{ 
 
 POlNTE AUX PIN, 
 
 OUTLINE .VIAP OF 
 
 MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN. 
 
 WRECK 
 
 •%FAIRr 
 f^ARCH 
 ^OIAHTS 
 AIRWAY 
 
 mfaoN's 
 
MACKINAC, ^'^' 
 
 FOKMEItLY 
 
 m:ichiIvIm:ack:inac. 
 
 BY JOHN R. BAILEY, M. D. \ 
 
 i 
 
 Attending Surgeon, Fort Mackinac, Micli ; (Late) Actinf? Assistant Surgeon, 'X, 
 
 U. S. Army, and Post Surgeon at Fort Macliinac, Mich., Fort Snelllng, 
 
 Minn., and Fort Hamilton, New Yorlc Harbor, and U. S. Physician j 
 
 for the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians at Michilimacliinac. ,; 
 
 '1 
 
 -"I 
 
 Brevet Lieut. Col. U. S. Volunteers and (Late) Asst. - | 
 
 Surgeon and Surgeon Eighth Missouri ] 
 
 Infantry Volunteers. ] 
 
 ,j 
 
 Organizer and first Commander, 1861, New House of Refuge General Hospital, 
 St. Louis, Mo.; Surgeon-iu-Chicf and Chief of Operating Corps, 3d Div. 15th 
 
 A. C; Chief Medical Officer on Staff of General Morgan L. Smith, Gen- | 
 
 eral Lewis Wallace, General Giles A. Smith, (Jeneral Lightburn, \ 
 
 General David Stuart, General William T. Sherman, General J 
 
 F. P. Bluir, Jr., and General John A. Logan ; Surgeon in :! 
 
 Charge of Special Field and. General Field Hospitals 3 
 at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Russel's House, Coi- 
 
 inth, Memphis, and VicksburK, Mississippi. \ 
 
 Special Medical Purveyor, Army of the Tennessee, in the Field, | 
 
 at Chattanooga. I 
 
 NEOSHO EDITIOI^. 
 
 18Q6. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1895, 
 
 By JOHN R. BAILEY, 
 
 In the oflice of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 Darius D. Thorp, Publisher, 
 Lansing, Michigan. 
 

 o 
 
 (-1 
 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 « 
 O 
 
THIS VOLUME, 
 
 STYLED 
 
 THE " NEOSHO" EDITION, 
 
 IS, WITH LOVE, AND A TRIBUTE OP RESPECT, 
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 TO MY SISTER, 
 
 MRS. MARY NEOSHO WILLIAMS, 
 
 WIDOW OF GENERAL THOMAS WILLIAMS, 
 
 U. S. ARMY, 
 
 WHO WAS KILLED IN THE BATTLE OF BATON ROUGE, LA., 
 
 AUGUST FIFTH, 
 EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO. 
 
" Ye say they all have passed away, 
 
 That noble race and brave 
 That their light canoes have vanished 
 
 From off the crested wave; 
 That 'n\'d the forest where they roamed 
 
 There rings no hunter's shout; 
 But their name is on your waters — 
 
 Ye may not wash it out. 
 
 •' Ye say their cone-like cabins, 
 
 That clustered o'er the vale, 
 Have fled away like withered leaves 
 
 Before the autumn gale; 
 But their memory liveth on your hills, 
 
 Their baptism on your shore; 
 Your everlasting rivers speak 
 
 Their dialect of yore.*' 
 
rHEFACE. 
 
 Mackiuac, formerly Michilimackinac — looking backwards 
 to about the time of **Tlie Flood" and forward to the pres- 
 ent time, has been carefully written, and the following works 
 and official reports referred to: Mitchell's Geography, 1843; 
 Taylor's Manual of History; Michigan Manual; London and 
 Paris State Papers; United States State Papers, and Official 
 Reports; Sketches of the Life of Gurdon S. Hubbard; Let- 
 ters and Documents of the American Fur Co. ; my own per- 
 sonal copies of Official Letters and Reports, Fort Mackinac, 
 Mich. ; Memoir of Pere James Marquette, by John R. Bailey, 
 M. D. ; Vferwyst — Missionary Labors of Marquette, Menard 
 and Allouez; Ancient and Modern Michilimackinac; History 
 of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan (Black- 
 bird's); Van Fleet's Old and New Mackinac; Maps of Mack- 
 inac; Palmer's Historical Register, 1814; Shea's Discovery 
 and Exploration of the Mississippi; also. Shea's Catholic 
 Missions; Hennepin; La Ilontan, two volumes; Charlevoix, 
 two volumes; Alexander Henry; Carver; Disturnell; New- 
 comb's Cyclopaedia of Missions; American Missions to the 
 Heathen; Geological Reports by Foster and Whitney, and by 
 Professor Winchell; Thatcher's Indian Biography, two vol- 
 umes; Strickland's Old Mackinaw; Drake's Northern Lakes 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 and Southern Invalids; also, Diseases of the Mississippi Val- 
 ley, by the same author; Holme's American Annals, two vol- 
 umes; Robertson's History of America; Bancroft's United 
 States; Bell's Canada, two volumes; Albach's Annals of the 
 West; Lahnman's Michigan; Sheldon's Early Michigan; 
 HTstorical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan; Neill's Min- 
 nesota; Smith's Wisconsin, three volumes; Wynne's General 
 History of the British Empire; Roger's Concise Account of 
 North America; Dillon's Early Settlement of the Northwest- 
 ern Territory; Heriot's Canada; Parkman's Pontiac; Park- 
 man's Discovery of the Great West; Schoolcraft's Works, 
 complete; Documentary History of New York, complete; 
 History and Discovery of the North West, Butterfield's; and 
 other works in my library. 
 
 I am under obligation to 1st Lieut. Woodbridge Geary, 
 commanding Fort Mackinac, and David W. Murray, Foley 
 Brothers and George C. Ketchum, of the Island, for books of 
 reference. 
 
 The historical facts and dates are drawn from books, and 
 matter that has long been accumulating, and much, in the 
 last century, from personal observation of over fifty years of 
 life, with the Indians, on the frontiers of our nation. 
 
 J. R. B. 
 
 Mackinac Island, Michigan, May 24, 1895. 
 
MACKINAC, FORMERLY MICHILIMACINAC. 
 
 " Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind, 
 Sees God in storms and hears Him in the wind." 
 
 GENESIS OF THE INDIAN. 
 
 To ascertain the genesis of a race or people we must carry 
 our researches far back of modern times into the regions of 
 antiquity. Man began with a mere existence, his personal 
 wants and desires were all he had to care for. The Indian, 
 like the Caucassian, is a creature of environment. He ad- 
 vanced as his limited resources permitted, or descended to 
 the lowest grade of savagery when driven out by a stronger 
 tribe and forced to extremity. 
 
 "O, why does the white man follow my path, 
 Like the hound on the tiger's track ? " 
 
 When the Spaniards first visited this, then unknown land, 
 they found the inhabitants of the *'^New World" in the 
 various stages of society, from the lowest savage state to that 
 of a half civilized people. From whence came these tribes 
 and why their various conditions? They must have migrated 
 from adjacent lands and reached this continent from the near 
 shores of Northeastern Asia at a period unknown. 
 
 America is a continuation of the land surface of the earth 
 from Asia. The shallow straits of "Behring" are merely 
 a depression in the uplift where the ancient drift and glaciers 
 have washed through and by erosion made the original valley 
 wider and deeper. 
 
10 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 People of Alaska. — "The Esquimaux are evidently of 
 Tartar origin, and no doubt migrated from Asia about the 
 time of their wars in China during the ninfrh and tenth cen- 
 turies." The language of that people, on the Eastern and 
 Western coasts of North America, by the sea, and of the 
 Tchoutski bears a strong resemblance. Interpreters from 
 Hudson's Bay, and Moravian missionaries from Labrador can 
 converse with them. They, the Esquimaux, in speaking of 
 themselves, apply the word *'Eneuin" people. The begin- 
 ning of winter is the first of their year. It is divided into 
 four seasons and twelve moons. 
 
 Kinzeghan, near Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, has long 
 been a trading place with Tchuktchi or Asiatic tribes, who 
 cross the straits, from East Cape, in boats, in mid summer, 
 by way of the Diomede islands. They meet the natives of 
 the coast, east and west, and those of the Mackenzie and 
 Yukon river basins, who come far from the south to trade. 
 In July the Mackenzie is navigable, for large vessels, into 
 Great Slave Lake, more than one thousand miles south of the 
 "Frozen Ocean," and the Yukon (or Kivhpak), as far. Fish 
 and game are abundant in all this territory, and barley, oats 
 and potatoes will grow to maturity at Fort Norman, latitude 
 64° 31' north. (See "Hours at Home," "Russian America," 
 July, 18G7, pp. 254 to 265.) 
 
 In arctic climes, the days of summer are long, the heat of 
 the sun often intense, nights are short, and the face of 
 nature develops rapidly. The rivers and even the stream- 
 lets become irresistible, moving floods. They teem with 
 tericsstrial life along their borders, and aqueous life within, 
 and winged aerial upon their waters. Therefore, there is 
 food enough, and to spare, for the Tartar Indian nomads. 
 
 There is now living on Mackinac Island a mixed blood 
 
ORIGIN OF THE ABORIGINES. 11 
 
 Indian woman about 68 years old (who came here at the age 
 of seventeen), of the Kilistinoux or Cree tribe. She 
 was born in the Churchill river country, between Hudson's 
 Bay and Great and Little Slave lakes. She says her people 
 went to the north in summer by way of Great Slave lake to 
 barter with the tribes on the "Frozen Sea." They started 
 early in March and did not return until the next year. They 
 met the people from the " Sea " coming up the river, half 
 way. Some of her people returned and others went north 
 and did not come back. Other parties went north by way of 
 Red river (of the north) to trade and sell furs. They, too, 
 would go one year, start in March, and not come back until 
 the next season. Time then was no object. This woman. 
 Madam Cadro (now Cadotte), is part French. Her people 
 gave her in marriage to Cadro when she was only twelve years 
 old. He was a ** Courier du Bois" and an "Engagee" of 
 the Hudson's Bay Company. Madam Cadro is an intelligent, 
 industrious, hard working woman, and is generally respected. 
 She relates this story as a part of her life without the slight- 
 est idea it has any bearing of importance. 
 
 " The Kilistinoux have their more ordinary place of abode 
 in the vicinity of the Sea of the North." " The * Assimpou- 
 la lac,^ a tribe allied with the Kilistinoux, where the country is 
 still more toward the north," Assineboines, from "assin," a 
 stone, and •*boines,"or " eboines" a corruption of " Bawn"- 
 Sioux. (See Hist, and Biog. notes. ) They are the Sioux of the 
 north, and bands of the Sioux of the plains fir to the south 
 of them. 
 
 The Jews in China. — Colonies of Jewish extraction have 
 been known to exist in Pekin and the interior of China in 
 the sixteenth and seventeenth centnric* and before, Jewish 
 traditions, Chinese inscriptions, and observations of travelers 
 
12 HISTOEY OP MACKINAO. 
 
 show that large and influential communities of the Children 
 of Israel have resided in China for a period of not less thar* two 
 thousand years.* 
 
 f China is the oldest nation on the face of the earth and 
 has been a government, it is claimed, for at least forty-five 
 centuries, Japan was settled from that country and was a 
 part of that vast domain. The natives of Japan believe their 
 country existed 6G0 years before the Christian Era. 
 
 f That the aboriginals of America came originally from 
 Asia and the outlaying islands of that continent, by the nat- 
 ural drift of current events, the "Curo Shiwo" and the 
 Pacific drift currents, can hardly be doubted. They might 
 have baen driven off the coasts of Japan in their frail craft 
 by storms and wafted by the ocean currents to the shores of 
 Alaska, or as far to the south as California and Mexico, or 
 have crossed Behring straits by way of the many islands in 
 that channel. Numerous instances of wrecks with survivors 
 on board have been recorded since 1785. In 1837 three ship- 
 wrecked Japanese were picked up in Washington Territory. 
 Others have since been rescued along the Pacific coasts and 
 returned to Japan. 
 
 What occurred 100 years ago could have happened 1,000 
 years before, or at any time since the flood, when "All the 
 fountains of the great deep were broken up," and afterwards 
 the surface of the earth was re-peopled. There is no mystery 
 about the origin of the native American. The Indian came 
 from Asia, the cradle of the human race. He may have been 
 Aryan or Mongolian or other extraction; that is of no con- 
 sideration. Time, climate, food, habits, and environment, 
 
 ♦Hours at Home, May, 1868, pp. 90 to 93. 
 
 t China, pages 397 to 409 and to 414, and Japan, 627 to 684. Lalor's 
 Cyclopedia of Political Science, etc. 
 
ORIGIN OF THE ABORIGINES. 13 
 
 with all its infiuenceB have effaced his lineage and made him 
 a distinctly marked type. So, Columbus, when he was first 
 discovered by the shy inhabitants of our tropical sea, was not 
 80 far out of the way when he named the natives '* Indians." 
 
 Having essayed to trace the origin of the aborigines, we 
 now come to the time, from A. D. 1001 to 1492, when they 
 were sighted by eastern navigators in the'r native land. One 
 of them, whose exploits are recorded and best known, the 
 aforesaid Christopher Columbus, in 1492, first landed from 
 his Caravels on a tropical island, one of a group at the 
 entrance of what is now the Gulf of Mexico. That Genoese 
 anchored off the coast and viewed the "Promised Land." 
 Investing himself and his followers in gorgeous array they 
 waded to the shore, bearing aloft the colors of Spain and 
 Aragon with the cross, the emblem of Christianity. He un- 
 furls the flag and plants the cross before the astonished and 
 frightened natives on the soil of the New World, taking by 
 force of arms a country belonging to others, in the name of 
 the sovereigns who promoted his enterprise. Here began a 
 series of acts, wrongs, sequestration, pillage and extermina- 
 tion that have been continued under the guise of Christianity 
 by the nations of Europe and our Republic to the present 
 time. It is but the continuance of the survival of the fittest 
 — the strong overpowering the weak. 
 
 Columbus is followed by Cortez, for one, who falls upon 
 the peaceful nations of Mexico and Peru, slaughters their 
 people, dethrones their monarchs, and lays waste their cities 
 and plantations. Those nations are said to have been far 
 advanced in civilization, agrioulture and social conditions. 
 And about the same time came the French, English, Dutch, 
 Portugese and others, until we come down to the founding 
 
14 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 of a " New France," on the banks and in the valley of the 
 St. Lawrence, which includes the basin of the Great Lakes. 
 
 New France. — James Oartier, St. Molo, France, discov- 
 ered the St. Lawrence in 1534, and anchored in Gaspe Bay. 
 Ue had two vessels of 50 tons each, and 122 sailors. He 
 sailed up the gulf in Augu l until he could see land on both 
 sides of the river. The following year he returned and 
 ascended the St. Lawrence as far as the Indian village on the 
 island of Hocheluga. He called the hill on the island '* Mont- 
 Real," and it is now the city and island of '* Montreal." He 
 remained all the winter 'of 1535 in a palisaded fort on the 
 banks of the St. Charles. 1'hat winter was very cold and 
 many of his men died. 
 
 In the spring he took possession of the country again, as he 
 had done the year before, in the name of the King of P>ance. 
 Then he returned to France in two of his shlps^ having 
 abandoned the third one, and on July 16, 153«, again 
 anchored at St. Molo. Cartiers' abandoned ship was found 
 imbedded in mud three hundred and twelve years afterwards. 
 No attempt to plant a permanent colony was made for a series 
 of years after 1534 and 1536; but it is inferred that some 
 French of both of these expeditions remained and inter- 
 married with the Algonquins and Hurons, adapting them- 
 selves to their condition and mode of life. 
 
