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Read before the Buffalo Historical Society, FSBRUART 27th, 1806, Bt orsamus h^marshall. sprinted fqr private eiroulatUm from the PuhlieaUoru of the Buffalo HUtorieal theti^. 1881. e<^. mi at mm ppiwiwp w>i,j. i i|'^ « i || | i m' » \ \ r .€S«r ! ^■^ I iiill i ir ii i iii i l iM i f "^ to U THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. EMBRACINU SKKTCHBS OF ITS EARLY HISTORY, AND INDIAN FRENCH AND ENGLISH LOCAL NAMES. RBAD RKPORB THB SOCIETY, FEBRUARY »J, 1865. BY ORSAMUS H. MARSHALL. James Cartier, while exploring the Gulf of St. Lawrence in •535. w*s informed by the savages, living on its borders, that a mighty river, which they called Hochelaga, flowed into the sea near by, from a vast distance in the interior.* Having dis- covered its mouth, he explored the stream as far' as -the site of the present City of Montreal. He inquired of the Indians whom he met on the way, touching the source of that great river and the country through which it flowed. He was told, that after ascending many leagues among rapids and water-falls, he would reach a lake, one hundred and fifty leagues long and forty or fifty broad, at the western extremity of which the waters were wholesome and the winters mild; I ; i.*^ a river emp- tied into it from the south, which had its source i' the country of the Iroquois; that beyond this lake he would find a cataract and portage; then another lake about equal to the former, which they had never explored; and still further on, a sea, the *LescRrbot, p. 300. ' in owmx i W ' i ' ^M * *''""'""' ' ' THE NIAGARA FRONT I EK. >•'■ western shores of which they have never seen, nor had they heard of any one who had.* This is the earliest historical notice of our great lake region. Cartier was followed, after a long interval, by French traders, adventurers and missionaries; who, stimulated by love of ad* venture or the attractions of the fur trade, or inspired by re- ligious zeal, were the first to penetrate the Canadian wilderness, and encounter the privations and dangers incident to the ex- ploration of the vast interior of North America. Before the pilgrims landed in New England, Champlain had wintered among the savages on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, and had crossed Lake Ontario with an expedition against the Iroquois in the central part of our State.f As one after another of the principal lakes and rivers of the New World were discovered, they were called in honor of some tutelary saint or patron, some king or noble. The early travel- ers not only rejected their aboriginal names, but, in many in- stances, failed even to mention them. The series of lakes on our northern border, were originally considered as expansions of one continuous river, called by the old geographers Saint Lawrence, in honor of the martyr, on the day of whose festival the noble gulf at its outlet was discovered. During the three centuries which have elapsed since that event took place, two distinct races have successively ocupied and disappeared from this locality, now in the undisputed pos- ^sion of the third. The traveler in the classic region of the Old World, en- counters, at every step, venerable monuments and crumbling •ruins; silent but eloquent memorials of those who have risen, flourished, and disappeared in the revolutions of time. The Indian, once lord of this New World, now a tenant at the will of the white man, was skilled in none but the rudest arts. He roamed, a child of nature, over the forest and prairie, absorbed *Lcw«fbot, p^ 3B1. tVoyaxm de Cnamplain, Part i. p. tsi. Edition of 163a. lad they le region, h traders, 'e of ad- by re- ilderness, o the ex- iplain had ke Huron, gainst the vers of the or of some irly travel- many in- of lakes on expansions thers Saint ose festival since that *ly ocupied sputed pes- World, en- i crumbling have haen, time. The at the will it arts. He ie, absorbed r//E NIAGARA FRONTIER. S in his ceaseless struggle for a precarious subsistance on the fruits of the chase. He built no monuments and has left no records, from which we may learn the story of his origin, his migrations, his bloody wars and fruitless conquests. The only light which shines upon his annals, is, at best, a dim and shadowy tradition. Scarce a memorial of his former occupancy remains, save the names he has bestowed upon the lakes, rivers, and prominent landmarks of the country. The Iro<|uois dialects still live in their melodious geographical terms, suggesting a sad contrast between their former proud and extensive domin- ion and their present feeble and reduced condition. There is no satisfactory evidence of the existence, in this vicinity, of a race preceding the Indians. The "mound build- ers," that mysterious people who once spread its countless mul- titudes over the valleys of the Ohio, the Mississippi, and their tributaries, ner cr, so far as diligent research has been able to discover, dwelt in this locality. The ancient fortifications, tumuli, and artificial str^ictures that abound in Western New York, can all be referred to a later date and a more modern race. But at what precise period, and by what particular people they were constructed, are questions which have hitherto eluded the most diligent historical research. The Senecas are equally ignorant on this subject The venerable Seneca White, a distinguished Iroquois chief residing on the Cattaraugus Reservation, now eighty-one years old,* expressed his curiosity on the subject, in a recent interview with the writer; and d«^ sired to know when, why and by whom those stri ctures had been built. Many of them may yet be seen within a few miles of our city, and are certainly objects of historical interest and speculation. ^ Omitting, therefore, from necessity, Ihiy notice of the race, of which these remains are the only memorial, we find that the first in this locality, of whom history makes mention, were the * He died lince the above waa writlen, on the nineteenth of May. 1S73. — Ed. '•saaswaswss.wsswa* ! I 1 6 TtlE NIAGARA FRONTIH.K, Attiotinndaronk, or Neutral Nation, called Kah-kwas by the Senecas.* They had their roiincil-fircs along the Niagara, but principally on its western side. Their hunting grounds ex- tended from the (ienesee nearly to the eastern shores of Lake Huron, embracing a wide and important territory. In this re- gion, now teeming with Anglo-Saxon life, they reared their rude wigwams, pursued their game, and |)reserved a rigid and singular neutrality between the fierce tribes that waged their bloody wars on all sides around them. They are first men- tioned by Champlain during his winter visit to the Huronsin 1615, before alluded to, but he was unable to visit their terri- tory. According to the early Jesuits, they excelled the Hurons in stature, strength and symmetry, and wore their dress with a superior grace. They regarded their dead with peculiar ven- eration. Once in every ten years the survivors of each family gathered the remains of their deceased ancestors from the plat- forms on which they had been deposited, and buried them in heaps with many superstitious ceremonies. This was called the " Feast of the Dead." Many of the mounds thus raised may still be seen in this vicinity. A conspicuous one on 'I'onawanda Island, is affirmed by the old Senecas to have had such an ori- gin. The land of the Neutral Nation is described by the Jesuits as producing an abundance of corn, beans, and