^> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) / /. O A u.. V ^ 1.0 [ifi^l I.I 2.5 . .,. 1^ " lis lllll^ i.8 11.25 i 1.4 III 1.6 ^. vj ^\ 7 c*-: /S^ 7 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains d6fauts susceptibles de nuire d la quality de la reproduction sont not6s ci-dessous. 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Les images sulvantes ont 6t6 reprodultes avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de I'exemplaire f ilm6, et en conrormitd avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ► (meaning CONTINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles sulvants apparaftra sur la der- nldre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — *- signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the l;■. -.m-n ^/ T -rvr • *»««t* ,•-•» * AMONG 3Re Indians , i- BENJ. G. AEMSTRONG. THOS. P. WENTWORTH. COPYRIGHTED JANUARY, 1891, — BY — B. Gr. ARMSTRONG — AND — T. P. WENTWORTH, ASHLAND, WIS. BAI^LY LIFE AMONG THE INDIANS. Kerainiseer'.ees FROM THE I.IFE OK BENJ, G. ARMSTRONG, OF 1835, IBS'?, 184^ AND 18©4. Habits and Customs of the Red Men of the Forest. iDGiflBDts, liograp&iBal SMbBbs. Battles, &c. DICTATED TO AND WRITTEN BY TIIOS. P. WENTWOllTII, ASHLAND. WISCONSIN. 1892. PRESS OF A. W. BOWIUJN, ASIILAXD. WIS. CONTENTS: CHAPTER T-The Kcnioval Order-Trent ies of IW and 1842.— Off Tor \\ ufcjbington.— in Now York with Only One Dime 9 CIIAPTE: . II.— In Wnshlnfrton.— Told to Go Ilome.-Thc "Great Gather."— lieversal of the Kenioval Order.— Treaty of 1854 . and the Reservations 26 CHAPTER in.— Tidal Wave of Iminijfration.-Sharp Practices.— An Indian Shot.— I'residcnt Lincoln's Promisee 55 CHAPTER IV.-FirstPaymcnt Under Treaty of 1854.— Uaath of Buf- tfalo.— An Indian Tradition.— The First Log Cabin 79 CHAPTER V.-Early yettlers.-Battle of the Rrule.— The Scalp-Lock, —The Sioux Revenge 01 CHAPTER VI.— The American Fur Co.-An Indian Law.— The Choice of a Wife.— Indian Courtship and Marriage 100 CHAPTER VII.— The Indians As They Were In the Old Days. —Birch Bark and Its' Uses 107 CHAPTER VIII.— The Influence of Whiskey.— Stay and Departure of the Traders,- Annuity Payments 126 CHAPTER IX.— Origin of the Chippewa Tribes-Early Missionaries. - Black Hawks Capture 147 CHAPTER X.— Excitement Among Whites and Indians —The Ghost Dance— The Headwaters of the Mississippi 160 CHAPTER XI —Source of the Great Riv^r.— The Indians There in 1S42.— " Don't Eat Moose Till You Catch Him" 161 CHAPTER XII.— Two Languages— Religious Beliefs. -A Secret Order.— The Mysterious River.— Happy Hunting Grounds 174 CHAPTER XIII.— Prominent Chippewa Chiefs.— Buffalo as a Chief.— A Chief's Daughter 196 CHAPTER XIV.— Father Baraga.— Source of the Chippewa Religion. —The Chippewa Church 803 CHAPTER XV.— King of the Apostle Islands.'— Organisation of Ash- land County.— Up a Tree 211 CHAPTER XVI.— The Chipp- wa Valley.— Pioneer Settlers and Early Lumbermen.— J uetice in the Early Days 234 CHAPTER XVII.— A Mysterious Disappearance.— An Introduction to the Family of Mr. Bruin 234 CHAPTER XVIII.— The Beginning of the Indian Troubles and Their Causes. -Spiritualism and Its Origin 240 CHAPTER XIX.— The Chippewa Language 250 Biographical 261 PREFACE. This undertaking I begin, not without mis- givings as to my ability to finish a well con- nected history of my recollections. I kept no dates at any time, and must rely wholly upon my memory at seventy-one years of age. Those of my white associates in the early days, who are still living, are not within reach to assist me by rehearsals of former times. Those of the older Indians who could assist me, could I converse with them, have passed beyond the Great River, and the younger ones, of whom there are many not far distant, could not assist me in the most essential portions of the work. Therefore, without assistance and assuring the reader that dates will be essentially cor- rect, and that a strict adherence to facts will be followed, and with the hope that a generous public will make due allowance for the l':pse of years, I am. Your obedient servant, - THE AUTHOR, B^^ Indian Hi^tot^^. CHAPTER I. The First Treaty. — The Removal Order.— Treaties of 1837 and 1842. — A Trip to Wash- ington. — In New York City with Only One Dime. — At the Broker's Residence. My earliest recollections in Northern Wiscon- sin and Minnesota territories date back to 1835, at which time Gren. Cass and others on the part of the Government, with different tribes of Indi- ans, viz : Potawatomies, Winnebagos, Chippe- was, Saux and Foxes and the Sioux, at Prairie dii Chien, met in open council, to define and agree apon boundary lines between the Saux and Foxes and the Chippewas. The boundary or division of territory as agreed upon and estab- lished by this council was the Mississippi River from Prairie du Chien north to the mouth of 10 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. of Crow Wiiif River, thence to its source. The Saux and Foxes and the Sioux were recognized to be the owners of all territory lying west of the Mississippi and south of the Crow Wing River. The Chippewas, by this treaty, were recognized as the owners of all lands east of the Mississippi in the territory of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and north of the Crow Wing River on both side^v of the INIississippi to the British Possessions, alho Lake Superior country on both sides of the lake to Sault Ste. Marie and beyond. The otlier tribes mentioned in this council had no intere^^t in tlu above divided territory from the fact that their possessions were east and south of the Chippewa Country, and over their title there was no dispute. The division lines were agreed to as described and a treaty signed. Wlien all shook hands and covenanted with each otlier to live in peace for all time to come. In 1837 the Government entered into a treaty with the Chippewas of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers at St. Peter, Minnesota, Col. Snell- ing, of the army, and Maj. Walker, of Missouri, being the commissioners on the part of the Gov- ernment, and it appears that at the commence- ment of this council the anxiety on the part of the commissioners to perfect a treaty was so great that statements were made by them favor- able to the Indians, and understood perfectly l>y them, that were not afterwards incorporated in tlie treaty. The Indians were told by these commissioners that the great father had sent them to buy their pine timber and their miner- als that were hidden in the earth, and that the EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. ] great father was very anxious to dig the mi] eral, for of such material he made guns an knives for the Indians, and copper kettles i which to boil their sugar sap. ' ' The timber yo inake but little use of is tlie pine your gre^ father wants to build many steamboats, 1 bring your goods to you and to take you 1 Washington bye-and-bye to see your great fath( and meet him face to face. He does not wai your lands, it is too cold up here for faimini He wants just enough of it to build little towi where soldiers stop, mining camps for miner saw mill sites and logging camps. The timb( that is best for you the great father does nc care about. The maple tree that you make yoi sugar from, the birch tree that you get hsii from for your canoes and from which you mal pails for your sugar sap, the cedar from whic you get material for making canoes, oars an paddles, your great father cares nothing for. '. is the pine and minerals that he wants and li has sent us here to make a liargain with yo for it," the conunissioners said. And furthe the Indians were told and distinctly understoo that they were not to lie disturbed in the po session of their lands so long as tneir men b haved themselves. They were told also tlif the Chippewas had always been good Indiar and the great father thought very nuich of thei on that account, and with these promises fairl and distinctly understood they signed the treat that ceded to the government all their territoi lying east of the Mississippi, embracing the S Croix district and east to the Chippewa Rive: 12 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. but to my certain knowledge the Indians never knew that they had ceded their lands until 1849, when they were asked to remove therefrom. In 1842 Robert Stewart, on the part of the government, perfected a treaty at La Pointe, on Lake Superior, in which the Chippewas of the St. Croix and Superior country ceded all that portion of their territory, from the boundary of the former treaty of 1837, with the Chippewas of the Mississippi and St. Croix Indians, east and along the south shore of the lake to the Choco'ate River, Michigan, territory. No con- versation that was had at this time gave the Indians an inkling or caused them to mistrust that they were ceding away their lands, but supposed that they were simply selling the pine and minerals, as they had in the treaty of 1837, and when they were told, in 1849, to move on and thereby abandon their burying grounds — the dearest thing to an Indian known — they began to hold councils and to ask each as to how they had understood the treaties, and all understood them the same, that was : That they were never to be disturbed if they behaved themselves. Messengers were sent out to all the different bands in every part of their country to get the understanding of all the people, and to inquire if any depredations had been committed by any of their !young men, or what could be the reason for this sudden order to move. This was kept up for a year, but no reason could be assigned by the Indians for the removal order. The treaty of 1842 made at La Pointe stipu- lated that the Indians should receive their annu- EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 13 ities at La Pointe for a period of twenty -five years. Now by reason of a non-compliance with the order to move away, the annuity payment at La Pointe had been stopped and a new agency established at Sandy Lake, near the Mississippi River, and their annuities taken there, and the Indians told to go there for them, and to bring along their women and children, and to remain there, and all that did not would be deprived of their pay and annuities. In the fall of 1851, and after all the messen- gers had returned that had been sent out to inquire after the cause for the removal orders, the chiefs gathered in council, and after the subject had been thoroughly canvassed, agreed that representatives from all parts of the coun- try should be sent to the new agency and see what the results of such a visit would be. . A delegation was made up, consisting of about 500 men in all. They reached the new agency about September lOtli of that year. The agent there informed them that rations should be furnished to them until such time as he could get the goods and money from St. Paul. Some time in the latter part of the month we were surprised to hear that the new agency had burned down, and, as the word came to us, ' 'had taken the goods and money into the ashes." The agent immediately started down the river, and we saw no more of him for some time. Crowds of Indians and a few white men soon gathered around the burnt remains of the agency and waited until it should cool down, when a thorough search was made in the ashes 14 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. for melted coin that muBt be there if tiie story was true that goods and money had gone down together. They scraped and scratched in vain All that was ever found in that ruin in the shape of metal was two fifty cent silver pieces. The Indians, having no chance to talk with the agent, could find out nothing of which they wished to know. They camped around the commissary department and were fed on the very worst class of sour, musty pork heads, jaws, shoulders and shanks, rotten corned beef and the poorest quality of flour that could possibly be milled. In the course of the next month no fewer than 1 50 Indians had died from the use of these r(4ten provisions, and the remainder resolved to stay no longer, and started back for La Pointe. At Fond du Lac, Minnesota, some of the em- ployees of the American Fur Co. urged the Indi- . ans to lialt there and wait for the agent to come, and finally showed them a message from the agent requesting tli'.m to stop at Fond du Lac, and stated that he had inocured money and goods and would i)ay them off at that point, which lie did during tlie winter of 1851. About 500 Indians gathered there and were paid, each one receiving four dollavs in money and a very small goods annuity. Before preparing to leave for home the Indians wanted co know of the agent, John S. Waters, what he was going to do with the remainder of the money and 'goods. He answered that he was going to keep it and those who should come there lor it would get their share and those that did not would get EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 15 nothing. The Indians were now thoroughly disgusted and discouraged, and piling their little bundles of annuity goods ^into two piles agreed with each other that a game of lacrosse should be played on the ice for tlie whole stock. The Lake Superior Indians were to choose twenty men from among them and the interior Indians the same number. The game was play- ed, lasting three cTays, and resulting in a victory for the interiors. During all this time councils were l^eing held and dissatisfaction was show- ing itself on every hand. Threats were freely indulged in by the younger and more resolute members of the band, who thought while they tamely su])mitted to outrage their case would never grow better. But the older and more considerate ones could not see the case as they did, but all plainly saw there was no way of redress at present and they were compelled to put up*" with just such treatment as the agent saw fit to inflict upon them. They now all real- ized that they had been induced to sign treaties that they did not understana, and had been im- posed upon. They saw that when the annui- ties were brought and they were asked to touch the pen, they had only received what the agent had seen fit to give them, and certainly not what was their dues. They had lost 150 warriors on this one trip alone by being fed on unwholesome provisions, and they reasoned amo^ig them- selves : Is this what our great father intended ? If so we may as well go to our old home and *^ 16 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. ' ^ there be slaughtered where we co.n be buried by the side of our relatives and friends. These talks were kept up after they had re- turned to La Pointe. I attended many of them, and being familiar with the language, I saw that great trouble was brewing and if something was not quickly done trouble of a serious nature would soon follow. At last I told them if they would stop where they were I would take a party of chiefs, or others, as they might elect, numbering five or six, and ^ to Washington, where they could meet the great father and tell their troubles to his face. Chief Buffalo and other leading chieftains of the country at Once agreed to the plan, and early in the spring a party of six men were selected, and April 5th, 1852, was appointed as the day to start. Chiefs Buffalo and O-slio-ga, with four braves and myself, made up the party. On the day of starting, and before noon, there were gathered at the beach at old La Pointe, Indians by the score to witness the departure. We lelt in a new birch bark canoe which was made for the occasion and called a four fathom boat, twenty- four feet long with six paddles. The four braves did most of the paddling, assisted at times by O-sho-ga and sometimes by Buffalo. I sat at the stern and directed the course of the craft. We made the mouth of the Montreal River, the dividing line between Wisconsin and Michigan, the first night, where we went ashore and camped, without covering, except our blankets. We carried a small amount of pro- visions with us, some crackers, sugar and coffee, a \\l /r^ ! r /V> »r i.*3 l>l^ iiii; 11! I, ! '! W \M. :^=»==4^^ '■': ^^:. %v2/ EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 17 and depended on game and fish for meat. The next niglit, having followed along the beach all day, we camped at Iron River. No incidents of importance happened, and on the third day out from La Pointe, at 10 a. m. we landed onr bark at Ontonagon, where we spent two days in cir- culating a petition I had prepared, asking that the Indians might be left and remain in their own country, and the order for their removal be reconsidered. I did not find a single man who refused to sign it, which showed the feel- ing of the people nearest the Indians upon the subject. From Ontonagon we went to Portage Lake, Houghton and Hancock, and visited the various copper mines, and all there signed the petition. Among the signers I would occasion- ally meet a man who claimed personal acquain- tance with the President and said the President would recognize the signature when he saw it, which I found to be so on presenting the peti- tion to President Filmore. Among them was Thomas Hanna, a merchant at Ontonagon, Capt. Roberts, of the Minnesota mine, and Douglas, of the firm of Douglas & Sheldon, Portage Lake. Along the coast from Portage Lake we encountered a number of severe storms which caused us to go ashore, and we thereby lost considerable time. Stopping at Marquette I also circulated the petition and procured a great many signatures. Leaving there nothing was to be seen except the rocky coast until we reached Sault Ste. Marie, w^here we arrived in the afternoon and remained all the next day, getting my petition signed by all who were dis- 18 KARLY INDIAN HISTORY. H i! • posed. Among others who signed it was a Mr. Brown, who was then editing a paper there. He also claimed personal acquaintance with the President and gave mo two or three letters of introduction to parties in New York CUty, and requested me to call on them when I reached the city, saying they ^vould be much pleased to see the Indian chieftains from this country, and that they would assist me in (;ase I needed assis- tance, which I found to be true. The second day at the " Soo'' the officers from the fort came to me with the inteligence that no delegation of Indians would l^e allowed to go to Washington without first getting permission from the government to do so, as they had orders to stop and turn back all delegations of Indians that should attempt to come this way en-route to Washington. This was to me a stunner. In what a prediciment I found myi^elf. .To give up this trip would be to abandon the last hope of keeping that turbulent spirit of the young war- riors within bounds. Now they were peacably inclined and would remain so until our mission should decide their course. They were now living on the hope that our efforts would obtain for them the righting of a grievous wrong, but to return without anything accomplished and with the information that the great father's offic- ers liad turned us back would be to rekindle the fire that w^as smoldering into an op(?n revolt for revenge. I talked with the officers patiently and long and explained the situation of affairs in the Indian country, and certainly it was no pleasant task for me to undertake, without pay I ' ■Ill uvv EARLY INDIAN HISTORY 19 or hope of rewaid, to tako this delegation through, and that I fc^hould never liave attempt- ed it if I had not (onyideied it neceneaiy to fc*ecuie tlie safety ci Ihe Avhile ^ettleis in that country, and that filthough I wouhl not re8ifc4t an officer or disobey mi\ order of lh(^ government, I nhould go aa far a^ I could vvith my Indianf*, and until I ^viiH flopped l^y an ollicer, then I would sim])ly ^ay to the Indians, "I am pre- vented from going further. I liave done all I can. I will rend you i\i\ near homo as I can get conveyanceB for you, l:ut for the present I shall remain ?iway from that country," The officers at the "Soo"' finally told me to go on, but they said, "you ^vill certainly be stopped at some place, probably at Detroit. The Indian agent there and the marshal 1 will certainly oppose your going further." But I was determined to try, and as soon as I could get a boat for Detroit we started. It Avas the steamer Northerner, and when we landed in Detroit, sure enough, we were met by the Indian agent and told that we could go no further, at any rate until next day, or until he could havg a tiilk with me at his oilice. He then sent u^ to a hotel, saying lie would see that our bill was paid until next day. About 7:80 that evening 1 was called to his office and had a little talk with him and the marshall. I stated to them the facts as they existed in the northwest, and our object in going to Washington, and if we were turned back I did not consider that a white man's life would long be safe in the Indian country, tinder the present state of excitement; that our returning 20 KARLV INDIAN IIISTOUY. I 111 if-' Ih. I witliout seeing the Pivsidcnt would start a fi^e that would not hoou bo (iuenc;hed. They finals consented to my passing as they hardly thou'^iit they could afford to arrest me, consicUring the petitions I liad and the circumstances 1 liad related. ''But," they also added, "we do not think you will ever reach Washington with your delegation." I thanked them for allowing us to proceed and the next morning sailed for Buifalo, wheio ^ve made close connections Avith the liri;-t lailioad cars any of us had ever seen and piocecdtdto Albany, at which place we took the feteamer Mayilower, I think. At any rate the boat wc took w^as burned the same season and w^as c oiri- manded by Capt. St. John. • Wo landed in New York City without miMiap and I had just and only one ten-cent silver [liece of money left. By giving the 'bus driver iome Indian trinkets I persuaded him to haul the party and baggage to the American House, which then stood a block or so from Barnum'g Theatre. Here I told the landlord of my finan- cial embarr?i»sment 6,nd that we must stay over night at any rate and in some way the necessary money to pay the bill should be raised. I found this landlord a prince of good fellows and was always glad that I met him. I told liim ol the letters I had to parties in the city and should I fail in getting assistance from them I should exhibit my fellows and in this way raise the necessary funds to pay my bill and carry us to our destination. He thougljt the scheme a good one, and that himself and me were just the ones EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 21 to curry ij: out. Iminediately after supper I started out in searc-li of the parties to whom I liaci letters of iutrodw^tiou, and witli the hiiul- lord's help iu giving mo directions, I soon found one of them, a stock broker, whose name I can- not lenK^nber, or the street on which, he lived. He returned with me to the hotel, and after looking the Indians over, he said, ''You are all right. Stay where you are and I will see that you have inonej to carry you through." The next day I put the Indians on exhibition at the hotel, and a great many people came to see them, most of whom contributed freely to the fund to carry us to our destination. On the second evening of the exhibition this stock broker came with his wife to tlie sho x, and upon taking his leave, invited me to bring the dele- gation to liis house the next afternoon, where a number of ladies of their acquaintance couJd see them without tlie embarrasment they v^ould feel at the show room. To this 1 assented, and the landlord being present, said he would assist by furnishing the conveyance. But when the 'bus was brought up in front of tlie liouse the next day for the purpose of taking the Tiidians aboard, the crowd ]:)ecame so dense that it was found impossible to get them into it, and it was with some difTiculty that they were gotten back to their room. We saw it v/ould not be possible to get them across the city on foot or by any method yet devised. I despatched a note to the broker stating how matters stood, and in less than liaif an hour himself and wife were at the hotel, and the ready wit of this little lady soon 99 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. had a plan arranged by which the Indians could be safely taken from the house and to her home without detection or annoyance. The plan was to postpone the supper she had arranged for in the afternoon until evening, and that after dark the 'bus could be placed in the alley back of the hotel and the Indian;^ got into it without being observed. The plan was carefully carried out by the landlord. The crowd was frustrated and by 9 p. ni. we were whirling through the streets with shaded 'bus wiiiflows to the home of the broker, which we reached without any inter- ruption, and were met at the door by the little lady whose tact had made the visit possible, and I hope she may now be living to read this ac- count of that visit, Avhich was nearly thirty- nine years ago. We found some thirty or forty young people present to see us, and I think a few old persons. The supper was prepared and all were anxious to see the red men of the for- est at a white man's table. You can imagine my own feelings on this occasion, for, like the Indians, I had been brought up in a wilderness, entirely unaccustomed t the society of refined and educated people, and here I Avas surrounded by them and the luxuries of a finished home, and with th(! conduct of my wards to be accounted for, I was forced to an awkvv\ivd apology, which was, however, received with that graciousness of manner that made me feel almost at home. Being thus assured and advised that our visit was contemplated for the purpose of seeing us as nearly in our native 'ways and customs as was possible, and that no ■'■•"■ 'if r ,j. INDIAN HISTORY 23 offense ^ould be taken at any breach of eti- quette, but, on the contrary, they should be highly gratified if we would proceed in all tilings as was our habit in the wilderness, and the hostess, addressing me, said it was the wish of those present that in eating their supper the Indians would conform strictly to their home habits, to insure which, as supper was then being put in readiness for them, i told the Indians that when the meal had been set before them on the table, they should rise up and push- ing their chairs back, seat themselves upon the floor, taking with them only the plate of food and the knife. They did this nicely, and the meal was taken in i:rue Indian style, much to the gratification of the assemblage. When the meal was completed each man placed his knife and plate back upon the table, and, moving back towards the walls of the room, seated him- self upon the floor in true Indian fashion. As the party had now seen enough to furnish them with tea table chat, they ate their supper and after they had finished requested a speech from the Indians, at least that each one should say something that they might hear and which I could i^^terpret to the party. Chief O-sha-ga spoke firbfc, thanking the people for their kind- ness. Buffalo came next and said he was get- ting old and wao luuch impressed by the man- ner of white people and showed considerable feeling at the nice way in which they had been treated there and generally upon the route. Our hostess, seeing that I spoke the language fluently, requested thr.t I make them a speech I •Ir 24 ?:ARLY INDIAN HISTORY. in the Chippewa tongue. To do thiB ?o they wouhl understand it best I tokl them a story in the Indian tongue. It was a little story about a monkey wdiich I had often told the IndiauB at home and it was a fable that always caused great uierriment among them, for a monkey was, in their estimation, the cutest and most wonderful creature in the world, an opinion which they hold to the present time. This speech proved to be the hit of the evenir-^. for I had no sooner commenced (though ^^ly '/er- sation was directed to the white people), than the Indians began to laugh and cut up all man- ner of pranks, which, combined with the ludi- crousness of the story itself, caused a general uproar of laughter by all present and once, if never again, the fashionably dressed and beau- tiful ladies of New York City vied with each other and with the dusky aborigines of the west in trying to show which one of all enjoyed best the festivities. The rest of the evening and until about two o'clock next morning was spent in answering questions about our western home and its people, when w^e returned to the hotel pleased and happy over the evening's entertain- ment. 