 Again, May 23, 1541, Cartier sailed from St. Molo with 
 five vessels, under the auspices of John Francis de la Rogue. 
 La Rogue was Lord of Roberval, whom the French King had 
 appointed viceroy of the Country of the St. Lawrence. 
 Cartier entered the St. Lawrence and established a fort near 
 the present site of Quebec. Then he, in two boats, went up 
 the river and explored the rapids above Hochelaga island. 
 After the exploration he returned and passed the winter in 
 
FISHING VESSELS IN NEWFOUNDLAND 15 
 
 his fort. In the spring he returned to France. In Jnne, 
 1543, when outward bound, he met the Viceroy at the harbor 
 of St. John with three ships and two hundred men. 
 lloberval ordered him to return, but he eluded him in the 
 night and continued his voyage. The Viceroy, although 
 abandoned, wintered in the St. Lawrence. That spring, 
 1543, he also left the country and virtually gave up his pos- 
 sessions. No doubt more of the Viceroy's men remained in 
 the land and took dusky residents for wives. 
 
 Adventurers and fishermen continued to cross the Atlantic, 
 until in 1578 there were no less than twenty whalers from the 
 Bay of Biscay, and three hundred and fifty fishing vessels at 
 Newfoundland. Those people were French, Spanish, Portu- 
 gese and English. They must, of course, have visited the 
 main land to barter and get supplies from the natives. 
 
 King Henry IV. of France, encouraged the Marquis de la 
 Roche, in 1598, to recolonize New France. But that expedi- 
 tion was ill fated, and forty convicts were left on Sable island 
 near the coast of Nova Scotia. Five years afterwards twelve 
 of the convicts were found alive. 
 
 The following year a merchant, Pontgrave, and a marine 
 captain, Chauvin, were granted a monopoly of the fur trade 
 by the King of France. They started out to get five hundred 
 persons to found the new colony. Arriving at the mouth of 
 the Saquenay, there, at Tadousac, they built a cluster of log 
 huts and storehouses, and left sixteen men to gather furs. 
 They left and did not return until 1601, when they found the 
 men had scattered among the Indians or were dead. Chauvin 
 made a second and a third voyage, but the colonizing scheme 
 was another failure. On the third voyage he died, and with 
 him the colony ended. 
 
 In 1603, Samuel Cham plain formed a company of mer- 
 
16 BISTOBT OF MACKINAC. 
 
 chants and adventurers to found, m earnest, a colony in 
 Canada. He sailed over in two small vessels, and made a 
 sur<re) of the St. Lawrence as far as the island of Ilochelaga. 
 K ) tried to ascend the rapids, in a skiff with Indian guides, 
 but did not succeed. The Indians made a rude plan of the 
 river and the lakes above, that gave a crude idea of their vast 
 extent. On getting the information desired he returned to 
 his ships and sailed for France, but resolved to come again 
 better equipped. Champlain sailed, the second time, April 
 13, 1608, fitted out for trade, exploration and colonization. 
 The Saquenay was reached in June, and soon after a settle- 
 ment was made, at Quebec, on the bank where the lower 
 town is situated. 
 
 The winter of 1608-9 was severe, and not being inured to 
 cold his men suffered greatly. On the opening oi spring 
 fresh supplies from France arrived. June, 1609, Champlain, 
 with only two white men and sixty llurons and Algonquins, 
 ascended the Richelieu into the lake that now bears his 
 name. They were met on the lake and opposed by a band of 
 Iroquois, who were soon routed by a few shots from an 
 arquebuse. The Iroquois and all the five nations of what is 
 now New York, were at war with the llurons of the lakes 
 and the Algonquins whose range was the Ottawa and St. Law- 
 rence rivers. Afterwards the French called all Algonquins, 
 wherever found, Ottawas. 
 
 Champlain returned to France, but we find him back to 
 his province in 1610, 1611 and 1613 having crossed and 
 returned between those periods. Having learned from the 
 IniSians the great extent of country, the distant Hudson's 
 Bay, the large fresh water seas, and the copper found on the 
 shores of Lake Superior, of the fish of all the waters in unlim- 
 ited quantity, and the fur- bearing animals, he wished to visit 
 
CHAMPLAIN IN CANADA. l7 
 
 t •. '»a. The great object, then, was to eecure the fur trade 
 and explore the route to China and India. With that intent 
 in 1613 he sailed up the St. Lawrence "bound for the Ottawa 
 to discover the North Sea." He reached lele des Allumettes 
 and returned baffled and disgusted to France. 
 
 1015. The Indians along the St. Lawrence and the shores 
 of the great lakes, came yearly, in summer to trade with the 
 French Eettlers. That year when the Ilurons and Algon- 
 quins were assembled at Montreal, they asked Champlain to 
 lead them against their old enemies the Iriquois of New York 
 and he accepted their proposal. Champlain then went to 
 Quebec for supplies. Returning he learned t^e savages got 
 impatient and left July 1 for their villages. Father Joseph 
 le Caron, a Recollect and twelve Frenchmen, who were armed 
 went with them July 10th. Champlain followed with ten 
 Indians and two Frenchmen. Both parties went by way of 
 the Ottawa to the Algonquin villages. They passed the two 
 lakes of the Allumettes and took a long-used portage to Lake 
 Nipissing, and from that lake in canoes floated and paddled 
 down the French river into Georgian bay. Then they took a 
 southward course along the shores of the bay to the Huron 
 villages more than one hundred miles distant at the head of 
 the bay, the allied forces then moved across the country by 
 way of the river Trent to Lake Ontario. They boldly crossed 
 the lake and landing, pushed into the interior and beseiged 
 the Irriquois who were entrenched in forts. They were not 
 successful and returned to their homes with Champlain. In 
 the spring Champlain returned to Quebec, by way of the 
 Ottawa, arriving July 11, 1616. Le Caron returned a few 
 days before Champlain, having learned something of the lan- 
 guage and the Indian mode of life. It is claimed that the 
 Chippewaa and Ottawas (Algonquins) of the straits of Michil- 
 2 
 
18 HI8TOEY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 imackinac and Lake Michigan islands and a few Sacs and 
 Sioux, were in that expedition. At that early period Cham- 
 plain and his followers had learned from observation and pre- 
 vious reports tht; vast extent of territory and inland fresh 
 water seas, he held for the French crown. 
 
 Franciscan Monks. — From 1608 to 1G33 the priests and 
 monks of the gray robes (RecollectF) were the dominant 
 religious order in New France. Up to 1G23 they had estab- 
 lished five missions from Arcadia to the borders of Lake 
 Huron. Champlain himself was a Zealot firmly imbued with 
 the Roman faith. " Canada was a true child of the Church." 
 The statesman, soldier and the priest, with his cross, went 
 hand in hand together and planted a shrine in every village. 
 Their object was to secure the rich fur trade and prosylite the 
 natives to the Church of Rome. 
 
 1622. In 1622 the Hugeuots received a concession in New 
 France, but their stay was short. Then for the first time 
 there came three Jesuits, one of them John de Bribeuf, whose 
 career and final death is historic. 
 
 1627. Louis the thirteenth (Richelieu, being Cardinal 
 and really King) chartered the " Ilundred Associates Com- 
 pany," granting them forever Quebec and fort, all New 
 France and Florida. Champlain was one of that company. 
 The King gave the company two ships and invested them 
 with almost sovereign power. The Roman Catholic Church 
 was to be the established one, and no other. That, with the 
 Indian wars and the Hugenots, lead to new troubles in the 
 province, and 
 
 "A strange harmonious inclination 
 Of all degrees to reformation." 
 
 1629. The English captured Quebec and all New France 
 in 1629, and returned the whole counlry, by treaty, in 1632. 
 
VOYAttB OP NICOLET TO GREEN BAT. 19 
 
 1633. We find Champlain again in command of the fort 
 and town of Quebec and New France, that he had previously 
 been obliged to surrender to the English. This time under 
 the ** Hundred Associates Company," and the Jesuits, priests 
 of the black robes, in the ascendant. 
 
 As soon as the French were known to be in command again 
 one hundred and fifty Huron canoes arrived at Fort St. 
 Croix, Three Rivers, to trade with their old friends. With 
 them came John Nicolet, the interpreter, who was directed 
 by Champlain to proceed with the returning convoys to **La 
 Nation des Puants" (at Green Bay, Wis.,) to make a treaty 
 with them and learn of "The Men of the Sea" about their 
 country, and "the great water." 
 
 1634. In compliance with instructions Jean Nicolet, who 
 had returned with the Hurons, journeyed by the Ottawa 
 route. Lake Nipissing and Georgian Bay, towards the land of 
 the Winnebagoea. He was conveyed by seven friendly Indians 
 in birch-bark canoes. Passing the mouth of the French river 
 westward, he met the "Nation of Beavers" "Ana kou ai" 
 (Amik or Amikou) a beaver. They were descended from the 
 " Great Beaver," next to the " Great Hare," their principal 
 divinity. Their original homes were the Beaver Islands 
 ("Isles du Castor") in Lake Michigan and afterwards the 
 Manitoulin Islands in Lake Huron. The French named 
 them "Nez Perces" from their habit of wearing ornaments 
 and feathers thrust through their noses. 
 
 The following translated from the French: ' "On the 18th 
 of June. 1635, the chief of the Nez Perces or Beaver Nation, 
 which is three days journey from us (the Jesuit missonaries 
 located at the head of Georgian Bay of Lake Huron) came to 
 
 ' " History of the Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicolet in 
 1684," pages 45-6. By C. W. Butterfield. 
 
80 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 demand of us some one of the Frenchmen to go with them to 
 pass the summer in a fort which they had made by reason of 
 the fear which they have of the * "A8 eats i 8 aeniihonon/' 
 that is to say the nation of the Puarts — (Winnebagoes), who 
 have broken the treaty of peace and have killed two of their 
 men, of whom they have made a feast." 
 
 The Beaver tribe were then on the main land where Sieur 
 Nicolet found them. Still farther on the shore of the great 
 lake were the "Oumisagai" Indians. All were of Algon- 
 quin stock, and could be easily understood. The canoes 
 pressed onward and entered the St. Mary's river at Detour 
 (the turn) and paddled up the stream to the falls Sault de 
 Sainte Marie. "And there stood Nicolet, the first white man 
 to set foot upon any portion of what was, more than a cen- 
 tury and a half after, called ' the territory northwest of the 
 river Ohio,'" at present the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
 Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota east of the Mississippi 
 river. The Indians found at the Sault (leaper fall) pronounced 
 *'Soo," were also Algonquins, Ojibiwas or Chippewas called 
 by the French Saulteurs (and Sauteurs) and by the Sioux as 
 Raratwans, " people of the falls " and other names meaning 
 the same. 
 
 After a short stay at Sault Ste Marie he returned down the 
 river in his canoes propelled by the paddles of the seven 
 Hurons. On reaching the mouth of the river they made the 
 turn (Detour) and coursing along the shores of the northern 
 peninsula 'hey passed Les Cheneaux, (the channels), St. Mar- 
 tin's Islands, St. Ignace, and the island of Michilimackinac, 
 Gros Cap and Seul Choix in succession, until they turned 
 from Lake Michigan into Bay de Koquet (*'No-ka," bear). 
 
 * " 8 " occurs iu The Relation of 1636, and is equivalent in English 
 to " w, we, or GO." 
 
VOYAGE OP NICOLKT TO OUBEN HAY. 2l 
 
 where the shores are sand. Tiierc is a big and little lay of 
 the dame name. Here we visited a tribe called !iO({ui and 
 Noqiiets, or bear family, AlgoiKiuins classed with Chippe- 
 was. Farther up (Jreeu Bay he came to the Mcnomonees on 
 a river of the same name. They were Algonquins of a lighter 
 color, and their language was not easy to understand. They 
 lived on wild rice and by fishing and hunting. After a short 
 stay he resumed his voyage to the Winnebagoes, to whom he 
 had sent one of the Hurons in advance. The Indian was 
 well received, for-told of his coming and his message of peace. 
 The Winnebagoes sent several of their young men to meet 
 him, the " wonderful man,'' who escort him and carry his 
 baggage to their camp. Arriving, he advanced clothed in a 
 robe of "Chinese damask sprinkled with flowers and birds of 
 different colors," and a pistol in caoh hand, both of which he 
 discharged in the air, to the right and left. The women and 
 children fled in dismay, for he was a ^-'ManitoiT' who carried 
 thunder in his hands. The Winnebagoes were found to be 
 numerous. Their language was different from any the Algon- 
 quins or Hurons; they were of Dakota stock. At that time 
 the Sacs and Foxes had not arrived; they came at a later 
 period. 
 
 Hearing of his coming, four or five thousand natives of the 
 different tribes soon assembled to meet him in council. 
 Nicolet made an alliance with them and urged them to keep 
 the peace with each other and the tribes eastward of Lake 
 Huron and with the Hurons and Nez Percys. 
 
 After the treaty he visited the Mascoutins, six (G) days' 
 journey up the Fox river. These Indians were also called 
 "Les Renards," "Musquakies," etc. Champlain heard of 
 them in 1415, "as being engaged in a war with the Neuter 
 Nation and the Ottawas." From that tribe and others 
 
22 HI8T0EY OP MAOKINAC. 
 
 Nicolet got confused stories of the Mississippi, Algonquin, 
 "Missi,'' great, and "sepe," water. They were so mixed 
 with the Oniscousin (Wisconsin) that he could not get a 
 definite idea of what he and others supposed was the " sea,'' 
 distant only three days' journey. From here he went south- 
 ward and visited the Illinois tribe on the prairies and returned 
 to the Winnebagoes. 
 
 On his return trip homeward he tarried with the Potta- 
 watamies, who lived on the islands at the mouth of Green 
 Bay. 
 
 1635. This was in the spring of 1635, after the ice had 
 broken up. The course was by way of the Straits of Michili- 
 mackinac and the island of the same name to the south shore 
 of Great Manitoulin island, where a band of the Ottawas 
 lived. The same seven Hurons were with him as his convoy. 
 From that island they crossed Georgian Bay to the Huron 
 villages. That season he accompanied the Indians on their 
 annual trading trip to his post on the St. Lawrence river. 
 They probably reached Three Rivers between July 15 and 23, 
 1635. See Binot (Relation 1640 and 1643). Champlain 
 died in the fort at Quebec, December 25, 1635. 
 
 1642. Father Isaac Jaques and Ryambault, S. J., plant 
 the cross at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Jean Nicolet was 
 drowned by the upsetting of a boat on the river,- above Que- 
 bec, near the last of Oct., 1642. ("History of the Discovery 
 of the North West, by 0. W. Butterfield"). 
 
 1646. Oct. 18th, Father Isaac Jaques killed by the Mo- 
 hawks. 
 
 1648. July 14th, the mission of Si. Mary's on the river 
 Richelieu, was surprised by the Iroquois, early in the morn- 
 ing when the braves were absent on war or hunting parties, 
 and all the women and children, old mtm and the attending 
 
IHOQUOIS MASSACRE THE HURONS. 23 
 
 priest (Father Daniel) were massacred. The Hurons were 
 terrified and village after village was abandoned. 
 
 1649. At day break, March 16, 1649, one thousand Iro- 
 quois assault the town of St. Ignatius on the Richelieu 
 (Sorel) and all were butchered and scalped except three who 
 escaped to St. Louis, near by. The Hurons fled in all direc- 
 tions and fifteen towns were abandoned. December 7, 1649, 
 the village Etharita (near the head of Georgian Bay) of the 
 Tinnontate Hurons (who cultivated tobacco), was attacked 
 and the men, women and children and Father Gamier, toma- 
 hawked and massacred. After this general Algonquin de- 
 feat, ^''the Hurons and Ottawas settled for some years on 
 Mif^^ilemackinac Island, and, again, fled to the islands at the 
 entrance of Green Bay, thence to the shores." **Memori6," 
 Mcolas Perrot, pp. 91, 92. 
 
 Father Grelon escaped the slaughter, and afterwards went 
 to China. Years after, on the plains of Tartary he met a 
 Huron woman whom he had known on tlie shores of Lake 
 Huron. She had been sold from tribe to tribe until she had 
 reached the steppes of Central Asia. Shea, **Cath. Mis- 
 sions," who cites Charleyoix, ch. V., p. 45. 
 