other vegetables; their rivers as abounding in fish of endless variety, and their for- ests as filled with a profusion of game, yielding the richest furs. The peace which this peculiar people had so long main- tained with the Iroquois was destined to be broken. Some jealousies and collisions occurred in 1647, which culminated in open war in 1650. One of the villages of the Neutral Nation, nearest the Senecas and not far from the site of our city, was * It has been aisumcd by many writen that the Kah-kwas and Eries were identical This is not so. The latter, according to the most reliable authorities, lived south o( the western extremity of Lake Erie until they were destroyed by the Iroquois, in 1655. The Kah-kwas were exterminated by them as ear!y as 1651 . On Coronelli's map, published in i<88, one uf the villages of the latter, called " Kakouagoga, a dtttroyid nation" is lo- cated at or near the site of Buffalo. IS by thf Kani, but iinds ex- H of Lake n this re- red their rigid and ged their first men- Hurons in heir terri- ie Hurons ess with a uliar ven- ach family n the plat- d them in was called raised may I'onawanda iich an ori- the Jesuits vegetables; id their for- ichest furs, long main- en. Some Iminated in ral Nation, ir city, was > were identical ved louth of the «, in 1655. The ■p, publiihed in t nation" a \a- IHE NIAOAHA tKO.WlEK. J raptured in the .-uituinn ot the latter year, and another the en- suing spring.* So well-directed and energetic were the blows of the Iro(|iiois that the total destruction of the Neutral Na- tion was speedily accomplished. All the old men and children who were unai)le to follow their captors, were put to death; but the women were reserved to supply the waste occasioned by the war. The survivors were adopted by their concpierors; and, as late as 1669, a small remnant was found by the Jesuit, Father Kremin, living within the limits of the present County of Ontario. Such were the |)redecessors of the Senecas. A little more than two centuries has elapsed since they lived and flourished in this locality, and no eviden«e of their occupancy now exists, save the rude mounds which mark their final resting places. Scarce a trace of their language remains, and we know only that they spoke a dialect kindred to that of the Senecas. Blotted out from among the nations, they have left one con- spicuous and enduring memorial of their' existence, in .he name of the beautiful and noble river that divides their an- cient domain. t A long period intervened between the destruction of the Neutral Nation and the permanent occupation of their coun- try by the Senecas. For more than a century, this beautiful region was abandoned to the undisturbed dominion of nature, save when traversed by the warrior on his predatory errand, or the hunter in pursuit of game. A dense and unexplored wilderness extended from the Cienesee to the Niagara; with but here and there an interval, where the oak openings let in the sunlight, or the prairie lured the deer and the elk to crop its luxuriant herbage. The Senecas continued to live east of the Genesee, in four principal villages, until the year 1687, when the Marquis de Nonville, then Governor of Canada, invaded their country * Relation den Jeiultei, 1631, p. 4. t See " \A*t of the Kah.Kw»," vol. i.. p. 4^.~Kn. \ wRiSieKailRSJBWaSw.wi-n.-i-.-'i™™ m\ 8 r/l£ NIAGA/iA FRONTIER. with a powerful army; and, after defeating them near the site of Victor, in Ontario County, drove them from their burning villages and laid waste their territories* The humbled Sen- ecas, influenced by superstition, never rebuilt a solitary cabin. Their abandoned homes long bore witness to that most disas- trous era in the history of the Confederacy. We next find them in scattered villages on the banks of their favorite Je- nis'-hi-yuh;t in the fertile valley of which they resumed the cultivation of the maize, and recovered, in some degree, their former power and influence. During the Revolutionary War they espoused the British cause. The atrocities they commited in their savage mode of warfare, culminated in 1 778 in the memorable massacre of Wyo- ming; and induced General Washington, in imitation of De Nonville, to send an army for their chastisement. The fa- mous expedition under General Sullivan was organized for this purpose in 1779; which, penetrating the heart of the Sen- eca country, resulted, for the time being, in their overthrow and complete dispersion. The proud and formidable nation fled, panic-stricken, from their " pleasant VfeiUey," abandoned their villages, and sought British protection under tht suns of Fort Niagara. They never, as a nation, resumed their ancient seats along the Geneseo, but sought and found a new home on the secluded banks and among the basswood forests of the Do'-syo-wd, or Bu^ialo Creek, whence they had driven the Neutral Nation one hundred and thirty years before. I have thus, with as much brevity as the nature of my sub- ject would admit, noticed the aboriginal races that preceded us in the occupancy of this region. I consider this as an ap- propriate introduction to a historical sketch of the mo^t prom- inent localities on the Niagara frontier, and of the various names by which they have been known. * N V. Historical Collection, Second Series, vol. ii., p. i8o. „:,ij-.. „f + Or Ginel^e. signifying <*«;<./«/, phmant valley. The key tn the pronunciation of the Seneca iiame«rf»«> '"»»>•• "•"« (erred by the Neutral Nation. $ N. V. Colonial Documents, vol. v., p. Sop, and ix., p. 999. ; west and lal villages istern side, at Nation, ake of the ke Erie, or )n-gui-aah- • lap of Can- "Ongiara." map, pub- jresent, the the numer- lish writers, ks, through le Iroquois, he primary )n the last, kation. It ohawk lan- ;ric tongue, its connect- ame, Nya//- le section of I'hat portion called Gai- y the early ^e work and ' u e site of the :ted, at this r storehouse. !oralhenam«coii- THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. II In order to allay the jealousies which the work excited among the Senecas, he sent an embassy to Tegarondies, the principal village of the confederacy, then located on what is now known as Boughton Hill, near Victor, in Ontario County. They reached it in five days, after a march in mid-winter of thirty- two leagues, on snowshoes, during which they subsisted only on parched corn. There they found the Jesuits, Gamier and Raffeix, who had been resident missionaries since 1669. A council was held with the Senecas, and presents interchanged, but without favorable result. The French retraced their steps to their camp on the river, worn out with the hardships of the way, and glad to exchange their meager diet for the delicious white-fish just then in season.* No regular defensive work was constructed in the vicinity, until the Marquis De Nonville, on his return from the expedi- tibn before alluded to, fortified the tongue of land which lies between the lake and river, and thus . founded the present fort. The French General describes the position as "the most beautiful, pleasing and advantageous on the whole lake.". - As early as 1686, he had proposed to his Government to erect a stone structure at this point, sufficient for a garrison of five hundred men, but received no favorable response. Many dif- ficulties were encountered in the erection of the new fortress. As the place was barren of suitable wood, palisades were cut at a distance, floated to the adjacent beach, and drawn up, with great labor, to the top of the bank. The work was finally, completed, and called, after its founder. Fort De Nonville. It, subsequently appears on some of the maps as Fort Conty, after a prince of that name, who was a patron of Tonti, one of La Salle's companions; but Niagara soon becaltae its exclusive and, more appropriate designation. De Nonville left in the fort a garrison of one hundred men, who were compelled by sicknes^ to abandon it the following season, after having partially d«<- • For a detailed account of thii expedition, by the lane author, ie« vol. i., p. a6o.