic, and two years afterward to the presidency. When he
came into this office the republic had but very little credit or money, but by his,
wise and iudicious administration, he secured all the advantages of a good government. Gen. Lamarretired from office in 1841, but on the breaking out of the war
between Mlexico and the United States, he accompanied the Texan forces to the
theater of conflict, and acquired fresh laurels at the battle of Monterey.
THE FREEBOOTER LAFITTE.
Jean Lafitte was born in Bordeaux, France, and in youth ran away from home
and shipped on board an English man-of-war. Eventually he found his way to
South America and the West Indies, and engaged in privateering and smug,ling.
In 180S, when the United States laid an embargo on foreign commerce, he engargedl
in illicit trade to New Orleans. About the year 1810 or 1811, the island of Grand
Terre, afterward known as Bar-rataria, about 60 miles from the delta of the Mlis.
sissippi, became a notorious resort of privateers. Among the chieftains there La fitte hecacie in power almost absolute. He had two brothers in New Orleans, and
through them interested many of the principal merchants and traders in that city
in his smuggling and privateering schemes, much to the damage of the honest
traders there, and to the disgrace of the state and corruption of public morals. In
March, 1813, Gov. Claiborne issued a proclamation ordering the Barratarians to
disperse; failing in which, he offered a reward of $500 for the head of Lafitte.
The latter in turn offered $15,000 for the head of his excellency! Next the gov ernor sent a company of militia to break up B3arrataria. Its commander happened
to have been one of Lafitte's old captains. Lafitte surrounded them, took them
prisoners, and then sent them home loaded with presents.
Early in 1814, President Madison sent Commodore Patterson, of the United
States navy, to destroy the establishment:
"Accordingly on tbe 11th of June, 1814, the commodore left New Orleans, accompanied
by Col. Ross and seventy-one picked men of the 44th regiment United States infantry. He
took with him the schooner Caroline and the United States gunboats at the Balize. On the
morning of the 16th he reached Barrataria. The town consisted of about forty houses, of
different sizes, badly constructed, and thatched with palmetto. The vessels of the freebooters consisted of six fine schooners and one felucca, as cruisers, and one armed schooner
under Carthagenian colors. The rovers came out to meet the commodore, and formed their
vessels into line of battle, having mounted on them twenty pieces of cannon, and exhibiting a force of eight hundred or a thousand men. But when they saw the commodore determined, and still advancing, they abandoned the place and fled, concealing themselves in
the numerous morasses of the surrounding country. The commodore returned to New Orleans on the 23d of June, bearing with him the vessels and spoil of Barrataria.
This expedition so crippled the freebooters, that they could only operate afterward with
great secrecy. The war between the United States and Great Britain prevented further attempts against them. They were, however, approached by the British in a different manner. On the 3d of September, 1814, Capt. Lockyer, commander of his majesty's man-ofwar Sophi-l, put in to the shore at Barrataria, and offered Lafitte the rank. of post-captain
in the British navy, the command of a frigate, and thirty thousand pounds sterling, to join
his majesty's forces. Lafitte asked two weeks' time to consider the proposal, giving the
captain some hope, however, that he would accept it.
The next day, Lafitte inclosed the written propositions to Gov. Claiborne, writing him
also a polite letter, tendering his services to the United States, on condition that be and
his adherents should be protected from further interruption. The offer was accepted; and
Lafitte and his men, stationed at the guns near the levee, on 8th of January, 1815, did such
service as to call forth a general pardon from the president of the United States."
Lafitte was unable, from the vigilance of the United States authorities, to again
establish himself at Barrataria. He finally occupied the island of Galveston', as
related in the preceding pages, and for years became closely identified with the
history of Texas.