 At that time the Huron mission was destroyed, thirty 
 villages abandoned and the frightened Hurons fled across the 
 waters to the islands and main land of lakes Huron, Superidr 
 and Michigan. In the massacre of March 16, 1649, Father 
 John de Brebeauf, .ind March 17, Father Lelenaut, S. J., 
 were cruelly tortured to death. Father AUouez afterwards 
 found some of the Hurons at Chagomanigong Bay and the 
 Apostles Islands, Lake Superior in 1665. 
 
 1654. Two French traders pass by way of Michilimacki- 
 nac Island and Pointe Iroquois (St. Ignace) through the 
 straits to Green Bay. They return in 1656 with 60 canoes. 
 
24 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 loaded with furs, and a large party of Huron and Ottawas 
 bound for the market at Three Rivers, on the St. Lawrence* 
 
 1665. Nicholas Ferret was the next known and recorded 
 adventurer who made a canoe voyage through the Straits of 
 Michilimackinac to Green Bay. From 1534: (up to this date) 
 when Cartier explored the St. Lawrence and planted a colony 
 far up in the interior of New France, that subsequently 
 carried the fur trade to the banks of the Saskatchawan, there 
 were Frenchmen in the province. Many of them were illit- 
 erate, and, of course, left no record. They were simply 
 trappers and voyageurs. They mingled with the Indians, 
 intermarried, and adapted themselves to the native mode of 
 life. The Indians built forts surrounded by palisades of 
 cedar, implanted in the ground, from twelve to twenty-five 
 feet high, for protection against the assaults of other tribes. 
 The French did the same, and taught the savages how to 
 improve and better protect them. The voyageurs were the 
 pioneers, the advance pickets, jf the coming host of European 
 usurpers. 
 
 1668. The French continue to advance, as well as the 
 English, Spanish and Portugese in other parts of the conti- 
 nent, until in 1668 they are found in the region of Michili- 
 mackinac coutroling large and valuable missions under the 
 Jesuits. With them the arts of a more civilized people 
 prevailed to some extent, and the natives were brought to 
 worship the God of the white man. About this time, 1668, 
 New France was divided into the following provinces: 
 
 1. Hadson Bay — All territory north of latitude 49® and 
 west indefinitely. 
 
 2. Quebec — With Canada east, southward to the head of 
 Jj'xke Champlain, and westward to the headwaters of the 
 Ohio. 
 
 3. Michilimackinac — The country west of Quebec and 
 
PROVINCE OF MICJIILIMACKINAC. 25 
 
 southward to the Ohio, and west to the western boundary of 
 what is now Minnesota, and all the country divined into 
 Lakes Superior and Huron. Acadia (Nova Scotia), Cape 
 Breton, New Foundland, etc., were also included in New 
 France. 
 
 British America was then a strip of land between the 
 Apalachian mountains and the Atlantic ocean. 
 
 Spanish Possessions. — On the south of these was the 
 Spanish possession of Florida (Georgia included), and nearly 
 all of the territory south of the Ohio, and the valley of the 
 Mississippi as far as the mouth of the Illinois. 
 
 Vice-Eoyalty of Mexico, called New Spain, included all to 
 the southwest of these and south as far as Cape Mendocino 
 on the Pacific coast. All north of that cape was unexplored 
 and unknown. 
 
 New Mexico. — Later, when the province of New Mexico 
 was erected, it extended to the Missouri river, north, at the 
 place of the Mandan Indians. 
 
 Louisiana, under the French, claimed all territory south 
 of parallel 31®, east of the Mississippi, and west of Georgia, 
 and west of the Mississippi from its mouth to its source as 
 far as the Pacific ocean. It trenched on the Spanish posses- 
 sions of Florida and New Mexico. 
 
 1700. Province of Detroit. — That province was set off 
 from Michilimackinac, and included all of Canada west 
 above the Cataract of Niagara and north to Lake Huron, 
 that part of Michigan south of Saginaw Bay, and most of 
 Ohio and Indiana. 
 
 Detroit was settled in 1701 and in a few years became more 
 important than Michilimackinac. Before that date ** Mich- 
 ilimackina" had a history and afterwards a separate history. 
 
 Michilimackinac. — Before and after, these last dates the 
 capitol and the metropolis of the Province of Michilimacki- 
 
36 * HISTOHY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 nac was on the island of the same name, in the Straits of 
 Michilimackinac. It was not only the seat of justice and 
 base of supplies, but the center of trade of i* vast territory. 
 It was the headquarters of French traders and trappers and 
 their Courier des Bois and white and Indian employees. 
 The little island was well known and gave its name to the 
 extensive Province of Michilimackinac. 
 
 Indian language. All Indian languages, Algonquin, or 
 others, and the dialects of the various tribes and bands of 
 tribes, are, as a rule, better spoken and more clearly under- 
 stood by educated white people than by the natives them- 
 selves. There is nothing singular about this, it is so the 
 world over with all intelligent peoples. 
 
 The Chippewas and Ottawas are of Algonquin lineage and 
 consequently their language is a dialect. Chippewa and 
 Ottawa are much alike so that the two dialects are called one 
 tongue or language. Chippewa is a wonderfully regular and 
 expressive language. It abounds in verbs; nine-tenths, if 
 not more, of its words are verbs, only two of which are irreg- 
 ular. Many of the words though expressive are long on 
 account of adding new syllables to the various moods, tenses, 
 persons and participles of the verbs and of the compounding 
 of words from two or more roots. There are words that 
 have from eight to ten and as many as nineteen svHables. For 
 instance: "Metchikmakobidji^anikewininiwissigobaneag," a 
 participle meaning, '• men who perhaps did not build fences.' 
 Such a word would be a nut for a German savant to crack. 
 Just one more for our friends at the head of Lake Michigan: 
 Chicago, Ottawa, she-gog-oug, locative case of she-gog, 
 ** skunk; '* Nom., she-gog; loc, she-gog-oug; Obi=, she-gog 
 or she-gog-won. This ancient tongue has many words and 
 syllables that are radical, resembling those of Asiatic and 
 European languages, and some have the same meaning. It 
 
CHIPPEWA LANGUAGE. 37 
 
 is a " living, acting langaage; everything in it seems to live 
 and act/' See Dictionary and Grammar of Chippewa, by 
 Bishop Baraga. Beuchemin and Valois, 256-58, St. Paul St., 
 Montreal, Canada. 
 
 Michilimackinac. The name of the province Michilimack- 
 inac is as before stated the one given by the savages as ren- 
 dered by the French to the island in the straits now called 
 " Mackinac." 
 
 Michili-^Mackinst c, terminal "c,'' silent *'a" broad, pro- 
 nounced in English (*' Mackinaw"). There is no "w" in 
 the French alphabet. In Mackinack terminal *'c" and 
 *' k " are both silent, *' k " is superfluous. It is the French 
 rendering, from the Chippewa and Ottawa dialect of Algon- 
 quin. The early French who got the name from the Indians 
 spelled it in various ways, and so did the English, but always so 
 i!is to get the present pronunciation, "Mackinaw," "Maquina," 
 '*Macin(i," "Macin^c." The French being the first domi- 
 nants, their spellins^ prevails, but the pronunciation is the 
 same in French and English; Macina c, final "c" silent. In 
 place of " w" beginning a word, the French use "on," as 
 *' Onisconsin," English '* Wisconsin." 
 
 Michilimackinac is claimed to be derived from the Indian 
 words Michi, " great," and Mackinac, " turtle," from a fan- 
 cied resemblance to a large mud turtle; also from the 
 Chippewa Mi-chi-ne Mau-ki-nouk, the two meaning "the 
 place of giant fairies." Schoolcraft says there is another 
 meaning besides "great turtle.^' It also means "spirits," or 
 "fairy spirits." The spirits were want to take the form of 
 a turtle and become "turtle spirits." 
 
 The nine "Iriquois "tribes were divided into two divisions of 
 four and five tribes each. The first of the four tribes was 
 called "Atiniathan," and known as the " Tortoise " tribe 
 "It is the first because they pretend, when the Master of 
 
28 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 Life made the Earth, that he placed it on a tortoise; and 
 when there are earthquakes it is the tortoise that stirs." 
 ("16G6. Paris Loc, I.)* 
 
 Some of the Huron bands had for totems the tortoise, bear 
 and plover. The bear was brother of the tortoise,, as with 
 the Iriquois. 
 
 Macke-e-te-be-nessy (Blackbird), an Indian interpreter and 
 son of an Ottawa chief, says that " Mi-she-mi-ki-nock " 
 (Chippewa) does not mean "large turtle " nor " monstrous 
 large turtle." "Michilimackinac" is not derived from 
 *' Michimickinock." 
 
 When the Ottawas discovered the Island of Michilimacki- 
 nac, long before the Spaniards first came to America, it was 
 inhabited by a small remnant, independent tribe, who became 
 confederates with the Ottawas. 
 
 The Ottawas were then living on the Manitoula Island, 
 Lake Huron. Their enemies, the Iriquois, vof New York, 
 often made war with them. Once in the dead of winter the 
 Ottawas were having a great jubilee and war dances on Man- 
 itoulin Island to celebrate their victory over the Winebagoes 
 of Onisconsin, v/hen the Iriquois swept down upon them and 
 annihilated all but two. Those two, a young man and a 
 maiden, escaped, and traveled over the ice to Michilimacki- 
 nac Island, with inverted snow shoes. That was done to 
 prevent their tracks being followed. They made their hiding 
 place in the natural caves of the island. They selected the 
 wildest part of the forest and lived in seclusion. They were 
 occasionally seen, and, in time, they raised a family of ten 
 children, all boys. One winter the whole family vanished in 
 some mysterious way. Ever since the Ottawas and Chippewas 
 have called them " Paw-gaw-tchaw-nish-naw-boy." *' Wild 
 roaming supernatural being." To this day they are in exist- 
 
 *Doc. Hist, of New York, Vol. 1, Page 3. 
 
INDIAN ^LEGEND. 29 
 
 ence, roaming in the wildest parts of the island and on the 
 main land. They can be seen, or unseen, just as they, as 
 spirits, please. Sometimes they will throw a stone or a war 
 club at a person walking in a lonely place, at other times 
 they will throw at your dog and set him to barking with 
 fright. Again they will, in the day or night, throw clubs at 
 a lodge in a lonely place, and have been heard walking 
 around the wigwam. They have been tracked over the snow 
 by hunters, but never overtaken. An Indian, walking or 
 hunting alone, will apprehend some great evil, and be seized 
 with an unearthly fright that makes him shiver from head to 
 feet, and the hairs on his head stand up like porcupine 
 quills. You are benumbed with terror by these spirits, the 
 sensation is so awful. But they never harm any one. 
 
 When an Indian recovers from the spell he generally ex- 
 claims, "Pshaw! there is nothing to fear, it is Paw-gaw- 
 tchaw-nish-naw boy approaching me, he wants something." 
 They then leave tobacco, powder or something else in their 
 tracks that the spirits fancy when in the flesh. If they ap- 
 pear and talk to you they always begin with the sad tale of 
 the great catastrophy on the Island of Mackinac, and, who- 
 ever is so fortunate as to see and talk with them, always 
 becomes a prophet to his people. 
 
 Keader, if you are imaginative, and seek these lonely woods 
 and caves alone, and the proper spell comes over you, per- 
 haps you may see those spirit fairies, face to face, and learn 
 of them their tragic fate. Therefore, according to under- 
 stood traditions, the tribal name of those people was "Mishi- 
 ne-macki-naw-go," which is to this day a monument to their 
 existence. The Ottawas and Chippewas named the little 
 island " Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong," in memorial of their former 
 confederates. It is the locati*vcase of the Indian noun, 
 "Michinemackinewgo," and is where the name Michili- 
 
if 
 
 30 HI8T0BY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 mackinac originated. It is said some of the paleface chiefs, 
 tourists of the present day, vie with the Indians of the Fairy 
 Isle, and induct the spirits from their secluded abodes into 
 their corporeal forms. They tell ns that the island is truly a 
 resort that revels with spirits of the departed. 
 
 We have dished up a salad, as a relish, of a variety of the 
 renderings of the name: 
 
 "Missilimakina." "Missilimakenak." 
 
 " Missilimaquina." " Missilimakinak.^ 
 
 " Missilimaquine." " Missilimackinae. ' 
 
 " Michilimaquina." " Missilimackinae. ' 
 
 "Michilimachina.^' " Michilimackinac." 
 
 "Mackina." "Machinac.'' 
 
 "Macina." " Mackinaw. ^^ 
 
 ' ' Maquina. " ' ' Mackinac. " 
 
 If you only get the "Nac" right, you will know how to 
 " Na c " ( " naw " ) the name. 
 
 1653. We drop back a few years, to 1653, when the 
 Iriquois invaders, eight hundred strong, pass the Straits of 
 Michilimackinac to attack the Hurons at Green Bay. They 
 laid siege to the place for a protracted time, but failed to 
 capture the fort. The Iroquois then broke up into two 
 divisions, one marched south and the other sailed northward 
 through Lake Michigan. The first division met the Illinois 
 and were cut down and captured by them. The Lake Michi- 
 gan division met the same fate from the Chippewa, Missisaki 
 and other ("Nigik'') tribes on Lake Huron. 
 
 1G60. Looking forward from our last date we find Father 
 Reni Menard, S. J., October 15, 1660, at Keewenaw Bay, 
 Lake Superior. He perished or was killed at the head waters 
 of Black River, Ouisconsin, about August 10, 1661. 
 
 Early records confirm the statement that Frenchmen were 
 at Green Bay, Lake Superior, Sault Ste. Marie ("Soo") and 
 
MICHILIMACRINAG ISLAND OCCUPIED. 81 
 
 Michilimackinac before the visits of the "Black-gowns" 
 mentioned by Bancroft. They came one year and returned 
 the next (on their tours of trade and barter) with flotillas of 
 canoes richly laden with furs, often convoyed by Hurons and 
 other Algonquins, in bands, from three hundred to five 
 hundred strong. The Indians would make their long voy- 
 ages in large numbers, united to defend themselves from 
 their enemies, thelriquoist* 
 
 We find Father Allouez at the Mission of the Algonquin 
 Outaouacs (Ottawas) "La Pointe du Saint Esprit," on Lake 
 Superior in the Province of Michilimackinac, in 1669. That 
 year he went down to Quebec and turned over to Monsieur 
 de Courcelles some Iriquois captives whom he had redeemed 
 of the Outaouacs. Father Claude Dablon was sent to the 
 Superior Missions and Allouez went to Sault Ste. Marie, and 
 remained until November 3, 1669. He then departed for 
 Bay of the Puants (Green Bay), by way of the island of 
 Michilimackinac, arriving December 2, 1669. 
 
 1669. Michilimackinac Island was occupied and aban- 
 doned (for reasons of safety) by different bands of Indians 
 from time to time, long before this period. It had been 
 often passed and visited by French traders and was well 
 known. It was there the mission of St. Ignati^us was 
 founded before it was established at Point St. Ignace. "The 
 Hurons settled on the famous Island of Missilimackinac, 
 where we commenced last winter the mission of St. Ignace, f 
 
 * Drawn from "Hist, and Biog. Notes" and "Relations," 1660- 
 1663, and other sources. 
 
 t Missionary Labors of Marquette, Menard and Allouez, Chap, 
 xxix, p. 114, Rev. Chrysoetom Verwyst, O. S. F. 
 
FATHER MABQUETfE AT ST. ION ACE. 88 
 
 FATHER MARQUETTE AT ST. IGNACE. 
 
 "Tlief Ilurons of the Tobacco tribe, called Tionnontatc, 
 having been formerly driven from their country by the 
 Iroquois, fled to this Island, named Missilimackinac, so 
 famous for its fishery. They could only stay a few years, 
 however, the very same enemies obliging them to leave this 
 very advantageous post. They withdrew, therefore, still 
 further to the islands which still bear their name, and are 
 located at the entrance of the Bay of the Puants. Not find- 
 ing themselves sufficiently safe, however, even there, they 
 went far back into the woods, and from there finally chose 
 as their last dwelling-place the extremity of Ijake Su2)erior, 
 in a place called I^a Pointe du Saint Esprit. There they 
 were far enough away from the Iroquois not to fear them, 
 but they were too near the Nadouessi, who are, as it were, 
 the Iroquois of these quarters of the North, being the most 
 powerful and war-like people of this country. 
 