— £o. V. ii m.v- :ii ! 61 i i rs rffE NIAGARA FRONTIER. gtroyed it. They left many of its buildings in a habitable condition, as may be learned from a curious inventory and statement drawn up at the time of the evacuation.* No meas- ures appear to have been taken for its reconstruction until lyaj; when, by consent of the Iroquois, it was commenced in stone, and finished the following year. The " old mess-house " is a relic of that year. The French having, through the influence of Joncaire, ob- tained the consent of the Senecas, rebuilt their store-house at Lewiston in 1719-20. It formed a block-house forty feet long, by thirty wide, enclosed with palisades, musket-proof, and pierced with port-holes. Around this nucleus gathered a cluster of ten Seneca cabins; and patches of corn, beans, squashes and melons were soon under cultivation. Father Charlevoix visited the spot in 1721, while on his extensive tour along the lakes; and has left quite an exaggerated description of the ridge at Lewiston, which he calls " a frightful mountain, that hides itself in the clouds, on which the Titans might at- tempt to scale the heavens!"t The block-house must have soon fallen to decay, for we find Louis XV. proposing to rebuild it in 1727,1 but the project was abandoned the next year. This locality was always considered an important point in the early history of the Niagara frontier. Here was the com- mencement pf the Portage around the Falls, where all the p)ods ip process of transportation between the lakes under- went transhipment. The traveled road pursued, as now, a tig-zag course up the mountain ridge; but the heavy goods were raised or lowered in a sliding car or cradle, moved on an in- clined plane by a windlass. The remains of the old tram-way were visible at a late period, and, possibly, may still be seen. The ascent of the ledge at this point was so difficult, that long • H. V. ColoiU»l DocumenU, »ol. !»., p. jlt t Cl»rlevola'« Jounnl, vol. «., p. 345- . f lirVY. CoiMial DociMWU. vd. (£, p. 9<4. iHiH mim ,-gr-.- THE NIAGARA FRON'i.ER. t% habitable ntory and No meas* :tion until menced in iss-house " ncaire, ob- re-house at forty feet sket-proof, gathered a >rn, beans, n. Father ensive tour dei|cription mountain, might at- for we find the project It point in IS the com- ere all the kes under- as now, a goods were 1 on an in- d tram-way till be seen. It, that long before the railway was construcf-^d, the Senecas call it Du^- jih-heA'-oh, which signifies, literally, walking on all fours-, in allusion to the postures assumed by the French and Indians while climbing the steep acclivity under their heavy burdens. Hennepin calls it "the three mountains," trots montagnes,* referring to the high river-bank and the two terraces above it, which form the mountain ridge. When Kalm arrived there in 1750, he found one of the Joncaires still a resident. Over two hundred Senecas were then employed in carrying furs over the portage, at the rate of twenty pence a pack for the entire dis- tance.f There were three warehouses at the foot of the ridge in 1759, and one at its summit; all used for storing the goods in transitu. Opposite Fort Niagara, on the Canada side of the river, is Mississauga Point, so called after one of the Algonkin tribes that formerly resided in the vicinity.J The present Village of Niagara was known in 1780, by the name of Butlersbury, after Colonel Butler, of Wyoming notoriety.§ It was afterward called Newark, after the place of that name in New Jersey, and West Niagara and British Niagara. In 1792, it became the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of Canada, and in the autumn of that year, the first session of the Parliament of the Upper Province was held there. It is an older settlement than any on the eastern side of the river, and boasted a weekly newspaper as early as 1793.I About one mile above Newark, a defensive work was built by the British, at the close of the last century, called Fort George. Between this and the river was a storehouse, bearing the high-sounding name of Navy Hall; and near the latter stood the residence of Lieuten- ant-Governor Simcoe. • HcniMpin. p. tts. Edition iflgt. , ., . ' t K»lm'» letter in Annual Refiner, »ol. "j- P- 3>9- „„,.,,.. , -„ i An IndUn rilUK exined here « the time of C. Salle'. «rityi«t in 1679- I Gilbert*. Narntlve. p. S». Col. Butler died in •««• ,M«rnM'» MS- „»««4 I Called the Upper Canada Gaielte, or, American Oncle. The «r»t number app«ara« AptU il, 1793. M THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. Queenston, so called in honor of Queen Charlotte, had no earlier name, though the locality was frequently noticed by the flrst explorers. Hennepin speaks of it as " the great rock," la grosse roche* referring to an immense mass, which, becoming detached from the brow of the mountain, had fallen into the river below. It is now plainly visible under the western end of the lower suspenson bridge. The Devil's Hole and the Whirlpool are not noticed by any of the early travelers. The former is more particularly celebrated as the scene of a well known bloody tragedy, in 1763. Its Seneca name, Dyus-da'-nya^-gtfh, signifies, the cleft r0cks.\ The Bloody Run, which falls over the precipice at this point, derives its present name from the same tragic occurrence, though the Indians have no term to distinguish itXfrom the Devil's Hole. Their name for the Whirlpool, Dyu-n^'-wa-da-se', means, literally, the current goes round. It has already been stated, that the Indians, whom Cartier met in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1535, alluded, in their de- scription of the interior of the continent, to a "cataract and portage," at the western extremity of Lake Ontario. This is the first historical notice of Niagara Falls. Seventy-eight years afterward, Champlain published an account of his voyages in Canada, illustrated by a map of the' country, on which the sev- eral lakes, as far west as Lake Huron, are laid down, though in very erroneous outline.t It distinctly shows the river Niagara, interrupted by a waterfall, and intersected by an elevation of land, answering to the mountain ridge at Lewiston. It con- tains no specific name for the cataract, but calls it saftt d'eau, or waterfall. Champlain describes it as " so very high that many kinds of fish are stunned in its descent! " The next notice of the cataract is by the Jesuit, Father Ragueneau, who, in a letter to the Superior of the Missions at • Hennepin, p. 113, Edition 16(8. , , . „, . » t The river-bank i« cliffl by the action of tiie Bloody Run. X Editbn o{ 1631. ...jj. ' .