'i CHAPTER IT. In Washington. — Told to Go Home. — Senator Briggs, of New York. — The Interviews with President Fillmore. — Reversal of the Re- moval Order. — The Trip Home. — Treaty of 1854 AND the Reservations. — The Mile Square. — The Blinding. After a few days more in New York City I had raised tlie necessary funds to redeem the trinkets pledged with the 'bus driver and to pay my hotel bills, etc., and on the 22d day of June, 1852, we had the good fortune to arrive in Washington. I took my party to the Metropolitan Hotel and engaged a room on the first lioor near the office for the Indians, as they said they did not like to get up to high in a white man's house. As they required but a couple mattresses for their lodgings they were soon made comfort- able. I requested the steward to serve their meals in their room, as I did not wish to take I lit 26 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. them into the dining room among distinguished people, and their meals were thus served. The morning following our arrival I set out in search of the Interior Department of the Government to find the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, to request an interview with him, which he declined to grant and said: "I want you to take your Indians away on the next train Avest, as they have come here without permission, and I do not want to see you or hear of your Indians again. " I undertook to make explanations, but he would not listen to me and ordered me from his office. I went to the sidewalk completely discouraged, for my present means was insuffi- cient to take them home. I paced up and down the sidewalk pondering over what was best to do, when a gentleman came along and of him I inquired the way to tlie office of the Secretary of the Interior. He passed right along saying, "This way, sh", this way, sir ;" and I followed him. He entered a side door just back of the Indian Commissioner's office and up a short flight of stairs, and going in behind a railing, divested himself of hat and cane, and said : "What can I do for you sir." I told him who I was, what my party con- sisted of, where we came from and the object of our visit, as briefly as possible. He replied that I nuist go and see the Commissioner of Indian Affairs just down stairs. I told him I had been there and the treatment I had received at his liands, then he said : ' ' Did you have permission to come, .and why EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 27 did you not go to your agent in the west for permission V I then attempted to explain that we liad been to the agent, but could get no satisfaction ; but he stopped me in the middle of my explanation, saying : ' ' I can do nothing for you. You must go to the Indian Commissioner, " and turning, began a conversation with his clerk who was there when we went in. I walked out more discouraged than ever and could not imagine what next I could do. I wandered around the city and to the Capitol, thinkiii'Jr I might find some one I had seen before, but in this I failed and returned to the hotel, where, in the office I found Buffalo sur- rounded by a crowd who Avere trying to make him understand them and among them was the steward of tlie 1 juse. On my entering the office and Bufialo recognizing me, the assem- blage, seeing I knew him, turned their atten- tion to me, asking Avho he was^ etc., to all of which questions I an^-wered an briefly as pos- sible, by stating that lie was tlie head chief of of the Chippewas of the Northwest. The stew- ard then asked: "Why don't you take him int<) the dining room with you? Certainly such a distinguished man as lie, the head of the Chip- pewa people, should have at least that privilege." I did so and as we passed into the dining room we were shown to a table in one cornt r of the room which was unoccupied. We had only been seated a few moments v%hen a couple of gentlemen who had been occupying seats in 38 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. another part of the dining room came over and Hat at our table and said that if there were no objections they would like to talk with us. They asked about the party, where from, the object of the visit, etc. I answered them briefly, supposing them to be reporters and I did not care to give them too much information. One of these gentlemen asked what room we had, saying that himself and one or two others would like to call on us right after dinner. I directed them where to come and said I would be there to meet them. About ^2 o'clock they came, and then for the first time I knew who those gentlemen were. One was Senator Briggs, of New York, and the others were members of President Filmore's cabi- net, and after I had told them more fully what had taken me there, and the difficulties I had met with, and they had consulted a little while aside, Senator Briggs said : "We will undertake to get you and your people an interview witli the President, and will notify you here when a meeting can be arranged. " During the afternoon I was noti- fied that an interview had been arranged for the next afternoon at 3 o'clock. During the evening Senator Briggs and other friends called, and the whole matter was talked over and pre- parations made for the interview the following day, which were continued the next day until the hour set for the interview. When we were assembled Buffalo's first re- quest was that all be seated, as he had the pipe of peace to present, and hoped that all who were EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. •jy present would partake of smoke from the peace pipe. The pipe, a new one brought for the pur- pose, was filled and lighted by Buffalo and passed to the President who took two or three draughts from it, and smiling said, "Who is the next?" at which Buffalo pointed out Senator Briggs and desired he should be the next. The Senator smoked and the pipe was passed to me and others, including the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Secretary of the Interior and several others whose names I did not learn or cannot recall. From them to Buffalo, then to O-sho-ga, and from him to the four braves in turn, which completed that part of the cere- mony. The pipe was then taken from the stem and handed to me for safe keeping, never to be used again on any occasion. I have, the pipe still in my possession and the instructions of Buffalo have been faithfully kept. The old chief now rose fro^n his seat, the balance fol- lowing his example and marched in single file to the President and the general hand-shaking that was began with the President was contin- ued by the Indians with all those present. This over Boffalo said his under chief, O-sha-ga, would state the object of our visit and he hoped the great father would give them some guaran- tee that would quiet the excitement in his coun- try and keep his young men peaceable. After I had this speech thoroughly interpreted, O-sha- ga began and spoke for nearly an hour. He ]:>egan with the treaty of 1837 and showed plainly what the Indians understood the treaty to be. He next took up the treaty of 1842 and 30 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. said he did not uiulerHtaiid that in either treaty tliey liad ceded away the land and he further inulerstoofl in ))()th eayes that the Indians were }\ever to l)o asked to remove from the lands included in tlioi.(; treatiets, provided they were ])ea((>able and behaved tlunnselves and this they iiad (lone. When the order to move came Chief Buflalo pent runners out in all directions to seek for ix^iii onrt and cauj^es for tlu^ order, but all thos(5 UKii leturned without linding a single reason p.inong' all the SupcMior and Mississippi ^n liaiiL? wliy llie great father had become (lis- p' eased. When O-sha-ga had finished his speech. I presented tlie petition I had brought and quickly discovered that the President did recog- nize some, namen upon it, which gave me new courage. When th(3 reacting and examination of it had been concluded the mec^ting was adjourn.ed, the President directing the Indian Commissioner to say to the landlord at the hotel that our hotel bills would be paid by the gov- ernment. Ho also directed that we were to have the freedom of the city for a week. The second day following this Senator Briggs informed me that the President desired another interview that day, in accordance with which request we went to the White House soon after dinner and meeting the President, he told the delegation in a brief speech that he w^ould coun- termand the removal order and that the annuity payments w^ould be made at La Pointe as liefore and hoped that in the future there would be no further cause for complaint. At this he handed to Buffalo a written instrument EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 31 which he said would explain to his people when interpreted the promises he had made as to the removal order and payment of annuities at La Pointe and hoped when he had returned home he would call his chiefs together and have all the statements therein contained explained fully to them as the words of their great father at Washington. The reader can imagine the great load that was then removed from my shoulders for it was a pleasing termination of the long and tedious struggle I had made in behalf of the untutored but trustworthy savage. On June 28th, 1852, we started on our return trip, going by cars to La Crosse, Wis. , thence by steamboat to St. Paul, thence by Indian trail across the country to Lake Superior. On our way from St. Paul we frequently met bands of Indians of the Chippewa tribe to whom we explained our mission and its results, which caused great rejoicing, and before leaving these bands BuiTalo would tell their chief to send a delegation, at the expiration of two moons, to meet him in grand council at La Pointe, for there was many things he wanted to say to them about what he had seen and the nice manner in which he had been received and treated by the great father. At the time appointed by Buffalo for tlie^ grand council at La Pointe, the delegates assem- bled and the message given Buffalo by President Filmore was interpreted, which gave the Indians great satisfaction. Before the grand council adjourned word was received that their annu- I tHM S2 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. I i ities would be given to them at La Pointe about the middle of October, thuH giving them time to get together to receive them. A number of measengers was immediately Bent out to all parts of the territory to notify them and by the time the goods arrived, which was about Octoljer 15th, the remainder of the Indians had ( ongre- gated at La Pointe. On that date the Indians were enrolled and the annuities paid and the most perfect satisfaction was apparent among all concerned. The jubilee that was held to express their gratitude to the delegation that had secured a countermanding order in the removal matter was almost extravagantly profuse. The letter of the great father was explained to them all during the progress of the annuity payments and Chief Buffalo explained to the convention what he had seen; how the pipe of peace liad been smoked in the great father's wigwam and as that pipe was the only emblem and reminder of their duties yet to come in keeping peace with his white children, he requested that the pipe be retained by me. He then went on and said that th-^re was yet one more treaty to be made with .e great father and he hoped in making it they would be more careful and wise than they had heretofore been and reserve a part of their land for themselves and their children. It was here that he told his people that he had selected and adopted me as his son and that I would hereafter look to treaty matters and see that in the next treaty they did not sell them- selves out and become homeless ;.that as he was getting old and must soon leave his entire carea En(!()Untkred on the Tpip to Washington. 1! ! '"WIJV^ EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 88 to others, he hoped they would li7*en to me as his confidence in his adopted son was great and tliat when treaties were presented for them to sign they would listen to me and follow my advice, assuring them that in doing so they would not again be deceived. After this gathering of the Indians there was not much of interest in the Indian country that I can recall until the next annual payment in 1853. This payment was made at La Pointe and the Indians had been notified that commisBion- ers would be appointed to make another treaty with them for the remainder of Hieir territory. This was the territory lying in Minnesota west of Lake Superior; also east and west of the Mis- sissippi river north to the territory belonging to the Boisfort and Pillager tribe, who are a part of the Chippewa nation, but through some ar- rangement between themselves, were detached from the main or more numerous body. It was at this payment that the Chippewa Indians proper desired to have one dollar each taken from their annuities to recompense me for the trouble and expense I had been to on the trip to Washington in their behalf, but I refused to accept it by reason of their very impecunious condition. It was sometime in August, 1854, before the commissioners carrived at LaPointe to make the treaty and pay the annuities of that year. Mes- sengers were despatched to notify all Indians of the fact that the great father had sent for them to come to La Pointe to get their money and clothing and to meet the government commis- ii I i d4 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. eioners who wished to make another treaty with them for the territory lying west of Lake Super- ior and they were further instructed to have the Indians council among themselves before start- ing that those who came could be able to tell the wishes of any that might .remain away in regards to a further treaty and disposition of their lands. Representatives came from all '\arts of the Chippewa country and showed a willingness to treat away the balance of their country. Henry C. Gilbert, the Indian agent at La Pointe, formerly of Ohio, and David B. Herriman, the agent for the Chippewas of the Mississippi country, were the commissioners appointed by the government to consumate this treaty. While we were waiting the arrival of the interior Indians I had frequent talks with the commissioners and learned what their instruc- tions V ere and about what they intended to offer for the lands which iiJ'ormation I would communicate to Chief Bufl^alo and other head men in our immediate vicinity, and ample time was had to perfect our plans i3efore the others should arrive, and when they did put in an appearance we were ready to submit to them our views for appi^^^al or rejection. Knowing as I did the Indians' unwillingness to give up and , forsake their old burying grounds I would not agree to any proposition that would take away the remainder of their lands without a reserve sufficient to afford them homes for themselves and posterity, and as fast ae they arrived I counselled with them upon thd subject and to EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. I ascertain where they preferred these reserves to be located. The scheme being a new one to them it required time and much talk to get the matter before them in its proper light Finally it was agreed by all before the meeting of the council that no one would sign a treaty that did not give them reservations at different points of the country that would suit their convenience, that should afterwards be considered their bona- fide home. Maps were drawn of the different tracts that had been selected by the various chiefs for their reserve and permanent home. The reservations were as follows: One at L'Anse Bay, one at Ontonagon, one at Lac Flambeau, one at Court O'Rilles, one at Bad River, one at Red Cliff or Buffalo Bay, one at Fond du I "c, Minn. , and one at Grand Portage, Minn. Tne boundaries were to be as near as possible by metes and bounds or waterways and courses. This was all agreed to by the Lake Superior Indians before the Mississippi Chippewas arrived and w^.s to be brouglit up in the general council after they had come in, but when they arrived they were accompanied by the Ameritan Fur Company and most of their employes, and we found it impossible to get them to agree to any of our plans or to come to any terms. A propo- sition was made by Buffalo when all were gathered in coun il by themselves that as the^y could not agree as they were, a division should be drawn, dividing the Mississippi and the Lake Superior Indians from each other altogether and eacli make their own treaty After several days of counselling the proposition was agreed to, and ili 1 M li i 1^ M 'I 1 i J $6 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. thus the Lake Superiors were left to make their treaty for the lands nouth of Lake Superior to the Mississippi and the Mississippis to make their treaty for the lands west of the Mississippi. The council lasted several days, as I have stated, which was owing to the opposition of the Amer- ican Fur Company, who were evidently opposed to having any such division made ; they yielded however, but only when they saw further opposition would not avail Jand the proposition of Buffalo became an Indian law. Our side was now ready to treat with the commissioners in open council. Buffalo, myself and several chiefs called upon them and briefly stated our case but were informed that they had no instruc- tions to make any such treaty with us and were only instructed to buy such territory as the Lake Superiors and Mississippis tlien owned. Then we told them of the division the Indians had agreed upon and that we would make our own treaty, and after several days they agreed to set us off the reservations as previously asked for and to guarantee that all lands embraced within those boundaries should belong to the Indians and that they would pay them a nomi- nal sum for the remainder of their possessions on the north shores. It was further agreed that the Lake Superior Indians should have two- thirds of all money appropriated for the Chip- pewas and the Mississippi contingent the other third. The Lake Superior Indians did« not seem, through all these councils, to care so much for future annuities either in money or goods as they ^^^ ^^^ securing a home for themselves and EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 37 their posterity that should be a permanent one. They also reserved' a tract of land embracing about 100 acres lying across and along the East- ern end of La Pointe or Mar'eline Island so that they would not be cut off from the fishing privi- lege. It was about in the midst of the councils leading up to the treaty of 1854 that Buffalo stated to his chiefs that I had rendered them services in the past that should be rewarded by something more substantial than their thanks and good wishes, and that at different times the Indians had agreed to reward me from their annuity money but I had always I'efused such offers as it would be taking from their necessities and art they had had no annuity money for the two years prior to 1852 they could not well afford to pay me in this way. "And now," con- tinued Buffalo, ' 'I have a proposition to make to ymi. As he has provided us and our children with homes by getting these reservations set off for us, and as we are about to part with all the lands we possess, I have it in my power, with your consent, to provide him with a future home by giving him a piece of ground which we are about to part with. He has agreed to accept this as it will take nothing from us and makes no difference with the great father whether we reserve a small tract of our territory or not, and if you agree I will proceed with him to the head ot ihb lake and there select the piece of ground I desire him to have, that it may appear on paper when the treaty has been completed." The chiefs were unanimous in their acceptance of I I 38 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. the proposition and told Buffalo to select large piece that his children might also have home in future as has been provided for ours. This council lasted all night and just at bre? of day the old chief and myself, with four brav to row the boat, set out for the head of La] Superior and did not stop anywhere only loi enough to make and drink some tea, until ^ reached the head of St. Louis Bay. We land( our canoe by the side of a flat rock quite a d tance from the shore, a^ long grass and rushe Here we ate our lunch and when complete Buffalo and myself, with another chief, Kie ki-to-uk, waded ashore and ascended the bai to a small level plateau where we could get better view of the bay. Here Buffalo turned me, saying: "Are you satisfied with this location? I wa: to reserve the shore of this bay from the mou of St. Louis river. How far that way do yc you want it to go?" pointing southeast, or aloi the south shore of the lake. I told himu we had better not try to make too large for if we did the great father's office at Washington might throw it out of the trea and said: "I will be satisfied with one mi square, and let it start from the rock which ^ have christened Buffalo rock, running easter in the direction of Minnesota Point, taking in mile square immediately northerly from tl head of St. Louis Bay " As there was no other way of describing than by metes and bounds we tried to so descril it in the treaty, but Agent Gilbert, whether 1 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 39 miPtake or not I am unable to nay, described it differently. He described it as follows: ''Start- ing from a rock immediately above and adjoin- ing Minnesota Poi iit, etc. " We spent an hour or two here in looking over the plateau then went back to our canoe and set out for La Pointe. We traveled night and day until we reached home. During our absence some of the chiefs had been talking more or less with the commissioners and immediately on our return all the Indians met in a grand council when Bu^ j explained to them what he had done on the trip and how and where he had selected the piece of land that I was to have reserved in the treaty for my future home and in payment for the services I had rendered them in the past. The balance of the night was spent in preparing ourselves for the meeting with the treaty makers the next day, and about 10 o'clock next morning we were in attendance before the commissioners all prepared for a big council. Agent Gilbert started the business by begin- ning a speech interpreted by the government interpreter, when Buffalo interrupted him by saying that he did not want anything interpreted to them from the English language by any one except his adoped son for there had always been tilings told to the Indians in the past that proved afterwards to be untrue, whether wrongly interpreted or not, he could not say; "and as we now feel that my adoped son interprets to us just what you say, and we can get it correctly, we wish to hear your words repeated by him, Ml i I ! J I ill ill ^'i F^ 40 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. and when we talk to you our words can b interpreted by your own interpreter, and in thi way one interpreter can watch the other aiK correct each other should there be mistakes We do not want to be deceived any more as w^ have in the past. We now understand that w< are selling our lands as well as the timber am that the whole, with the exception of what W( shall reserve, goes to the great father forever. " Commissioner of Indian affaiis. Col. Many penny, then said to Buffalo: 'What you hav( said meets my own views exactly and I will noT' appoint your adopted son your interpreter am John Johnson, of Sault Ste. Marie, shall b< the interpreter on the part of the government," then turning to the commissioners said, ' 'liov does that suit you, gentlemen." They ai once gave their consent and the council pro ceeded. Buffalo informed the commissioners of wha" he had done in regard to selecting a tract o: land for me and insisted that it become a par of the treaty and that it should be patented t( me directly by the government without anj restrictions. Many other questions were de bated at this session but no definite agreementi were reached and the council was adjourned ii the middle of the afternoon. Chief Buffalo ask ing for the adjournment that he might talk ovei some matters further with his people, anc that night the subject of providing homes for their half-breed relations who lived ii different parts of the country was brought ui EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 41 and discussed and all were in favor of making such a provision in the treaty. I proposed to them that as we had made provisions for our- selves and children it would be only fair that an arrangement should be made in the treaty whereby the government should provide for our mixed blood relations by giving to each person tlie head of a family or to each single person twenty-one years of age a piece of land containing at least eighty acres which would provide homes for those now living and in the future there would be ample room on the reservations for tlieir children, where all could live happily together. We also asked that all teachers and traders in the ceded territory who at that time were located there by license and doing business by authority of law, should each be entitled to 100 acres of land at $1.25 per acre. This was all reduced to writing and when the council met next morning we were prepared to submit all our plans and requests to the commissioners save one, which we required more time to consider. Most of this day was consumed in speech-mak- ing by the chiefs and commissioners and in the last speech of the day, which was made by Mr. Gilbert, he said; "We have talked a great deal and evidently understand one another. You have told us what you want, and now we want time to consider your requests, while you want time as you say to consider another matter, and so we will adjourn until tomorrow and we, with your father. Col. Manypenny, v/ill carefully examine and consider your propositions and EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. I I ! Hi < i 1 ! i when we meet to-morrow we will be prepared to answer you with an approval or rejection." That evening the chiefs considered the other matter, which was to provide for the payment of the debts of the Indians ovNring the American Fur Company and other traders and agreed that the entire debt could not be more than $90,000 and that that amount should be taken from the Indians in bulk and divided up among their creditors in a pro-rata manner according to the amount due to any person or firm, and that this should wipe out their indebtedness. The Amer- ican Fur Company had filed claims which, in the aggregate, amounted [to two or three times this sum and were at the council heavily armed for the purpose of enforcing their claim by intimidation. This and the next day were spent in speeches pro and con but nothing was effected toward a final settlement. Col. Manypenny came to my store and we had a long private interview relating to the treaty then under consideration and he thought that the demands of the Indians were reasonable and just and that they would be accepted by the commissioners. He also gave me considerable credit for the manner in which I had conducted the matter for Indians, considering the terrible opposition I had to contend with. He said he had|chiims in his possession which had been filed by ,the traders that aniounted to a large sum but did not state the amount. As he saw the Indians had every confidence in me and their demands were reasonable he could see no reason why the treaty could not be speedily KARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 4$ brought to a cloi^e. He then asked if I kept a set of books. I told him I only kept a day book or blotter showing the amount each Indian owed me. I got the books and told him to take them along with him and that he or his interpreter might question any Indian whose name appeared thereon as being indebted to me and I would accept whatever that Indian said he owed me whether it be one dollar or ten cents. He said he would be pleased to lake the books along and I wrapped them up and went with him to Ills otfice, where I left them. He said he was certain that some traders were making claims for far more than was duo them. Messrs. Gil- l)ert and Herriman and their chief clerk, Mr. Smith, were present when Mr. Manypenny related the talk he had with me at the store, lie considered the requests of the Indians fair and just, he said, and he hoped there would be no further delays in concluding the treaty and if it was drawn up and signed with the stip- ulations and agreements that were now under- stood should be incorporated in it, he would strongly recommend its ratification by the Pres- ident and senate. The day following the council was opened by a speech from Chief Na-gon-ab in which he cited considerable history. 