 "Still all proceeded peaceably enough for several years 
 until the last (1671), when the Nadouessi having been irri- 
 tated by the Hurons and Outaouacs, war broke out between 
 them, and it began so furiously that several prisoners taken 
 on both sides were consigned to the flames. 
 
 "The Nadouessi, however, did not wish to begin any act 
 of hostility until after they had returned to Father Marquette 
 some pictures of which he had made them a present, so as to 
 give them some idea of our religion and thus to instruct them 
 by the eye, as he was unable to do otherwise on account of 
 their language, which is altogether different from the Algon- 
 quin and Huron. 
 
 j Relation of 1672, pp. 35 and 36. 
 2 
 
 %. 
 
34 HI6TOBY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ** Enemies bo formidable soon struck terror into the heart 
 cf onr Hurons and Outaouacs, who determined to abandon 
 La Pointe da Saint Esprit and all the fields they bad so long 
 cultivated. 
 
 ** In their flight the Hurons, remembering the great 
 advantages they had formerly found at Missilimackinac 
 turned their eyes thfther, as to a place of refuge, which they 
 actually reached a year ago. 
 
 •* This place has all the advantages that can be desired by 
 Indians. Fish is abundant there at all seasons, the land is 
 productive, and the chase for bears, deer and lynx is carried 
 on with great success. Besides it is the great rendezvous of 
 all the ; '^ es who are going to or coming from the north or 
 south. 
 
 *' For this reason, foreseeing what since has actually taken 
 place, we erected a chapel there last year already, in order to 
 receive those passing by and to attend to the Hurons, who 
 have settled there. 
 
 " Father Marquette, who has followed them from La Pointe 
 du Saint Esprit, Still has charge of them.*'* 
 
 Marquette left La Pointe in the spring of 1671. He did 
 not reach Sault Ste. Marie in time for the great gather- 
 ing of tribes (that year June 14), to make a treaty with the 
 French. When he reached "Missilimackinac'^ (Pointe St. 
 Ignace) he found **a chapel built the winter before by Father 
 Dablon," also, " 386 Christian Hurons and sixty Outaouac- 
 sinagaux." (See Hist, and Biog. notes.) 
 
 Marquette must have been on the island of Michilimackinac 
 in 1670, as he passed a winter there before he planted his 
 mission at Point Iriquois (St Ignace) or North Michilimack- 
 inac. He lived on the island ("Mackinac") whilst he was 
 building the chapel and preparing for his colony. 
 
 •Id. pp. 115-116. 
 
MIOHILIMAOKINAO ULAKD. 85 
 
 The following is an extract from a letter oi Jaqnes Mar- 
 quette written on Mackinac Island in 1670 (see ** Kelaiiona 
 des Je8nite,"1671): 
 
 '* Michilimackinac is an island famous in these regions, of 
 more than a league in diameter, and elevated in some places 
 by such high cliffs as to be seen more than twelve leagues off. 
 It is situated just in the strait forming the communication 
 between Lake Huron and Illinois (Michigan). It is the key 
 and, as it were, the gate for all the tribes from the south, as 
 the Sault is for those from the north, there being in this sec- 
 tion of country only those two passages by water; for a great 
 number of nations have to go by one or other of these chan- 
 nels, in order to reach the French settlements. ^ 
 
 " This presents a peculiarly favorable opjwrtunity, both for 
 instructing those who pass here, and also for obtaining easy 
 access and conveyance to their places of abode. 
 
 ** This place is the most noted in these regions for the 
 abundance of its fishes; for, according to the Indian saying, . 
 * this is the home of the fishes.' Elsewhere, although they 
 exist in large numbers, is not properly their * home,' which 
 is in the neighborhood of Michilimackinac. 
 
 **Iu fact, besides the fish common to a11 the other tribes, 
 as the herring, carp, pike, gold-fish, white-fish and sturgeon, 
 there are found three varieties of the trout, — one common, 
 the second of a larger size, three feet long and one foot thick, 
 the third monstrous, for we cannot otherwise describe it, it 
 being so fat that the Indians, who have a peculiar relish for 
 fats, can scarcely eat it. Besides, the supply is such that a 
 single Indian will take forty or fifty of them through the ice 
 with a single spear in three hours. 
 
 " It is this attraction which has heretofore drawn to a point 
 so advantageous the greater part of the savages in this country, 
 driven away by fear of the Iriquois. The three tribes at pres- 
 
36 HISTOKY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ent living on the Bay cles Puants (Green Bay) as strangers, 
 formerly dwelt on the main land near the middle of this 
 island — some on the borders of Lake Illinois, others on the 
 borders of Lake Huron. A part of them, called SauteurSf 
 had their abode on the main land at the west, and the 
 others looked upon this place as their country for passing the 
 winter, when there are no fish at the Sault. The Hurons, 
 called JEtonontathronno7is, have lived for some years in 
 the same island, to escape the Iriquois. Four villages of 
 Ottawas had also their abode in this quarter. 
 
 " It is worthy of notice that those who bore the name of 
 the island, and called themselves Michilimackinac, were so 
 numerous that some of the survivors yet living here assure us 
 that they once had thirty villages, all inclosed in a fortifica- 
 tion of a league and a half in circuit, when the Iriquois came 
 and defeated them, inflated by a victory they had gained over 
 three thousand men of that nation, who had carried their 
 hostililies as far as the country of the AgtiicJironnons. 
 
 " In one word, the quantity of fish, united with the excel- 
 lence of the soil for Indian corn, has always been a powerful 
 attraction to the tribes in these regions, of which the greater 
 part subsist only on fish, but some on Indian corn. On this 
 account, many of these same tribes, perceiving that the 
 peace is likely to be established with the Iriquois, have 
 turned their attention to this ])oint, so convenient for a 
 return to their own country and will follow the examples of 
 those who have made a beginning on the islands of Lake 
 Huron, which by this means will soon be peopled from one 
 end to the other, an event highly desirable to facilitate the 
 instruction of the Indian race, whom it would not be neces- 
 sary to seek by Journeys of two or three hundred leagues on 
 these great lakes, with inconceivable danger and hardship. 
 
 "In order to aid the execution of the design, signified to 
 
MICHILIMACKTNAC ISLAND. 37 
 
 US by many of the savages, of taking up their abode at this 
 point, where some liave already passed the wiiiter, hunting in 
 the neighborhood, we ourselves have also wintered here, in 
 order to make arrangements for establishing the Mission of 
 St. Ignace, from whence it will be easy to have access to all 
 the Indians of Lake Huron, when the several tribes shall 
 have settled each on its own lands. 
 
 'MVith these advantages, the place has also its inconven- ' 
 iences, particularly for the French, who are not familiar 
 as are the savages, with the different kinds of fishery, in 
 which the latter are trained from their birth; the winds and 
 the tides occasion no small embarrassment to the fishermen. 
 
 ''The winds: For this is the central point between the 
 three great lakes which surround it, and which seem inces- 
 santly tossing ball at each other. For no sooner has the wind 
 ceased blowing from Lake Michigan than Lake Huron hurls 
 back the gale it has received, and Lake Superior in its turn 
 sends forth its blasts from another quarter, and thus the 
 game is played from one to the other; and as these lakes are 
 of vast extent, the winds cannot be otherwise than boisterous, 
 especially during the autumn." 
 
 Digressing from the mission of St. Ignace we come to an 
 event connected therewith, at *' Sainte Marie du Sault," in 
 the spring and summer of 1671, that was intended for a 
 master stroke of diplomacy. If it had continued for any . 
 length of time the results would have been far reaching, so 
 as to have made the French domain permanent in North 
 America. It was a gathering of the tribes and bnnds from 
 all directions to take part in a general council at the ''Sault" 
 to consider a treaty with the representative of the French 
 coast, and to place the Indians under the protection of the 
 king of France. 
 
 We quote extracts from "Memoirs of Nicolas Perrot," the 
 
38 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 account of that mass meeting, as given by Kev. Chrysostom 
 Verwyst, 0. S. F., in '* Missionary Labors," etc.: 
 
 GREAT MASS-MEETING AT SAULT STE. MARIE IN 1671 ; NAMES OF 
 THOSE WHO SIGNED THE TREATY; PERROT'S ACCOUNT. 
 
 '*The treaty was signed in the presence of Dablon/ Supe- 
 rior of the mission, and his colleagues, Dreuilletes, Allouez,' 
 Andre of the Society of Jesus; Nicolas Perrot,^ interpreter; 
 Sieur Jollyet * ; Jacques Mugras of Three Eivers; Pierre 
 Moreau, the Sieur dc la Taupine; Denis Masse; Frangois de 
 Chavigny, Sieur de la Chevrottiere; Jacques Lagillier, Jean 
 Maysere, Nicholas Dupuis, Fran9ois Bibaud, Jacques Joviel, 
 Pierre Porteret,^ Eobert Duprat, Vital Driol, Guillaume 
 Bonhomme." (Margry, vol. I, p. 97.) 
 
 Nicholas Perrot says : * 
 
 ** When the latter had arrived, he asked me if I would like 
 to go to the Outaouas, as interpreter, and conduct there his 
 subdelegate, whom he would place there to take possession of 
 their country. I informed him that I was always ready to 
 
 ' Dablon and Dreuilletes were stationed at the Sault, though Dab- 
 Ion spent a part of the winter of 1670-71 at Mackinac, building a rude 
 bark chapel there. 
 
 * Alloueii and Andre were stationed at Green Bay, Andre having 
 charge of the missionary stations at the head of said bay, while 
 Allouez attended the island missions. 
 
 2 Nicolas Perrot, the author of the "Memoire," held several offices 
 under the Canadian government, was "Coureur de hois," interpreter, 
 and kind of governor or commandant at Green Bay, between 1665- 
 1701. 
 
 * Jollyet accompanied Father Marquette upon his voyage of dis- 
 covery and exploration down the Mississippi. 
 
 ^ Pierre Porteret accompanied Father Marquette on his last journey 
 to the Illinois in 1674, and was present at his death on the eastern 
 shore of Lake Michigan in 1675. 
 
 « • ' Memoire," pp. 126-128. 
 
MASS-MEETING AT SAULT STE. MARIE. 39 
 
 obey him, and offered him my services. I left, therefore, 
 with the Sieur de Saint Lusson, his subdelegate, and we ar- 
 rived at Montreal, where we remained till the beginning of 
 the month, October (1670). We were obliged on our way to 
 winter with the Amikouets (Beaver Indians). The Saulteurs 
 (Chippewas of Baiilt Ste. Marie) also wintered at the same 
 plar.e and secured more than two thousand four hundred elks 
 on an island called the ' Island of the Outaouas,* which ex- 
 tends the length of Lake Huron, from the point opposite St. 
 Francis River to that of the Missisakis, going towards Michil- 
 limakinak (Manitouline Island). This extraordinary chase 
 was nevertheless only made with snares. 
 
 "On the 5th of the mouth of May, I went to Sault Ste. 
 Marie with the pvinc pal chiefs of the Pouteouatamies, Sakis, 
 Puants (Winnebagoes), Malhomrais (Menominees). Those of 
 the Foxes, Mascou techs ( Mask ou tens), Kikaboos (Kickapoos) 
 and Miamies did not pass the bay (Green Bay). Among 
 them was a man with the name of Tetinchoua, head chief of 
 the Miamies, who, as if he were their king, had day and night 
 in his wigwam forty young men as a body-guard. The vil- 
 lage over which he ruled had from four to five thousand 
 braves; in one word he was feared and respected by all his 
 neighbors. 
 
 " I found at my arrival, not only the chiefs of the north, 
 but also all the Kiristinons (Crees), Monsonis and whole 
 villages of their neighbors; the chiefs of the Nipissings were 
 there also, besides those of the Amikouets and all of the 
 Saulteurs, who had their settlement in the place itself. The 
 pole was erected in their presence and the arms of Fran:^^e 
 attached to it with the consent of all the tribes, who, not 
 knowing how to write, gave presents as their signatures, de- 
 claring in this manner that they placed themselves under the 
 protection and obedience of the king. The Process- Verbal 
 
40 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 was drawn up in regard to this act of assuming possession, 
 which I signed as interpreter, with the Sieur de Saint Lusson, 
 subdelegate; the Rev. Missionary Fathers Dablon, Allouez, 
 Dreuilletes and Marquet signed lower down, and below them 
 the French who were trafficking in the various localities. 
 This was done following the instructions given by M. Talon. 
 After that, all those tribes returned each to their country 
 and lived several years without any trouble from oiiu side or 
 the other. 
 
 "I forgot to say that the Hurons and Outaouas did not 
 arrive till after the act of taking possession, for they had fled 
 from *Chagouamigon (Chequamegon) on account of having 
 eaten some Sioux, as I have related above. They were in- 
 formed of what had lately been done, and agreed, like the 
 rest, to all that had been concluded and decided on.' 
 
 >y 
 
 COPY OF THE PROCESS-VERBAL OF THE TAKING POSSESSION 
 OF THE INDIAN COUNTRY, i 
 
 Preliminary remarks of Father J. Tailhan, S. J., publisher 
 and annotator of Perrot's ''Memoire/' 
 
 *' The ' Relation' of 1671 (see text) and La Potherie (II, pp. 
 128-130) contain many details in regard to this act of taking 
 possession omitted by Perrot, to which the reader is referred. 
 I will merely give here the unpublished Process- Verbal of 
 
 *Chagaouamigong, pronounced Sha-ga-wa-mi-gong. To pronounce 
 Indian words, observe that: 
 a is pronounced like a in father, far. 
 e is pronounced like a in way, say. 
 i is pronounced like ee in feel, seen, 
 o is pronounced like o in own, sown, 
 ou is pronounced like oo in foot, fool. 
 French ch is pronounced like sh in she, show, 
 kw is pronounced like q in queen. 
 » " Memoire," pp. 292-294. 
 
THE PROCESS-VERBAL. 41 
 
 that ceremony, after the somewhat incorrect copy deposited 
 
 in the archives of the marine The passages suppressed 
 
 and rephiced by dots offer no historical interest; they are but 
 simple protocols or useless repetitions.'^ 
 
 PROCESS-VERRAL. 
 
 " Simon Fran9ois Daumont, esquire, Sieur de Saint Lusson, 
 commissioned subdelegate of Monseigneur, the Intendant of 
 New France 
 
 "In accordance with the orders we have received from 
 Monseigneur, the Intendant of New France, the 3d of last 
 
 July to immediately proceed to the country of the Indian 
 
 Outaouais, Nez-percez, Illinois, and other nations, discovered 
 and to be discovered, in North America, in the region of 
 Lake Superior or Mer-Douce (Huron), to make there search 
 and discovery of mines of all sorts, especially of copper, 
 ordering us moreover to take possession in the name of the 
 king of all the country, inhabited or not inhabited, through 
 
 which we may pass We, in virtue of our commission, have 
 
 made our first disembarkment at the village or burg of Sainte 
 Marie du Sault, the place where the Rev. Jesuit Fathers 
 make their mission, and where the Indian tribes, called 
 x^chipoes, Malamechs, Noguets, and others, make their actual 
 abode. We have convoked there as many other tribes as it 
 was in our power to assemble, and they met there to the 
 number of fourteen tribes, namely the Achipoes,'' Malamechs,' 
 Noguets,^ Banabeoueks,^ Makomiteks,' Poulteatemis," Ouma- 
 loumines,* Sassaouacottons,^ dwelling at the Bay called that 
 of the Puants (Green Bay), and who have taken it upon 
 themselves to make it (treaty) known to their neighbors, who 
 
 'Chippewas, ^Merameg, Man-um-aig, "Catfish," *Noquet8, No- 
 kaig, "Bear Family or Clan," ^ Ne-baun-aub-aig (?), "Merman Clan," 
 'Makomiteks (?), ' Pottawatamies, ^Menominees, ^ Nassawaketons, 
 "People of the Fork." 
 