Hon. J. Piackney Henderson was born in Lincoln Co., North Carolina, March 31,
18S08. He received a liberal education, and adopted the lawv as a profession. le
emigrated to Texas in 1836, and his first civil office was that of attorney-general
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of the Republic of Texas, having been appointed. by President Houston, in 1836;
in 18.37. he was appointed secretary of state of the Republic; soon a[terward minister plenipotentiary to England and France, clothed with the additional rorwers
of commissioner to solicit the recognition of the independence of Texas; in 1838,
hlie iaide a commercial arrangement with England, and in 1839 a commnerciil treaty
with France; in 1844, hlie was appointed a special minister to the Unitedi States,
an, lichi mission resulted in the annexation of Texas; in 1845, he was a member of
th:e convention which framed the constitution of the state of Texas; in Nhov., of
tle same year, was elected governor of the state; and when the AMexicaln war
broke out, in 1846. as governor of the state, and by permission of the legislature,
he took command, in person, of the volunteer troops called for by General'aylor,
served six months as major-general, and distinguished himself at the battle of
Mlonterey, subsequently receiving from congress, for his services, a vote of thanks
anid a sword valued at fifteen hundred dollars. He was elected a senator, in congress, in 1857, but owing to ill-health, did not take an active part in its proceedin<.s, and he died in Washington City, June 4, 1858, deeply lamented by all who
knew him. —Dictionariy of Congress.
"Ge,?. Samtel Houston was born," says the Dictionary of Congress, " in Rockbridge county, Virginia, March 2, 1793. He lost his father when quite yotung, and
lhis mother removed with her family to the banks of the Tennessee, at that time
the limit of civilization. Here he received but a scanty education; hlie passed several years among the Cherokee Indians, and in factet, through all his life he seems
to have held opinions with Rousseau, and retained a predilection for life in the wilderness. After having served for a time as clerk to a country trader, and kept a
school, in 1813 he enlisted in the armiy, and served under Gen. Jackson in the war
with the Creek Indians. lie distinguished himself on several occasions, and at
the conclusion of the war he had risen to tile rank of lieutenant, but soon resigned
his commission and commenced the study of law at Nashville. It was about this
timne thlit he began his political life. After holding several minor offices in T''ennessee, he was, in 1823, elected to Congress, and continued a member of that body
until, in 1827, he became governor of the state of Tennessee. In 1829, before the
expiration of his gubernatorial term, he resigned his office, and went to take up
nis al)ode among the Cherokees in Arkansas. During, his residence among the Indills, he became acquainted with the frauds practiced upon them by the governmient agents, and undertook a mission to Washington for the purpose of exposing
tliem. In the execution of this project, he met with but little success; hlie became
involved in lawsuits, and returned to his Indian friends. During a visit to Texas,
hlie w-as requested to allow his name to be used in the canvass for a convention which
was to meet to form a constitution for Texas, prior to its admission into the Mnexican union. He consented, and was unanimously elected. The constitution drawn
up by the convention was rejected by Santa Annia, at that time in power, and the
disaffection of the Texans caused thereby was still further hightened by a demand
upon them to give up their arms. They determined upon a resistance; a miilitia
was organized, and Austin, the founder of the colony, was elected coiamander-inchief, in which office ho was shortly after succeeded by Gen. Houston. lie conducted the war with vigor, and finally brought it to a successful termination by the
battle of San Jacinto, which was fought in April, 1836. In May, 1836, he signed
a treaty, acknowledging the independence of Texas, and in October of the same
year, e was inaugurated the first president of the Republic. At the end of his
term of office, as the same person could not constitutionally be elected president
twice in succession, he became a member of the Texan congress. In 1841, however, he was again elevated to the presidential chair. During the whole time that
he held that office it was his favorite policy to effect the annexation of Texas to the
United States, but he retired fromn office before he saw the consummation of his
wishes. In 1844, Texas became one of the states of the Union, and Gen. Houston was elected to the senate. He has since been governor of the state."
Hozi. Thomas Jefferson Rusk "was born in South Carolina; studied law, and
practiced with success in Georgia. In the early part of 1835, he removed to Texas,
and was a prominent actor in all the important events in the history of the repub
TEXAS.
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TEXAS.
lie and state of Texas. He was a member of the convention that declared Texas
an independent republic, in March, 1836; waas the first secretary of war;,partici piLted in the battle of San IJcinto, and took command of the army after General
Houston was wounded. Hlie continued in command of the army until the orgtni zaition of the constitutional governnent, in October, 1836, when he was again ap pointed secretary of war, and resigned after a few mnonthls. He afterward coinm manded several expeditions against the Indians; served as a member of the house
of representatives and as chief justice of the supreme court, which last office he
resigned early in 1842. In 1845, he was president of the convention that consurnm.mated the annexation of ITexas to the United States. Upon the admission of Texas
into the Union he was elected one of the senators in the congress of the United
States, in which office he served two terms, and was elected for the third term.