'My friends," he said, ' 'I have been chosen by our chief, Buffalo, to speak to you. Our wishes are now on paper l)ef ore you. Before this it was not so. We have been many times deceived. We had no one to look out for us. The great father's officers mad^ II I ' 44 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. IIH ! a in marks on paper with black liquor and quill. The Indian can not do this. We depend upon our memory. We have nothing else to ^look to. We talk often together and keep your words clear in our minds. When you talk we all lis- ten, then we talk it over many times. In this way it is always fresh with us. This is the way we must keep our record. In 1837 we were asked to sell our timber and minerals. In 1842 we were asked to do the same. Our white brothers told us the great father did rot want the land. We should keep it to hunt uu. Bye and bye we were told to go away; to go and leave our friends that were buried yesterday. Then We asked each other what it meant. Does the great father tell the truth? Does he keep his promises? We cannot help ourselves! We try to do as we agree in treaty. We ask you what this means? You do not tell from mem- ory! You go to your black marks and say this is what those men put down; this is what they said when they made the treaty. The men we talk with don't come back; they do not come and you tell us they did not tell us so! We ask you where they are? You say you do not know or that they are dead and gone. This is what they told you; this is what they done. Now we have a friend who can make black marks on paper When the council is over he will tell us what we have done. We know now what we are doing! If we get what we ask our chiefs will touch the pen, but if not we will not touch it. I am told by our chief to tell you this: We III KARLY INDIAN HlflTORY. H^ will 1 ot toiu'li the pen unless our friend s«ayBthe ])aper is all right.*" Na-gon-ab was answered by Commissioner Gilbert, saying: ' 'Yon have submitted through your friend and interpreter the terms and con- ditions upon which you will cede away your lands. We have not had time to give them all consideration and want a little more time as we (lid not know last night what your last proposi- tion wovdd be. Your father, Col. Manypenny, has ordered some beef (-attle killed and a supply ol' provisions will be issued to you right aw^ay. \'ou can now return to your lodges and get a t,^()od dinner and talk matters over among ycmr- selves the remainder of the day and I hope you will come back tomorrow feeling good natured and happy, for your father, Col. Manypenny, will have something to say to you and will have a i)aper which your friend can read and explain to you." When the council met next day in front of the commissioners' office to hear what Col. Many- penny had to say a general good feeling pre- vailed and a hand-shaking all round preceded the counci' which Col. Manypenny opened by saying: 'My friends and children: I am glad to see you all this morning looking good natured and happy and as if you could sit here and listen to what I have to say. We have a paper here for your friend to examine to see if it meets your approval. Myself and the commissioners which your great father has sent here have duly considered all your requests and have concluded to accept them. As the season is passing away 43 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. I: I'! li'' ■I ij and we are all anxious to go to our families and you to your homes, I hope when you read this treaty you will find it as you expect to and according to the understandings we have had during the council. Now your friend may examine the paper and while he is doing so we will take a recess until afternoon." Chief Buffalo, turning to me, said: "My son, we, the chiefs of all the country, have placed this matter entirely in your liands. Go and examine the paper and if it suits you it will suit us." Then turning to the chiefs, he asked, "what do you all say to that?" The ho-ho that followed showed the entire circle Avere satisl 'd. I went carefully through the treaty as it h id been prepared and with a few exceptions found it was right. I called the attention of the com- missioners to certain parts of the stipulations that were incorrect and they directed the clerk to make the changes. The following day the Indians told the com- missioners that as their friend had made objec- tions to the treaty as it was they requested that I might again examine it before proceeding further with the council. On this examination I found that changes had been made but on sheets of paper not attached to the body of the instrument, and as these sheets contained some of the most important items in the treaty, I again objected and told the commissioners that I would not allow the Indians to sign it in that shape and not until the whole treaty was re-written and the detached portions appeared in their proper places. I walked out and told the >U MIl EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 47 Indians that the treaty was not yet ready to nign and they gave up all farther endeavors until next day. I met the commissioners alone iu their office that afternoon and explained the ol).jectionable points in the treaty and told them the Indians were already to sign as soon as those ()])jections were removed. They were soon at work putting the instrument in shape. The next day when the Indians assembled they were told by the commissioners that all was ready and the treaty was laid upon a table and I found it Just as the Indians had wanted it to be, except the description of the mile square. The part relating to the mile square that was to have been reserved for me read as follows: 'Chief Buffalo, being desirous of pro- viding for some of his relatives who had render- ed them important services, it is agreed that he may select one iii le square of the ceded terri- tory heretofore described. ' "Now," said the commissioner, "we want Buffalo to designate the person or persons to whom he wishes the patents to issue. " Buffalo then said: "I want them to be made out in the name of my adopted son. " This closed all cere- mony and the treaty was duly signed on the 80th day of Septeml3er, 1854. This done the commissioners took a farewell shake of the hand with all the chiefs, hoping to meet them again at the annuity payment the coming year. They then bearded the steamer North Star for home. In the course of a few days the Indians also dis- appeared, some to their interior homes and some hi 48 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. to their winter hunting s^rounde and a general quiet prevailed on the island. About the second week in October, 1854, I went from La Pointe to Ontonagon in an open boat for the purpose of purchasing my winter supplies as it had got too late to depend on get- ting them from further below. While there a company was formed for the purpose of going into the; newly ceded territory to make claims upon lands that would be subject to entry as soon as the late treaty should be ratified. The company consisted of Samuel McWaid, William Whitesides, W. W. Kingsbury, John Johnson, Oliver Melzer, John McFarland, Daniel S. Cash, W. W. Spaulding, all of Ontonagon, and myself. The two last named gentlemen, Daniel S. Cash and W. W. Spaulding, agreeing to furnish the company with supplies and all necessaries, including money, to enter the lands for an equal interest and it was so stipulated that we were to share equally in all that we, or either of us, might obtain. As soon as the supplies could be purchased and put aboard the schooner Algonquin we started for the head of the lake, stopping at La Pointe long enough for me to get my family aboard and my business matters arranged for the winter. I left my store at La Pointe in charge of Alex. Nevaux, and we all sailed for the head of Lake Superior, the site of which is now the city of Daluth. Reaching there 'uout the first week in December — the bay of Superior being closed by ice — we were compelled to make our landing at Minnesota Point and take our goods from there to the main EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 49 land on the north si re in open boats, landing about one and-one half miles east of Minnesota Point at a place where I desired to make a pre- emption for myself and to establish a trading post for the winter. Here I erected a building large enough for all of us to live in, as we expected to make this our headquarters for the winter, and also a building for a trading post. The other members of the company made claims in other places, but I did no more land looking that winter. About January 20tli, 1855, I left my place at the head of the lake to g© back to La Pointe and took with me what furs I had collected up to that time, as I had a good place at La Pointe to dry and keep them. I took four men along to help me through and two dog trains. As we were passing down Superior Bay and when just in front of the village of West Superior a man came to us on the ice carrying a small bundle on his back and asked me if I had any objections to his going through in my company. He said the snow was deep and the weather cold and it was bad for one man to travel alone. I told him I had no objections provided he would take his turn with the other men in breaking the road for the dogs. We all went on together and camped that night at a place well known as Flag River. We made preparations for a cold night as the thermometer must have been twenty-five or thirty degrees below zero^ and the snow fully two feet deep. As there were enough of us we cut and carried up a large quantity of wood, both green and dry, and 50 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. shoveled the snow away to the ground with our snow shoes and built a large fire. We then cut evergreen boughs and made a wind break or bough camp and concluded we could put in a very comfortable night. We then cooked and ate our supper and all seemed happy. I unrolled a bale of .bear skins and spread tliem out on the ground for my bed, filled my pipe and lay down to rest while the five men with me were talking and smoking around the camp fire. I w^as very tired and presume I wab not long in falling asleep. H(3W long I slept I cannot tell, but was awakened by something dropping into my face, which felt like a powdered substance. I sprang to my feet for I found something had got into my eyes and was smarting .' -^^i badly. I rushed for the snow bank that was melting from the heat and applied handful after handf uL to my eyes and face. I found the application was peeling the skin off my face and the pain soon became intense. I woke up the crew and they saw by tlie firelight the terrible condition I was in. In an hour's time my eyeballs were so swollen that I could not close the lids and the pain did not abate. I could do nothing more than bathe my eyes until morning, which I did with tea-grounds. It seemed an age before morning came and when it did come I could not realize it, for I was totally blind. The party started with me at early dawn for La Pointe. The man who joined us the day before went no further, but returned to Superior, which was a great surprise to the men of our party, who fre- quently during the day would say : . ' 'There is EARLY INDIAN HISTORy. 51 Bomething about this matter that is not right, " and I never could leai n afterward of his having communicated the fact of my accident to any one or to assign any reason or excuse for turn- ing back, which caused us to suspect that lie had a hand in the blinding, but as I could get no proof to establish that suspicion, I could do nothing in the matter. This man was found dead in his cabin a few months afterwards. At La Pointe I got such treatment as could be procured from the Indians which allayed the inflamation but did not restore the sight. I remained at Lr Pointe about ten days, and then returned home with dog train to my family, where I remained the balance of the winter, when not at Superior for treatment. When the ice moved from the lake in the spring I aban- doned everything there and returned to La Pointe and was blind gr nearly so until the win- ter of 1861. Returning a little time to the north shore I wish to relate an incident of the death of one of our Ontonagon company. Two or three days after I had reached home from La Pointe, find- ing my eyes constantly growing w^orse I had the company take me to Superior where I could get treatment. Dr. Marcellus, son of Prof, Mar- cellus, of an eye infirmary in Philadelphia, who had just then married a beautiful young wife, and come west to seek his fortune, ^^as engaged to treat me. I was taken to the board- ing house of Henry Wolcott, where I engaged rooms for the winter as I expected to remain there until spring. I related to the doctor what S2 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. had befallen me and he began treatment. At times I felt much better but no permanent relief seemed near. About the middle February my family required my presence at home, as there was some business to be attended to which they did not understand. My wife sent a note to me by Mr. Melzer, stating that it was neces- sary for me to return, and as the weather that day was very pleasant, she hoped that I would come that afternoon. Mr. Melzer delivered me the note, which I requested him to read. It was then 11 a. m. and I told him we would start right after dinner, and requested him to tell the doctor that I wished to see him right away, and * then return and get his dinner, as it would be ready at noon, to which he replied: "If I am not here do not wait for me, but I will be here at the time you are ready for home. " Mr. Melzer did return shortly afte^ we had finished our dinner and I requested him to eat, as I would not be ready to start for half an hour, but he insisted he was not hungry. We had no convey- ance and at 1 p. m. we set out for home. We went down a few steps to the ice, as Mr. Wol- cott's house stood close to the shore of the bay, and went straight across Superior Bay to Minne- sota Point, and across the point six or eight rods and struck the ice on Lake Superior. A plain, hard beaten road led from here direct to my home. After we had proceeded about 150 yards, following this hard beaten road, Melzer at once stopped and requested me to go ahead, as I could follow the beaten road without assistance, the snow being deep on either side. ' 'Now, " he says, EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. go ahead, for I must go back after a drink. " I followed the road quite well, and when near the house my folks came out to meet me, their first inquiry being: "Wheve is Melzer?" I told them the circumstances of his turning back for a drink of water. Reaching the bank on which my house stood, some of my folks, looking back over the road I had come, discovered a dark object apparently floundering on the ice. Two or three of our men started for the spot and there found the dead body of poor Melzer. We immediately notified parties in Superior of the circumstances and ordered a post-mortem exam- ination of the body. The doctors found that his stomach was entirely empty and mostly gone from the effects of whisky and was no thicker than tissue paper and that his heart had burst into three pieces. We gave him a decent burial at Superior and peace to his ashes. His last act of kindness was in my behalf. m THE OLD DAYS. CHAPTER III. The Tidal Wave of Immigration — Sale of One- Half OF THE "Mile Square." — Sharp Prac- tices. — General Depression. — The Indian Scare of 1862. — Soldiers at Bayfield and Superior. — An Indian Shot. — A Delegation Taken Through the States — President Lin- coin's Promises. In the year 1855 came the first wave of hnmigration. IJehind the squaw's light birch canoe, ' ' . The steamers plow the wave; And village lots are staked for sale Above old Indian graves. They crossed the lakes as of old The pilgrims crossed the sea, To make the west as they had the east A home for trusts and monopoly. Now for the first time we of the western coun- try realized the meaning of sharp practices. 56 EAELY INDIAN HISTORY. Heretofore a man's word had been liia bond and any writing intended to strengthen a man's word was utterly unknown. Now I must take you to Oak Island, which was my home from the spring of 1855 to the spring of 1862. I was confined to my house during all of this time except such time as I was seeking or receiving medical aid. Being blind and financially embarrassed, the world showed up dark before me. I had exhausted all my ready money in conducting the late treaty and had nothing to fall back upon except a few tracts of land I had secured and the furs I had accumulated the previous winter. I had my furs baled up and they turned out as follows: One of martin skin, one of beaver, one of fisher, and another made up of bear and otter skins. These I consigned to parties in Cleveland, Ohio, in care of Cash & Spaulding, Ontonagon. They should have brought me |1,200 but I never realized one dollar for them. I inquired of Cash & Spaulding concerning the furs and was told that the parties in Cleveland would not receipt for them or receive them until some skins that were missing from the bales should be accounted for, claiming they had been broken open in transit on the boat. I requested Mr. Cash that inasmuch as I was sore in need of money he would look the matter up with all possible dispatch. He promised me that he would, but did not think it could be done right away, and the matter rested there the entire season without a settlement. About the first of July, 1856, Mr, Spaulding, EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. {^ of our company, came to my home on Oak Island and told me that my claims against the Indians for old back debts that were arranged for in the treaty of 1854 had been allowed by the government and amounted to just $900, and that as he was going to Washington in a few days and coming right back and if I would give him an order for the money and wished it he would get it and bring it to me. As I was in much need of money, and thinking this the quickest way to obtain it, I agreed. He wrote out an order himself and I signed it, but being blind, I cannot say whether I signed my name or made my mark. Mr. Spaulding went away, and as far as I am concerned, the money went with him. In the fall when Agent Gilbert came to pay the annuities he told me tliat Mr. Spaulding had drawn the money in Washing- ton and asked if I had received it. I answered no and neither had I heard from Spaulding. He said he would write to Spaulding about what disposition he had made of the money, but I never saw Gilbert afterward or heard from the money. Sometime in the fall of 1856 I met Frederick Prentice, whom I had known for quite a num- ber of years. He called on me at Oak Island as he had heard of my affliction. Mr. Prentice then lived in Toledo, Ohio, and was here at that time on matters of business. Among other things of which we talked was my ' 'mile square" property, the grant of Chief Buffalo and said if we could agree upon terms he would purchase an interest in the property. At that time I scarce- 58 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. ly knew from whence my next Back of flour would come and asked Mr. Prentice what he could afford to give me for an undivided one- half of the property. He told me that he would give me $8,000 and keep up the taxes when it became taxable. He would keep track of my other matters until such time as I could agree to sell all or any portion of the property. If it became necessary to go to Washington to look after it he would do it and should it be neces- sary to employ counsel while there or at any other time until the title was perfected he would do so and would make me a small cash payment. In addition to all other provisions Mr. Prentice also agreed to furnish lumber and all necessary material for the erection of a house on tlie property, in which I was to live, and dur- ing my residence thereon he was to furnish me with anything I required until we saw fit to sell the property or any portion of it. This was put into a written agreement, duly signed and wit- nessed, which was afterward stolen from me with a number of other valuable papers. The cash payment was to be, I think, $250, but am not positive as to the exact amount. He said also that I might make out a list of goods and provisions that I needed and include a yoke of oxeu, and he would send me them as soon after his return to Toledo as he could get a steamer to send them by. The balance of the $8,000, after taking out the cost of the things he was to send me and the money then advanced, was to be paid in installments after the patent for the land had been received. The list of the articles Wr^-.w EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 59 he was to send he took along with him and in due time the goods and oxen were received, together with the shipping and purchasing bills, showing the total cost of the goods, which amounted to $2,000, to the best of my recollec- tion, including the cash I received on his visit. On the day following our conversation, Mr. Prentice returned to my house, bringing with him Doctor Ellis, of Ashland, Wis. , and a deed was made for an undivided one-half of the land that was selected by Chief Buffalo for me in the t 7eaty at La Pointe, Sept. 30, 1854, and wmch was to have been patented to me by the stipulations of that instrument. The deed was a warranty but as the patent had not arrived it was impossible to describe the property by metes and bounds. Dr. Ellis drew up the deed and described it as being the land selected by Chief Buffalo and thought the description would^ be sufficient. The deed was signed in the presence of Asaph Whittlesey, but I do not remember whether there was another witness or not. On leaving Mr Prentice told me he should leave that night on the steamer North Star for Tole- do, and would go from there to Cleveland and purchase the articles called for in my memoran- dum and ship them either on the North Star, Captain Sweet, orthe Iron City, Captain Turner, and that they would reach me in about ten days from Cleveland. The goods and oxen I received at Oak Island by the steamer Iron City. I next heard from Mr. Prentice from Washington, D. C. , whither he had gone on business. This same fall Daniel S, Cash, of Ontonagon, 11 60 EARLY INr-IAN HISTORY. came to my house, ostensibly to visit me. He sympathized with me greatly and said it too bad that I should be so afflicted, especially at this time, when the whole northwest, by reason of the late treaty, was to be opened to settlement, and as I was young and active and had a thor- ough knowledge of the c ountry, there was no reason, if I had my sight, why I should not become the wealthiest man in the whole north- west, and asked: ''Why don't you raise money on that mile, square and go below for treat- ment." I told him I had already given a deed to im undivided one-half to raise money for my present needs and that it was a hard matter to raise money on land not y^t patented. He then made me a proposition to let me have the money to go for treatment- He said he would advance $5,000 or so much of it as was necessary if I would give that land as security, and that he^rould take the chances of the patents and of the land ever becoming s^aluable, and would let me have the money as I required it. I told him that in the sale of the other half I had only received a little money and some provisions to use in carrying on my business and that when my bills were paid my money would be gone. This offer, coming as it did from a man I knew so well, was a tempting one and I told him I would talk the matter over with my wife and let him know on his return from Superior what the decision might be. The boat being ready to leave, he said: "Think it over well. I think it is the best thing you can do. I think too much of yon to advise you wrongly. I feel sure that EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 61 a few months' treatment by a good oculiyt will bring back your sight, and then you can easily make the money to pay me back what I shall have have advanced. " I talked the matter over with my family and told my wife 1 would do as she thought best. She, being well acquainted with Mr. Cash, and believing him to be an up- right and good man, advised me to accept his proposition. The day following he returned and I told him his proposition would be accept- ed, when he produced a contract he had pre- pared, rend it to me and asked me to sign it, saying that I could draw the $5, OUO if necessary and that I miglit pay him back the amount I used with interest at six per cent. , and failing to do so he vrould hold the land selected for me by Chief Buffalo at the head of St. Louis Bay. I signed the contract, saying as I did so that I would only draw such amounts as were neces- sary and thought I would be ready to start below in about a month. Whether my signa- ture to this contract was witnessed or not I can- not state but there was no one present who could either read or write the English language and no one but Mr. Cash knew the contents of that instruraent. It was not until the following season that I made ready to go for ttc^atment, when I left Oak Island on the steamer Iron City, Captain Turner, who had previously told me that he should stop at Ontonagon to load some copper which would give me time to see Mr. Cash and arrange the money matters according to agree- ment. When the boat stopped at Ontonagon I ^2 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. sent a message to Mr. Cash, saying I was aboard and would like to have him come to the boat. He came, and catching me by the hand, said: '1 am very glad to see you and am only sorry that you cannot see me," and adds, "I suppose I know your mission. You are going away for treatment and want some money for your expenses." I told him he had guessed it; that I had made arrangements to be gone six months or as long as would be required to be able to SEE him on my return. Then he told me that money was out of the question; there had been banlc failures throughout the country and that he had not a dollar that was worth five cents, either to me or anybody else, and that to raise one hundred dollars w^ould be an impossibility. I then told the captain he might as well put me ashore and that I would get back home as best I could. "You will not make another trip up this season, but I can get back i a a canoe with someone to guide me." The captain replied: "I will do no such thing. Come to Cleveland with me and I will take you to Grarlick & Ack- ley, an eye infirmary, and will arrange with them for your treatment. " Thankfully I accept- ed the offer. 