^j..ftiit jxu- i . THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. IS te, had no ced by the t rock,"/« , becoming :n into the tern end of d by any of celebrated 1763. Its left rocks. \ : this point, Bccurrence, iKfrom the '-wa-da-se', jom Cartier in their de- ataract and io. This is -eight years i voyages in lich the sev- n, though in ,rer Niagara, elevation of an. It con* sa^t d'eau, ■y high that jsuit, Father Missions at Paris, dated in 1648, says, " North of the Eries is a great lake, about two hundred leagues in circumference, called Eri^, formed by the discharge of the merdouce, or Lake Huron, and which falls into a third lake, called Ontario, over a cataract of frightful height."* Hennepin is the first who published a detailed description of this remarkable waterfall. He first saw it in the winter of 1678-9, and accompanies his description by an engraved sketch.t evidently drawn from memory, as it embraces a bird's- eye view of the whole river, as far as Lake Erie, with the Griffon in the distance. The two falls, with Goat Island be- tween, and Table Rock, are very well delineated, though the height is much exaggerated. A group of Frenchmen, viewing the cataract from the American side, are represented as stop- ping their ears to shut out the deafening sound. No doubt the Falls were visited at an earler date by numer- ous traders and voyageurs, but no record of the fact exists. The Niagara was not a favorite route to the Far West, the Ot- tawa being shorter and safer for a canoe voyage; an easy portage connecting its head-waters with Lake Huron. The fatiguing transit around the Falls, and the hostility of the warlike Iroquois, were formidable obstacles to the more southern course. The Sen'ecas call the cataract, Det-ga/<-sk<7h-ses, signifying the place of the high fall. They never call it Niagara, nor by any similar term; neither does that word signify in their language thunder of waters, as affirmed by Schoolcrafi.t Such a meaning would be eminently poetic, but truth is of higher importance. The picturesque Islands which add so^much to the beauty and unrivaled scenery of the Falls, must have challenged the admiration and stimulated the curiosity of the early visitor. Equally attractive at all seasons, whether arrayed in summej • Jenuit Relation. 1648. P- 4*- ^ . ♦ Hennepin, p. 116, Editioo of 1698. % Tour to tlie Lakes, p. 3a. • i! 16 THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. verdure, autumnal tints or winter dress,* they reposed like lairy creations, amid the turmoil of the impetuous rapids, iso- lated and apparently secure from human intrusion or profana- tion. Traditions exist of early Indian visits to the larger one, which are confirmed by a deposit of human bones discovered , near its head. The access was from the river above, through the still water between the divided currents. Judge Porter , first landed there in 1806, and found several dates carved on a beech, the earliest of which was 1769. He purchased the en- tire group from the State in 1816, and during the following year, built the first bridge which connected them with the main land. Stedman had cleared a small field near the upper end of the largest, and colonized it with a few animals, includ- ing a venerable goat. The latter was the only survivor of the severe winter of 1779-80, in commemoration of which the island received its present name. The Boundary Commission- ers under the Treaty of Ghent, gave to it the more poetic title, Iris Island, but the earlier one was destined to prevail. Judge Porter was one of the earliest settlers at the Falls, having erected his first dwelling there in 1809-10. He fore- saw the unrivaled advantages of the position, and secured, at an early day, the fee of a large tract of land in the vicinity. In addition to his dwelling, he erected mills on the site where Lieutenant DePeyster built a saw-mill in 1767, and which Stedman subsequently occupied for the same purpose. He also constructed a rope-walk for the manufacture of rigging, for Porter, Barton & Co.,t who were then the principal carriers over the portage, and owned or controlled nearly all the trad- ing vessels on the two lakes and river. All kinds of rigging, and cables of the largest size required, were here manufac- tured. Much of the hemp then used, was raised by the Wad>- * Tbow who vbit Niagara in nimmer only, tee but half iti lieaatie*. In winter, the tpray. conRealed by front on every tree, buiih and ruck, glittem with diamond luMer in the •untight; while, in the ffM below, conex, pyramid! and towen, immenae stabctiles, and front-work in every variety of form, ate nroduced by the falling water*. t This well-known 6rm wai compoied of Aiiguitui Porter, Peter B. Porter, Bcnjuaia Barton and Joseph Annin, • ^" ■ "" i ^n i i i !ttjuu^L.jmjjJiim n mmmmmnmmv ■eposed like rapids, iso- or profana- ; larger one, discovered >ve, through jdge Porter carved on a ased the en- le following '.m with the ir the upper nals, includ- vivor of the which the 'ommission- poetic title, vail. t the Falls, I. He fore- secured, at icinity. In ; site where and which irpose. He of rigging, ipal carriers all the trad- i of rigging, e manufac- y the Wads- . In winter. th« lond luster in the ! stalactites, and >oiter, BcnjaMin Tff£ NIAGARA FRONTIER. »7 worths on the Genesee flats. Such was the scarcity of men in the then new country, that the Judge was indebted to Captain Armistead of Fort Niagara, for a company of one hundred men, to assist him in raising the heavy frame of his mill. It proved to be expensive aid, for the soldiers stripped his garden of all its fruit, then very fine and abundant. All his buildings, em- bracing dwelling, mills and rope-walk, shared in the general conflagration on the frontier, in 1813. The village on the American side of the Falls, has been known AS Grand Niagara and Manchester, and is now incorporated under the name of Niagara Falls. Fort Schlosser was named atter Captain Joseph Schlosser, a native of Germany, who served in the British army in the campaign against Fort Niagara in i759* Sir William Johnson found him at Schlosser in 1761. He must have remained until the autumn of 1763; for it is stated byLoskielf and Heckewel- der, that he arrived at Philadelphia in January, 1764, having just returned from Niagara with a detachment from General Gage's army. Heckewelder pays a high tribute to his humanity and manly qualities.! The earlier names of the post were, Fort du Portage, Little Fort and Little Niagara.§ It was not built until j 750. In the summer of that year, the younger Chabert Joncaire, informed the Senecas that the French government intended to build a fort at the south end of the portage, above Niagara Falls. The project was carried into effect the same season, and we find that Joncaire Clauzonne, brother of Chabert, was appointed its commandant. I In 175S, »» w^s called Fisher's Battery. || When Sir William Johnson invested Fort Niagara in 1759, Cha- bert Joncaire seems to have been in command at Fort Schlos- ser, his brother Clauzonne being then with him. On the • N. Y. Colonial Documents, vol. x, p. 73«. •>• S- t Loskiel's Missions, p. at«. 1 HecVeweWer's Narrative, p. 83. i N. V. Colonial Documents, vol. vii, p. eet. I Lewis Evans' map. , . , . _- II N. Y. Colonial Documents, vol. vi, p. 008, 700. I I l« THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, fall of the former fortress, Fort Schlosser was burnt, and its garrison was withdrawn to the Chippewa River, on the oppo- site side. It must have been speedily rebuilt by the British, for we find Captain Schlosser stationed there soon after in com- mand of a garrison. The fort then consisted of an enclosure of upright palisades, protecting a few siore-houses and bar- , racks. Alexander Henry, who visited it in 1764, calls it a "stockaded post."