He was chairman of the committee on the post-office. He took a deep interest in
the wagon-road to the Pacific, and the overland mail. At the time of his death,
which occurred in Nacogidoches, Texas, July 29, 1856, he was president, pro tern.,
of thle senate. In a moment of insanity, caused by overwhelming grief at the
death of his wife, hlie took his own life, aged fifty-four.-Dictionary of Congress.
Ceii. Sidiey Sherman was born in lMarlborough, Massachusetts, in 1805. In the
midst of a snow storm, December, 1835, he embarked on a steamer at Cincinnati,
at the head of a volunteer company of Kentuckians he had raised, to battle for the
independence of Texas. He was a colonel at San Jacinto, where he greatly dis tinguished himself. He there first sounded the war cry —Rememrber the Alaimo!
Goliad aid the Alamo! In 1846, he conceived the idea of rebuilding the town of
Iairrisbirg,, which had been destroyed. From thence he built a railroad westward,
the first in Texas, and the locomotive the "Gen. Sherman," was the first that ap peared west of the Sabine.
CGl. Beoj. R. M ilam, " the hero of Bexar," was born in Kentucky, and bred to
the hatter's business in L,exington in that state. In 1826 he was one of the heroic
band of three hundred Americans who went to Mexico, and joined the republican
standard of Victoria, and in different actions routed three and four times their own
numl)er. His military life there was full of vicissitude. After the taking of Goliacd, in Sept., 1835, by a. mere handful of Texans, Milam thus told the story of lhis
experience there, in a spirited address of five lines. Said hlie-"I assisted Mexico
to gain her independence. I have spent more than twenty years of my life in that
country. I have endured heat and cold, hunger and thirst; but the events of this
night have fully compensated me for all my losses and all my sufferings." In less
than two months after "old Ben Milam" met a soldier's death at the storming of
Bexar.
Cot. James Bowie, the inventor of the bowie knife, was a son of Rezin Bowie, and
was born in Burke county, Georgia. "Of his parents, it is said they were from
Maryland. The father was a man of strong mind and sound judgment. The
mother was a pious and excellent lady, and from her it was thought that the children
inherited their remarkable energy of character. They had five children, viz:
David, James, Rezin P., John J., and Stephen, who were all large, muscular mien.
In ISO'-, the f,mily removed to Chatahoula parish, Louisiana. On the 19th of Septeminber, 1827, James Bowie was engaged, on a bar of the Mississippi, in a duel
with Norriq Wright and others-one of the bloodiest renconters of this class on
record-in which he was wounded, and two men were killed. Shortly after this
he came to Texas, as did also his brother Rezin P. Bowie. James Bowie was about
six fcet hi('h, of fair complexion, with small blue eyes, not fleshy, but well iroportioned; he stood quite erect, and had a rather fierce look; was not quarrelsome,
but mild and quiet, even at the moment of action. He was quite sociable, and
somewhat disposed to intemperance, but never drunk. He had a wonderful art in
winning people to him, and was extremely prodigal of his money. His muscular
power was as great as his daring; his brother says he has been known to rope and
ride alligators! His great speculation was in purchasing negroes from Lafitte, and
smuggling them into Louisiana. This is the most unpleasant feature in his historv. lie fell at the Alamo." —'oaekum's Texas.
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STOCK RAISING IN TEXAS.
In south-western Texas, the chief occupation of the rural population is stockraising. As late as the year 1838, and for years after the prairies of this region
were covered with immense herds of wild cattle, the offspring of those belonging
to the inhabitants prior to the border wars. Expeditions were, at that period,
formed in Texas to hunt up and collect these animals, and when they were exhausted, the "Cow Boys," as they were called, pushed their expeditions to the Rio
Grande, and drove off the gentle cattle of the Mexicans. On these forays severe
conflicts often took place between the hostile parties, in which the "Cow Boys"
were almost sure to be successful.
For a few years after "annexation," the price of cattle was low; but with the
improved means of transportation, prices have gone up, and now immense droves
are taken to the north-west and to the eastern market. A writer in the Texas
Almanac,* for 1861, gives interesting details upon this business, from which we
make some extracts:
From the natural increase, and the large droves of cattle driven to the west from middle
and eastern Texas and the western part of Louisiana, on account of the superior pasturage
in this section, stocks have become large and numerous, and many think this part of the
country is becoming overstocked. Be that as it may, the number of cattle is very great,
and it has become a much more laborious task to attend to a stock of cattle than when they
were less numerous.