1 then asked Mr. Cash to give me the contract which 1 had signed. "Oh!" he says, ' 'that contract is valueless now, as I have never paid you any money upon it, and 1 have not got it here, either, but will mail it to you at Cleveland or any place you direct after you get settled." I went to Cleveland and my eyes were exam- ined by Garlick & Ackley, oculists, of that EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. place, and they said they could not help me. After two days in Cleveland, Captain Turner' drove up to the office and informed me that he should make another trip up the lakes that fall and as the doctors had told him they could not help me, I could return with him to my home or remain as I preferred. Both doctors having told me that my case was a hopeless one as far as they knew, I returned home with the captain, wholly discouraged and disheaitened. I had a few dollars in my pocket with which I tried to buy some provisions to take home with me, but was quickly informed that it was vaueless. This was during the great financial panic of 1857. I arrived home safely and found my family well, the first pleasing thing I li?.d met with in a number of months. I never received the contract back from Mr. Cash, and never saw him but once afterward, and that wp 3 aboard a steamboat bound for below, and he was too sick to talk of business matters. Shortly afterward I was told that he was dead. After I had got uix)n my feet again and was able to look after my business I found that the supposed contract then in the hands of his heirs turned out to be a warranty deed to Daniel S. Cash and Jas. Kelly, whom I never saw, of an undivided one-half of the mile square before described. I tried to employ t. ^ncil many times to take hold of the matter, but not having money to advance for such 'services, I failed to obtain any help in that direction. It would have been impossible, however, had I then had the property clear of indebtedness to 64 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. have realized any money upon it or from its sale, because there was a general stagnation in all business throughout the northwest for quite a number of years. Many people abandoned their homes and property, leaving behind but very few white people, and soon following this the rebellion broke out. This state of lethargy continued for six or seven years. I had frequent talks with friends who had known me for years, and knew how my business matters stood, as to what I had better do. All were familiar Avith the fact that I had deeded to Mr. Prentice an undivided one-half of that prop- erty and had received one or two payments upon it, but none believed I had ever received a penny for the half that the heirs of Cash and Kelly claimed to own, and I never saw the James Kelly to whom that deed appears to have been given, nor never heard of him except through this deed. It appeared that he lived in Cleve- land. Had I ever received any considerable amount from Cash on this one-half of that prop- erty my neighbors would have known it, for they well knew my circumstances all these years, and that I had been financially embarrassed. After trying different oculists without getting any relief I had about given up hope of ever seeing again, when by a mere accident my sight was partially restored. It was about the middle of December, 1860, when one of my teamsters complained one day tnat a tree had fallen across his road and he could not, or would not, cut it out. Being irritable, cross and morose under my forced restraint, I jumped from my darkened EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 65 '' room and told him to lead me to the tree and I would cut the tree from the road, and although I knew I wag doing a foolish thing, I took hold of the stakes at the rear of the sleigh and followed to the obstruction. I then told the ■ driver to bring the axe and lead me to the tree. The first blow I struck the tree — which proved to be a sappy balsam — a bulb of balsam sap flew up under the bandage or shade which I had over my eyes and struck squarely in my right eye. 1 yelled with pain and told the teranster to take me back to the house and it was not , until 1 had reached there that I knew what ! had happened. My wife found spatters of bal- ' sam on my cheek and also found that a fihn which covered the eye had been broken. She then began a balsam treatment which proved to ' be just the thing to effect a cure of the inflama- I tion 1 had suffered for so many years. She con- f: tinned the use of the balsam and in three weeks ^ I was able to be out of doors without assistance, ; and the next spring my eyes were healthy and f strong, though not clear, and never will be, I I do not think. In the spriug of 1861 1 was appointed by Com- missioner Dole, who had charge of Indian affairs under President Lincoln, to act as special interpreter for Gen. L. E. Webb, the Indian Agent at Bayfield, Wisconsin, and Clark W. Thompson, superintendent of Indian affairs in the northwest, who was located in St. Paul, Minnesota. I accepted the appointment and perf o "med the duties of interpreter until the fall of 186'A. I moved my family from Oak Island - 66 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. to Bayfield, which was my home while thus engaged. During the summer of 1862 a scare was started^ throughout this country to the effect that an, uprising .of the Indians was quite likely, whiclji resulted in bringing three companies of soldiers to Bayfield and the same number to Superi|Or. When the troops arrived at Superior it was a surprise both to the white people and to the Indians. The soldiers pitched their tents, threw out their pickets, and matters looked quite war- like. It happened that an Indian who had been out hunting a few days, came in that night, and, at the picket line he was halted. Not knowing that soldiers w^ere there or what the charge meant, he halted, but immediately proceeded forward and was shot down by the soldier. This created quite an excitement for awhile, as it was not known what effect it would have on, the Indians, but it was thought it might incite them to seek revenge, but nothing of a serious nature resulted from it. Agent Webb, myself and others had frequent talks over the general outlook for Indian troubles and it was finally decided to take a delegation on a trip through the states and to Washington, as such a trip would give the dele- gation a rare chance to see the w^hite soldiers and to thus impress upon their minds the futil- ity of any further recourse to arms on their part. Agent Webb arranged the matter and was directed to have me select the delegation. 1 selected a party of nine chiefs from the differ- ent reservations, made up as follows: Ah- EAKLY INDIAN HISTORY. 67 moose, or ' 'Little Bee, " from Lac Flambeau res- ervation; Kish-ke-taw-ug, or *'Cut Ear," Bad River reservation; Ba-quas, or "He Sews," Lao Cburt O'Rielles reservation; Ah-do-ga-zik, or "Last Day," Bad River reservation; O-be-qnot, or "Firm," Fond du Lac reservation; Sliing- quak-onse, or "Little Pine," and Ja-ge-gwa-yo, or "Can't Tell," La Pointe reservation; Na-gon- ai), or "He Sits Ahead," Fond du Lac reserva- tion, and O-ma-shin-a-way, or "Messenger," Ead River reservation. We set out about Decem- ber 1st, 1861, going from Bayfield, Wis., to St. Paul, Minn., by trail, and from St. Paul to La Crosse, Wis., by stage, and by rail the balance of the way to Washington. Grreat crowds of soldiers were seen at all points east of La Crosse, besides train loads of them all along the whole route. Reaching Washington I showed them 30,000 or 40,000 soldiers in ca^mp and they witnessed a number of drills and parades, which had a salutory effect upon their ideas of comparative strength with their white brothers. Being continually with them I frequently heard r, marks passing between them that showed their thoughts respecting the strength of the white race. ' 'There is no end to them," said one. "They are like the trees in our forest" said another. I was furnished with a pass to take them to the navy yard and to visit the barracks of the Army of the Patomac, at which place one of them remarked that the great father had more soldiers in Washington alone than there were Indians in the northwest, including Chippewas and Sioux, and that his 68 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. ammunition and provisions never gave out. We remained In the city about forty days and had interviews with thW Indian Commissioner and the President, and I was allowed the privilege of a partial examination into the records, show- ing the annuities due the Indians on annuity arrearages, but the excitement incident to the war precluded any extended examination which would lead to a settlement of their arrearages at that time. The President made a short speech to the Indians at one of these interviews, at which he said : "My children, when you are ready, go home and tell your people what the great father said to you; tell them that as soon as the trouble with my white children is settled I will call you back and see that you are paid every dollar that is your due, provided I am here to attend to it, and in case I am not here to attend to it myself, I shall instruct my successor to fulfill the promises I make you here to-day. ' After visiting all places of interest in Wash- ington, and about a week after the last inter- view with the President, we set out on our home journey, going by way of New York City, where we stayed two or three days, purchasing goods and presents for the chiefs to take home to their families and relatives. , in all amounting to $1,500, which had been placed in my hands by the government for that purpose. This was, in all probability the most pleasant stop of the trip. We stopped two days at Chicago on our return, from there going to La Crosse by rail, where we took boat for St. Paul. We were compelled to ij I iff* ill EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 69. take trail from St. Paul and arrived in Bayfield about the middle of April, 1862. During this season Agent Webb, Samuel S. Vaughn, and one or two others frequently talked with me about my prospects in the "mile square" question, and said it was too bad to lose it all for it was sure tb be valuable, and from time to time they would propose what they would do, and one day asked me w^hat I would take for a quit-claim deed of the undivided one- half which I had sold to Mr. Prentice. That if they had it they would take the matter into the courts, and thought there would be no trouble in proving the claim of Daniel S. Cash a swindle, because I had never received a cent from him. I told them I could not do it for I had already given a warranty deed to Mr. Prentice. They said they were aware of that fact, and did not expect to make anything out of that part of it, and should not try to do so, but that I could give a quit-claim de^ to any property, whether I owned it or not. I told them I would consider it, and I advised with others who told me that I could give a quit-claim deed if I wished to, and as I held no claim to that half I could lose noth- ing, and one man stated I could give a quit- claim deed to the Mississippi River if a pur- chaser could be found. The matter was talked over a number of times, but nothing came of it until the following season, when they came to me in a confidential way and thought the best thing that I could do was to give them that deed. Saying at the same time, ' 'we must give you something for it, as a deed would not be 70 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. legal without a consideration. We will give you four or five hundred dollars so as to make the transaction appear a legitimate one. " Then they would have a clear foundation to com- mence suit. I told them I was not posted in law, and did not want to get into any trouble, for I had been led into a good many scrapes already, and came out loser every time. Gen. Webb said : "We are your friends, not your enemies, and We are not seeking to blind or kill you. If we don't make anything out of it for ourselves we can't for you, but if we can make anything for you we are satisfied we can for ourselves. " I finally agreed to do it. The deed was prepared and Mr. Vaughn brought it to me for signature and gave me five hundred dollars. During the summer of 1862 Clark W. Thomp- son, Indian superintendent at St. Paul, came to Bayfield to assist in the distribution of annuities to the Indians of the lake. We first went to Grand Portage and gave out the annuities, returned to Bad 'River and gave them out there. While at Bad River Mr. Thompson told me that he thought I would be required to go to St. Paul as there were some matters up the Mississippi relating to Indian affairs that he wanted to have investigated. On his return he said he would find out more about them and let me know. A short time afterward news reached him that the Indians in the vicinity of Red River and Leech Lake had captured a mail boat on Red River and had burned it, and sent word to me to come to St. Paul as soon as I could. He gave me EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 71 written instructions to go to Red River, or far enough to ascertain if the boat had been burned and try and induce the Indians to come to Leech Lake, for himself and others would be there to meet them. I went and found the boat all right and the story a fabrication. I found the country in a complete uproar, for news had reached the Indians that the great father was going to send soldiers there because he had heard that the Indians had burned his boat that carried papers and they had retreated back into the forest to get out of the way. I had much difficulty in finding them as every- body seemed to be afraid of their lives. The Chippewas were behaving badly for they had taken the report for granted. The whites saw the Chippewas on one side and the Sioux on the other, and all seemed to think they would unite in one general massacre. The third day of my search, just before sun- set, I found a lake, and looking towards its head I saw smoke rising, probably four miles away in a direct line. Following the shore and picking my way through the brush, I reached the Indian camp at about 9 p. m. When near by, perhaps a mile distant, I struck into a hard beaten trail which led me to their wigwams. I made no halt, but proceeded straight to their wigwams, and picking out the wigwam that I Judged by its size to be the chief's lodge, I ap- proached it and saw no person, not even a dog to bark at me, until I reached the lodge and raised the cariboo skin that hung at the entrance, and entered without being discovered. 72 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. When inside the wigwam I found a large Indian stretched upon the ground beside the fire smok- ing his pipe, the balance of the inmates lying around and in sitting positions about the wig- wam. Had their eyes been guns I should have feared them and expected a killing at once, but, knowing their customs and habits so well, and that my appearance w^as a complete surprise, I had to play a little Indian part myself. Taking my pipe I filled and lighted it and smoked awhile to show them I felt at home. Pro- found silence prevailed up to this time. 1 then seated myself upon the little bundle I was car- rying and spoke to the Indian in his own lan- guage, by asking him where the chiefs wigwam was. He sprang to his feet and reaching out his hand, exclaimed: "How is this! You white man and speak our laaiguage perfectly! I am surprised," he said, "at your getting into our camp without our dogs discovering you." At the mention of dogs my hair fairly stood erect for I then remembered that they had Esquimaux dogs. The chief said they had forty or fifty of them then on guard. They all knew me by reputation when I told them who I was and they at once knew me as the adopted son of Buifalo, of the Lake Superior Chippewas. I told them my mission. That the great father had heard that the Indians had burned his boat which carried papers. I told them I had been to the river and found the boat all right; that I wanted them to go with me to Leech Lake, as it was their great father's EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 73 request, that they would meet their great fath- er's agent there who lived in St. Paul, and oth- ers, to have a talk over this matter, and that everything would be all right and their St. Paul father would give them presents. "Big Dog," being the head chief of the party, tlit^u sent a lad to call in his chiefs, and to one of his women he said, ' ' go and see what you can get for our friend's supper, " and the other women and children he directed to leave the wigwam. My supper was brought and the chiefs and men congregated, and while I was eating they had a general conversation, and all expressed their surprise that I could approach their camp with- out being torn in pieces by the dogs. We talked and joked almost the whole night and next day preparations were made for the trip to' Leech Lake, and on the morning of the second day we set out with about twenty Indians. Arriving at Leech Lake we found the commissioners there as they had promised. Those present were: Clark W. Thompson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs; Jessie Ramsey, James Thompson, broth- er of the superintendent, and John Ferron, of St. Paul. 1 told the party I had found the boat all right, not a thing had been taken and that she was tied up to trees along the bank of the river, and that the greater portion of the Indians were more frightened than the whites; how I had found them huddled together at the head of a lake which was heavily wooded at the northend; that I had been delayed in my search for them as I was a stranger in the Jocality and 74 EARLY INDIAN HISTOEY. U- iit I : Hi could get no guide owing to the excitement through the country. After 1 had related my story to the commis- sioners, Mr. Thompson said: "I would not have taken that risk for the world. " The superin- tendent told the Indians he was very sorry that the story of the burning of the boat had been st irted as it had given their groat father much trouble and the Indians also, and as he knew they could not help these reports and as the reports had been proven untrue, he felt it his duty on behalf of the great father, to make them some presents in "provisions and goods, which we will turn over to your friend to give you as he chooses. " The warehouse was opened and I was told to make the distribution. I load- ed each one down and the next day they started for home, thanking me especially by saying: "No other white man would have clone this for us, and we Lope to see the day when we can do you a kind act." After a general hand-shaking the Indians started for l^ome. The next morning at day-break the superintendent and party left for home also. Reaching Crow Wing next day I was left there to investigate some matters and settle some trouble that had been brewing for some time between the agent at Crow Wing and the Indians. I remained there about cen days and found matters in bad shape. Ireported to Mie superintendent what I had found and he came up to v>row Wing and had a talk with the agent. Just what the trouble was I never ascertained, but shortly afterward the agent EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. TS-* committed suicide and all was kept dark from me. I returned to St. Paul with the superintendent, and on the way he said there wat likely to be trouble with the Sioux, as they had been waiting for their annu- ities for a long time and were getting restless and were dissatisfied, and he would like to have me go with him to New Ulm, the Sioux agency, which I did. We found there was much rest- lessness among the Indians and equally as much among the white traders. I found parties the first night I was there among the Sioux who - spoke the Chippewa tongue, and talked with them. I found out the feeling that prevailed ' among their people. I talked with Bill Taylor, a half-breed negro, who made a business of attending Indian payments for the purpose of gambling, and as he spoke the Sioux language he told me what the Indians and traders were saying. The traders were continually telling the Indians to receive nothing but coin in the payment. I heard at one or two other trading posts the same thing, and knowing that coin was a scarce article just at this time in the United States, I informed the superintendent of what was going on, and gave it as my opinion - that unless they were paid right away there, would be trouble. The superintendent called the chiefs together and told them that he would' give them their goods annuities at once, as they were then on the ground, and then th'^y could ssnd their women and children hone, and as soon as the money came he would notify' 76 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. them and they could come for it. They as?ked what kind of money it would be, to which he answered he did not know, but whichever kind it was he would pay to them. He could not tell them what kind of money the great father had on hand, but thought it would be currency. They then demanded coin and said they would not take greenbacks, to which the superintend- ent replied : "I will go right back to St. Paul and if the great father has not sent the money I will borrow it and return as quickly as 1 can and pay you." We started at once for St. Paul, but before we arrived there we heard of the terrible uprising of the Sioux and the slaughter of people. This was the awful massacre at New Ulm, with which everybody is so familiar. I attributed the whole trouble then and still do, to the bad advice of the traders. These traders knew that all the money the Sioux drew would, in a short time, be in their hands, and as specie was at a high premium, they allowed their sp^^c- ulative natures to get the better of their judg- ment, the penalty of which was the forfeiture of their lives. I afterward heard that Bill Tay- lor was first among the dead. I now left St. Pari and went to my home in Bayfield and found the Indians in this part of the country peaceable and quiet. After being at home a short time I found that Agent Webb and four or five others were bribing boys and children to come in and swear that they were entitled to an eighty acre piece of land that the treaty of 1854 provided for half-caste and mixed 1 ii EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 77 blood people, and were paying them from ten to twenty dollars apiece for their scrips, as the cir- cumstances required. I made up my mind that I would be drawn into the rascally scheme by implication, if I remained in the employ of the government under Gen. Webb, so I threw up my position and left Bayfield, going to the cop- per mines on Bad River, where I remained dur- ing the summer, only going to Bayfield two or three times that season. From here I took my family to Portage Lake, Michigan, to keep out of the way, and remained away until the spring of 1870. During the interim I met Mr. Webb at Houghton, Michigan, and asked him what had been done with the quit-claim deed I had given to himself and Mr. Vaughn. He told me that he had employed attorneys in St. Paul and it would not be long until I should hear from it. I never saw Mr. Webb again and did not know what became of the deed until I went into court in St. Paul, in the year 1884, I think, when I ascertained that the deed had gone into the hands of a man by the name of (Oilman, whom I had never seen before that time. I spoke to Mr. Vaughn after this and asked him how it was that the deed had passed from his hands. He laughed and said it made no difference who held the deed as he did not consider that it would ever amount to anything as Prentice held a warranty from me for one-half and he thought that Cash would hold the other half under the contract or deed I gave him, and that he had 78 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. given the matter up. I told him that at Bome future time I should require him in court, but before my case was reached in which parole tes- timony was taken, Mr. Vaughn died, and as Mr. Webb was dead also, the matter to this day remains unsettled. iiin iiiiii CHAPTER IV. TiRST Payment Under Treaty of 1854. — Swamp AND Overflowed Lands. — Death of Chief Buffalo. — An Indian Tradition. — An Axe, A Gun and a Knife, the First They Had Ever Seen. I will now go back to 1855. About the middle of September word was sent me at Oak Island by Agent Gilbert that the annuities had arrived for the first payment under the treaty of '54, and if I was able to attend he should be pleased to have me do so; that he had some talking to do with the Indians and that they as well as himself would like to have me present to hear it. I arranged matters to leave Oak Island and as I owned a house at La Pointe moved my family there for the fall, that I might have their care. Chief Buffalo had been prescribing for and treating my eyes and as he was then sick at La Pointe I had par- ties take me to his home. I had not talked with m 80 EAKLY INDIAN HISTORY. him more than an hour "when it became appar- ent that he was quite feeble. I bought him articles of food and did all I could for his com- fort that night and the next morning visited the agent and commissioners and told them of the old chief's illness and said I did not think he "would be able to attend the councils that fall. Col Manypenny and myself visited the old man that day. The Colonel gave him his best wishes and told him that anything he wished to eat should be brought to him and hoped in a day or two he would be able to come down and hear what the agent had to say. But iill the old man was never able to attend the coun- cils more. The Indians were all in from the interior and 11 the council was called. The commissioners told the Indians that their last treaty had been ratified and that their great father had signed > it; that the treaty had not been changed; that all they had asked for had been conceded, both in regard to the reservations and the script which was to go to the half-breeds and that the household goods which were to go to the mixed bloods and to all living in houses he had brought along and would give them out and he hoped they would all move onto their reserva- tions and have their young men clear lands and build fences, "for next year the great father will cause houses to be built for you and you can rest assured that no white man shall enter your reservation to claim or to hold any por- tion of it, except it be such ones as the chief desires should live there, and that all the land ■pi!' ■ . . ... 