* The plough has obliterated all traces of its existence, save some inequalities in the surface where it stood, plainly visible from the neighboring railroad. The tall, antique chimney which rises from the adjacent buildings, is not, as generally supposed, a relic of the fort, but of barracks, constructed by the French, and destroyed by Joncaire, on his retreat in 1759. The same chimney was subsequently used by the English when they re-established the post. The dwelling they erected was afterward occupied by Stedman, who was a contractor at the portage from 1760 until after the peace of 1783. He probably remained until after Fort Niagara was de- livered to the United States by the British authorities in 1796, when he removed to the Canadian side. He left his " improve- ments " in charge of a man known as Jesse Ware. They are described by a visitor at fhat early day, as consisting of seven- teen hundred acres, about one-tenth partially cleared, an in- different dwelling, a fine barn, saw-mill, and a well fenced apple orchard containing twelve hundred trees.f There appear to have been three brothers by the name of Stedman— John, Philip and William. The traveler Maude found John at Schlosser in 1800. While master of the portage, he accompanied the wagons and their esv.ort, at the time of " the massacre at the Devil's Hole in September, 1763, before alluded to. It was a return train, embracing about ninety persons, under the command of Lieutenant Don Campbell of the Royal American Regiment, which had been transporting • Travelii, p. tij. t Voyage par llcetor St. John, vol. U., p. 153. vammmmmm THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. «» jurnt, and its on the oppo* y the British, after in com* an enclosure scs and bar- 64, calls it a 1 all traces of face where it id. The tall, : buildings, is t of barracks, ncaire, on his ently used by The dwelling in, who was a r the peace of agara was de- rities in 1796, his "improve- re. They are iting of seven- :learcd, an in* \ well fenced y the name of weler Maude )f the portage. It the time of r, 1763, before about ninety I Campbell of n transporting supplies from Fort Niagara for the use of the garrison at De- troit. Only three persons escaped;-* drummer-boy, by the name of Matthews,* who lodged in a tree as he fell over the precipice; a wounded driver, who lay concealed m some ever- greens near by; and Stedman h.mself, who, being well mounted, forced his way through the Indians and fled am.d a shower of bullets, to Fort Schlosser. Two companies of troops that were stationed at Lewiston, hearing the firing, hastened to their relief. The wily Senccas, anticipating the reinforcement, lay in ambush, and all but eight of the party fell by the rifle or tomahawk. The entire garrison of I'ort Niagara were then dispatched to the scene, but arrived only to find the ghastly and mangled remains of their slaughtered comrades. The attack was made on the train while it was crossing the small bridge over Bloody Run, so called after the tragedy. The Seneca Sachem, John Blacksmith, informed the writer that the party which made the attack, were young warriors from the Genesee, who, instigated by the French traders, se- cretly organized the expedition under the leadership of Farm- er's Brother, without the knowledge of their chiefs. Eighty scalps, including those of six officers, were their bloody tro- phies. The Senecas, attributing the preservation of Stedman to some miraculous interposition, and believing that he wore a charmed life, conferred upon him the name of Gdf-nas-squa^, signifying stone giant The stqry that they gave him all the land lying between the river And the line of his flight, em- bracing about five thousand 4cres, is undoubtedly a fiction. The pretended grant was the foundation of the "Stedman claim," which was subsequently urged upon the State authori- ties with much pertinacity. If really made, it seems never to have been ratified by the Senecas, for at a formal treaty made • Maltbcwn died in-Canada. near Niagara, in i8«, aged 74. •piiH ■iaifel ■KMMMMIMMtiMM---^- '' M r^£ NIAGARA FRONTIER. with them by Sir William Johnson at Johnson Hall, in April of the following year, signed by Farmer's Brother and Old Smoke, it was not only not alluded to; but on the contrary, a strip of land four miles wide on the east side of the river, commencing at Lake Ontario and extending southerly to Gill Creek, embracing the entire Stedman claim, was ceded in per- petuity to his Britanic Majesty* Stedman petitioned the Legislature in 1800, to confirm the pretended grant, but with- out success. He recites in his memorial, that he took pos- session of the premises in 1760, and soon after met with a great loss from the Indians; that as a compensation therefor, the chiefs gave him a deed of the tract containing 4,983 acres, which he had continued to improve for forty years; that the deed had perished with the papers of Sir William Johnson, which had been buried in an iron chest at Johnson Hall. A bill passed the Assembly, giving him the land he had actually improved, but it failed in the Senate. The buildings on the premises had suffered much from decay as early as 1800, and the adjacent fort was in ruins. The old orchard was still pro- ductive, the overplus yield bringing five hundred dollars in a •ingle season; but the boys crossing from the Canada side, plundered most of the fruit.f The Portage Road commenced at the Lcwiston landing, and followed the river until it reached the small depression just north of the present suspension bridge. Diverging from this, it intersected the river above the Falls, a short distance east of the Stedman house, and followed its bank for about forty rods to the fort above. Midway between the house and fort, were a dock, a warehouse, and a group of square-timbered, whitewashed log-cabins, used by the teamsters, boatmen and engagees connected with the portage.| About half a mile below the Stedman house, near the head * N. Y. Colonial Documcnlt, toI. vU, p. <*i. tM«uile'iNI««»rm.p.i4«. , „ „ X Manuieript iMMr of Hoa. A. S. Porter. THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. •t ill, in April kr and Old contrary, « the river, riy to Gill ded in per* itioned the :, but with- ! took poi' met with a on therefor, 4,983 acres, years; that m Johnson, n Hall. A lad actually ings on the s 1800, and iras still pro- dollars in a Canada side, anding, and ression just g from this, istance east about forty se and fort, e-timbered, )atmen and tr the head of the present hydrautic canal, is the old French Landing, where goods were transhipped when only canoes were used, and where the portage rojii! terminate^ before Fort Schlosser was built. Along tht road, between the fort and Lewiston, block houses were ercc led about twelve hundred yards apart, to protect the teams from disasters such as had occurred at the Devil's Hole. The remains of some of these were quite re- cently in existence. Judge Porter leased the Stedman farm from the State in 1805, the agent. Ware, being still in possession. He was ejected with some difficulty. Legal steps were taken, but owing to the unsettled state of the country, and the difficulty of executing process in a region so remote from civilization, recourse was had to " Judge Lynch," before possession was finally obtained.