As the cattle are permitted to range indiscriminately over a large surface of country,
thirty, forty, and even fifty miles in extent from north to south and east to west, and cattle
from several hundred stocks get mixed together, it is no easy task to hunt up and mark and
brand the calves of a large stock; still it is done, and with tolerable accuracy.
The principal brandings take place twice in the year-in the spring and fall. For this
purpose the men of each neighborhood form themaselves into companies, called, in local
phrase, a "crowd," to the number of ten, twelve, or fifteen men, each man having one, two,
or three spare horses, according to circumstances, with pack-horses to carry provisions,
blankets, etc., for the "crowd" (company.) Thus provided for a" hunt" of several weeks,
they sally forth, each man with lasso at saddle-bow, and armed with an excellent sixshooter and formidable bowie-knife. They traverse a wide extent of country, driving into
close herds large numbers of cattle at places most convenient to a pen. They then "cut
out" (select from the herd) such cattle as belong to the men who compose the "crowd," and
those for whom they brand; drive them into the pen, and mark, brand, and alter the calves.
Persons not acquainted with this mode of managing stock will naturally ask how each man
can tell his own calves. This is easily told by observing what cow the calf follows and
sucks. But some few calves amongst so large a number of cattle escape the "branding."
These calves, when afterward discovered, if they have ceased to suck their mothers, and
can not be identified, are accounted common property, and are divided, pro rata, amongst
the stock-owners of the neighborhood.
"Cattle-hunting" is quite a laborious business; and especially is it so in a crowded pen
in warm weather: to "rope," throw down and tie the strong and active calves of six, eight
or twelve months old, and often grown cattle; in dry weather in a cloud of dust, and in
wet, in mud, sometimes ankle-deep. This is both disagreeable and fatiguing, in addition
to which there is considerable risk from vicious cattle, which keeps the hands constantly on
the alert to avoid being "hooked." There is also much exposure to the heat of the noonday sun, and the damp, chilly midnight winds that blow fresh over the extensive prairies.
But the proper time to do this is late in the fall, when the men are frequently exposed to
cold rains and northers.
But this wild life has also its attractions and exciting pleasures, especially for the young
and adventurous; as it is not devoid of risk, and affords to the aspiring mind of youth an
opportunity of a display of courage and prowess that is not found in any other department
of rural life. The young men that follow this "Cow Boy" life, notwithstanding its hardships and exposures, generally become attached to it. For a camp life, they live well, carrying out with them plenty of coffee and sugar, hard bread (pilot bread), bacon, etc., and
when on a "hunt," never want for fresh nieat, as the unbranded yearlings afford a plenty
ot the most delicious, and are pretty freely used, as they belong to no particular person.
Deer, prairie-hens or grouse, and othergame being also plenty, they fare. sumptuously; at
least, so it appears to men blessed with excellent appetites. Whisky is pretty generally excluded, as it is found rather dangerous in companionship with six-shooters.
TEXAS.
APPENDIX.
CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
OFFICIAL CENSUS TABLE,
SHOWING THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES AND TERRITORIES, ACCORDING TO THN
SEVENTH CENSUS (1850), AND THE EIGHTH CENSUS (1860), RESPECTIVELY.
CENSUS OF 1850.
States. Free.
Alabama,....428,779
Arkansas,....162,797
California,.... -- - ---- 92,597
Connecticut, --.. 370,792
Delaware, -... -89,242
Florida, -... ------ 48,135
Georgia,.. -—.- -524,503
Illinois, -... ------ 851,470
Indiana,... -- - - ---- 988,416
Iowa, -.. — ---- - 192,214
Kansas,..
Kentucky, -.. — ---- 771,424
Louisiana,.-.-. 272,953
Maine, —---- - 583,169
Maryland, ---- -... --- 492,666
Massachusetts,- - 994,514
Mississippi,- - - ----- 296,648
Missouri, -..- ----- 594,622
Michigan, ---- -.. —. 397,654
Minnesota, -..-. — 6,077
New Hampshire, - -. - - 317,976
New Jersey,- - -.- --- 489,319
New York, -..-3,097,394
North Carolina, —.. 580,491
Ohio, - - - - - - - 1,980,329
Oregon, - -.- -. --- 13,294
Pennsylvania,- - — 2,311,786
Rhode Island, -.. — 147,545
South Carolina, --- -. -. - - 283,523
onnessee, —- 763,258.