3 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 81 embodied in these several tracts are yours, to be your permanent homes and the sooner you im- prove your land and open up garden spots the sooner your great father will send you horses, cattle and farming implements to work with and if at any time any white men invades your reservation for the purpose of taking your tim- ber, or your minerals, or anything else, you must at once notify the great father and he will stop them and make them pay you for all dam- age they may have done. " As I have stated heretofore that misunder- standings always crept into treaties, and as the treaty of '54 was no exception, I will state what they were. Notwithstanding all the cai,'e that was taken and all the precaution used which our foresight could devise, and after everyone understood, and positively too, that the reserva- tions should be and forever remain the home of the Indian alone, it was only a few years after they were set apart that white men came and claimed to own every sixteenth section of their land under the state school land laws. Follow- ing these came men who claimed to have acquired title to all the swamp and overflowed lands on the reservations, depriving the Indians of their rice fields, cranberry marshes and hay meadows. Many times have the Indians asked their agent how this was and why it was so, but never received any satisfactory answer. All the troubles with the Indians of the northwest can be traced directly to such misunderstandings, and as is well known the Indian in every case got the worst of it. Still people wonder what I I Hi ll iiin 82 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. makes the Indians so troublesome. Why don't the white people kill them off and done with it, etc? Now returning to the annuity payment at La Pointe, where I left the agent giving the Indians advice and making them promises, and from which I left off to speak of treaties not being lived up to on the part of the govern- ment. Chief Buffalo not being able to meet the commissioners, I requested them to go with me to see him, stating that I did not think he would last more than two or three days and I should like to have them talk with him on bus- iness matters, as he had told me himself that he could live but a few days at most. In the afternoon they went with me, taking along their interpreter. I told them I wished they would ask him if he .desired to change any of his former devices in the reservations he had made. They asked him and he replied that he did not. He only requested that they be carried out as he had formerly directed. After some further talk the commissioners left, but I remained with the old veteran until he died. I gave him a decent burial. Calling all parties together we formed a procession and marched to the Catholic cemetery at La Pointe where we laid the old chief to rest. I ordered and placed in position a tombstone at the head of his grave and also one at the grave of Chief O-sho-ga, which are there to-day. Here I wish to digress again to give an Indian tradition, a legend handed down to Buffalo and was one of many, eome of which had come down ii m- M Q H I— I w M EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 83 for three hundred yeai'B. This one, as near as I can calculate, must be about two hundred and thirty or forty years old, and was many times repeated to me by Buffalo, and was about as follows : ''My great, great-grandfather was a very im- portant chief in his day, and had a band of about five hundred people. They had lived in one place a long time, and as game was getting scarce and wood for the fire hard to obtain, it became necessary to select another place to live, and it was their custom to first send a party to look the country over to see if there was any enemy that would be likely to molest them in moving the band. The old chief told his son, who was my great-grandfather, to take four young men and go and explore the country for a place to remove to. After these five scouts had been out many days they found a good place, plenty of wood, plenty of fish and close to a nice river, but before returning they resolved to explore still a little further in the woods from the river. They had only traveled a short distance, however, when they saw a house or shanty made of logs and poles, the first they had ever seen. They dropped to the ground and crawled cautiously along, being sure to keep a tree, a rock or a log between themselves and the cabin, and slowly crept along to discover what it possibly could be, ex- pecting at any moment to see it take wings and fly away. Presently they saw a man come out of the house with an axe in his hand, who began chopping into a tree, soon felling it to the ground .-v^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I yi|28 12.5 us li£ 12.2 «« flA^ 111112.0 1.8 11.25 !||||l.4 ill 1.6 W Va v: V 7 /S^ f w 1^ 84 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. and afterward cut it into wood for the fire. That was something they had never seen before, nor had they ever seen an axe. After he had chopped awhile a second man with a pale and hairy face came out and began to carry the wood into the cabin. When this was done smd the two men had gone back into the house and closed the door the Indiars skulked back to a safe distance, then springing to their feet they ran away as fast as they could, and to their peo- ple to tell them of their wonderful discovery How they had seen a house and two pale faced Indians with hair all over their face, and the wonderful instrument they had used in making wood for the fire. They traveled night and day so as to reach their people as soon as they could. When they had returned the chief notified his head men that the scouting party had returned and to come at once and hear what they had to say. When they were gathered together the scouts told their wonderful story of what they had seen at the river, which they had selected for their future home. The head men and braves held a great war council, but none of them could account for what had been seen by the scouts. The old chief had every confidence in his son and said : ' ' My son, I want you to take twenty-five of our best and bravest men and go back and find out whether they are ene- mies or friends, but be sure you do not harm tham except it be to save yourselves from being killed or injured." Before allowing the party to depart tifie old chief called on his men to at once prepare a man-e-to-kos-o-wig-e-wam, or relig- llHHi EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 8o ious wigwam, where the medicine man could talk with the great spirit, to find out if there was any danger ahead. The old man spent the whole night in the wigwam and in the morning reported that the way was clear and no danger to be feared. The party started off and feeling that they were safe hurried along t the won- derful sight at the river. Arriving there the young chief pointed to the cabin and the party saw J t as described to them. They resolved to crawl up as the party had done before and watch for what might happen. Circling them- selves as closely about the house as they could without being observed they waited for devel- opments. They had not waited long when a man came out as before and began chopping wood and another man came out and carried it in, all of which they watched w ith the greatest interest. The men returned to the cabin and the Indians continued to lay low. Soon one of the men came out with a pail in his hand and went to the river, and returning with a pail of water, went quickly into the house and imme- diately came out with a gun, and placing it to his face fired it and fell a partridge to the ground. The sound of the gun struck terror to their very souls and if they could have done so they would have hidden themselves below the ground. But stand it they must, at least until the man should have gone back into the cabin. The man reloaded his gun and fired again and another partridge fell. The man then picked up the birds and went into the shanty carrying the birds in one hand 86 EARLY INDIxVN IllSTOKY. and his gun in the other, closing the door behind him. A signal from the young chief soon brought the party a safe distance from the cabin where a council was held. Though they were all nearly frightened out of their wits, it would never do to show cowardice by running away, and it was decided that they should walk boldly to the cabin yard and there form a half circle and wait for what might happen. Keep- ing in mind the old chief's warning to harm no one unless absolutely necessary, they foritied their half circle close to the cabin without being observed. Presently a man came out again and found himself standing in the presence of twenty-six full fledgei I Indians, fully armed and equipped with bows and arrows and spears and was as much frightened as the Indians had been a few moments before, but spoke to them. Presently another man came out and spoke to them and beckoned them to come into the cabin, but the Indians did not stir or speak until the third man came out, who was old, with white hair and white beard and with a red cap on his head and a red sash around his waist, which very much attracted the Indians' attention, it being f,o different from any dress they had ever seen that they were completely thunderstruck, but after the old man had spoken to them and showed them by signs that they were friends and not enemies, and wanted them to come into the cabin, they became as tame as pet rabits. The axe and the gun, together with the gaudy dress of the old man had com- pletely captivated them. Now the traders EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 87 made them understand that they would exchange with them for tlieir robea and fur clothing, blankets or trinkets or an axe to chop wood with, or a knife to cut sticks or skin a deer with or a bear, and last of all the gun to shoot with, and after explaining to them as best they could the wonderful gun and how to load and shoot it, and the uses to which the axe and knife could be put, an exchange of articles took place. The young chief determined 1 1 exchange his fur clothing for a gun and ammunition and an axe and a knife, as he thought they would be the most useful to his people. The greatest curiosity was the gun and the next greatest was the axe. Now being provided with a loaded gun and many curiosities and much information, they set out for home with light hearts. They ran like wild cattle, for now they had more wonders to relate and the evidence to show for it they carried with them to their people, and there they told their whole story of what they had seen and heard and experienced. The axe was the first to exhibit, and it was a great won- der to all. Then the knife, blankets, articles of clothing and trinkets were exhibited, and last of all the gun, the greatest wonder in all their lives. The young chief told them how the man had made it speak to a partridge ?- nd the bird dropped dead, and then it spoke again and another dropped, dead, and he made it speak to a tree and the tree was full of holes, and ' ' he told me it would speak to a deer and the deer would die, and if we were in battle it would speak to our enemies and they would die." 88 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. This was too much for all of them to believe at one time, and many had their doubts about the gun doing all this, and one old warrior, who had been in many battles and carried many scars from the enemy and wild beasts, and who was no longer of any assistance to his people, and who was sitting near, rose to his feet and said : ' ' My f rie nds : I do not think that gun will do what they say it will, and as I a -i no longer of any use to you. and never can be, I will go and stand on that little knoll and you may let it speak to me and we will see what it will do to me." The old man hobbled out to the knoll and sanding erect, said : ' ' Let it speak. " The young chief took up the gun and did as the trader had told him. First pull back the ham- mer, then place the but of the gun to the shoul- der, look along the top and point it to the object you wish it to speak to, pull the trig- ger and it will speak. Sure enough the gun did speak and the old warrior fell dead to the ground." How many times Buffalo told me this story I do not know, but it was many times, and said every word of it was true, as handed down in tradition from generation to generation, and as he was the only survivor of his family race he wished me to remember it and hand it down. The story continues: ' 'The tribe moved to the new home which the scouts had selected and, carrying with them the body of the old warrior, buried it th«re with :;reat honors, placing the battle flag of the tribe at the head of his grave, there to float until th6 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 89 weather should wear it out. The battle flag of the tribe was made of feathers taken from the wings and tail of eagles closely woven together with sinews of basswood bark; then taking a pole and splitting the end with a flint, put the quill ends in the opening thus made and wrap the pole with sinews and bark, and as the pole is charred by fire in securing it for the pur- pose, the flag and staff would stand for many generations. The different bands of the same tribe would designate themselves by attaching to the flag the tail of a wolf, bear, marlinor fox, or a feather of a crane, pelican or other large bird. But in all cases the body of the flag was made purely of eagle feathers, and these were hard to get in those times, when snares and the ■ bow and arrow were all they had to depend upon. The eagle flag being the national one in those days it was always planted in times of peace at the head of the chief wigwam." This ends the story of the experience of Buf- falo's great-grandfather with the first white man he ever saw, but I shall have occasion later to refer to a circumstance which came to my own knowledge that very much confirms the tra- dition. At or before the conclusion of the payment —which subject I have twice left to tell about something else — the question of hereafter get- ting their annuities on the several reservations instead of at La Pointe wa s brought up and dis- cussed, the Indians claiming it was a hardship for them to come so far to get them, and told the agent that they had agreed to ask for the 90 EAflLY INDIAN HISTORY. change and hoped their great father at Wash- ington would grant their request. Col. Many- penny Bald: ''My cliildren: I assui.. you that as long as I am in office it shall be done, and I will recommend to my successor to do so like- wise, until the treaty shall expire, which it will do in 1874, at which time your great father is to call all the chiefs together in open council and there settle for and pay all past dues and arrear- ages." This part of the agreement, however, has never been fulfilled to my certain knowl- edge. There is now large sums of money still due the Indians under the treaties of 1837, 1842 and 1854. As I had occasion and did look over the records in Washington in 1862, I am Justi- fied in making this statement. The Indians have very often ?ince that time inquired of me what I had found, and feeling that I ought not to keep it secret from them ])y reason of the part I took in the treaty of 1854, I always told them as near as possible what I had found the records to contain. These talks and inquiries continue to the present time, and I am asked why it is that the great father's words are not made true. The older Indians have not forgotten what President Lincoln told the delegation in 1862, and the younger ones know it also, which was to "return home and tell your people as soon as the trouble with my white children has been settled I will attend to you and see that every dollar that is your due is paid." I have made several attempts myself to bring this settlement about but have never been able to do so. CHAPTER V. Early Settlers. — The First Improvements. —7 The Battle of the Brule. — Counting the Missing. ^The Chippewas Victorious. — The Object of the Scalp Lock and the Way it is Made. I would like now to turn bajk to about 1837 and to mention those who were among the first to make improvements on the St. Croix waters. The first mill for grinding grain was built on Lake St, Croix by a man named Boles in 1839 ; the first settler at Stillwater who made any improvements was Paul Carley ; then followed John McCusick, from Maine, who built the first saw mill on those waters in the year 1840. Dur- ing the same year and at the same time Hun- gerford and others of St. Louis, Missouri, were building a saw mill at St. Croix Falls. Also the Marine Company, consisting of Orange Walker, Samuel Berklow, Asa Parker and Hiram Berkley built the mill known as the Marine Mill, commencing it in 1841, and com- \)2 KARLY rXDIAX HISTORY. pleting it in 1842. Tliit^ mill ^va? Hitiiated twelve iiiileB below St. Croix Falls. These were the early settlers in this part of the country tip to 1843. Jackson's trading post was the first improvement made on the site where St. Paul now stands and was established some time in the thirties, and it was all there was there when I came in 1840. The whole country from this point to Lake Superior was an unbroken forest, iidiabited exclusively by tlie Ohippewas, but their ri^ht to the country was strongly contested by tlie Dakotas, (Sioux,) leading to many bloody battles, one of which I witnessed at Stillwater, on the west side of the lake. Many were slain on both sides, but it resulted in a victory for the Chippewas. This, I think, was in 1841. I also witnessed a battle on the Brule River about October 1st of the following year, a true version of which 1 will give you : The Sioux wt^e Invaded by Old Crow^ and the Chippewa;-; ])y Buffalo, each having a number of sub-chiefs to assist them. The battle ground was abput midway from the source of Brule River to its mouth and al)out fifteen miles from Lake Superior. Bufl:alo's people at this time were settled over quite an extensive terri- tory, consisting of the Apostle Islands and the whole country surrounding Chequamegon (Cha-ga-wa-muk) bay. When Buffalo received the news that they were coming to give him battle and learned hoAv nef^r they were, and knowing thp necessity for him to start at once in order to intercept them and choose his posi- tion for a battle, he only had time to gather a a O '^ H a w W —1 E.nJILY INDIAN HISTORY. 93 portion of his warrioi'B. When he started he knew that the force of the enemy far oUtnuiu- bered his own; that they were coming with the intention of catching the Chip )ewaa in discon- nected parties and thereby be aole to annihilate them in detail, as the warlike portion of the Chippewas were over near the Mississippi under Hole-in-the-day. Act quickly he must. He collected about two hundred warriors and leav- ing his women and children he hurried away and met the Sioux the first evening just before sunset at the Brule, the 8ioux on the west side and the Chippewas on the east, their pickets eyeing each <" 'ler until dark, knowing that the daylight \^ juld find them in mortal com- bat. The west bank of this river running back quite a distance is level and swampy, while the east side slopes down from the river and it is only about 150 feet to an almost perpendicular rocky bluff rising from fifty to eighty feet in height, and the slope from the river back to the bluff gave Buffalo's men a hidden position from the Sioux on the west side. It was not until after dark that Buffalo made any show of strength in numbers, for he well knew he was overmatched, but as soon as it was dark he had fires built along the river bank for nearly an eighth of a mile, to give the Sioux the impres- sion that his strength was ample to cope with them. These fires were kept briskly burning all night. Just after dark Buffalo ca:ue to me in my hidden retreat in the rocks on the bluff where I had gone by his direction, and laid his plans before me, which plans were to divide 94 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. his force into tlire«^ parts and at midnight to send a third of them up the river a safe distance and cross and come down as near the Sioux as they aared without being observed, and there await the opening of the fight in the morning, which he would begin with his center men. The other third were to go down the river and cross over, and like the band up the river, move up to a striking distance and then keep quiet until the battle should begin. In those days fire arms were not plenty with the Indians and ammunition scarce and they did not like to use it in bf ttle but kept it for hunting, and the war club and knife were the instruments of death relied upon for this fight. The center portion of his men were concealed near the river bank at a point where the Sioux must cross, and as the ground receded back from the river bank to the bluff their position and num- bers could not be detected by the enemy. All the maneuvers of Buffalo's men were complete before daylight and at early dawn the fight was begun by a few gun shots from Buffalo's center, which was to be the signal for his fiank- ing forces to close in. As Goon as these shots had been fired, some of his center men, by a pre-arrangement, began running toward the bluff to show weakness, and the Sioux, quick to discover their apparent fear, dashed into the river in great numbers, expecting to have an easy victory and be able to take what scalps there were between the river and the bluff with the utmost «ase and dispatch. The water in the Brule at the east bank was about three feet EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 95 deep and the bank two or three feet abo v^e the water. Whether or not the Sioux had taken this fact into consideration I cannot say, but that the Chippewas depended upon this condi- tion of things for their victory was certain, llie Brule was now filled with a howling, surg- ing mass of Sioux warriors, each trying to gain the lead for the distinction he proposed to get by the addition of numerous scalps to his belt. On they came, clubs and knives aloft, yelling like mad and with a dozen or more imaginary Chippewa scalps already in their belt, began to climb the bank. All this time the braves of Buffalo lay hidden and with hurried breath awaited the appearance of a scalp-lock above the bank. They were now in sight and if never the Sioux before had met a foe that was worthy the name they faced them now, for of all the Sioux that were in the river then not one set his foot on the east bank . Being in the water they were compelled to scale the bank before their clubs and knives were of any use, and the Chippewas brained them as fast as they came in reach. Of all the thrilling stories I ever read of slaughter and carnage, I now witnessed a greater one than all. The river ran red with blood and the Sioux warrior that had not reached the shore eagerly pressed forward but as fast as they approached their doom was sealed. The flanking forces of Buffalo were now and had been, since the signal gun was fired, cutting their way into the Sionx right and left wing, and the war-whoops of the victorious Chippewas could be heard on their 96 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. right and left and in their rear. The case in front of them was a hopeless one and they did the only thing that remained for them, to get away and save as many of their scalps as they could and let the Chippewas have the scalps of their dead, which were floating down or lying at the bottom of the Brule. I witnessed this masterpiece of Indian war- fare from the afternoon previous to the ending of the fight, and from my safe position, having nothing to fear whichever way the battle went, the impiJeasion made upon my mind was lasting, and is as vivid to-day as it was upon that bright October morning, nearly fifty years ago, and I would go one thousand miles to see it repeated if another massacre was pending and could not be avoided. Those of the Sioux that got away made the best time possible to reach their own country beyond the Mississippi and were follow- ed by the victors to their boundary line. Only a few were overtaken who were wounded, and they were dispatched and scalped as soon as found. After the pursuers had returned the Indians were all called together to count up the dead and ascertain the result of the battle. This was done by counting the men that were pres- ent, and all that were missing were counted as slain in the battle. Their loss being thus accounted for, the scalps that were taken from the Sioux were counted and their loss thus ascertained. The count in this case was very satisfactory to the Chippewas as it showed their loss thirteen and the loss of the Sioux one hun- EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 97 dred and one. This mode of counting up the results of battle has been their custom for hun- dreds of years, according to their tradition. The scalping practice has been in vogue by all tribes of Indians as far back as tradition goes, and tiie object of scalping was for a two-fold purpose. First for counting the results of bat- tle, and next to show the personal .bravery of individual warriors, as each brave kept his scalps as a record of his valor until such time as he delivered them up to his superior in tribal rank, in return for which he received eagle feathers, one for each scalp he turned in, and these he wore in his cap or turban as a mark of distinction. Now I will describe a scalp-lock, the manner and object of putting it up. All Indians wore their hair as long as it would grow. They first take up three small whisps of hair at the crown of the head and braid them, firmly tying the braid about midway the length of the hair, after which they then wrap this braid with moosewood, basswood or other strong bark so that the braid would stand erect on the head from six to eight inches. Then the hair above the braid was allowed to fall over, giving the lock a parasol appearance. After clotli came to their knowledge they preferred it to bark for winding the braid, and always took red flannel when they could get it, because it was more showy. A genuine brave thought as much of his scalp-lock as he did of his war club and desired to make it as conspicuous as possible. 