* Judge Porter occupied the dwelling during the years 1806-7 and 8, when he removed to the Falls. He was succeeded by Enos Boughton, one of the first pioneers on the Holland Pur- chase, who opened a tavern for the accommodation of early visitors to the Falls, and travelers en route for the great West. It became the headquarters in all that region, for military mus- ters, general trainings and Fourth of July celebrations. The buildings were destroyed by the British in December, 1813; but the old chimney was suffered to remain, conspicuous among the surrounding ruins, a weather beaten memorial of the ruth- less desolation of war. Gill Creek, so named from its diminutive size, and called also Cayuga Creek.f and Stedman's Creek, derives its only im- portance from being named ais a boundary in some of the txt\y Indian treaties. { Chippewa Creek, nearly opposite Fort Schlosser, is called by the Senecas, Jo'-no-dak, signifying shailow waUr', prob- ably referring to an old fording-place at the mouth of the * ManuMtiM latMr of Has. A. S. Flofttr. t Bavarv * JruramI, p. j6o. X Tnaty M CananoaigUB ia 1794. 33 THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, crc V. Pouchot, in his narrative of the siege of Fort Niagara, calls it Chinondac, evidently the same name, and describes its banks as abounding in fine timber, suitable for shipbuilding.* It was named Chippewa, after the Ojibway — otherwise called Mississauga — Indians, who formerly lived on its banks. The Canadian Government by proclamation in 1792, gave it the name of VVelland River, but it did not pass into general use. The earliest notice of the stream is found in the narrative of Father Hennepin, who, while seeking a site suitable for build- ing the Griffon, encamped on its banks in the winter of 1678-9. He says, "it runs from the west, and empties into the Niagara within a league above the great fall." He found the snow a foot deep, and was obliged to remove it before building his camp-fire. The narrative incidentally mentions the abundance of deer and wild turkeys that were found in the vicinity.f The Seneca name for Navy Island, Ga-duH*, ^ 4 perished Dxication, i. •-no'-guh- vision by t was pre- agent and »rd, of hii ied by the red to pay e obtained Id, Esq., in Jones, had lare on the , and lying slature was ective peti- tn so often river level; 1 tall trees, ety's father, h composed k Rock pier.. r///i NI.lGAitA. f-HOK/JEX. *f Its Seneca nr^nie, Dyos-drf o-d^i. signifies Rocky M It was called " Bird Inland " by the whites because of the raultK tude of gulls and other aquatic birds th« frequented it at cer. tain seasons* . kt- » Black Rock being a convenient crossing place on the Niagara, became an important locality at an early day. Its history ha. been fully illustrated in an able and interesting paper entjtled » The Old Ferry," read before this Society by Charles D. Npr- ton Esq.t Its Seneca name, Uyos-daJA'-ga-e*. signifying ro^ky bank, is a compound word, embracing also the idea of » place where the lake rests upon or against a rocky bank. Its English name come, from the dark corniferous limestone which outcrops at this locality, and, underlying the bed of the river, composes the dangerous reef at the head of the rapids. Prior to the. commencement of the present century, the usual route between Buffalo Creek and the Falls was on the Cajiada side, crossing at Black l[ock. The Rev. Samuel K.rkland traveled ifin 1788, and the Duke of Liancourt tn 1795- Fort Erie was originally built by Colonel Bradstreet as . d^pot for provisions, while on hi^expedition against the West- em Indians in the sutnraer of 1764. It was located some dis- tance below the modern fort. The part facing the river was built of stone, surmounted by squared pickets. The rest was stockaded. Bradstreet states in a letter to General Amherst, still unpubli8hed.t that "when he arrived at the locality he found no harbor. That vessels were compelled to he at anchor in the open lake, exposed to every .storm, and liable to be lost. In addition to this, they were obliged to send more than twenty miles for th*ir; loading; that on examining the north shore, he found a suitable place to secure the vessels^ by the help o a wharf justaboyetherapids." "APost," »'<^ "^dv" « now build- ing there, and All that can will be done toward finishing it this • CmMmH'* U(* «( CIMmi. p. tat. ,8 TIIF. SIAG.IKA tRONllER. .cason." He further says, that " to avoid giv^ bff^ense to the Seneca savages, to who. the land belongs. ^ J-' ^e-^ ^.r William Johnson to ask it of them, and they hhve granted .t This letter is dated August 4, -764. The treaty between S« William and the Senecas bears date two days after, at Fort Niagara, and cedes to His Majesty all the la.d. four mtles wide, on each sideof the river, between Fort Schlosser and the rap.d. of 1 ake Erie. The islands in the tiver were excepted by the Indians, and bestowed upon Si, William " as a P^^^J/^;;'^^^^ record, "of their regard, and of their knowledge of the trouble he ha had with them from time to time." S.r W.U.am ac cepted the gift, but. like a good subject, humbly .a,d « as an offering at the feet of his sovereign.* _ The foundations of the present fort were a.d m i79»t " ™ust have been a rude fortification, as -'8-f | ^^s"^^^^ for the Duke of Liancourt describes it m .795. ^« »<=«»«»" °» bJiding^ surrounded with -gh. crazy palisades, desututeo^^^ ramparts, covered ways, or earthworks. Outs.de of the o weTe a f^w log houses for the shelter of the officers, sold.ers rrworkmen There was also a large government warehouse. :i?h an o.erhanging story pierced with loop-holes for the^use of musketry.! The stone portion, the ru.ns of wh.ch st.ll re, 1; was bl in .806. in the form of a quadrangle, and sub.: «.auintlv enlarged to more formidable dimensions. The In- aiHl of the locality. Gai.gw.^,-g*/., signifi« THejU.^ tf Hai. Seneca tradition relates, as .t.orig.n. that J o>d«. time, soon after the first visit of the white man. a battle oc- curr;d on the lake between a party of French ^^^^^^^^^ Indians in x:anoes. The latter were v.ct6nous, and the French KTattwere sunk and the crews drowned. Their hats iloaed i::! vhere the fort was subsequently ^^^^^^ Z attention of the Indian, from theirnoveUy..they called the locality " The place of hats." • N V.Culonial Doeumwin. vol. »»., p. «♦»• ♦ Indian SiMt Vn*^yZil' K' '^L X Voyaf* V* Liaacoun, vol. H., p. 4* se to the sired Sir. nted it." ween Sir , at Fort lies wide, he rapids >d by the ' says the le trouble ilUam ac- 1 it as an i79»t It nstructed, cluster of estitute of f the fort •s, soldiers warehouse, or the use ch still rer '., and sub' The In- T^ plate It in olden , battle oc- itteaux and the French liats Aoated I attracting they called THE NIAGAKA FRONTIER, In the summer of 1687, the Baron La Hontan ascended, .rt his birchen canoe, the rapids of the Niagara into Lake Erie, on his way to the far West* Appreciating with military eye this commanding locality, he recommended it to the French Government as suitable for a fort, and marked it Fort Sup- DOS* •• on the map which illustrates his journal. I his is the ^rliest historical notice of the site of Buffalo. No attention appears to have been paid to the recommendation, and for more than a century it remained in undisturbed repose, us sol- itudes unbroken by the axe df the woodman, or the tread of advancing civilization. Voyageurs. traders and missionaries passed and re-passed on the river, but make no mention of even an Indian encampment. Nor does Sir William