-as, -....154,431
Virginia, - -... - ---- 949,133
V.ermont, - -.... - 314.120
Wisconsin, -... - ---- 305,391
19,866,662 3,200,600 23,067,262
701
Slave. Total.
342,844 771,623
47,100 209,897
--' 92,597
-- 370,792
2,290. 91,532
39,310 87,445
381,682 906,185
--- 851,470
988,416
-- 192,214
210,981. 982,405
244,809 517,762
-- 583,169
90,368 583,034
994,51.4
309,8.78. 606,526
87,422 682,044
--- 397,654
6,077
_ - 317.976
236 489-555,
3,097,394288,548 869,039
],980,329
_ - -- 13,294
--- 2,31,786
147,545
384.,984 fi68,507
239,459 1,002,717
58,161 212,592
472,528' 1,421,661
_- 314,120
_ - 305,391
APPENDIX
Territories.
-New Mexico,..
Utah, -.8
District of Columbia, -.3
Free. Slave. Total.
- 61,547 61,547
.1-1,354 26 11,380
- 48,000 3,687 51,687
19,987,563 3,204,313 23,191,876
CENSUS OF 1860.
States. Free.
Albama, -. - - ---- 529, 1 64
Arkansas, -. -- ----- 324,323
California, - -.. — --- 380,015
Connecticut,... - - 460,151
Delaware, - -...- --- 110,420
Florida,- - -.. - --- 78,686
Georgia, -—... 595,097
Illinois,- -... - ---- 1,711,753
Indiana,.... — - - ---- 1,350,479
Iowa, -. --- - ---- 674,948
Kansas,.... -- ------ 107,110
Kentucky, -... - --- 930,223
Louisiana, -—... -376,913
Maine, -. --- - ---- 628,276
Maryland,.... — - ---- 59)9,846
Al assachlusetts, --- - 1,231,065
Mississippi, - - -- 354,699
Missouri, -.. - ---- 1,058,352
Michigan, -... ------ 749,112
Minnesota, -. -. - --- 162,022
New Itampshire, -.. —-- 326,072
New Jersey, -... - ---- 672,03 t
New York, -... —---- 3,887,542
North Carolina, -.. 661,586
Ohio, - - - - - - 2,339,599
Oregon, --- -.. -. -- 52,466
Pennsylvania, --- - - - - - 2,906,370
Rhode Island, -.. - ---- 174,631
Southl Carolina, - -... -- -- 301,271
Tennessee, -... - ---- 834,063
Texas,... -- ---- - 420,651
Virginia,...-. -- 1,105,196
Vermont, -...- - 315,116
Wisconsin, -.... -- 775,873
27,185,109 3,949,557 31,134,666
Territories. Free. Slave. Total.
Colorado, --.-.. 34,197 - 34,197
Dakotah, -... 4,839 - 4,839
Nebraska,- - - -. - - 28,832 10 28.842
Nevadai,....- -- 6,857 - 6,857
New Mexico, - -. - - - - 93-517 24 93,541
Utah, -9...40,266 29 40,295
Washington, -... -- 11.578 - 11,578
District of Columbia, - 71,895 3,181 75,076
27,477,000 3,952,801 31,429,891
702
Slave. Total.
435,132 964,296
111,104 435,427
-- 380.015
-- 460,151
1,798 112,218
61,753 140,439
462,230 1,057,327
--- 1,711,753
-- 1,350,479
--- 674,948
-- 107,110
225,490 1,155,713
332,520 709.433
- 6928,276
87,188 687,034
-- 1,231,065
436,696 791,395
114,965 1,173,317
749.112
- ]162,022
326,072
-- 672,031
-- 3,887,542
331,081 992,667
-- 2,339,599
52,466
2,906,370
174,631
402,541 703,81,2
275,784 1,109,$47
180,388 601,039
490,887 1,596,083
-- 315,116
775,873
APPENDIX.
The following table shows the number
each State in 1850 and in 1860. In 1860, t
1850.1860.
Maine, - - - - -6 5
New Hampshire, - - 3 3
Vermont, - - - - 3 3
Massachusetts,- - - 11 10
Rhode Island, - - - 2 1
Connecticut, - - - 4 4
New York, - - - 33 30
New Jersey, - - - 5 5
Pennsy]vania, - - - 25 23
Delawnare, - - - 1 1
MVaryland, - - - - 6 6
Virginia, - - - - 13 11
North Carolina, - - - 8 7
South Carolina, - - 6 4
Georgia, - - - - 8 7
Florida, - - - - 1 1
Alabaima, - - - - 7 6
Total, - — F.