42 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 are the Illinois/ Mascoiittins,' Outagamis," and other 
 nations; also the Christinos,* Assinipouals," Aumossomiks," 
 Outaouais-Couscottons,' Niscaks," Maskwikoukiaks/ all of 
 them inhabiting the countries of the North and near the sea, 
 who have charged themselves with making it known to their 
 neighbors, who are believed to be in great numbers dwelling 
 near the shores of the same sea. We have caused this, our 
 said commission, to be read to them in the presence of the 
 Rev. Fathers of the Society of Jesus, and of all the French- 
 men named below, and have had it interpreted by Nicolas 
 Perrot, interpreter of His Majesty in this matter, in order 
 that they may not be able (to claim) to be ignorant of it. 
 Having then caused a cross to be erected to produce there the 
 fruits of Christianity, and near it a cedar pole, to which we 
 have attached the arms of France, saying three times with a 
 loud voice and public proclamation, that IN THE NAME 
 OF THE MOST HIGH, MOST POWERFUL, AND 
 MOST REDOUBTABLE MONARCH, LOUIS XIV. OF 
 NAME, MOST CHRISTIAN KING OF FRANCE AND 
 NAVARRE, we take possession of said place, Sainte Marie 
 du Sault, as also of the Lakes Huron and Superior, the 
 Island of ^Caientaton (Manitouline), and of all other lands, 
 rivers, lakes and streams contiguous to and adjacent here, as 
 well discovered as to be discovered, which are bounded on 
 the one side by the seas of the North and West, and on the 
 other side by the sea of the South, in its whole length or 
 depth, taking up at each of the said three proclamations a 
 sod of earth, crying 'Vive le Roy!^ and causing the same to 
 be cried by the whole assembly, as well French as Indians, 
 declaring to the said nations aforesaid and hereafter that 
 
 •Illinois. * Mashkoutei'^g, Muskatine, Muskoda, "Prairie People," 
 'Foxes, ^Crees, ^ Assineboines, " Stonycountry Sioux," ^Mou- 
 soneeg, " Moose," '' Ottawa Kiskakon (?) or Ataouabouskatouk, a 
 Cree tribe, ® Kiskakons (?), ^ Maskwakeeg (?), Foxes, or Mikikoueks. 
 
Marquette's letter to father dablon. 43 
 
 from henceforth they were to be protegees (subjects) of His 
 Majesty, subject to obey his laws and follow his customs, 
 promising them all protection and succor on his part against 
 the incursion and invasion of their enemies, declaring to all 
 other potentates, sovereign princes, as well States as Repub- 
 lics, to them or their subjects, that they neither can nor 
 shall seize upon or dwell in any place of this country, unless 
 with the good pleasure of his said most Christian Majesty, 
 and of him who shall govern the land in his name, under 
 penalty of incurring his hatred and the efforts of his arms. 
 And that none may pretend ignorance of this transaction, we 
 have now attached on the reverse side of the arms of France 
 our Process- Verbal of the taking possession, signed by our- 
 selves and the persons below named, who were all present. 
 
 "Done at Sainte Marie du Sault, the 14th day of June, in 
 the year of grace 1671. 
 
 "Daumont de Saint Lusson." 
 
 (Then follow the signatures of the witnesses.) 
 
 After the congress at Sault Ste. Marie, Marquette returned 
 with the Indians to "Pointe St. Ignace" of Michilimackinac. 
 No account has been found of his first year's labors at that 
 mission, but in the second year he wrote to Father Dablon, 
 the following, translated from the French. ("Shea's Dis. 
 and Explor. of the Mississippi.") 
 
 "Rev. Father, — The Hurons, called Tionnontateronnons, 
 or Petun Nation, who compose the Mission of St. Ignatius 
 at Michilimackinong, began last year near the chapel a fort 
 inclosing all their cabins. They have come regularly to 
 prayers, and have listened more readily to the instructions I 
 gave them, consenting to what I required to prevent their dis- 
 orders and abominable customs. We must have patience 
 with untutored minds, who know only the devil, who, like 
 their ancestors, have been his slaves, and who often relapse into 
 
44 HISTORY OF^MACKINAC. 
 
 the sins in which they were nurtured. God alone can fix 
 these fickle minds, and place and keep them in His grace, 
 and touch their hearts while we stammer at their ears. 
 
 " The Tionnontateronnons number this year three hun- 
 dred and eighty souls, and besides sixty Outaouasinagaux 
 have joined them. Some of these came from the mission of 
 St. Francis Xavier, where Father Andre wintered with them 
 last year. They are quite changed from what I saw them at 
 Lapointe. The zeal aiid patience of that missionary have 
 gained to the faith those hearts which seemed to us most 
 averse to it. They now wish to be Christians; they bring 
 their children to the chapel to be baptized, and come regu- 
 larly to prayers. 
 
 " Having been obliged to go to St. Marie du Sault with 
 Father Allouez last summer, the Hurons came to the chapel 
 during my absence as regularly as if I had been there, the 
 girls singing what prayers they knew. They counted the 
 days of my absence, and constantly asked when I was to be 
 back. I was absent only fourteen days, and on my arrival 
 all assembled at chapel, some coming even troni their fields, 
 which are at a very considerable distance. 
 
 "I went readily to their pumpkin feast, where I instructed 
 them, and invited them to thank God, who gave them food 
 in plenty, while other tribes that had not yet embraced 
 Christianity were actually struggling with famine. I ridi- 
 culed dreams, and urged those who had been baptized to 
 acknowledge Him whose adopted children they were. 
 Those who gave the feast, though still idolaters, spoke in 
 high terms of Christianity, and openly made the sign of the 
 cross before all present. Some j ^ang men, whom they had 
 tried by ridicule to prevent from doing it, persevered, and 
 make the sign of the cross in the greatest assemblies, even 
 when I am not present. 
 
Marquette's letter to father da»lon. 45 
 
 *' An Indian of distinction among the Ilnrons, having 
 invited me to a feast where the chiefs were, called them sev- 
 erally by name, and told them that he wished to declare his 
 thoughts, that all might know it, namely, that he was a 
 Christian; that he renounced the god of dreams and all their 
 lewd dances; that the black-gown was master of his cabin; 
 and that for nothing that might happen would he forsake his 
 resolution. Delighted to hear this, I spoke more strongly 
 than I had ever yet done, telling that my only design was to 
 put them in the way of heaven; that for this alone I remained 
 among them; that this obliged me to assist them at the peril 
 of my life. As soon as anything is said in an assembly, it is 
 immediately divulged through all the cabins, as I saw in this 
 case by the assiduity of some in coming to prayers, and by 
 the malicious efforts of others to neutralize my instructions. 
 
 ** Severe as the winter is, it does not prevent the Indians 
 from coming to the chapel. Some come twice a day, be the 
 wind or cold what it may. Last fall I began to instruct 
 some to make general confessions of their whole life, and to 
 prepare others who had never confessed since their baptism. 
 I would not have supposed that Indians could have given so 
 exact an account of jjll that had happened in the course of 
 their life; but it was seriously done, as some took two weeks 
 to examine themselves. Since then I have perceived a marked 
 change; so that they will not go even to ordinary feasts with- 
 out asking my permission. 
 
 "I have this year baptized twenty-eight children, one of 
 which had been brought from Ste. Marie du Sault, without 
 having received that sacrament, as the Rev. F. Henry Kou- 
 vel informed me, to put me on my guard. Without my 
 knowing it, the child fell sick; but God permitted that, while 
 instructing in my cabin two important and sensible Indians, 
 one asked me whether such a sick child was baptized. I 
 
46 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. . 
 
 went at once, baptized it, and it died the next night. Some 
 of the other children, too, are dead, and now in heaven. 
 These are the consolations which God sends us, which make 
 ns esteem our life more happy as it is more wretched. 
 
 " This, father, is all I have to give about this mission, 
 where minds are now more mild, tractable, and better disposed 
 to receive instruction, than in any other part. I am ready, 
 however, to leave it in the hands of another missionary 
 to go on your order to seek new nations toward the South 
 Sea who are still unknown to us, and to teach them of our 
 great God, whom they have hitherto unknown." 
 
 The French shared with others the idea of the Mississippi 
 flowing into the Gulf of California, and in that way they 
 could find a short passage to China. 
 
 In 1673 Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac, succeeded 
 M. de Courcelles as governor of Canada. As soon as he 
 arrived, M. Talon, the Intendant, laid before him the plan of 
 exploring the Mississippi River. For this gieat undertaking 
 they chose the Sieur Jollyet, wishing to have Father Mar- 
 quette accompany him. On the 8th of December, 1672, feast 
 of the Immaculate Conception, Jollyet arrived at St. Ignace, 
 Mackinac, and told Father Marquette the joyful news of 
 their appointment to visit and explore the Mississippi. The 
 pious missionary was glad. For years he had longed for an 
 opportunity to visit the "Great River." Ever since he had 
 come to the Ottawa country he had invoked Mary Immacu- 
 late to obtain the grace for him to be able to visit the nations 
 on the Mississippi. Now his prayer was about to be heard. 
 He placed his intended voyage under the special protection 
 of the Immaculate Mother of God, promising her that, should 
 he be so happy as to discover the great river, he would call it 
 Conception River and give the same name to the first Mission 
 he would found among the IllJT]ois. Five Frenchmen volun- 
 
MARQUETTE AND JOLIET START ON THEIR VOYAGE. 47 
 
 teered to share with Marquette and Jollyet the hard8hij)s and 
 dangers of so glorious an enterprise. The winter of 1672-3 
 was spent in making the necessary preparations and collecting 
 information from the Indians. They drew up a map, on 
 which they marked the course of the rivers they were to 
 navigate, the names of the tribes and localities through which 
 they were to pass, the course of the great river. 
 
 The following, from Marquette's own narrative, is pub- 
 lished by Shea: 
 
 *'The day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed 
 Virgin, whom I had always invoked since I have been in this 
 Ottawa country, to obtain of God the grace to be able to visit 
 the nations on the river Mississippi, was identically that on 
 which M. Joliet arrived with orders of the Comte de Fronte- 
 nac, our governor, and M. Talon, our intendant, to make 
 this discovery with me. I wns the more enraptured at this 
 good news, as I saw my designs on the point of being accom- 
 plished, and myself in the happy necessity of exposing my 
 life for the salvation of all these nations, and particularly for 
 the Illinois, who had, when I was at Lapointe du St. Esprit, 
 very earnestly entreated me to carry the word of God to their 
 country. 
 
 " We were not long in preparing our outfit, although we 
 were embarking on a voyage the duration of which we could 
 not foresee. Indian corn, wiih some dried meat, was our 
 whole stock of provisions. With this, we set out in two bark 
 canoes — M. Joliet, myself, and five men — firmly resolved to 
 do all and suffer all for so glorious an enterprise. 
 
 "It was on the 17th of May, 1673, that we started from 
 the Mission of St. Ignatius, at Michilimackinac, where I then 
 was. Our joy at being chosen for this expedition roused our 
 courage, and sweetened the labor of rowing from morning 
 till night. As we were going to seek unknown countries, we 
 
48 U18TUJiY OF MACKINAC, 
 
 took all possible precautions, that, if our enterprise was 
 hazarilous, it should not be foolhardy. For this reason we 
 gathered all possible information from Indians who had fre- 
 quented those parts, and even from their accounts traced a 
 map of all the new country, marking down the rivers on 
 which we were to sail, the names of the nations and places 
 through which we were to pass, the course of the Great River, 
 and what direction we should take when we got to it. 
 
 "Above all, I put our voyage under the protection of the 
 Blessed V^irgin Immaculate, promising her, that if she did us 
 the grace to discover the Great liivcr, I would give it the 
 name of Conception; and that I would also give that name to 
 the first mission which I should establish among these new 
 nations, as I have actually done among the Illinois. 
 
 "With all these precautions, we made our paddles play 
 merrily over a part of T^ake Huron, and that of the Illinois, 
 into the Bay of the Fetid (Green Bay). The first nation that 
 we met was that of the Wild Oats (English, wild rice). I 
 entered their river (Menomonie) to visit them, as we have 
 ])reached the gospel to these tribes for some years past, so 
 that there are many good Christians among them. 
 
 "I informed these people of the Wild Oats of my design of 
 going to discover distant nations to instruct them in the 
 mysteries of our holy religion; they were very much sur- 
 prised, and did their best to dissuade me. They told me that 
 I would meet nations that never spare strangers, but toma- 
 hawk them without any provocatioL; that the war which had 
 broken out among various nations on our route, exposed us 
 to another evident danger — that of being killed by the war- 
 parties which are constantly in the field; that the Great 
 Biver is very dangerous, unless the difficult parts are known; 
 that it was full of frightful monsters, who swallowed up men 
 and canoes together; that there is even a demon there who 
 
VOYAGE OF MARQUETTE TO THE MISSISSIPPI. 49 
 
 can be heard fr^'m afar, who stops the passage and ingulfs all 
 who dare approach; lastly, that the heat is so excessiye in 
 those countries that it would infallibly cause our death. 
 
 "I thanked them for their kind advice, but assured them 
 that I could not follow it, as the salvation of souls was con- 
 cerned; that for them I should be too happy to lay down my 
 life; that I made light of their pretended demon, that we 
 wonld defend ourselves well enough against the river mon- 
 sters, and besides, we should be on our guard to avoid the 
 other dangers with which they threatened us.'* 
 
 The following extracts are from ''Memoirs of Pere James 
 Marquette," by John R. Bailey, M. D., A. A. Surgeon, U. 
 S. Army. Published by direction of the ** Marquette Monu- 
 ment Afisociiition," Mackinac, Mich., July 17, 1878: 
 
 ** Leaving the bay they enter Fox River, about 260 miles 
 long, where there are many birds feeding on wild oats. Ad- 
 vancing up the river they passed the rapids and approached 
 Maskoutens, where they arrived June 7, 1673. 
 
 "June 10. Taking two Algonquin guides they started for 
 a river, the " Misconsing " (Wisconsin), three leagues off, 
 that emptied into the Mississippi. The guides took them 
 safely to a portage twenty seven hundred paces long, and 
 helped to transport their canoes to the river and returned 
 home. * * * 
 
 "They sailed down the broad Wisconsin past alternate 
 prairies and hillsides towards the great river Mississippi, 
 which they entered June 17, with a joy that could not be 
 expressed. Here the two birch bark canoes raised their 
 happy sails to unknown breezes and floated down the ocean 
 stream, through prairies and forests, often meeting with the 
 wild Illinois, Shawnees. Sioux and Chickasas (Marquette 
 carrying the cross before him), frequently stopping to smoke 
 the calumet, and always striving to convert these strange 
 4 
 
50 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 people to the worship of the true Manitou aud the Catholic 
 faith. 
 
 ** They reached the Now-in-gon-e-na (Des Moines), where 
 Marquette stayed six days and published to the Illinois the 
 true God, their Creator. 
 
 " Their great chief hung around Marquette the sacred cal- 
 umet, which was the amulet of peace to all savage nations. 
 
 "The little group proceeded onward. * * * 
 " They passed the Missouri and in less than forty leagues 
 floated past the Ohio to latitude 33/ where near the west 
 bank of the 'great river/' stood the village of Michigamea, 
 
 * * * * The next day ten men, in a wooden 
 caiioe, escorted the discoverers ten leagues to the village of 
 Akansea below the mouth of the Arkansas river (opposite the 
 mouth of that river), the end of their voyage." The fear of 
 the Spaniards, and other causes, prevented the continuance 
 of their discoveries. * * * Marquette and Jol- 
 iet left Akansea July 17, 1G73, and ascended the Mississippi. 
 
 " In latitude 38° 30' they entered the river Illinois. * 
 
 * * A young chief conducted the party by way of the 
 Illinois to Lake Michigan. In September all were safe in 
 (the mission of St. Francis Xavier) Green Bay. 
 