Johnson, who ascended the outlet into the lake on his way west m Au- gust, and returned in October, i76i.t « ^ » . It has already been mentioned that the Senecas fled to Fort Niagara in i779 before the invading forces of General SuIl van, and settled the following year on the biinks of the Buffalo Creek A single survivor of that fugitive band is now living on the Cattaraugus Reservation, in the person of the venerable Philip Kenjockety.'asonof the John Kenjockety previously mentioned. When the writer saw him in June, 1 864, he appeared strong and vigo«>us, being employed at the time in piling hemlock bark. His entire dtess was a loose cotton shirt, and the customary kdian leggings. He presented a fine specimen of the native rndian of the old school, a class now almost ex* tinct. He claimed to be one hundred years old, and a little examination into his personal history furnished proof of M% correctness. It appeared that he was about fifteenatjhe time of Sullivan's expedition, and resided at NuiTda, on the Gene- tee He well remembered the flight of the Senecas on that occasion, when he drove a horse to Fort Niagara. The fugi- tives arrived there in the month of September, and remained • La Hontan. Enribh wliiktn, -voM.. p. «•• t Jouraal U Ston?* JohirtoB, «»l «., W- 4* 4$iaBd4}«. "^ so ' THE NIAGARA FRONTtRR. in its neighborhood and under its protection during the fol* lowing winter. The season was the most inclement known for many years; so much so that the river opposite the fort was frozen from the seventh of January until the following March,* and many of the Senecas perished from exposure and starva- lion before the ensuing spring. Brant made strenuous efforts during the winter to induce the Senecas to settle in Canada under the protection of the British Government. The Mo- hawks, and a few from the other tribes, yielded to his solicita- tions; but Kenjpckety's father, who was intimately acquainted with the superior advantages of Western New York, success- fully opposed the Mohawk chieftain, and prevailed upon the remainder to settle in the region watered by the Buffalo, Cat- taraugus and Tonawanda creeks. While listening to the eventful narrative of the aged Seneca, the writer could scarcely realize that the man was still living, who not only resided in this locality at the first advent of the white man, but who came here, with the Senecas themselves, to reap, by a permanent occupancy, the substantial fruits of their ancient conquests.f At the time of the arrival of the Senecas, the striking feature ' of this locality was the predominance of the linden or basswood over all the other trees of the forest. They fringed both bor- ders of the creek, and spread their broad foliiige over its fertile bottoms. Seneca tradition tells us, that inHhe season when the tree was in flower, the hunting parties firoin the Genesee could hear, ere they reached the creek, the hum of the. bee, as it gathered, in countless swarms, its winter stores from the abundant blossoms. Michaux, the French naturalist, who trav- eled through this region in 1807, states as a peculiarity Of this locality, in his great work on the forest trees of America, that the basswood constituted two-thirds, and, in some localities, • Mviriti's MS. t Kcajoekcty dM April i, tlM, agKl ov«r'o«« MadradyMn.— Eu. «im mmmmm THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. Jt {the fot> (own for lort was [March,* starva- ^1 efforti Canada 'he Mo- solicita- [quainted success- >n the Falo, Cat- Seneca, till living, :nt of the lemselves, fruits of ng feature basswood both bor- r its fertile ison when E Genesee he bee, as from the who trav- ity of this erica, that localities, the whole of the forest between Batavia and New Amsterdam.* .Early settlers say, that the peninsula bounded by Main S' ^t, Buffalo Creek and the canal, embracing what is now intersected by Prime, Lloyd and Hanover streets, was almost exclusively covered with this tree. It was occasionally found more than eighty feet high and four feet in diameter. Its giant trunks furnished, at that convenient locality, a light and soft wood from which to fashion the Indian canoe, and a bark easily con> verted into various utensils useful in savage life. This bark formed the exclusive covering of the temporary huts, erected for the shelter of the hunting and fishing parties that frequented this region. The Senecas, in conformity with their well-known custom, seized upon this marked peculiarity of the place, and called it Do'-syo-wdf, a name strikingly euphonious in their tongue, meaning. The place of basswoods. The origin of the name, Buffalo, has already been so thor- oughly discussed in and out of this Society, that no attempt will be made to throw additional light upon the subject. The earliest occurrence of the name which I have been able to dis- cover, is on a manuscript map in the British Museum, found . in a collection called King George's Ma|)s, formerly in his Majesty's library. It is dated in 1764, and embraces both banks of the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Black Rock. The American shore is represented as entirely unsettled, cov- ered with forest and bordered with sand hills. Buffalo Creek U laid down, bearing its present name. Its next occurrence is in the narrative of the captivity and residence of the Gilbert family among the Senecas in 1780-81, which was pub'.ished in 1784. We next find it in the treaty of Fort Stanwix before alluded to. The»Rcv. Mr. Kirkland, in his journal oi a visit to the Senecas in 1788,! speaks of their " village on the Buflfa- loe," and from that time the name appears to have passed into * Korth American Sylva, vol. iil, p. 131. t MS. jsuraal in N. Y. Stale Ubrary. - THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. general use. The Holland Company endeavored to supplant it with the term *' New Amsterdam," but our village fathers, with great good sense, rejected the substitute, together with the foreign names which the same Company had imposed upon our streets. The Scnecas, with a few kindred Onondagas and Cayugas, on their arrival here, in 1780, established themselves on the banks of the Buffalo Creek. The former chose the south side, and the level bottoms beyond the present iron bridge, east of i»hat is now known as " Martin's Corners." The Onondagas went higher up, as far as the elevated table land, near where the southern Ebenezer Village was subsequently located. The Cayugas settled north of the Onondagas, along that branch of the creek which bears their name. In these localities the tribes were found, when imn juration reached them; and here they remained, dividing theii t^rne be- tween hunting, fishing and the cultivation of the soil, until the encroachments of the white man diminished their game, and created a demand for their lands too eager and powerful to be resisted. We have seen, within a few years, the last of the Senecas abandon their ancient seats, on the confines of our city, some to locate on the adjacent Reservations, and others to seek "a wider hunting-ground" bey >. d the Mississippi. They left the graves of their fathers in the possesion of the white man, and how has he fulfilled the trust? A visit to their rude and neglected cemetery will furnish the answer. The grave in which Red Jacket was laid by his mourning people, ii empty.