98 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. The bJoalp-lock was invariably put up before going upon the war path if they had time to do HO, and if any man in the tribe refused to do this he was drummed out of service and sent home to do camp duty with the squaws; his pipe was taken from him and his using it prohibited and in many cases they were compelled to wear the costume of a squaw as a mark of cowardice. The amount of hair used in a scalp-lock would be the amount growing on a space about the size of a silver half dollar. All bands on the war path and when going into battle know that the enemies' scalp-lock is up ready for them if they can get it and t he enemy expects the same thing of them, and t) only question is which gets it. The scalping always takes place as soon as the victim falls to the ground, if the fighting is with clubs and if with guns as soon as they can get to the fallen man. They always go into battle with club in one hand and knife in the other, and do not wait till the fight is over to collect the scalps but take them immediately. If they should wait till the fight had ended some brave might not get the share that prop- erly belonged to him, and thus be deprived of the eagle feather, and I believe that the expres- sion in common use, "That's a feather in his cap" had its origin from this custom. The custom of scalping thus quickly accounts for the many cases where persons are living who have been scalped, of whom I know quite a number. It so happens that the person was only stunned by EARLY INDIAN HISTOKY. 99 tlie blt)w from the club, and consciousness returned after the scalp had bee:i taken. The battle of the Brule was the last great battle fought between the Chippewa s and the Sioux in this part of the country, though there were others afterward of less importance, one at the St. Croix River in 1846, where but few were killed, though many hundred were engaged. CHAPTER VI. The American Fur Company. — An Indian Law — Making a Choice of a Wife. — An Indian Maiden's Way. — Indian Courtship and Ma.r. riage. — The Treachery of the Sioux. — The Massacre of the Chippewas by the Sioux. Until 1842 about all the white people living in this section of the country were Canadian voyagers and adventurers, mostly all connected with the American Fur Company. This com- pany consisted of John Jacob Astor, Ramsey Crooks, Doctor Borup and David B. Oakes. The universal custom here previous to 1842 was that all white men who came among the Indians to trade were compelled to take Indian wi^^es. This custom was encouraged by the Indians for two reasons. Wars had depleted the male por tion of the tribes, and as the female portion greatly predominated, the Indians were desir- ous of providing as many of this surplus with EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 101 homes as they could. In the second place the American Fur Company had almost complete control of the Indian trade and were not giving them fair bargains in the estimation of the I'^dians, and they were' anxious to have individ- ual traders come among them, and by getting them into a relationship by marriage they thought they would secure fair dealing in the future. How well the Indians' ideas were con- firmed in the practice may be judged by what followed. The American Fur Co. lost their hold upon the business through this agency and removed their company in 1847 to the Missis- sippi River. As soon as they were firmly estab- lished there they caused the agitation which resulted in the order for the Indians to remove from this country to the Mississippi. This order did not come until 1849 and was countermanded by President Filmore in 1852, on my visit to Washington with the Indian delegation. The plan which the Indians worked to get these white son-in-laws was this : When a man came among them to establish himself in the trading business they would at first have noth- ing to do with him, except in a very small way, and thus gain time to try his honesty and to make inquiries about his general character. If satisfied on these points the chiefs would together take their marriagable girls to his trad- ing house and he was given his choice of the lot. They would sometimes take as many as a dozen girls at one time for the trader to choose from. If the choice was made the balance oi the group returned and no hard fetilngs were 102 EAP.LY INDIAN HISTORY. ever engendered by the choice. If the trader refused or neglected to make a choice the first visit they would return again in the same man- ner a few days later, then if no choiee was made they would come only once more. In the mean- time they would not trade with him a single cent's worth, nor would they ever trade with him unless he took one of their women for his wife. If he had three times failed to choose his wife, and afterward repented because he had no tiade, he became a suitor and often had much difficulty in securing one. One time when girls were brought to a trader to select a wife from, I saw a trait in human nature whereby a person, by a certain boldness or assurance in their disposition can gain advan- tages over others without creating any enmity on che part of those over whom the advantage is gained, nicely exemplified. The chiefs had assembled with a dozen eligible maidens before the trading-house, but before the trader had made any sign or shown any disposition to make a choice, one of the girls darted into the cabin and began arranging the furniture, sweeping out the place and making herself perfectly at home. The balance of the party looked on with astonishment, and still their wonder was mingled with a sort of admiration for the bravery and assurance the girl had displayed. The chiefs and other maidens returned to their homes * without a word and waited to see what turn the affair would take. The trader at first seemed bewildered. The audacity of the girl as he at first thought, was inexcusable. Still he could P:ARLY INDIAN HISTOPV. • 1U3 not help but juliiiire tlie umnner in which she had eii!r explana- tion that I knew nothing of what kind of meat we were eating,- and that it was no joke played by me, he became perfectly cool, and after a week or so sent for the hide, which had been neatly tanned, and took it home with him, as he said, a reminder of the war dance and his dis- play of foolish anger. He returned to New Orleans after a few weeks and I heard from him several times in relation to trespassing matters, and in all his communications would mention the medicine dance, and was particular to enquire after the health of his "Queen of Poca- gemah. About this time Mrs. Boutwell left Pocagemah and joined a mission up the Missis- sippi, but the chief's daughter continued lier pur- suit of a white husband, in which she was sue- cesstui before the summer liad passed. In August, 1847, a man by the name of John Drake came to Pocagemah. Ho was a fine look- ing man and although his business was a whiskey 124 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. peddler, he worn the smiles of Colonel Sim's queen and married her. He started a whiskey shop near Knife Lake where he traded in steel tiaps and trinkets with the Indians. A man named Henry Rusk, who could talk some Chippewa, went into partnership with him so they would be able to trade. Quarrels and fights became frequent at their place and one or two shooting affairs. When Chief Bi-a-,jek heard how matters were going on at Drake's place, he took his wife and went there to make them a visit. As is the Indian custom in such cases they took along their wigwam and pitched it a short distance from Drake's house. They then went and called on the daughter and invited her to call upon them at their lodge. At this he objected and said she should never put her foot in their wigwam. He also said, through Rusk, that if the chief was not away from there before morning he would shoot him, for he did nOt propose to have any interference in his family affairs. The girl was offended at this remark and watching an opportunity, she stole away and went to the lodge of her parents. Drake soon discovered her absence and found out where she had gone and became fio angry that he took his rifle and fired a shot through the wigwam. It was now dark and Rush prevailed upon Drake to desist as he had threatened to kill the whole family. Rusk now had the gun and told Drake if he would be quiet and stay in the house he would go to the wigwam and fix up matters with the chief. When the shot was fired by Drake the three occupants of the lodge had skulked away EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 125 to the brush and the chief had taken a position behind a tree with his rifle to defend himself from any further attack, and as Rusk came out of the door gun in hand, so that Drake could not use it during his absence, the chief espied him by the light in the house and believing it to be Drake he fired at him,. inflicting a mortal wound As Drake now saw trouble ahead he quietly slipped away from the house, leaving everything behind him and reached my place just at daylight. He told me what had happened and wanted me to go and see to Rusk. I did so, taking with me three men. We ^'^und him just breathing his last. Drake k to the woods and I heard from him a month or so after- wards at Wood Lake where he had a quarrel over some steel traps. He afterward went to a wig- wam of the party with whom he had the quarrel, and not finding them drove the family from it and set it on fire. The Indian coming from the woods just then, where he had been hunting, see what Drake had done, hunted him up and shot him. A sort of an investigation was had over the affair which resulted in sending to the authorities at St. Croix Falls a report of justifi- able homicide, but nothing more was done about it. CHAPTER VIII. The Influence of Whiskey. — Its Degrading Effects. — Official Injustice. — The Climax TO the Traders' Stay Among the Indians. — What Followed their Departure. — Agents AND their Methods of Conducting Payments. — The Place where the First White Man's Cabin was Seen. I wish now to go back to the Bubject relatinS to the difference in the Indians' condition bef or^ and after the white man's appearance among them, for it is a subject that I am sure will be eagerly sought for and studied before many years liave passed, and that when it has been studied and fairly understood, the feeling that is now a general one among the people — which is if the Indians have been illused it is no more than they deserved, will be removed, and the blame for all the troubles tliat liave been made by Indians placed where it properly belongs ; EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 127 the unbiased judgment of the future will be that the Indians were found good and were made bad by white people, and that the condi- tion of things has not been one whit improved by white associates, but, on the contrary, has been degraded. Before their forced association with white people the standard of their morality, for gener- ations at least, and by tradition, had been most perfect and complete, as to the female por- tion of their tribes, but now it was assailed. The deadly fire-water (whiskey) was brought among them and virtue fell. Fathers and brothers saw that the example of the white people was far from the teachings of the missionaries, far from the truth and the pretentions of the traders and far from justice and right, if their early teachings had been correct. Thus the naturally quiet and peaceable minds of the Indian men were dis- turbed and they were further agitated by the upbraidings of their wives and families for hav- ing sold their lands and encouraging white peo- ple to come among them. Soon they realized the error they had made, and with them, as with all people, the feeling created by having made a Imd bargain, would not easily down. Promises of better times, of better clothing and being better fed were not fulfilled. Annuity payments were delayed or missed altogether, and the father who heretofore had been a ceaseless toiler for his home and family had become indo- lent, selfish and morose, and the few families who by reason of their connection with the trad ers though their daughters were better clothed 128 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. from the trader's goods or better fed from his larder, became the objects of envy of those less fortunate. From bad to worse matters went until the once peaceable and industrious race of a few years before had developed ijito an indolent, vicious and beggarly mob. But this was not all that was in store for them. When a trader had finished his stay among them, which he was sure to do when his trading from any cause became unprofitable or his riches were suflicient he would abandon his Indian wife and children and leave them for the Indians to support. I have known several instances where an Indian girl was the second time abandoned by these inhuman wretches and left to the care of her relatives, with additions to her first family. There is now scarcely a day that I do not meet and have occasion to converse with some of these same children, in many cases where their fathers are or have been prominent men, wealthy and respected. When I see a son or daughter of wealthy and respectable men, living as they do with the Indi- ans, the finger of scorn pointed at them, with no one to care for them on account of their Indian blood, or to protect them for their fath- er's sake, it is fa^r from a pleasant sight for me, and I feel called upon to relate at least one inci- dent which happened but recently and in which one of these daughters, now a woman perhaps thirty-five or thirty-six years of age, and the child of a man once a member of the cabinet of our country, was the central figure. She had once been married to a respectable half-breed, EARLY TNDIAX HISTORY. 129 who died Bliortly after their marriage, leaving her in poor circunistancee. A certain clasB of hoodlum white men — who^e presence has ever been a curse to the Indian — gained entrance to her home against her wishes, and with whiskey and unbecoming conduct caused reports to be circulated which ended in her being arrested for keeping a house of bad repute, aP because her Indian blood made it impossible for her to be heard or considered by her white neighbors. She w^as placed in Jail, where she remained some thirty days without trial. About the time of her arrest or a short time previous, there had been several white women arrested in the city for the same offense, but they were prosecuted under city ordinance, making the offense a fina- ble or jailable one, while the charge in her case was brought under the state statutes, which made the offense punishable in the state prison. There were then ciuite a number of half-caste people in the community who could read fairly well. They saw the discrimination and had seen it before, and they believed the disposition of the officers was not to give them fair play, and from the fact that I had been identified with the Indians for fifty-four years and from the further fact that I spoke their language, it was natural for them to come to me to be informed in this as well as in other matters, and they asked me Avhy this discrimination existed. Knowing they were aware of its existence, I told them the truth: "It is because you are Indians." In the case of this woman I went to the judge and district attorney and pleaded for 130 EARLY INDIAN HlJ^TURY. her. I told tliein I knew the woman well and had Binoe her birth, and alao knew her father; that he liad many time sent her presents through me and kei)t it up until lie died, but at hiy death an far I knew, he had made no provision for his daughther of the forest. I told them I did not think she should hav^e any greater punishment than the others, who had been arrested and prosecuted for a like ofTense, and thought the punishment she had already received was suf- ficient, and that she had no money and no one to defend her. I asked that she be allowed to go upon her promise to sin no more and when the prosecuting witness refused to testify against her if her punishment was to be greater than her white sisters' had been, the judge and dis- trict attorney .agreed to and did release her on her promise never again to give them occasion to arrest. The result is the woman is now liv- ing on the reservation and as far as I know has never given cause for another arrest. I have done all I could in the past to keep the Indians quiet, peaceable and satisfied, hoping that the government would some day take hold of the matter and right their wrongs, and wish to say without any desire to flatter myself in any way, that I have in the past had the good fortune to keep in check a number of uprisings among the Indians, which, without the counsel I gave them, would have resulted in butchery. I always gave them counsel when they were in proper moods and solder senses, and never when they were excited or intoxicated. I never sold an Indian a drop of liquor or helped them in any KAKLV INDIAN UISToKY. liU way to m'ocure it. I always dealt fairly with them aiid gave them as good bargains aa I would a white man. From my earliest recollection I have been more or less among the Indians, in fact the principal part of my life has been spent among them, first with the Cherokees, Choctaws and Creek nations in Tennessee and Georgia, and at the age of ten years I spoke the Cherokee lan- guage ]x'tter than the English. Leaving that part of the country at ten years of age, I never saw ranch more of those tribes. When fifteen years old I came north and have been with the Sac and Foxes — Black Hawk's people — the Sioux, Winnebagos, Potawatomies, Ottawas, Menominies and Chippewas, but since 1840 with the Chippewas most all the time, and have been brought up, as might be said, with their habits and customs. I readily learned the Chippewa tongue by being familiar with the language and signs of other tribes with whom I early associ- ated and within two years I had their language almost perfect, and from my earliest contact with Indians I learned that the best to adopt was truthf ulr ess and fair dealing, a ' 'do as you would be do c by" policy, as it was the true and only one that found favor with them. I never promised an Indian anything until I was posi- tive I could fulfill it. In this way I soon" had their confidence and friendship, and I must say I have ever found them the truest of friends and the most implacable enemies. A once prominent citizen of Ashland, and a resident of Bayfield at a time when a plan was 132 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. being matured by which a number of white men, through a deal they were contemplating with the Indians, coukl make a quantity of money, and after I had been informed of the plan and offered an interest in it, which I refused because I thought it was an unfair deal for the Indians, made a remark after I had left the room, which was: "I believe Armstrong would steal from a white man to give to an Indian." Afterward in conversation with this gentleman, I told him that his words had l)een given to me by one of the party and that I took no offense at the remark, but in very forcible language told hiin I w^ould under no circui.istances ''steal from an Indian to give to a white man." The Indians are a very quick-sighted people and have a memory that is traditional for its volume and they were not long in discovering that they were being unfairly treateti by the traders and others, and they reasoned in this way: These men are now our relatives by mar- riage to our sisters and we must make the best of it for the sake of this relationship. Under this way of looking at things matters continued for a number of years, and was borne by the Indians as the best way of getting along. But the climax came when the traders quit the country and left their families to the Indians' care. This led to family troubles. The aban- doned woman would go back to her family, where there were probably several children and dependent persons to support and only one or two men to hunt for their living. The addition to the perhaps already heavy burden was hard KARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 133 to Dear. The white race were curbed, family talks reBulted in aggrivating troubles that were already heavy enough. Division of sentiment in many cases led to bitter quarrels and blood- shed, and in some cases separation between man and wife, a thing unheard of until recent years. The abandoned women have, in many cases, lived to see their former husband mar- ried to white women, too proud even to speak to their wife or child of a few years before. I do not wish to reflect on any one or more per- sons to whom this may be personal but give it for history only. I give no man credit for mar- rying an Indian woman and claim he gains no honors by so doing, but I do claim that once he has married her he puts himself upon a level with her and really is no better than she and certainly the children are of his blood and he should at least see that they are cared for and educated instead of leaving them to grow up in ignorance with a I'ce he had voluntarily left as unfit for his association. Go upon the reserva- tions and one can see that of those people there now, not one fourth remain that have no white blood in their veins, and two thirds of this amal- gamation is traceable to those persons who located themselves among the Indians for the purpose of trading exclusively, Indian agents and government employes. It has always seemed to the Indians that the disposition of traders was purely selfish, and now they know that their only object in coming among them was to profit by and through their unskillialpess, and never had any intention of 134 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. dealing fairly and being honorable with them, myself also included with the victims, for cer- tainly I have been wronged diul swindled by this same class of men, who betrayed me after my confidence was gained. I wish now to say something of the conduct of Indian agents and the manner in which they have dealt with the Indians and to state f.icts that have come under my personal observation, and I wish to say in beginning this subject that but one agent, whose distribution I attended dealt fairly with and used no deception in his transactions with the Indians, and that was Agent Hayes, who was appointed by President Tyler. When he arrived with the annuities and after they had been placed in the ware- house, he sent for the chiefs and asked them to take their interpreter and the way bills and go through the warehouse and satisfy themselves that all packages called for by the bills were there, and all boxes, barrels, bales and bundles were checked before they were opened. A few packages were short and Mr. Hayes told the chiefs that when he came next time they should be added to their goods for another year. The packages were opened and the Indians were sat- isfied that all were there before anything further was done. The Indians were then enrolled and the goods were divided among them. First the goods were put in packages, dividing tliein equally — the paxjkageB for families and packag(3S for single persons were all put up and labeled with the name of the owner. Then the Indians were notified that the annuities were ready to > G 2 -^. ..Lid EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 135 be distributed, and would be on a certain day. One man at a time was let into the payment house, and he came as his name was called by the interpreter. When he entered lie was asked io touch the pen and his ,p;oods and money were handed to him. Tliis payment was con- ducted throughout without a jar or any troul:)le, and after the distribution was completed the chiefs were sent for and all the boxes, ])urlaps, and even the cordage was given to them, and quite a handful of money which was left owv, for where even change could not be made in all cases was given to le chiefs also, and they were told to divide it as they saw fit. The acts of Mr. Hayes all through the distribution were praiseworthy. He would explain, through the interpreter, the amount that was due, and count the Indian's money before him. The custom practiced before Mr. Hayes and after him was to allow the traders places by the pay table, especially the American Fur Co., with an open sack in which to take the money claimed to be due them from the Indians and as soon as an Indian had touched the pen tlie bill against this Indian was handed to the agent and the money poured into the traders' sack, and the bill was generally enough to cover the Indian's dues. But at tliis payment the S(^heme did not work, the agent told tlie traders before- hand that he was not there to pay traders, l)ut to pay Indians, and if they had bills to collect they must do so outside the payment house door, as he would not be a party to a division of the Indians' money. He also had the inter- I • 136 EARLY INDIA:^f HISTORY. preter explain to the Indians, that the great father had sent him to pay them and he hoped if they owed these traders any honest debts they would pay them, bnt he should not allow the traders to impose upon them and take money that was not their due. Had the manner of doing business that was adopted by Mr. Hayes been commenced and carried out in making payments a great deal of trouble would have been avoided and the strong- est point of Indian objection to the traders would not have existed. But Mr. Hayes never came back to make another payment and the old ways were again adopted. His way of doing business did not suit the traders and charges were preferred against him, one of which was that he drank too much. The charges were made so strong, whether truthfully or not the public can conjecture, that he was removed from the position and Doctor Livermore appoint- ed in his place, who seemed to satisfy the Amer- ican Fur Co. much better, although the Indians were much displeased. Following Livermore came John S. Waters, of whom I have spoken previously, then H. C. Gilbert was appointed and still no improvement. The next to follow was Silas Drew, of Indiana, then L. E. Webb, of La Crosae; after him came Asaph Whittlesey, who took charge of the office a few montha but who was not confirmed by the Senate. Col. John H. Knight superceded him but his appoint- ment was not confirmed and he too served only a few months. After him came Maj. Clark, of the army; then came Doctor Mahan, and it was ■Rl EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 137 during liis administration that the treaty of 1854 expired and since that time I do not care to giay what agents have or have not done, as it is of recent date and within reach of any who care to look it up. I will now refer to the Modoc troublet^^ a little, as 1 had a friend, Col. Ben. Green, a cousin of mine, there at the time, who sent me full par- ticulars, of the affair, diagrams of the country, and other matters pertaining thereto. I do not care to enter into details as to the orders issued by Gen. Canby to tl)e Modocsasthey are already in history, but will say that he was informed