 '^ Joliet returned to Quebec and announced the discovery 
 whilst Marquette remained to preach the gospel to the Indians. 
 Being often sick with dysentery, and in feeble health, he 
 remained at the Green Bay mission until October 25, 1674, 
 when he sailed for Chicago. Eeaching that river, after suf- 
 fering from much sickness and delays ' he was received as an 
 angel from heaven.* Here he remained only a few months, 
 imparting the gospel to the red men. May 18, 1675, his 
 strength failing, he resolved to sail to the mission of St. 
 Ignatius, Michilimackinac, and recruit his health in that 
 salubrious clime. 
 
DEATH OF PEKE JACQUES MARQUETTE. 51 
 
 "On the route he entered a little river in Michigan, and 
 Bancroft says: ^Erecting an altar, he said Mass after the 
 rites of the Catholic Church, then begging the men who con- 
 ducted his canoe to leave him alone for half an hour: 
 
 " * In the darkling wood. 
 Amidst cool ?nd silence he knelt down, 
 And offered to the mightiest, solemn thanks 
 And supplication. 
 
 (C 
 
 'At the end of half an hour they went to seek him and 
 he was no more. The good missionary, discoverer of a world, 
 had fallen asleep on the margin of the stream that bears his 
 name. Near its mouth the canoemen dug his grave in the 
 sand. Ever after the forest rangers, if in danger on Lake 
 Michigan, would invoke his name. The people of the west 
 will build his monument.^ " 
 
 Pere Jacques Mi,"quette was born, *'in the city of Laon, 
 in the Department of Aisne, France, in the year 1637. * * 
 * During the War of the Revolution three of the Marquettes 
 died here, in the French army. Of the valor of the family 
 there is no doubt. * * * Thus at the age of 38, May 19, 
 1675, in the height of his fame and glory, was the good priest 
 taken away from earth to fill a brighter sphere in some celes- 
 tial space. He was twenty-one years in the Society of Jesus 
 — -twelve in France and nine in America. 
 
 "God did not suffer the remains of Marquette to be for- 
 gotten. Two years later, on the anniversary of his death, 
 the Kiskakon Indians (Algonquins), and a number of 
 Iriquois repaired to the spot and disinterred his body. 
 Cleaning the bones, they placed them in a neat box of birch 
 bark and conveyed them to Point St. Ignace. 
 
 **The convoy consisted of thirty canoes. As they 
 approached the mission of St. Ignace, * Missilimackinac,' 
 Fathers Nouvel and Pierson met them and intoned the *De 
 
52 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 Profundis,' in the sight of all the people, before landing. 
 The body remained in state, in the church, all day Whitsun- 
 Monday, June 8, 1677, and the next day was depos- 
 ited with funeral honors in the little vault under the church, 
 where he now reposes, the 'guardian angel of the Ottawa Mis- 
 sions,' opposite the beautiful island of Mackinac, the home 
 of the * Great Manitou,' and of the * spirits ' whom the Indi- 
 ans delight to worship. 
 
 "May 4, 1677. The foundations of the old church were 
 discovered on Private Claim No. 19, Mr. David Murray's 
 propert}', at Point St. Ignace, and September 3, 1877, a 
 part of the remains of Marquette, in the vault, inclosed in 
 the black casket described. * * * 
 
 " Now let the people of America and Europe unite without 
 distinction of race, creed or sect, and build a shapely monu- 
 ment to the great and good missionary, whose fame and 
 Christian virtues we can only emulate. Mackinac, Mich., July 
 
 17, 1878." 
 
 One thousand copies of the memoir were ordered printed 
 and distributed by the monument association at their first 
 meeting on Michilimackinac Island, August 8, 1878. 
 
 1673. The year that Marquette embarked on his voyage of 
 discovery, the French established a palisaded fort at Pointe 
 St= Ignace. It was situated on an elevation in rear of the 
 church facing the bay, and was surrounded by a trench and 
 stockade of cedar pickets. The outlines of the trench are 
 visible to this day, and helped to verify in 1878, the site of 
 the old church and Marquette's grave, where the modern 
 monument now stands. It was soon after garrisoned by 
 French regulars in addition to the militia force. That was 
 the first Fort Michilimackinac and must be the one (re-gar- 
 
ST. IGNACE DU MICHILIMAOKINAC. 53 
 
 risoned) after the Jesuits burned the church, abandoned the 
 mission in 1705 and returned to Quebec. 
 
 Marquette, as before stated, passed the winter of 1670-71 
 on Mackinac Island (with Father Dablon, who was there in 
 1669), laying the foundation of the St. Ignace mission (Rel. 
 1670-71, p. 144). 
 
 In June, 1671, the Tionuontate Hurons arrived at St, 
 Ignace from Chagaonaniigong Bay, Lake Superior. That 
 year the Manitoulin Ottawas procured a supply of arms and 
 powder from Montreal. In the fall they started on the war 
 path to fight the Sioux ("Nadonis-Sioux, the enemies"). 
 At St. Ignace the Hurons joined them, and at Green Bay the 
 Potawottomies and Sacs and Foxes. Numbering 1,000 braves 
 they passed t^irough "Ouisconsin," to the St. Croix valley, 
 and boldly attacked the Sioux. Repulsed, with great loss, 
 and forced to retreat, in the snow, toward the straits, their 
 flight was covered by the Hurons, who bravely defended the 
 rear losing many of their warriors. In the spring of 1673 
 Marquette states there were only 380 Huron souls and about 
 sixty Ottawas had lately joined them. 
 
 According to La Houtan, the Huron village and palisaded 
 fort, constructed in 1672, was on the level ground around the 
 middle of East Moran Bay, and continued there until that 
 tribe, with other bands, about 1702, left for Detroit. He 
 says, the **Ottawas fearing trouble with the Hurons began to 
 fortify the neighboring bluff," north and back of what is now, 
 1895, Cliffside and vicinity. There are remains there of an 
 earth-work, supposed to be of Indian origin, and many of their 
 spear-h«ads, flints, stone hammers and other relics, have been 
 found thereabouts. On these premises at Cliffside, St. 
 Ignace, there is, in an enclosure of seven acres, all the 
 natural scenery (except our arched rock), that can be found 
 
54 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 on Mackinac Island. In the yard, near the dwelling, there is 
 a rock of the same formation as the island Sugar Loaf, but 
 not quite as broad at the base. It is the Temple or Ghost 
 rock — "Gebi-wau-beek" (or "Chete") — of the Indians, and 
 in front there is a flattened projection — their altar — where 
 the savages were wont to worship and perform sacrifices. 
 The credulous natives say the spirits still linger there, but we 
 have never been able to see them. 
 
 After the departure of Marquette and Joliet from St. 
 Ignace, Fathers Henry Nouvel and Phillip Pierson erected a 
 more substantial log church and residence, protected by a 
 palisade enclosure, twenty-five feet high. 
 
 In the spring of 1673 several bands, Ottawas and others, 
 Algon quins, arrived and settled about Rabbit's Back, on the 
 shores of Lake Huron. At that place, a little over two miles 
 from the Huron settlement and church, another church, 
 roofed with bark, was built. In 1677 there were 1,300 sonls 
 at that Tnission ("Algpnquin Village") the principal band 
 being Kishkakons. 
 
 In 1677, or before, a new **Ottawa Village" was started 
 between Point La Barbe and Gros-Cap, by the arrival of other 
 bands of Algonquins. Near them a log chapel was built, the 
 church of *'St. Francis Borgia," Father Nouvel in charge. 
 During the winter of 1677-8, Father Eujalon lived, with 
 Father Nouvel, in a rude wigwam adjoining the chapel. In 
 1699 there were fifteen hundred (1,500) souls in that village. 
 All Indian villages about the straits, unless fortified, were 
 generally strung along the beach, in one or two lines, near or 
 convenient to the water. That year Buisson de St. C6me 
 (Missionary) and Henry de Tonty visited them. They walked 
 through the portage to Gros-Cap, and sent their canoes around 
 the point. St, C6me was on a journey by way of Michili- 
 
ST. IGNACE DU MICHILIMACKINAC. 55 
 
 mackinac, to the Lower Missisfiippi, aud mentions these facts 
 in his journal. 
 
 From the t'me Father Allouez passed through the straits in 
 1699, en route to Green Bay (and visited Mackineo Island), 
 the population of ** Point Iroquois" (St Ignace) was floating 
 and not permanent until the mission was established. From 
 November 5 to 11, 1699, Allouez was wind-bound on Little 
 St. Martin's Island. He crossed, * St. Martinis Day," to the 
 main land, by way of Big St. Martin's Island, after the storm 
 abated. Then he met some Indians and two Frenchmen, who 
 tried to persuade him not to go to Green Bay so late in the 
 season. (S6e Journal of Allouez, * 'Relations.") Father 
 Dablon, Superior of the Jesuits, selected Point St. Ignace for 
 a mission, by reason of its position and superior advantages 
 for defense, productive soil, game and fish. 
 
 In the spring of 1677 Father Nouvel took charge of the 
 Ottawas and Father Pierson retained the Huron part of the 
 mission of St. Ignace. Year after year there are the same 
 movements of the bands of restless savages, and the annual 
 trips to and fro of the French fur traderg and Indians for the 
 market at Montreal. 
 
56 
 
 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 THE "GRIFFON." 
 The Flrfct Vessel on the Upper Lakes. Built by L& Salle, 1679. 
 
 1679. LA SALLE AND HENNEPIN.- 
 
 " GRIFFON." 
 
 -VOYAGE OF THE 
 
 During the expedition of Marquette and Jolliet, both kept 
 journals. Jolliet's was lost by the upsetting of his canoe in 
 the St. Lawrence rapids, 1674, on his return to Quebec. The 
 fame of their discovery fired the minds of the sanguine 
 Frenchmen. Robert Cavalier de la Salle, in command at 
 Fort Frontenac (''Kingston") obtained a concession from 
 Count Frontenac, and with his approval, another from the 
 French King, which allowed him the exclusive trade in buf- 
 falo skins and all other articles (excepting the fur trade of the 
 lakes), in the territory to be discovered. 
 
 Late in November he sailed from Fort Frontenac, in a ten- 
 ton vessel, fully equipped, with Touty and a corps of mechan- 
 
VOYAGE OF THE GEIFFON. 57 
 
 ics and marines, across Lake Erie to ("Onghiara") Niagara 
 Falls. Here they disembarked near the foot of the Falls and 
 carried their merchandise, anchors, chains and provisions 
 above the cataract, making a portage of at least twelve miles. 
 That took them to where the current was less rapid. The 
 thick forests, rugged heights, and deep snows caused this 
 work to be delayed until the 22d of January, 1679. During 
 the rest of the winter and early summer they built, at thjB. 
 mouth of "Cayuga" creek, a sixty- ton vessel, the "Griffon.'* 
 Here Father Louis Hennepin, who had been appointed acting 
 missionary of the expedition, and two other monks of the 
 Franciscan order joined them. 
 
 All being ready, whilst cannon were fired and the Te Deum 
 chanted, on the 7th of August, 1679, the little craft unfurled 
 her sails and swept boldly out on Lake Erie, There were 
 thirty-four men all told on board, most of them fur-traders 
 for the Mississippi valley. 
 
 In three days they made the length of the lake, over waters 
 that had never before been sailed by so large a ship, and 
 rounded northward " between the verdant isles of the majes- 
 tic Detroit." On either side of the strait was an ever-varying 
 panorama to delight the eye. Groves of trees and intervening 
 prairies, forests of maple, beech, walnut, chestnut, oak and 
 wild plum, with grape vines twining through their branches. 
 There were herds of wild deer, bear and beasts of unknown 
 name; flocks of wild turkeys, quail, grouse and other land 
 and water fowl that made Hennepin, enraptured, exclaim 
 how "extraordinarily relishing." 
 
 Detroit was then a wilderness, unsettled by white men. 
 Up the river they sailed, and enter and cross the shallow St. 
 Clair lake. And thence up through the next strait, and into 
 broad Lake Huron. 
 
58 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 Again they chant the Te Deum and offer thanks to 
 Almighty God for their prosperity. Gentle breezes waft them 
 onward antil they near the boisterous *• Sagina," when they 
 encounter a fierce gale that threatened to swallow the little 
 ship and crew. The fury of the tempest made even La 
 Salle quake with fear and call on all to commend themselves 
 to heaven. But the godless pilot anathematized his com- 
 mander "for having brought him after the honor he had 
 won on the ocean, to drown at last, ignominiously, in fresh 
 water." They all clamored to the saints, and with La Salle 
 and Hennepin, proclaimed " St. Anthony " their patron. 
 The winds abated and the vessel "plunged on her way 
 through foaming surges that still grew calmer as she 
 advanced." 
 
 Thunder Bay was passed, and soon to the left the island of 
 " Bois Blanc " (white wood) came in view, and on the right 
 (east) in the dim distance, could be outlined the Manitoulins 
 of Georgian Bay. Onward they sailed, and turning the foot 
 of Bois Blanc, in front of them, to the westward, up looms a 
 highland ahead, "sitting like an emerald gem in the clear, 
 pellucid wave, is the rock-girt fairy isle of Michilimackinac." 
 In the back ground, to the northward, is the Mission of St. 
 Ignatius, nestling at the head of a small narrow bay, where 
 they soon come to anchor near by. 
 
 The following is Hennepin's:* "The 27th, 1679, in the 
 morning, we continued our course northwest, with a south- 
 east wind, which carried us the same day to Michilimackinac, 
 where we anchored in a bay at six fathom water, upon a shiny 
 white bottom. That bay is sheltered by the coast and a bank 
 
 ^Laluman aajs Hennepin was "Daring, vain, and determined, 
 ambitious to r^tp the glory of discovery and not too scrupulous as to 
 the means," 
 
THE GRIFFON AT MIOHILIMACKINAO. 59 
 
 lying from the tauthwest to the north; bat it lies exposed to 
 the eolith winds, which are very violent in that country. 
 
 '* Michilimackinac is a neck of land to the north of the 
 mouth of the strait through which the Lake of the lUiwHS 
 di8chzirg<es itself into the Li.ke Huron. That canal is about 
 three leagues long and one broad 
 
 " We lay between two different nations of savages. Those 
 who inhabit the Point of Michilimackinac are called Hurons; 
 and the others, who are about three or four leagues more 
 northward, are Ottawas. Those savages were equally sur- 
 prised to see a ship in their country; and the noise of our 
 cannon, of which we made a general discharge, filled them 
 with great astonishment. We went to see the Ottawas, and 
 celebrated mass in their habitation. M. La Salle was finely 
 dressed, having a scarlet cloak with a broad gold lace, and 
 most of his men, with their arms, attended him. The chief 
 captains of that people rviceived us with great civilities, after 
 their own way, and some of them came on board with us to 
 see our ship, which rode ali that while in the bay or creek I 
 have spoken of. It was a diverting prospect to see, every day, 
 above six score canoes about it, and savages staring and 
 admiring that fine wooden canoe, as they called it. They 
 brought us abundance of whitings, and some trouts of fifty or 
 sixty pound weight. 
 
 ** We went the next day to pay a visit to the Hurons, who 
 inhabit a rising ground on a neck of land over against Michili- 
 mackinac. Their villages are fortified with palisades of 
 twenty-five feet high, and always situated upon eminences or 
 hills. They received us with more respect than the Ottawas; 
 for they made a triple discharge of all the small guns they 
 had, having learned from some Europeans that it is the 
 greatest civility among us. However, they took such a 
 
60 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 jealousy to our ship that, as we understood since, they 
 endeavored to make our expedition odious to all the nations 
 about them. 
 
 "The Hurons and Ottawas are in confederacy together 
 against the Iroquois, their common enemy. They sow Indian 
 corn, which is their ordinary food; for they have nothing else 
 to live upon, except some fish they take in the lakes. They 
 boil it with their sagamittee, which is a kind ©f broth made 
 with water and the flour of the corn, which they beat in a 
 mortar made of the trunk of a tree, which they make hollow 
 with fire." 
 