* The headstone of the captive " White Woman," car- ried away by piecemeal, for relics, by the curious, no longer tells the simple story of her remarkable Ufe. Pollard and Young King and White Seneca, and many others, whose names were once as household words among us, all rest in oumarked graves. They were the friends of the founders of our city, • Hb ramnini w«f« Molen by a ChipfMWii. They w«» rccovmd by hb family i Movad tu Iha CatUnuigUs Rtntfyatioa. ■aiMaiMa TUB NIAGARA FRONTIEIt, 33 when the Indiani were strong and the white man weak. Those conditions are now reversed. Having crowded the living from their ancient seats and pleasant hunting-grounds, let us respect the graves and protect the ashes of their fathers. One of their eloquent chiefs, De-jiA'-non-da-weh-hoh, The Padfieaior, known to the whites as Dr. Peter Wilson,* has feelingly and re- proachfully told us that "the bones of his people lie in exile in their own country." Would it not be an appropriate work for this Society, to initiate measures for the permanent preserva- tion of their dead? The remains of such of their distinguished chiefs as can now be identified, should be removed, with the consent of their Nation, to our new cemetery. There, on the quiet banks of the Ga-noA'-gwaAt-gfth.f in the shadow of the native forest, beneath the old oaks, where, within the memory of the living, their council fires burned, and their war-whoop rang,t under the same protection that guards the white man'i grave, they would rest in security, and the dust of our antag- onistic races commingle undisturbed. • H« diMi in Much. iSt*.— Kd. f Th«ScMC«muM0f Ka*i«elMirCiMk. tFaraMLBwawwowMd, *irii«ilwWar«(>«i«,kyBnMiM Gnn|OT. tkm U. S. la- diuAiMi. Hki«dd«ietWM»oitli«fUi«l«M^pl«»,i«oH«rft»«tb«M«l«Str«««ii- mMttodMCMMMfy. The orfi grow B«r br. wm w«! bjr rt» S«i«»t for thtlr oow- dbMihttftriML Thty »w»oyr fatehM ■mw^ —4 wJ« w J ■» »«liMbl> —hww ia lh« cMMt with OnM Bfiiaia. 34 THB NtACAKA FXONT/Ek. APPENDIX TO THE FOREGOING ARTICLE. 1 he MIowinf ll»t cnbracct many of the ewly ii«n«r ih«t haw Um ap* piled 10 Mma of our great lakea and river*, and to a few promineiit locaU. liet along their border*. Several of Inferior note, though of more local to- tcrest. are aloe given. The great diversity that hat enirted In the mode of tpelling the geographical termi of the Iroquoin, h*» givwi ri»e to much con. furion and uncertainty, Thit ha* Induced the writer to adopt. In reduclnc the Seneca name* to Engliih orthography, the admirable *y»iem invented by the Rev. A»her Wright, of the Cattaraugu* Mliwlon. That able mi»*ionary ha* pubU»hed in the Seneca language, which he »peak» and write* fluently, several work* of much interest to the philologist, the fruit of hit many yeara of *ttcce**ful labor among that people. The acknowledgment* of l»e writer are justly due to him for his assistance in determining the orthograi^hy and •ignilication of many of the name* that occur in thete pages; alto, to lit, Peter Wilson, Nathaniel T. Strong* and Nicholton H. Parker, all hljhly intelligent and cultivated members of the Iroquoii family. The following i* *ub»tantially the key to Mr. Wrighfs system. If the •ounds of the letters and accent* are strictly observed, a close approximation to the correct pronunciation wiU be reached: a lonnded like a In fall. 'o ■ounded like o in note. i *ounded like a In hat. « soundetl like u in push. e«ounde-. MH % THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, SENECA NAMES. WITH SIGNIFICATIONS. 35 ■•i. Ga>-da4'-B0>- " FW^mg-platt with a sawf-haiktl." Cayuga Creak, or morth fork of Buffalo Creek. U4A..U. .neh. " TheplM tf Jhm hrria." Seneca Creek, or louth fork of Buffalo Creek. (;a^.iwi^h'.daaA. " ShU rvtk MtMt." Caxenovia Creek, or louth fork of Bttffak) Creek. Tga-U.da.|il.y«>t. '^ Tht plati cf tkt tu>p*ndtd btU." The Seneca Mi.- sion HottiCe Tga>»...B*h'.«.de*. " Tht fhtt »/ Iht faUs." Fall, above Jack Berry- Jit>Hi'.di>.*aa>l'-B«li. " Tht place of the trab-afipk." Cheektowaga. De.aH'.gwfl>l.d4.Ba'-neh. " The place of tamper eel." Lanca.ter village, after a person of that name who rcsUled there. Ga.y«>».B«wh'.d/*. The Indian name of OU Smoke, who lived and died on the bank of Smoke". Creek. He led the Seneca, at Wyoming. The name U now alw applied to Smoke. Creek, and .ignilie. " The smoke has du- l^peantl." De dyo'-deA-neh'-wk-d*. " A gravel bend." Lake shore above Smok e . Creek. l«..nya'-dih. '' The other tide of the fiatt." Tifff. farm. De.yeh.ho-ga.da-M.. " The oblique ford." The old ford at the pre- lent Iron Bridge. De.yoh'.ho.«rf>l. " The forks of the river." Junction of the Cayuga and Cazenovia Creek.. Tga'.n*n-da.ga'.yo..hrf/». " TheoldxHlhge." The flat, embracing Twltch- eir. farm. Tbl. I. the .Ite of the first village the Seneca, built on Buffalo Creek. Nl-dyU»'.nya>l-a'.ab. '' Narrow point." Farmer'. Brother'. Point. Oa-nA'.ho>l-g«h. " The place filled up." Long Point In Canada, and ■omellme. applied to Erie. In allu.Jon to the Indian tradition, that The Great Beaver built a dam aciow Lake Erie, of which Prewine Isle and Long Point are the remain*. Gah-gwah-ge'.gi-««-l. " The ttstdeme of the Kah-hwat." Ei^teen Mile Creek. Sometime* called Gab-gwaA'.g«4l. J-r 36 THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, Y(»-da'.nyuh.gwaA'. " A fithing-phtt with hook-and-liue." Sandjrtown, the old name for the beach above Black Rock. Tflkh'-t\.yii&eh. " Rope ferry." Old ferry over Buffalo Creek. Tga-noh'-so-doA. " The place 9 f houses. " Old village in the forks of Smoke's Creek. Dyo-ge'-o/<-ja-eA. " Wet grass." Red Bridge. Dyos'-ho4. " The sulphur spring." Sulphur Springs. De^yo'-na.iy<»'"h. " The ripple." Middle Ebenezer village. Dyo-nrf/t'-da-eeA. '^ Hemlock elevatiou." Upper Ebeneier village, form- erly Jcck Berryiown. Tg(i-de»'. ** Long praific." Meadows above Upper Ebeneser. Onon'^aA-ge'.ga>i-geh. " The place of the Onondagas." West end of Lower Ebenezer. Sha.ga-ni640-4l. p. 49> Lac Des Iroquois. Relation des Jesuites. X635i ?• I3i. La Mer Douce. " The Frtsh Sea." Rflation. 1639-40, p. 130. OnUrio. ^BeauHfml Lake." Hennepin.V }!• Relation, 1640^41, p. 4^ Skanadario. "Beautifisl Lakt." Hennepin, p. 4a. Cadaracktti. Golden, xvi. Fronttnac. Hennepin, p. 40< mitmm THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. LAKE ERIE. Eri^. Relation; 1641, p. 71. Lac Dn Chat. " Cat Lake" Sanson's Map of 1651. Lac De Conty. Coronelli's Map of 1688. Oswego. N. Y. Colonial Documents v., p. 694. LAKE HURON. La Mer Douce. " Tht Fresh Sea." Champlain, appendix, p. 8. Attigouantan. Champlain i., p. 324. Karegnondi. Sanson's Map of 1657. Lac Des Hurons. Relation, 16707-71, map. Lac D'Orleans. Coronelli's Map of 1688. Qttat<^he. Colden, xvi. Caniatare. Colden, xvi. LAKE MICHIGAN. 37 Marquette's Map, 1674. I^c Des Pnants. Champlain, 1633. Lac Des Illinote. Kelatiati, 1669-70. St. Joseph. TMlier AUouez in 1675. Danphin. Coroadli^^ Map of 1CS8. Michigonong. H«nnq>{tt, p. 53.' LAKE SUPERIOR. Le Grand Lac. " Tie Great Lake." Champlain, 1633. Lac Superieur. *' Upper Lake." Relation, 1660, p. g. Lac De Tracy. Relation. 1667, p. 4. Lac De Cond^. Le Ck-rcq, p. 137. NIAGARA FALLS. ^Sautd'eau. "Waterfall." Champlain't Map. 1613. ^Onguiaahra. Relation, 1640-41, p. 65. Applied to river only. Ongiara. Sanson's Map of 1651. Ducreux. 16G0. vUnghiara. Bancroft's U. S., vol. iii, p. 138. xOch>ni-a-gara: Evans' Map, I75S> lagara. (^tklen's Five Nations, appendix, p. 15. 0-ni>a-ga-rah. Colden's Five Nations, p. 79.. - 04y-a-kar-rah. Macauley's N. Y., vol. li, p. I7}w V n! ' !>.lfea '!*» .P '' ^ ' ll. ' - ' W«J4«Jt.J-. l '---gi''-''U-A'>Si