beforehand that if the orders issued were attempted to be carried out without first giving the Indians a chance to be heard, there would be serious trouble, as the Indians had good rea- sons to assign for not wishing to remove to the reservation which had been set apart for them. It seems Canby did not take kindly to this advice but took steps to carry out the orders he had issued, and the Indians, who knew of his coming with troops to eject them, ambuslied the troops. Gen. Canby being killed [and the Lava Bed (jampaign began. The death of Gen. Canby as now in history may differ from this as to the place and the manner in which he was killed, but I got this account from a disinterest- ed eye-witness. I have no doubt but that the , Indians in that campaign were misled by Capt. Jack and others for the notoriety and gain there was in it, they not thinking or perhaps not car- ing for the consequences such an affair might produce. As a rule but one side ol Indian war 138 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. stories getto the public and that i« the side that comes from and through the parties most inter- ested, and this accounts for the deep-seated hatred which everywhere exists for the red man, but it is my fixed opinion that before many years have pawsed a. great change in i)ublic opin- ion will take place; the Indians will be credited ' with having had an abundance of honor in their primitive days and a heap of [ibuse since. I I will now give spac^e to a clipping from "The Minneapolis Journal" of February 4th, 18j)1, entitled "Some Indian History": "I see the people are making a great fuss over Gen. Miles," said a prominent Dakota man to a Journal reporter recently. "When he returned to the 'World's Fair City' the bands greeted him playing "See the Conquering Hero Comes"; he was banquetted and nearly all the prominent citizens made speeches lauding his masterly con- duct of the Indian campaign. It is possible that there is something of a political nature in all this buncombe, but it is to be hoped that the country will not allow itself to be deceived with regard to the recent Indian uprising. Greneral Miles is praised for his sagacity in averting one of the bloodiest Indian Avars ever known to the history of this country. This statement ig absurd and a calm and impartial investigation of the facts will prove my assertion. Without entering into the fact that the government has shamefully treated the Sioux Indians and that they were half starved and illy-clothed, the fact remains that there was no uprising whatever. The "ghost-dance", so-called, was nothing more EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 1B9 than^a half-crazy religious exciteiiioiit, and liad the Indian bureau placed a brave and compe- tent man in charge of the Pine Kidge agency, there would have been no need of (uilling out the military whatsoever, ^ven after (tcu. Miles' army arrived there, if we may take tlie word of the most noted Indian 8(50uts, notably that of Maj. J. M. Burke, who is a sort of a white chief among the Ogalla Sioux, the troubleniighthave been averted. Burke says emphatically that Col. Cody (Buffalo Bill) could easily have suo ceeded in inducing Sitting Bull to go with him peaceably, and tluit had he been allowed to carry out his program there woidd have l)een no Wounded Knee fight and no bloodshed. You must have noticed that Gen. Miles or the Indian department gave strict orders against allowing the chiefs who were taken to Wash- ington to talk to anybody. Inasmuch, however, as they have gone to the capitol to hold a pow- wow with the government, I do not care to talk about the matter or to have my name mentioned, but if you want to hear the other side of the story you should interview some person who is connected with the Indians and who knows their grievances. Hunt up Gus. Beaulieu, of your own state. He had charge of all the trea- ties here and has represented the Chippewas in all their land deals. He may have an interest- ing story to tell you." Gus. Beaulieu, who is a resident of St. Paul, and who is widely known among all the Indian tribes of the northwest, when found, said: - "The whole truth of this sad business will PI 1 tl!! I I' 140 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. come out some dfiy and when it does some of the events that preceded the Custer massacre and led up to tliat bloody butchery will startle the country. I tliink ij was in April, 1870, and something like two months previous to the annihilation of Custer's command, that Miles and his soldiers rushed in one day upon an Indian village in Montana and killed every man, woman and child in it. Bucks, sciua,,ws and pappooses were shot down without mercy. There were between 200 and 800 Indians killed. The village was far from the railroads and the tele- graph, and information of the horrible affair did not reach the government and the people until after the Custer massacre, and then, of course, the public mind was so occupied with that butchery that no attention was paid to the previous massacre of the Indians. When the Sioux met Custer they expected no quarter and gave none. Even had the whole truth about the outrage committed by Miles and his soldiers been known at the time no action would have been taken, such was the excitment and preju- dice against the red men. Here in Minnesota when the Mille Lac reservation was opened to settlement, Indian Commissioners Marty, Rice and Whiting made a treaty with the Chippewas in which each Indian was promised land in sev- eralty Bishop Marty, one of the commissioners, gave me the treaty to interpret. I then told the Indians that in my opinion they were transfer- ing all their rights to these lands. Bishop Mar- ty and Commissioners Rice and Whiting were asked to hold up their hands and swear that if ^smammatimm EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 141 the Indians filed on these lands for homsteads, their rights vvould be observed the same as wliite men. This the commissioners swore to. After- wards wliite men filed on the lands that had been taken by members of the Chippewa tribe and when the matter was referred to the se(^re- tary of the Interior tliat official decided that the Indians had no rights whatsoever. "Why is it that you or some person for the Indians have not made complaint to the Pres- ident r ' ' That is precisely what is now being arivanged for. The Indians through the entire northwest have agreed to send representatives to some point not as yet designated, to collect data and facts regarding the Miles outrage in Montana, the starvation at Pine Ridge, Cheyenne and Rose Bud agencies, and the failure of the gov- ernment everywhere to keep treaties. This council will be held as soon as practicable and certain chiefs will be designated to go on to Washington to present all the facts, their wrongs and grievances, and more especially to expose the whole truth in regard to the outrage committed before the Custer massacre. " After this interview with Beaulieu I got a let- ter from him in relation to other matters as well as this interview, and he says he was misquoted as far as to the name of the commanding officer at the Indian massacre in Montana. He said his information was hear-say to a great extent, and that the officer commanding at the massa- cre of the Indian village was Gen. Baker. When the Modoc hostilities began I saw the i42 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. opp;)i'tuuity for which I had h3ng been watch- ing, of taking a band of Indiana eawtto show them the great white nation and what civiliza- tion really wan, and attheBametime be engaged in a paying pnranit. Under an aHsnmed name, to cover the nationality of the Indians I had with me, which I represented as Modoc, I made the trip. I collected a party of six (jf the most intelligen.t of any Indian people in this section, five of them young and active men and one an old and experienced chief. We left Lake Superior in the early part of November, 1874, and went on foot to Eau Claire, Wis., there took train for Boston, only stopping one day at Niagara Falls, showing them the sights. The old chief had been there before, however, when he was a boy. While in Boston I had an offer from a theatrical manager of $5, 000 for a three month's engagement at a thea- tre there, l)ut as that would prevent [me from showing my people what I set out to show them, I declined the offer and took a train for Man- chester, New Hampshire, intending to go about as far east as possible and then work my way west, stopping at all principal cities. When we arrived in Manchester I met the manager of a large show named E. S. Washburn, whose show was named "Washburn's Last Sensation," and was constantly traveling over the eastern states and was then going through Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania. 1 thought this the best opportunity of showing my people the great wonders of the east and at warn EARLY INDIAN IIISTORV. 143 the Pame time of keeping up expenses and accepted an of!er from liim. Tlie combination then consisted of t'orty-fonr persons and we traveled with him eight months. I showed the Indians all the mann factories possibkj and witli them examined all objects of interest that came in onr way. Whenever we stopped over night and especially over Snnday we were vis- ited by a great nnniber of people and the con- versation naturally tnrned upon the subject of the Modoc war I avoided as much as possible to assign reasons or the probable cause of the uprising, more especially because I found that great prejudice existed everywhere in the east against the Modoc people, and against all Indi- ans in general, and it would not be policy for me to speak in their favor, or even to infer that they possibly might have been in ^tlie right in that uprising, At one of these meetings where a goodly num- ber of people were gathered, a gentleman whom his companions called captain, related to me briefly his experience in an overland trip" to California. Before making his start he said he was particular to provide himself with a very fine rifle, as it was possible he might want to practice his markmanship on Indians before he got through. On a certain morning while on his journey, somewhere in Utah, himself and one other started ahead of the Jcaravan to look for antelope or other game, and after traveling a few miles he espied a squaw with a back-load of wood, which she soon laid down, as he sup- I [ 144 EAULY INDIAN HISTORY. powed, lo rent, and sat upon it. Thinking tliin a good opportunity to try liin marksmanship, lie hneh'd Ids trusty rifle and fired, 'ilie ^ii'l (b'opptHl from the pile of wood and he remarked to lii^' companions that her posterity would nmer s(*alp wliite people. An old K^'idleman in the party tlien asked: "Captain, did they fol- low you, or what happened next f ' The (cap- tain answered : ''No, they did not follow us and we saw no more of fhem," )uit, said he, ''I heard, after getting to California, that the car- avan that was following in our wake and a few days in our rear, were attacked near that place and the whole party slain, " and then added : ''Gentlemen, you see what a savage nature and brutal instinct those Indians had, to surround that caravan and kill the party. " I could hold myself no longer, whether it was policy or not, and said: ''Suppose a band of Indians were passing through your country here and one of them should deliberately and without cause shoot one of the women in your neighborhood, is there a man in this house or in this city that would n()t jump for his gun to avenge that mur- der T Turning to the captain, I said: "Your language shows, whether your story be true or not, that your natural disposition is to commit just such an attrocity as you have mentioned, whenever an opportunity should present itself, and you can resent these words of mine or not as you please." But he did not resent it and I stated then that this very act o^f this self-con- fessed murderer, and similar act*g of others had always been and still were the cause of all Iffl! JL EARLY INDIAN illSTORY. 145 troubles with Indian tribes. Here is a fair example of many others where the real murderer escaped, but the consequences of his act was vis- ited in a ten-fold manner upon the heads of innocent and defenseless parties. This dastardly and unprovoked assault upon an innocent and harmless woman had caused a wail of woe to go up from many a broken home, and the Indians must bear the stigma as a people, when by right it belongs at this man's door. There was con- siderable agitation in the meeting at my remarks, but it broke up without any open rupture. One more incident that occurred upon this trip which is in connection with a tradition giv en in a former chapter, I wish to mention. We stopped over one Sunday in Springfield, Mass., and I took the Indians out for an airing, as we usually took tramps on Sundays. We went six or eight miles up the Chicopee River to Chicopee Falls, where the old chief fell behind the party and when I first noticed him he was intently surveying the surrounding country. I asked him at what he was looking and he replied : ' 'I have many times heard Buffalo tell you of the experience his great-grand-father had with the first white man he ever saw, and I believe from the description that this is about the place. If I could get over to the other side I could satisfy myself in an hour or two." We crossed over and the old man made a thorough survey of the whole locality and when he returned, said to me: >"This is the place." He told me that he had found signs of a burying ground and that there had some day been a har(t battle fought i 1 146 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. there, either between whites and Indians or between two tribes of Indians, and was quite sure from the signs that one of the burying grounds was that of the Algonquin tribe, but could find no monuments to indicate any par- ticular persons that were buried there. After we had returned home the talk for the next six months was concerning the sights they had seen in the east and one incident connected with these talks, was when the old chief was asked how many white people he saw on the trip. A-f ter a short hesitation replied : ' ' Go down along this fence to that tree," pointing it out, "then to such another point; thence to such a rock, and back here" — I judged there was six acres in the tract, — "and then count the blades of grass that are growing there and that number will give you some idea of the num- ber of white people I saw." «%' o ^ "^ a K z K X c z c W o ?! ■< I >^ O CHAPTER IX. The Mound Build5:rs and Ground House Peo- ple. — The Origin of the Chippewas. — Early Missionaries. — Early Associations and Inci- dents. — Watermelons. — An Indian Execu- tion. — Blackhawks' Capture. Among the moat interesting matters to whicli I have listened while with the Indians is their tradition and belief regarding the earliest inhab- itants that lived in this country, the trend of whicli is that two distinct races of people, were upon the earth before the Indians were,— the Mound Builders and Ground House People, — though many of the most intelligent believe that the two races were upon earth at the same time. Their opinion and belief, however, is founded upon tradition, and what they can see upon tlm face of the earth. The mounds that are familiar to many oi us, are supposed by most people t ) be of many years standing. The Indi- ans have no tradition concerning their origin 1 h !i Hi' I II 148 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. and are as much in the dark as we are as to whom or by what race they were built. I am aware that this does not agree with many eminent historians and there are many educated people who have made deep researches, who believe they were of Indian construction, but I have talked scores of times Avith old Indi- ans upon this point and am satisfied that they knew nothing of them, nor have they any tra- dition that the people who did build them were like themselves in any particular, ]:)ut believe whoever they were that they were exterminated by a conquering foe or destroyed by a pestilence. Nor have they any idea of their origin but do believe tliat it has been many thousand years since their race began. The race or tribe from which Buffalo decended were Algonquins. He had tradition covering that i)oint. The first mention I can find of this tribe in history is in 1615, on the River St. Law- rence, and no Indian could ever tell me any- tliing of tradition that I could make out to be farther back than that date. A few years sub- sequent to this I find them at Sault St. Marie and Father Marquette with them as a mission- ary, and at this time they are mentioned as the Northern Algonquins, from which I infer that more of the same tribe were further south. In 1641, according to "Sadlier," we find the Jesuits among the Chippewas at Sault St. Marie, Fathers Ryambault and Joques in charge, and in this account he says: "Father Ryam- bault was well versed in the Algonquin customs and language and Father Joques was an adept in 1 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 149 tilt) Huron tongue. It was at this time that the Jesuites first heard that the far-famed Sioux dwelt only eighteen days further west — warlike tribes with fixed abodes — cultivators of maize and tobacco and of an unknown race and lan- guage." Again Sadlier says : "On the death of Father Joques the war broke out anew, the fierce Iroquois desolated the lands of the Hurons, drove the northern Algonquins from the shores of the lakes and slew the French and their allies under the very walls of Quebec, " and again he says " in 1656 a projected mission to Michigan was frustrated through the cruelty of some pagan Iroquois. Thither, however, in 1660, at the entreaty of the Algonquins, was sent Father Menard, a survivor of the Huron mission, and the companion of Joques and Breboruf and four years thereafter Father Allonez (Alway) founded a mission at the further extremity of Lake Superior, and in 1668 Father Allonez with Fathers Marquette and Dablon founded the mis- sion at St. Mary, the oldest European settlement within the present limits of the state of Michi- gan." The same authority says that "in 1669 Father Allonez founded Green Bay and that Father Marquette founded Mackinaw in 1671." These are the last accounts I find of the Algon- quins from whom Buffalo descended and it must have been about this time that the Algonquins were merged into and became a part of the Chip- pewa people — about 230 years ago. As to the tradition of the Indians in regard to Mound Builders I quote from Gerard Fowke: "The chroniclers of DeSoto's expedition mention 150 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. many villages of the Scrliellakees (Cherokees) in whieli the houses stand on tlie mounds erected by those people and describe the method of their formation. The French accounts of the Natchez Indians tell us that the king's house stood on a high mound with tli^^ dwelling of the chiefs on smaller mounds about it — when a king died his successor did not occupy the house of the deceased but a new one was erected on which he fixed his abode." It is conceded by a majority of students that many, if not most of the earth- works of w^estern New York and the adjacent portions of Ohio and Pennsylvania were built by tlie Iroquois and allied tribes. Even Squire admitted this tow^ards the last. At the foot of Torch Lake near Traverse Bay, Michigan, are two mounds which an old Indian told me were erected, one by the Chippewas and the other by the Sioux over their respective warriors slain in a fight near there, about a century back. Near the north line of Ogemaw County, in the same state, are some small mounds built over their dead by the Indians, who lived there until a few years since. Some lumbermen opened one of them some years ago and taking t\vo skeletons ran a pole through the chest of each, to which they fastened the bones and then tied them to a tree with a piece of bread between the teeth of one and an old pipe in the fleshless jaws of the other. The Indians soon discovered what had been done and hunted several days for the despoilers of their kinsmen's graves, swearing to take their lives ifthey should find them. A few other mounds in this section of country are said mtaaa KARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 151 to have been put up by the Sioux and the Chip- pevvaB and one, at least, by the Iroquois. Great stress is laid on the fact that in the same mound may be found "mica from North Carolina, copi)er from Lake Superior, shells from the Gulf of Mexico and obsidian from the Rocky Mountains, "and this is supposed to indi- cate, in some undefined manner, superior pow- ers and intelligence. Cameron says the Cliippe was informed him they formerly carried copper to the south and east to exchange for such small articles as other Indians had in those directions for barter, going sometimes as far as the coast of Virginia. On inquiring of them whether the old Chippewas, that is those of previous genera- tions, had worked the ancient mines, he was told they had not. That the mines were there before the Chippewas came into the country and the latter obtained their supplies by gathering up fragments where they could find them, or by clipping off pieces with their hatchets from nug- g - or boulders that were to be found in vari- ous places. Here the writer of this work will give a few points in his experience in Wisconsin in quite an early day. I came to Jefferson County, Wis., in June, 1847, with my father's family from Madison County, New York, a lad of seven years of age, and vfell I remember the Indians of that time in that part of the country. The tribe were Potawatomies, and the name of their chief was Ke-was-kum. They were peacable and friendly and lived at this time on the eastern shore of Lake Koshkonong. Within three , 1 ii 152 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. dayB after our settleiiieiit on the farm four Indi- aiiB came to the house, and seeing some bread that mother had ,j ast taken from the oven, gave father signs that they wanted some. He gave them a loaf. The next morning before the sun was up the family were awakened by a rapping on a window — all were frightened and the first thing we thought of was bad Indians. Father went out and found two Indians with a pickerel on a pole between them on their shoulders, the tail of which touched the ground. They .soon made father understand that the fish was in payment for the bread he had given them the day before, and their manner showed that they were thankful besides. On another occasion a few years later, a few came to our house one day in autumn, and my brother and self gave them some watermelons to 3at. They saw the patch from which we got them ; that it Avas large and that there were plenty of melons there, and made father understand that they wanted more, to which he assented, and they soon went away. The next day about noon Ke-was-kum and about forty of his people, men, women and children, with twenty ponies, came down the lane and made known their errand. They wanted mel- ons. Father motioned them ahead and the patch was soon well covered with Indians and with sacks to carry on their ponies like s'^ Idle- bags, made of rushes woven together with oark, they were soon well supplied, having as many melons as their sacks would hold, and they had not forgotten to bring saddle-bags for each pony. The patch was stripped, but their joy over their EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 153 good luck was very iiiucli appreciated by us cliildreii, and ten times more than the melons were worth. They were the happiest forty peo- ple I ever saw at one time. It was only a few days after our arrival on the farm that I heard a man say to my father, "You ought to have been here about a month earlier. We had an Indian execution down to the river." He then went on to tell how it was done and what it was for. It seems that one Indian had killed another by shooting him from the opposite side of the river. Court martial was held and the culprit sentenced, on ' ' the eye for an eye" plan. He was sent to the spot where his victim had stood, and at a signal from the chief, the executioner, who was a brother of the deceased, raised his rifle and at the same time, said the relator, the Indian to be shot lield open his blanket and like a martyr, stood and took the shot that quickly sent him to the happy hunting grounds. I have many times been upon these banks, whicli are about one-half a mile above where Rock River enters Lake Koshkonong. The right bank of this river is the identical place where Gen. Atkinson cornered Blackhawk in the campaign against him and from where he escaped in the night, not to be again overtaken until he had reached the point of his capture near x^rairie du Chien. This is Blackhawk Island, so-called, although not an island, but a peninsula between the river and a set back of the lake on the west and called "Stinker Bay." On both side^ of Lake Koshkonong are many ' ^' 'ill 154 KAKLV INDIAN HISTORY. mounds built in cliliereiit shapes — two I remem- ber, one turth; shaped and one representing a man lying upon the ground with liis arms out- stretched. These two mounds jire on the east shore of the lake and the highest portion of them not more than fiv(^ feet a])ove the level of the ground around them. The Indians made this lake their spring and autumn home for a num- ber of years after I knew the place coming reg- ularly in the fall to gather wild rice which abounded there. I have seen them often gath- ering this rice whicli they do in a canoe, one squaw paddling the ])oat and moving it along as desired and the squaw in the bow bends over the plants and with a stick whii)S out the ker- nels into the canoe. Many have tried time and again to get from the Indians some knowledge by tradition of the mounds surrounding this lake, but as far as 1 ever heard in the twelve years I lived there it never could be done. They claimed to know nothing about them. I used to think they did and w^ould not reveal it, but in late years I have come to the conclusion that like ourselves, they found them when they came and know no moj e of their origin than we do. On the banks of this lake in 1847 and until the plow had obliterated were plainly to be seen the corn rows and hills of the aborigines. The Indians of whom I speak did not till the soil. They lived on meat, wild rice and fish. I have picked many arrow heads on my father's farm at and near a little lake there was upon it and the surroundings in that part of the country Hi RMW| I— ( C e I EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 155 plainly show that for iriany years it had been the home of a pre-historic race." As here has been much history written in regard to mounds having been built by ancient Indians and some by more modern tribes, I wish to add the knowh^dge I have gained by associar tion with the Cliippewa tribe, and to say that during my long experience with tliem I liave become satisfied that neitlier the present Chip- pewas nor their predecessors as far l)ack as their traflition goes, knew anything whatever of tlieir origin or how they came to exist. I know tlieir mode of burial for many years back and if it had Ijeen changed from any other mode for a number of generations, 1 