 From Van Fleet: '*La Salle remained at Mackinac until 
 the second day of September, when he set sail for Green Bay. 
 At this point, contrary to orders, he collected a cargo of furs, 
 with which he dispatched the Griffin to Niagara, while he 
 himself, with a part of his men, repaired in bark canoes to 
 the head of Lake Michigan. Here he anxiously awaited the 
 return of his little vessel; but, alas! he waited in vain. No 
 tidiags ever reached him of the ill-fated bark; and to this 
 day none can tell whether she was swallowed in the depths of 
 the lake, destroyed by Indians, or made the prize of traitors. 
 
 "The loss of the Griffin was a very severe stroke upon La 
 Salle; yet he was not discouraged. With inflexible energy, 
 he pursued his course. From Lake Michigan he j)roceeded 
 into the country of the Illinois, where he wintered. Early in 
 the following Spring he dispatched Hennepin to discover the 
 sources of the Mississippi,* while he himself returned to 
 Canada for new supplies, made necessary by the loss of the 
 Griffin. In 1681, he returned; and in 1682, having con- 
 
 *HennepiQ ascended the river to &c< ADthony's Falls io the spring 
 of 1680. He winter 1680-81 at St. Ignace with Sieur du Lhut 
 (Duluth). ^ 
 
LA HONTAN AT MICHILDfACKINAC. 61 
 
 Btrncted a vessel of a size suitable for the purpose, he 
 descended the Mississippi to the Gulf. 
 
 "Having completed the exploration of the Great River, his 
 next step was to plant colonies along its banks; for which 
 purpose he labored, but with only partial success, until 1G87, 
 when he was assassinated by one of his own men." 
 
 Taking the testimony of nolmes's ''American Annals,' 
 this fort or trading-post was first established in 1673. Of the 
 early history of this place, subsequent to La Salle's visit, we 
 have only information gathered from the notices and writings 
 of travelers and others. 
 
 In 1688, Baron La Hontan, an officer of rare accomplish- 
 ments, visited this point, and from him we have the follow- 
 ing: 
 
 "At last, finding that my provisions were almost out, I 
 resolved to go to Michiiimackinac, to buy up corn from the 
 
 Hurons and Ottawas I arrived at this place on the 18th 
 
 of April, and my uneasiness and trouble took date from the 
 day of my arrival; for I found the Indian corn so scarce, by 
 reason of the preceding bad harvests, that I despaired of find- 
 ing half so much as I wanted. But, after all, I am hopeful 
 that two villages will furnish me with almost as much as I 
 have occasion for. Mr. Cavalier arrived here, May 6th, being 
 accompanied with his nephew. Father Anastase the Recollect, 
 a pilot, one of the savages, and some few Frenchmen, which 
 made a sort of a party-colored retinue. These Frenchmen 
 were some of those that Mr. de la Salle had conducted upon 
 the discovery of the Mississippi. They gave out that they 
 are sent to Canada, in order to go to France, with some dis- 
 patches from Mr. de la Salle to the King; but we suspect that 
 he is dead, because he does not return along with them. I 
 shall not spend time in taking notice of tkelr great journey 
 
62 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 overland; which, by the account they gave, can not be les« 
 than eight hundred leagues. 
 
 *' Michilimackinac, the place I am now in, is certainly a 
 place of great importance. It lies in the latitude of forty-five 
 degrees and thirty minutes. It is not above half a league dis- 
 tant from the Illinese Lake, an account of which, and, indeed, 
 of all the other lakes, you may expect elsewhere. Here the 
 Hurons and Ottawas have, each of them, a village; the one 
 being severed from the other by a single palisade; but the 
 Ottawas are beginning to build a fort upon a hill that stands 
 ten or twelve hundred paces off. This precaution they were 
 prompted to by the murder of a certain Huron, called 
 Sandaouiros, who was assassinated in the Saginaw River by 
 four young Ottawas. In this place the Jesuits have a 
 little house or college, adjoining to a sort of a church, and 
 inclosed with poles that separate it from the village of the 
 Hurons. These good fathers lavish away all their divinity 
 and patience, to no purpose, in converting such ignorant in- 
 fidels; for all the length they can bring them to, is, that 
 oftentimes they will desire baptism for their dying children, 
 and i^ome few superannuated persons consent to receive the 
 sacrament of baptism when they find themselves at the point 
 of death. The Coureurs de Bois have but a very small settle- 
 ment here; though at the same time it is not inconsiderable, 
 as being the staple of all the goods that they truck with the 
 south and the west savages; for they can not avoid passing 
 this, way, when they go to the seats of the Illinese and the 
 Oumamis, or to the Bay des Puans, and to the river of Missis- 
 sippi. The skins, which they import from these different 
 places, must lie here some time before they are transported to 
 the colony. Michilimackinac is situated very advantageously; 
 for the iroquese dare not venture, with their sorry canoes, to 
 
M. DE LA MOTTE OAOILLAO AT MICHILIMACKINAO. 63 
 
 cross the strait of the Illinese Lake, which is two leagues over; 
 besides that the Lake of the Hurons is too rough for such 
 slender boats ^ and as they can not come to it by water, so 
 they can not approach to it by land, by reason of the marshes, 
 fens, ttnd little rivers, which it would be very difficult to 
 cross; not to mention that the strait of the Illinese Lake 
 lies still in their way.'* 
 
 La Hontan afterwards made a map showing the French and 
 Indian villages, and the Jesuit establishment as they were 
 in 1688. 
 
 Ill 1695, M. de la Motte Cadillac, who founded Detroit, 
 commanded at this post. He thus describes the placo: 
 
 "It is very important that you should know, in ."ase you 
 are not already informed, that this village is one of the largest 
 in all Canada. There is a fine fort of pickets, and sixty 
 houses that form a street in a straight line. There is a gar- 
 rison of well-disciplined, chosen soldiers, consisting of about 
 two hundred men, the best formed and most athletic to be 
 found in this New World; besides many other persons who 
 are residents here during two or three months in the year. . 
 . . The houses are arranged along the shore of this great 
 Lake Huron, and fish and smoked meat constitute the princi- 
 pal food of the inhabitants. 
 
 " The villages of the savages, in which there are six or seven 
 thousand souls, are about a pistol-shot distant from ours. All 
 the lands are cleared for about three leagues around their vil- 
 lage, and perfectly well cultivated. They produce a suftcient 
 quantity of Indian corn for the use of both the French and 
 sayage inhabitants.*' * 
 
 "In 1699, Cadillac, perceiving the importance of a fort on 
 the Detroit, repaired to France to present the subject to the 
 
 ♦Van Fleet's Old and New Mackinac. 
 
64 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 consideration of Count Pontchartraiu, the Colonial Minister. 
 He was favorably received, and authorized to establish the 
 proposed fort at the earliest date possible. This he accom- 
 plished in 1701. 
 
 *^ With the exception of here and there a Jesuit missionary 
 and a few half-savage coureurs de hois, the region around 
 Mackinac was now forsaken by the French. 
 
 "A dispute soon arose between Cadillac and the Jesuits, the 
 former insisting upon a concentration of French interests in 
 the West, at Detroit, the latter urging the French Govern- 
 ment to re-establish Mackinac. The Jesuits did all in their 
 power to prevent the Indians removing to Detroit, while 
 Cadillac held out every inducement to prevail upon them 
 to desert their villages and settle in the vicinity of the 
 new fort, and so far succeeded that, in 1705, as we have seen, 
 the Jesuits became discouraged, burned down their college 
 and chapel, and returned to Quebec. But, alarmed at this 
 step, the Governor soon prevailed upon Father James Marest 
 to return; and shortly after the Ottawas, who were becoming 
 dissatisfied at Detroit, began to move back to Mackinac. 
 
 "Father Marest now did all in his power to prevail upon, 
 the French Government to send M. Louvigny, a former com- 
 mander, with a few soldiers, to re-establish the fort, but did 
 not succeed until 1714, when the long wished for garrison and 
 commander arrived, giving new life to the settlement.'^ 
 
 In 1721 Father Charlevoix was at Michilimackinac and thus 
 writes of it: 
 
 "I arrived the twenty-eighth (June) at this post, which is 
 much declined since M. de la Motte Cadillac drew to Detroit 
 the greater part of the savages who were settled here, and es- 
 pecially the Ilurons. Several Ottawas have followed them; 
 others have dispersed themselves in the isles of Castor. There 
 
M. DE LA MOTTE CADILLAC AT MICHILIMACKINAC. 65 
 
 is only here a middling village, where there is still a great 
 trade for peltry, beeauho it is the passage or the rendezvous 
 of many of the savage ^. Jons. The fort is preserved and the 
 house of the missionaries, who are not much employed at 
 present, having never found much docility among the Otta- 
 was; but the court thinks their presence necessary, in a place 
 where one must often treat with our allies, to exercise their 
 ministry among the French, who come hither in great num- 
 bers. I have been assured that since the settlement of Detroit 
 and the dispersion of the savages occasioned thereby, many 
 nations of the North, who used to bring their peltries 
 hither, have taken the route of Hudson's Bay, by the river 
 Bourbon, and go there to trade with the English; but M. de 
 la Motte could by no means foresee this inconvenience, since 
 we were then in possession of Hudson's Bay. 
 
 "The situation of Michilimackinac is very advantageous 
 for trade. This post is between three great lakes. Lake 
 Michigan, which is three hundred leagues in compass, with- 
 out mentioning the great bay that comes into it; Lake Huron, 
 which is three hundred and fifty leagues in circumference, 
 and which is triangular; and the Upper Lake, which is five 
 hundred leagues." . ^ 
 
 Charlevoix, at the time of this visit, 1721, apparently de- 
 scribes the post and settlement of North Michilimackinac (St. 
 Ignace), as he says: "The fort is preserved, and the house of 
 the missionaries," but does not allude to the church, as that 
 was burned in 1705. The movement to South Michilimacki- 
 nac must have been gradual up to 1760, when the Province of 
 Michilimackinac was transferred to the English. 
 
 In 1681 LaSalle, on his second voyage to the Mississi ppi, 
 passes by way of St. Ignace. Then M. de Villeray was com- 
 mandant at Fort Michilimackinac. 
 5 
 
66 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 On account of Iroquois invasions the fur trade greatly 
 declined in 1683. 
 
 1684. M. de la Durantaye is commanding at ''Missilimack- 
 inac.^' He leads French and Indian forces, allied with Otta- 
 was, in LaBarre^s disastrous attack on the Iroquois. 
 
 In 1688 Machilmackinac is the commercial and military 
 center of the northwest. That year Nicolas Perrot arrived 
 and persuaded the Ottawas and Fox tribe (of Green Bay), to 
 make peace. Perrot rescued the daughter of a Chippewa 
 chief, whom the Foxes intended to burn at the stake and 
 returned her to her father. 
 
 1686. Many of the Indian bands favor the English and 
 are inclined to unite with them and the Iroquois. The 
 French had only a small force in the province of Michilimack- 
 inac, at that time, and having met with some reverses, the 
 Indians, quick to discern, thought the English were better 
 able to protect and provide for them. Their ideas of prowess 
 was favored by the arrival of merchants and traders, from the 
 province of New York, to buy furs, and whatever they had 
 for sale. They were liberal, paid large prices for pelts, and 
 supplied the tribes with liquor. All this was done with the 
 knowledge, and connivance of Gov. Dougan, at Albany. A 
 few extracts from Doc. Hist, of New York will partly show 
 the situation; 
 
 " M. DE MEULLES TO THE MINISTER. 
 
 >f 
 
 '• My Lord ***(.. Paris Doc. ii "). ''What 
 Indians there were evidenced the best disposition to fight the 
 Iroquois to the death. Sieur de la Durantaye who brought 
 the last six hundred men from Missilimakinak has informed 
 us that he learned from a Miami chief that more than one 
 thousand Illinois were coming to our aid on learning that we 
 
EXTRACTS DOCUMENTABY HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 67 
 
 were about to fight the Iroquois, to such a degree are they 
 their irreconcilable enemies. " 
 
 * * * " Quebec, the 10th 8ber, 1684." (Vol. 1, 
 pp. 120, 127.) **Demeulles." 
 
 "GOV. DOUGAN'S REPORT." 
 
 " To the committee of trade on the Province of New York, 
 Dated the 22nd February, 1687." 
 
 ("Lond. Doc. v.") 
 
 "My Lords" * * * 
 
 "The great difference between us is about the beaver trade 
 and in truth they have the advantage of us in it @ that by 
 noe other meanes than by their industry in making discover- 
 ies in the country before us. "Before my coming hither noe 
 man of my Government ever went beyond the Sinicaes country. 
 Last year some of our people went a trading among the farr 
 Indians called the Ottowais inhabiting about three months 
 journey to the West @ W. N. W. of Albany from whence 
 they brought a good many Beavers. They found their people 
 more inclined to trade with them than the French the French 
 not being able to protect them from the arms of our Indians, 
 with whom they have had a continued war. Soe that our 
 Indians brought away this very last year, a great many pris- 
 oners. 
 
 " Last week I sent some of our Indians to New York where 
 when they came I obtained a promise from them that some of 
 themselves would goe along with such of our people as goe 
 from- Albany and Esopus to these far nations @ carry with 
 them the captives they have prisoners in order to the restoring 
 them to their liberty @ bury their hatchetts with those of their 
 enemys by which means a path may be opened for those farr 
 Indians to come with safety to trade at Albany, and our 
 
68 HISTOBY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 people goe thither without any let or disturbance." (Vol. 1, 
 pp. 156-7.) * * * 
 
 " It will be very necessary for us to encourage our young 
 men to goe a Beaver Hunting as the French doe (p. 158). 
 I send a map by Mr. Spragg whereby your Lords may see the 
 several Governmts &c how they lye where the Beaver hunt- 
 ing is @ where it will be necessary to erect our country Forts 
 for the securing of beaver trade @ keeping the Indians in 
 community with us. 
 
 " Alsoe it points out where theres a great river discovered 
 by one Lassal a Frenchman from Canada who thereupon went 
 into France @ and as its reported brought two or three vessels 
 with people to settle there which (if true) will prove not only 
 very inconvenient to us but to the Spanish alsoe (the river 
 running all along from our lakes by the back of Virginia @ 
 Carolina into the Bay Mexico) @ its beleeved Nova Mexico 
 can not bee far from the mountains adjoining to it that place 
 being in 36d North Latitude if your Lops, thought it fit I 
 could send a sloop or two from this pla?:)e to discover that 
 river." (p. 158). * * * <'Theo. Dougan.'' 
 
 (p. 187). 
 
 ** Memoirs Concerning The Present State of Canada. And 
 The Measures That May Be Adopted For The Security Of 
 The Country, 12 November 1685 (Extract) (Paris Doc. iii)" 
 (p. 196). 
 
 " The most to be feared is the Iroquois who are the most 
 powerful in consequence of the facility with which they obtain 
 arnis from the Jjnglish, and the number of slaves they make 
 daily among their neighbors by carrying away at an early age 
 their children, whom they adopt; this is the only means of 
 their increase, for this their debaucheries of Brandy which 
 lead them into frightful disorders, the few children their 
 
EXTEACTS DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 69 
 
 women raise could not of themselves sustain them, if they 
 did not make prisoners.'* (p. 196). * * ♦ 
 
 " The importance of the post to be occupied on Lake Erie 
 is easily perceived, since we can easily go in vessels from the 
 lake to Missilimakina which would be a great facility for the 
 trade of the country, to keep the Outaouacs in check and in 
 obedience to the King; besides, we should have the means of 
 reaching through this lake to Illinois, and surmount by this 
 communication with ships many of the diflSculties experienced 
 in the rivers in consequence of the number of portages. Being 
 masters of these two lakes and cruizing then with our vessels, 
 the English would lose the Beaver trade in that quarter, of 
 which they have abundance." 
 