The following tables show the increase
States, over the population of 1850:
FREE STATES.
Inrease. ncrease.
Maine, - -. --- 36,780 Delaware, - - 20,821
New lHampshire, - - - 8,096 Maryland, - - 148,531
Vermont,- -. --- 1,707 Virginia, — - - - 171,538
Massachusetts, - - - 236,980 North Carolina, - - - 139,303
Rhode Island, - - 27,079 South Carolina, - - 46,864
Connecticut,- - - - 89,098 Georgia, - - 176,642
New York, - - - - 754,169 Florida, ----- 58,249
Pennsylvania, - - - 604,232 Alabama, - - - 184,294
New Jersey, - -186,479 Mississippi, - 280,132
Ohio, - - - - - 397,588 Louisiana, - - - 148,669
Indiana, -.. ---- 362,386 Arkansas.- - - 230,878
Illinois, - - - - 839,768 Texas, - - - - 438,363
Michigan, - - 356,737 Tennessee, - 133,973
Wisconsin, - - 458,094 Kentucky, - - 168,152
Iowa, - - - 489,788 Missouri, — * - 519,170
Mlinnesota, -- 166,719
Oregon, - -. --- 39,272 Total, - - 2,820,539
California, - - - - 292,173
Total, - - - 5,347,651
The following tables show the Free and the Slave population at each decennial
period since the first census was taken:
SLAVE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
1790, -..... —--------- ----- 697,897 Increase.
180(0, - -...... —------- - - 893,041 195,144, or 29 per cent.
191)(), - -....... —------ - -- 1,191,364 298,323, or 33
182(), - -.. - --- 1,538,064 347,700, or 30
1,3(), - 3... 2,009,031 470,967, or 30
184). -. -.... --------------- 2,487,355 478,324, or 24
150, - -....... - - - - - -3,204,313.716,958, or 29 "
1806()) —-, ——...... —---- 3 999,353 795,040, or 25 "
703
Increase.
Delaware,.- - 20,821
Maryland, - - - 148,531
Virginia,.- - 171,538
North Carolina, - - - 139,303
South Carolina, - - - 46,864
Georgia, - -. 176,642
Florida, - —.- 58,249
Alabama, - - - 184,294
Mississippi, - 280,132
Louisiana, - - - 148,669
Arkansas. - - 230,878
Texas, -.-.-. -.- 438,363
Tennessee, - - - 133,973
Kentucky,. - - 168,152
Missouri,...- 519,170
Total, - 2,820,539
APPENDIX.
FREE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES
1790,- - - -. - 3,231,075 Increase.
1800, -. — - - - - -. 4,412,911 1,180,036, or 36 per cent
1810,- - - - - -. - 6,048,450 1,635,530, or 37 "4
1820, - -. - - - - 8,100,067 2,051,517, or 33 "
1830,.- -. - - - 10,357,880 2,757,822, or 33 "
1840, -- - - - -. 14,575,998 3,718,109, or 33 "
1850,- - - - - - -- 19,991,645 5,415,616, or 37 "
1860, - - - - - - - 27,642,624 7,550,680, or 38 "
The following table shows the total population of the United States at each decennial period:
1790, — - - 3,929,827 1830, -- - - 12,886,020
1800, - - - -. 5,305,925 1840, - - - 17,069,453
1810,- - - - -.7,239,814 1850, - - - -.23,191,876
1820, - - - - 9638,1311860, - - 31,429,891
- - - 9,638,131 1860, - - - 31,429,891
The increase of the free population of the United States has averaged, at each
decade, for the last half century, about 35 per cent.; the increase of the slave population about 27 per cent. Estimating the increase of each kind of population at
these figures for the half century to come, the results at each decade in round
numbers, are as follows:
Free.
1870, -.. - - - - - 37,000,000
1880, - - -. - 50,000,000
1890, - - - - - - 68,000,000
1900, - - -.. - 92,000,000
1910, - -...123,000,000
704
Slave.
5,000,000
6,500,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,500,000
Total.
42,000,000
~56,500,000
76,000,000
102,000,000
135,500,Q00