should have found it out. They liave always claimed simply to know nothing concerning them. They did not use them for houses or luirial places ; never wor- shiped them or in any manner paid any more attention to them than they did to any other hill or mountain around them. I have met many people who think the Indians know all about them, but by reason of their great love for their dead, and fearing the gi'aves would be desecrated if they should divulge the secret, they will not tell, and some claim or effect to believe that the secrets of the mounds are religious and therefore sacred. »» ill i CHAPTER X. Excitement Among the Whites and Indians OF Lake Supekior. — Origin of the FaIi-FaMed Ghost Dance. — Was a Half Crazy j.lELiGid(js Teaching. I will now relate feonie circumstances wliicli connect themselves, in an indirect way, with the interview with Grus. Beaulieu, printed iii the "Minneapolis Journal" of Feb. 4th, 1891, given in a previous chapter. It war, in the spring of 1878 I think, that con- siderable excitement was caused in and around Ashland, Wisconsin, over a report in circulation that Indians were danoiiig and having pow- wows further west and were working their way toward the reservations in this part of the coun- try. Settlers came to me at different times to inquire if I knew or could tell the cause of it, kuejwing that i was familiar with the language and could give the information if any one could. All I could tell them was that I had heard of something of the kind going on in Minnesota jii EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 157 and that they were moving toward this state. The next I heard of them they were within one hundred miles of Ashland ; that the party were performing and teaching a new kiad of dance. I resolved to meet them and did so when they were about twenty mil^ from Ashland, at a place where the Court O'Rielles trail crosses White River. When I arrived they were pre- paring their camp for the night. There were between sixty and seventy in the party which consisted of a young Sioux girl and her interpre- ter, the balance being made up of Chippewas from this immediate vicinity. Before I had a chance to talk with a'ly of them their camp was completed and the dance began, which I watch- ed with much interest, it being the first of the kind I had ever seen and to see it had been my object in meeting them. About the time the dance had been completed I got an opportunity to talk with an Indian I knew and he pointed out the Sioux girl and said there would soon be an opportunity for me to talk to her. As soon as the ceremonies were ended I had a talk with her, through her interpreter, who was a half-breed Chippewa. She represented herself to be of the Sioux tribe and a member of a band of the tribe that were massacred by Custer's aimy on the Little Big Horn, about May, 1876, in which all her people were killed except her- self; that she saved herself by jumping into the water on the approach of the soldiers and hiding herself by clinging to roots and bushes of an overhanging tree or upturned root until the slaughter was over and she could make her ' < 158 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. escape ; that she was in the water about twenty hours ; that she reached a band of her tribe and told them the story. Whether the girl was crazed by l^e events and her mind shattered by the awful trial and exposure she endured, 1 do not know but she sai^ that spirits had told her she must teach a new dance and to teach it to all the Indian tribes ; that she had taught her own tribes and had come to this reservation to teach. She taught that the Indians must put away the small drum they had always used and make a larger one and stop their Avar and pipe dances and ])ractiee only the one she was teach- ing. She said the small" drum was no longer large enough to keep away the bad spirit and the larger one must be used on all occasions. Her nation, the Sioux, she said, had given up all other dances since tiie massacre of her own little band. We can all readily imagine under those circumstances and the excitement of those times liow readily the Sioux took to this new dance. They were ready to accept anything of a spirit- ual nature at that time and took to the teach- ings of this girl as readily as they would to a manifestation from the sky. Knowing the Indi- an dispostion so well I b:vav how quickly they would fly to this new ider^. All Indians believe in a hereafter, not a single infidel was ever know^n among them, and t^^e sooner they get to the happy hunting grounds the better it will suit them. With these ideas they prepared for war. The recent slaughter of all the people 'in that village led them to believe that the white soldiers intended to exterminate '■ Sl. f EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 159^ them as soon as possible, and tliey were in daily expectation of another raid, and were well pre- pared for their coming so that when Custer's command came in their sight and went into camp they watched their every move, and when their pickets were thrown out tlie Indians fell back enougli to allow them to post, and when it was dark they crawled upon the pickets and soon dispatched them with clnbs and hatchets and then proceeded to the camp where the main body of Custer's men were and put them to their final sleep. This I give as it was related to me by a mixed blood of the Sioux own peo- ple. From the date the girl gave in telling of the slaughter of her band and until the massacre of Custer the SiOux had been gathering all small parties together and in one army awaited and expected another attack from the white sol- diers and when Custer's command came within their reach they were well organized, and, as my informant told me, had a great many warriors. I have met from time to time since the Custer horror a number of persons who at that time lived among the Sioux, some of whom were white men whom I always believed were rene- grade confederates of the rebellion that went there for the purpose of stirring up strife if they could. One Ulan in particular, whose name I did not learn, but was a soutliern man, which I could readily detect by his speech, corroborated in every particular the manner in which the Cus- ter command were annihilated as related to me by the eye ^\dtness. The girl who represented herself to me as the 160 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. . sole survivor of that village massacre, remained here among the Chippewas some days and the ^ last I heard of her she was going further west among the Crow and other tribes, teaching as she claimed, by the advice and direction of spirits, what is now known as the "ghost dance. " vm CHAPTER XL SouscE OF THE MISSISSIPPI. — It Arises From Thousands of Crystal-Like Springs. — The Indians of that Country in 1842. — The Indian AND the Moose. During the winter of 1841, an nncle of mine, who was then a resident of St. Louis, made a proposition to start me in the trading iDusiness, provided I could locate a place outside of the Hudson Bay and American Fur Company's ter- ritory, to which there would be some means of getting supplies to, and also of shipping furs from, and for this purpose I made a trip up the Mississippi. I picked two of the best guides I could find to accompany me during the trip. Our little party, which consisted solely of my- self and guides left Focagamah Lake, Minn., about the first of May in the spring of 1841, taking very little pro\ isions of any kind. When we started we only had enough to last two or three days, with the exception of salt, and per- per, which I took for my own meats and had a 162 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. sufficient quantity for the trip. We depended wholly on our guns, with which I had provided the Indians, they carrying shot guns and my- self a rifle, each carrying his own ammunition, of which we had plenty. We were continually on the look-out for game, for we were careful to keep our larder supplied with at least one day's provisions, which was an easy matter as game was plentiful and one need go but a short distance for want of a shot at a deer or any smaller game, while traces of the elk, moose, carriboo and bear were frequently met with. The route we traversed going up I cannot describe, there being no surveys of any kind, but we went up on the east side of the Missis- sippi the whole distance only seeing the river twice on the trip, keeping into the woods for several miles, my guides telling me it was far the best part of the country to travel through to avoid lakes, rivers, marshes, etc. , which we would otherwise be obliged to cross. The whole country was then inhabited by Indians, whom we met frequently on- the route, who were then dressed in their native ways. The guides I took from Pocagemali Lake led m. somewhat astray, taking me considerably to the northeast of my destination, and we arrived at the Lake of the Woods about twenty-eight days after starting. Here we found that we were out of our course and not, as I supposed, anywhere near the Mississippi. At this infor- mation I determined to procure a new guide, , which I did, w^ho went through with me to Lake , Itasca, and told me that this was as far upas^ EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 163 any white man had ever been. This guide was a man about thirty-five or forty years of age, and was born and brought up between Lake of the Woods and the head of the Mississippi, and had trapped and hunted over the entire country. Just before arriving at Lake Itasca we came upon an Indian camp, of five or six lodges or families, and stopped there with them over night. Here I found another Indian pretty well along in years, who must have been up- wards of fifty, and who was more familiar with the country around the head of the Mississippi than the former guide claimed to be. In listen- ing to the conversation in the lodges that night, between the guide who brought me through from Lake of the Woods and our host, who was the old gentleman spoken of before, I found him giving my former guide many directions, and concluded he was thoroughly acquainted with the country. He described a river as com- ing into and another small lake just above Itasca, the source of which was the dividing ridge between the waters flowing east and west, the outcome of which was that I employed the old man to go along with me, and also to fur- nish a canoe, leaving the first two guides be- hind to remain and hunt for the folks in camp till we should have returned. Soon after leaving camp with the old gentle- man he told me he could take me to the head waters of the Mississippi if I cared to go there. This was not my object in making the trip, but when I found it would be impracticable to start I i 'I' 164 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. a trading post, there being no means of trans- portation, I determined to get acquainted with the whole country, hence my visit to the head waters of the Mississippi. After exploring the river thoroughly as we proceeded up stream, which took considerable time, we at last launched our canoes on the waters of Lake Itasca, which had for more than a century been considered the head waters of the Mississippi River. The Indians from that country disputed the long standing supposition that Itasca was its head waters, and said that there was another lake and another stream farther up, the stream being fed entirely by springs, of crystal-like appearance, and that they were positive that the stream at the head of this little lake was the head waters of the Mississippi, to confirm which I explored the whole country thoroughly. After goiiig through Lake Itasca we Avere compelled to abandon our canoes, and proceed on foot. This w^e were obliged to do, the stream being so filled up with drift-wood as to make it slow work to get a canoe ahead. In going up this stream we made it a point to explore on both sides. The distance traveled after leaving Lake Itasca I cannot give accurately, it being so long ago, but it must have been considerable, it having occupied quite a time, and can only estimate it. It was probably between twenty and twenty- five miles. • Just after leaving Lake Itasca we came to a widening of the river which my guide told me was sometimes called a lake. This was not EAKLY INDIAN HISTORY. ' 165 more than three or four miles above Itasca. About twenty miles beyond this we beheld one of the most beautiful little lakes in the whole country, it being suirounded by hundreds of small springs, in fact it is almost entirely fed by springs, having a stream at the furtlier end which has its source in these crystal-like springs. Some of these springs are up far on the sides of the divide or yidge. These lay at the foot of an immense hill, the highest, it appeared of any on the whole ridge, as far as the eye could see. We ascended this hill, and from its summit could view the surrounding country for many miles. After reaching the summit of this lull, the Indian with me from that part of the coun- try told me we had reached the head waters of the Mississippi, where no white man had been to his knowledge and since that time I cannot content myself W'ith history which makes Itasca the source of the Mississippi. From the summit of this hill the land couid be seen drop- ping off to the east and south, but seemed to be low^est lying south, and from the fact that this stream had its sourse in these crystal-like springs at the foot of and up the sides of the hill, I concluded that the Indians were right in saying that this was the true source of the Mis- sissippi. All of these small lakes were filled with the finest speckled trout I ever had the good fortune to see. From the top of "the hill to wdiich the Indians took me at the head of the small stream which runs into this little lake above Itasca, the sight . : i' iii llii'l i ,! I. I 11 166 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. was the most grand of anything I ever wit nessed. The surface of the earth seemed descending as far as the eye could reach and the landscape was beautiful. For some time afterward I intended making another visit there for the purpose of taking notes and getting maps to present to my uncle for writing it up, but before another opportun- ity offered my uncle died and I was blinded and the trip I had intended for the interest of myself and others had to be abandoned. This trip to a country where moose were then plentiful brings to mind a short story of the attempted capture of one of these animals on Chequamegon Bay. Quite early in the forties, I think it was in '43, there lived on the banks of Fisli Creek, a small stream which empties into the head of Chequamegon Bay, near the present city of Ashland, Wis., an Indian lamed Da-cose and his wife. They were childless and lived apart from the Chippewa tribe, to which he belonged, by reason of his eccentric nature. He was a lazy, indolent and selfish man and at Fish Creek game was plentiful and a greater quantity and a greater variety could be more easily obtained than in any other section of country that he knew of. In case of an invasion by the warlike Sioux he would temporarily move his abode and join the tribe and would remain among them until the battle had been fought or the scare was over when he would invariably return to Fish Creek miL^ieamaBiiiM EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. ' 167 which for many yearn had been their permanent home. I knew thin family very well. The old man was lazy and improvident throughout hia whole diypoyitioii and was oiivi of that ckiHH of people whom we often meet that neem to think the world oweB them a living whether they ntrive for it or not. Hiw wife, on the contrary, was of directly the opposite nature. 8he was a hard worker, always 1)Ui-iy and industrious. She tended the fish nets, set and attended the snares and traps for larger game and fur bearing ani' mals, and in fact was a whole family in herself, and as is the nature of such peoi)le slie often com- plained to the old man of his selfish nature and reminded him that only for her care and watch- fulness for their welfare they would have noth- ing to eat or wear, and as the old man believed his ways were right and that it was folly and useless to fret about the future, and from the fact that a wife among the Indians was only expected to be seen and not heard, he never took kindly to her advisory way of making remarks to him and these differences in their general makeup led frequently to hot Avords and petty quarrels, tliough I never knew that the old man ever allowed himself to chastise his wife for her interference with his superior posi- tion in the family, but it was an almost daily occurrence for him to chide her for her fretful- ness and to him her uncongenial disposition. He was always satisfied with his lot and what they had to eat, be it little or much, and as a matter of course thought she ought to be. He ^t^^^- .o. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 1.0 II M 1.25 ■" Bits 2.2 E^ 1.4 1.6 V] <^l ?> 7: y ^ 168 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. would shoot what ducks, geese and other gam came handy or providentially his way and true to luck or the old lady to do the rest. One morning as the old lady \7as passing on of the creek to her nets she espied a moos plunging into the water from the southeag shore of of the bay, closely followed by a pac^ of wolves and she knew the moose had onl one way of escape from his howling pursuf^'^ which was to swim to the opposite shore, so.: three miles away, as he could not land in th swampy ground around Fish Creek. The poii where he entered the water was not far froi the present location of the Keystone Lumbt Company's saw mill. As she would have plent of time she hastened back to the lodge t inform her liege-lord of the circumstances an request that he make ready and accompany h6 and assist in capturing the moose while he w? yet in deep water and unable to defend himse against their attack from the canoe, and sli quite forcibly insisted that he waste no time i making his preparations to start and remarkec ' 'If you move as slow as you generally do tl moose will be across the bay before we get read to go." This ruffled the old man's equipoise somewlu and he retorted: "There it is again! Alwa^ fretting abo\3t something. How many times have told you to take matters easy. Don't yo see that uoose is coming our way, as things gei erally do?" She said something about his enterprise, ha ing had little to do with the discovery of M EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 169 Moose but desisted from further relieving her mind on this point with true womanly tact, knowing that the old man would rather argue than go after the moose. He made inquiries of the old lady as to the size of the moose and whether in her opinion he wa in good condi- tion and the probable chances of her being able to overtake him, until she became too vexed to make further replies. This he took to be a cool- ing down of her irritable temper, and he fol- lowed along to the bank of the creek and actually only stopped once on the way, and that was to sharpen his knife on his gun barrel remarking to the old lady as he did so: ''It takes a sharp knife to skin a moose. " But as he was about to step into the canoe he stopped and shouted "Te-wah! I have forgot my pipe," and back to the wigwam he goes for it. The old woman's patience was about as nearly exhausted now as it well could be, she paced up and down the creek in a rage and her Indian vocabulary had about ran out when the old chap returned and seating himself in the bow of the boat with his little flintlock shot gun, which was his main dependence on this trip, he says "I am ready," but refused to take up his pad- dle and assist the old lady in moving the boat saying: "You paddle along, I want to talk to you. I know you can catch that moose before he can get half way across the bay and I want to tell you what you have got to do. " The old woman retorted: "Take up your ! I 111 ' I Pi m lili 170 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. paddle and help me, there will be plenty of tin to talk after we have got the moose. " But the old man could not see that his du ran in that direction and just then catching glimpse of the moose he says: "I will now ta] a smoke for after we have got that meat to ta] care of there will be plenty of work to do ai no time to smoke," and he deliberately tak his pipe from his kinnikinic sack and with 1: flint, steel and punk he starts a light and begj to smoke. The moose was now quite well along over t] distance he had to swim and the old lady w and had been from the start using her padd as for dear life and was fearful that she wou not be able to overtake him before he shou reach low water and again tries to induce tJ old man to take his paddle and help her, which the old hero replied: "I will now t( you what I started to awhile ago and then will help you paddle. You see, as soon as 'y get this meat, your relations will come and wa some of it, but don't you give them a particl We will carefully cut all the meat from t" bones and dry it and lay it away. It will la you and me a long time and when your frien come you may make soup from the bones ai that is good enough for them. Of course I w be there and be busy telling them what a ha time we had in getting the moose and how a got it to shore and will show them the mocc pins we will make from the hide, which we w ornament so nicely with porcupine quills. EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. , l7l •will manap^e to keep uiem busy and you be sure and not give them a bit of that meat. " The old woman had now given up all hopes of getting any help from the old man's paddle and she kept brushing away satisfied that she could overtake him without help, for the moose was getting tired as well as herself. The old man now faced about and saw the moose but a little ways off and shouted: "Bo-zhoo! moose, you are always afraid of an Indian. Don't hurry, we want to get acquainted with you." In a few moments more the canoe was along side of the moose and the old lady said; "Take your knife and cut his hamstrings and cut his throat, too, he may f^et away yet. " "Yes," the old man said, "there it is again, always in a hurry. Lay down your paddle and rest. I will take hold of the moose and he will pull us along," and laying down his pipe he took hold of the moose, and patting him on the back says: "How nice and fat you are. I say, old woman, what nice eating he will be." The old girl now made a rush for the knife to disable the animal, but the old warrior fought her away, saying; "Don't be in so much of a hurry. Give the poor fellow all the time to live you can. His meat will soon be boiling in the pot." But the old woman'' fever was not going down a bit. She saw they were nearing the shore and knew the sand bars could not be far away and she again entreated the old man to kill the animal. She took the pole that she always carried in the canoe for use in shoal wa- ter and sounded and found she could touch bot- 172 EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. torn with it, and with a shriek of despair she shouted, ' 'Be quick or he will get away. " Just then the moose caught his hind feet on a sand bar and darted ahead and broke the old man's hold on him. The old lady made the best use of the pole and kept as well up to the animal as she could, and the old man really began to real- ize that something must be done pretty soon, and raising to his feet brought his gun to his shoulder to shoot, bi:.^ snap went the old flint- lock again and again. The moose could now use all four of his feet, np the water was getting shallow. The old woman was doing her best, but the moose was gaining on her. Snap and snap again went the gun, and the old girl saw that the jig was up. Her anger had reached its bounds, and reversing the pole she set it firmly on the bottom of the bay ahead of her and shouted, "Mar-chi-an-eim" — which means (the ' 'old devil's dog" and was the only word used among the Indians as a substitute for stronger language until the appearance of the white man among them.) The canoe paused and Mr. Indian and his flint-lock went headlong into Urn bay. The old woman turned her canoe around and paddled homeward, leaving the old man to get out of the water as best he could and foot it around the head of the bay home, a distance of at least two miles. I hailed the old woman from the shore, a short distance from the mouth of Fish Creek, where I had been standing during the chase, and she took me in the canoe and paddled me around to their wigwam, there relating the o O O CO W O o H o '!* EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 173 whole story to me. I did not wait to hear the friendly chat between the couple on the old nian'H return, but started on iny journey into the woodp. On iny return I made it a point to reach the lodge i ii the eveniixg and stay over night with them, and laughed and joked with the old lady and gentleman over the mishap of the day. ^ CHAPTER XII. Two Languages Among the Indians. — Their Religious Beliefs. — A Secret Order Similar TO Those of the Civilized World. — The ' 'Happy Hunting Grounds. "—The Mysterious River. During my early associations with tlie Indians I discovered that at times when the head men and chiefs were congregated and discussing some private subjects they used a language that I could not understand, and I inquired of others what they were saying, who, like my- self, could not understand them, and all the re- ply I could get from such people was: "That is Chief talk." From that time forward I interested myself in the matter and persevered until Buffalo told me there were many secrets in the Indian na- tion known only to the initiated, and that it was connected with their religious belief. ' I EARLY INDIAN HISTORY. 175 continued to persevere and interceded with Buffalo until finally he told me he would take my case before the council and it was possible that I might be allowed to receive a part of the secrets, but said no white man had ever been admitted that he knew of and thought my case a hopeless one. This was after I had been adopted as the son of Chief Buffalo, and through his intercession I was at last admitted to the or- der, and what I have seen of the world leads me to think it resembles very much the secret orders of white men, and I claim that it is impossible for any one not a member to be able to give any sign correctly, though some may claim their ability to do so. In many cases applicants are ad- mi4;ted, but few get through. I also claim to be the only white man on earth that ever gained that distinction. This may seem the argument of a braggadocio, but I will give any man in the world all the opportunity he may desire of show- ing me any knowledge or the ceremonies and signs belonging to the order and if he is able to show it aright 1 will publicly admit that he is possessed of the knowlege that I claim belongs only to myself among the white race. There is much that I could say upon this sub- ject that would be interesting reading, but to say much more would be the commencement of an exposition which under no circumstances would I divulge. The oaths and pledges that I gave in gaining entrance to and elevation in the order were made in the presence of Almighty