 "A durable peace with the Iroquois Indians would be more 
 advantageous to the colony than prosecuting a war;" * 
 * * (p. 198). " Chevalier de Tonty " is commanding 
 the fort in behalf of " M. de Lasalle," who has great influ- 
 ence with the Illinois. *'M. de Ladurantaye 'Ms sent to 
 Lake Superior under orders from "M. de Labarre " and to 
 " Sieur Duluth,'' who is ata great distance, beyond reach, so 
 that neither can have news before next year, in July, and, 
 many of their best men were with the Outaouacs. 
 
 " It is, also, necessary to reconcile six tribes of our allie% 
 that are at war with each other, before making use of them, 
 (p. 199). "I sent presents and instructions to M. Ladura- 
 taye to collect our" (p. 200) " French and put himself at 
 their head, in order to support his reasoning and to have 
 more authority to reconcile them in concert with Father 
 Angeblau Jesuit Missionary at Missilimakina." * * *^ 
 (p. 201.) However, arrangements are not easily made '* to 
 secure punctuality," *' since from the Illinois country there 
 are four hundred leagues;" and from the Outaouacs and Sav- 
 
TO HISTORY OP MACKIl'fAC. 
 
 ages of Lake Superior, three hundred leagues, and from Que- 
 bec nearly two hundred, to the said place of Niagara." * * 
 • * (p. 202.) 
 
 "M. DE. DEKONVILLE TO THE MINISTER. 8 MAY, 1686." 
 
 (Paris Doc. iii.) 
 
 "I learn that the news that I had the honor to send you of 
 the appearance on Lakes Ontario and Erie of English Canoes 
 accompanied by French Deserters on their way to the 
 Outaouacs is true. There are ten of them loaded with mer- 
 chandize. Therefore, my Lord, I sent orders to Missilinakina, 
 to Catarokony and other places where we had Frenchmen, to 
 run and seize them." (p 203.) * * * 
 
 "In regard, my Lord, .as of primary importance the pro- 
 hibition of this trade with the English, who without doubt, 
 would entirely ruin ours by the cheaper bargains they could 
 give the Indians and by attracting to them the Frenchmen 
 oi our Colony who are accustomed to go into the woods." 
 * * * *'I am pursuaded that the Iroquois are very 
 anxious for peace.^' * * * *'What I should con- 
 sider most effectual to accomplish this would be the establish- 
 ment of a right good fort at Niagara." * * ♦ 
 
 "M. DE. DENONVILLE TO GOV. DOUGAN." 
 
 ( "Paris Doc. iii, p 211.") 
 * * * (Ext) "You are not ignorant of the ex- 
 pedition of your merchants against Michilimaquina." 
 « « * * * ^ 
 
 M. De Denonville's Memoir, (p 213.) 
 On the Present State of Affairs In Canada And The Neces- 
 sity Of Making War Next Year On The Iroquois. 
 
EXTRACTS DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 71 
 
 (Paris Doc. iii.) 
 
 Quebec the 8th O'b lo_'>. 
 
 (Extract) *'I annex to this Memoir, the duj cate of the 
 letter of June last in which I advised My lord of the expedi- 
 tion of the Iroquois againt t our allies the Hurons and Ottawas 
 of Missilimakina in the Saguinau. I have learned since that 
 the English had more to do with that expedition than even 
 the Iroquois who struck the blow. Their intrigues. My lord, 
 reach a point that without doubt it would be much better 
 that they should have recourse to opeu acts of hostility by 
 firing our settlements, than to do what they are doing through 
 the Iroquois for our destruction." (p 213) * * * 
 
 (P 214) * ♦ * *'Mr. Dougan, notwithstand- 
 ing works secretly by all the artifices in the world to debauch 
 our Frenchmen and Indians. Col. Dougan's letters will suffi- 
 ciently explain his pretensions which embrace no less than from 
 the Lakes inclusive to the South Sea. Missilimackinac be- 
 longs to them. They have taken its elevation. They have 
 been there treating with our OutawaB and Huron Indians, who 
 received them there very well on account of the excellent 
 trade they made there in selling their goods for beaver which 
 they purchase much dearer than we. Unfortunately we had 
 at the time but very few French at Missilimackinac M. de la 
 Durantaye on arriving there would pursue the English to 
 plunder them; the Hurons ran to escort them after saying 
 many bad things of us. M,, de la Durantaye did not over- 
 take the English who met on their road the Senecas going to 
 meet them to escort them through Lakes Erie and Ontairo 
 until they were beyond the risk of being attacked by us." 
 
 "Thus you see. My Lord, that the Senecas and the Eng- 
 lish understood each other charmingly." (p 214-15.) 
 
 ♦ ♦ lit 41 ♦ 4t 
 
72 HISTORY OF MACKINAO. 
 
 (p. 220) " The letters I wrote to Sieurs du Lhu and de la 
 Durantaye * » * ^jji inform you of my orders 
 to them to fortify the tv/o passes leading to Michilimaquina. 
 Sieur du Lhu is at the Detroit of Lake Erie, and Sieur de la 
 Durantaye at that of the portage of Toronto. These two 
 ports will block the passage against the English, if they 
 undertake to go again to Michilimaquina, and will serve as 
 retreats to the Savages our allies, either while hunting or 
 marching against the Iroquois." * * * 
 
 (p. 224) M. de la Durantaye is collecting people to 
 entrench himself at Michilimaquina and to occupy the other 
 pass which the English may take by Toronto the other 
 entrance to Lake Huron." * * * 
 
 "The M. de Denonville." 
 
 "M. DE Denonville to the Minister." 
 (Paris Doc. iii). 
 
 Quebec 16th Nov. 1686. 
 *' Sincie my letters were written. * * * a man 
 whom I sent to TsTauat * * * reports to me that 
 the said Colonc. " (Dougan) "has dispatched fifty citizens of 
 Orange and Mona^t among whom are some Frenchmen, to 
 winter with the , ..lecas, where they will depart, at the close 
 of the winter, under the escort of the Senecas for Michili- 
 maquina, carrying with them the Huron prisoners to restore 
 them on the post of the English Governor, who desires to 
 prevail on the Outaouas, by the service which he renders 
 them, to abandon our alliance in order to attach themselves 
 to the English. They carry an abundance of merchandise 
 thither to to furnish it at a much lower rate than we^ 
 (p. 224-5.) * * * 
 
EXTRACTS DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 73 
 
 "M. DE DeNONVILLB TO GoV. DUGAN. (P. 261.) 
 
 (Paris Doc. iii; London Doc. v.) 
 
 ''Aug. 22, 1G87." 
 * * * '• Nevertheless, Sir, whilst you were express- 
 ing these civilities to me you were giving orders and sending- 
 passes to dispatch canoes to trade at Missilimaquina where an 
 Englishman had never set his foot and where we, the French, 
 are established more than 60 vears.*' * * * 
 
 " What have you not done. Sir, to prevent the Senecas sur- 
 rendering to me the Outouacs and Huron prisoners of Missili- 
 maquina whom they treacherously captured last year." * * 
 
 "GOV. DOUGAN TO M. DE DENONVILLE. 
 
 (Par. Doc. iii; Lond. Doc. V.) 
 
 8th Sept. 1687." (p. 266.) 
 
 **Sir — Yours of the 21st of August last I have received." 
 * >i( * 
 
 (p. 268.) "As for Major McGregorie and those others you 
 took prisoners they had no passe from me to go to Missili- 
 maquine butt a pass to go to the Ottowawas, where I thought 
 it might be as free for us to trade as you." * ♦ * 
 " Further you blame me for hindering the Sinakees deliver- 
 ing up the Ottawawa prisoners to you, this I did with good 
 reason for what pretence could you have to make your appli- 
 cations to them and not to me. Nevertheless I ordered 
 Major McGregory to carry them to the Ottawaways and if your 
 claim be only to Missilimquina what cause had you to hinder 
 Magregory to go to the Ottatvawas." * ♦ » 
 
 " Project of the Chevallier De Callieres (p. 285), Governor 
 of Montreal and Commanding The Troops and Militia of 
 Canada," &c. / 
 
74 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ''January, 1689." (" Paris. Doc. i v.") 
 
 "TO MONSEIGNEUR, THE MARQUIS OF SEIGNELAY." 
 * * « v >|i 
 
 "Chevalier Anders" (Governor General of New England 
 and New York) "is a protestant as well as the whole English 
 Colony so that there is no reason to hope that he will remain 
 faithful to the King of England (James ii) and we must ex- 
 pect that he will not only urge the Iroquois to continue the 
 war against us but that he will even add Englishmen to them 
 to lead tliem and seize the posts of Niagara, Michilimakinak 
 and others proper to render him master of the Indians, our 
 allies, according to the project they have long since formed, 
 and which they began to execute when we declared war 
 against the Iroquois and when we captured 70 Englishmen 
 who were going to take possession of Michilimakinak one of 
 the most important posts of Canada; our' (p. 286) "Entre- 
 pot for the Fur Trade and the residence of the Superior of 
 the Rev. Jesuit Fathers, Missionaries among our Savages, and 
 which belongs incontestably to us.^' 
 
 "Frequent disputes were caused by the Duke of York 
 claiming, through his governors of the Province of New 
 York, (Wm Tryon, and others,) that his province overlapped 
 that of New France, and the source of said claims. On page 
 740 Doc. Hist, of New York, Gov. Tryon's Report: "Ques- 
 tion No. 2. What are the reputed Boundaries, and are any 
 parts disputed and by whom? Answer. The Boundaries of 
 the Province of New York are derived from Two Sources" 
 Grants from King Charles, 2nd, to his brother James Duke of 
 York, & "Secondly, from the Submission and Subjection of 
 the Five Nations of Indians to the Crown of England." * 
 
 (p. 743.) "On the North A line from a point on the East 
 
MICHILIMACKINAC, BOUNDARIES, ETC. 75 
 
 bank of Lake Huron in the Latitude of Forty Five East to 
 the River St. Lawrencse, or the South Boundary Line of Que- 
 bec;" ♦ * ♦ The Iroquois and Senecas come to 
 Georgin Bay and Michilimackinae to hunt beaver, and, in 
 connection therewith, would fight the Algonquin tribes of this 
 vicinity, burn their villages, and carry off their women and 
 children as captives, and, "vice versa." 
 
 The French and English ( and the Spanish ) were rivals in 
 Europe and Nortii America, so that the early history of this 
 region is intimately connected, and often resultant, with the 
 changes caused by the wars, intrigues, and diplomacy of 
 European Courts. Those nations had their Indian allies, and 
 the white governors (vandals,) who represented them, in 
 America were, ge erally the prime factors that lead to suc- 
 cessive wars betweeen the savages and the frequent mas- 
 sacres of European settlers who were unfortunate enough to be 
 on the side of an opposing power. It was, truly, the survival 
 of the fittest, and in the march of conquest the poor Indian 
 is sure to be exterminated. 
 
 From 1714 to 1760, there is little, recorded, history of the 
 province, of Michilimackinae, and of the region about the 
 straits of the same name. The establishment of the Province 
 of Detroit, and the withdrawal of the troops to the town of 
 Detroit, on that strait, where many of the Indians followed, 
 caused a diversion of trade, and, consequent decline of 
 supremacy. 
 
 With the victory of the English on the Plains of Abraham, 
 before Quebec, September 12th and 13th, 1759, the suc- 
 cessful general Wolf fell, and the defeated general Montcalm 
 was, also, killed. The, subsequent, surrender of Montreal 
 and Canada, with all its dependencies, on the 8th of Septem- 
 ber, 1760, by the Marquis de Vaudreuil, to the British Crown, 
 
76 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 was the opening wedge to a change in history. The Province 
 of Michilimackinac (in Canada), was transferred to Britain, 
 and the French domain extinguished forever. Bnt the 
 French habitants remained and the effects of their civil insti- 
 tutions and religion are evident to this day. 
 
 PONTIAC'8 CONSPIRACY. 
 
 The change of jurisdiction from French to the English 
 rule was not agreeable to the * Indians of the Lakes. They 
 were suspicious of the English, who generally treated them 
 with contempt, and looked upon them more in the light of 
 slaves, subservient to their wishes, than as subjects entitled 
 to their protection. They still clung to the French with 
 affection and regard, and looked to them for protection and 
 advice. The Indian and French would lodge in the same 
 wigwam, or cabin, on intimate terms. A French voyageur, 
 or coureur du bois, usually married a squaw (Indian fashion), 
 adapted himself to the social condition and mode of life of 
 her tribe, and became as one of them. They claimed each 
 other as brothers, and in the speech of a Chippewa chief: 
 "They called us children, and we found them fathers." 
 
 The English were not liberal in their dealings with _the 
 Iiidians, took advantage of them in trade, and often allowed 
 them to suffer when they needed supplies. The French gave 
 them clothing, ammunition and guns; also food, when 
 required. When an Indian visited an English post he was 
 looked upon and treated as an enemy or spy, received coldly 
 and often driven away. English settlers had appropriated 
 some of the best Indian lands, and the French told them 
 
PONTIAO'S 00N8PIBA0Y. 77 
 
 their hunting grounds would soon follow. The French 
 knew the country was forever lost to them, but, in the spirit 
 of revenge, they inflamed the minds of the Indians with wild 
 tales, and informed them a chain of posts were being estab- 
 lished to pen them in between the settlements and root them 
 out of the land. These stories they were only too willing to 
 believe, on account of their hatred of the English. 
 
 The French declared the King of France had fallen asleep, 
 and that while he slumbered the English had seized Canada; 
 but now he was awake again, and his armies were advancing 
 by way oi the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi to drive the 
 usurpers from the country of his red children. Lieut. 
 Edward Jenks, commanding Fort Ouatanon, on the Wabash, 
 wrote to Maj. Gladwin, commanding Detroit, as follows: 
 " 28 March, 1763. The Canadians here are continually tell- 
 ing lies to the Indians. * * * Qjjg La Pointe 
 told the Indians a few days ago that we should be all prison- 
 ers in a short time (showing when the corn was about a foot 
 high), and that there was a great army to come from the 
 Mississippi, and that they were to have a great number of 
 Indians with them; therefore advised them not to help us. 
 That they would soon take Detroit and these small posts, and 
 then they would take Quebec, Montreal, &c., and go into our 
 country. This, I am informed, they tell them from one end 
 of the year to the other." He adds: ^^ Indians would rather 
 give six bear skins for a blanket to a Frenchman than three 
 to an Englishman." (Parkin's Pontiac, p. 178.) The 
 passions of the Indians, wrought to a high pitch by their real 
 and imaginary wrongs, and exasperated by French state- 
 ments, were further inflamed in another way. 
 
 There appeared among the Delawares a prophet who 
 claimed to be a messenger from the Great Spirit. He urged 
 them to lay aside the clothing and arms received from the 
 
78 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 white man and return to their savage life. By doing this, 
 and observing his precepts, they would soon be restored to 
 their former greatness and power, and drive the white man 
 from their territory. He had many followers, and his fame 
 spread to the tribes on the northern lakes. 
 
 The Indians were being aroused. Belts of wampum were 
 sent by the Six Nations to all the Indians from Nova Scotia 
 to Illinois, and through the Massagues to the Northern 
 Nations. 
 
 Capt. Campbell, commanding Detroit in 1?^1, discovered 
 a plot to destroy him and his garrison, and nipped it in the 
 bud; also another design in the summer of 1762 was frus- 
 trated. These plots were the forerunners of a coming 
 tempest. 
 
 Early in 1763, when the Indians learned that the French 
 King had ceded all their country to the King of England, 
 without their consent, their indignation knew no bounds. 
 Pontiac, the principal chief of the Ottawas (and of the band 
 at Detroit), and one of them, but born of an Ojibwa (Chip- 
 pewa) mother went from tribe to tribe, or sent his emissaries; 
 " and within a few weeks a plot was matured, such as was 
 never before or since conceived or executed by a North 
 American Inr'ian. It was determined to attack all the 
 English forts upon the same day; then, having destroyed 
 their garrisons, to turn upon the defenseless frontier and 
 ravage and lay waste their settlements until, as many of the 
 Indjans fondly believed, the English should all be driven 
 into the sea, and the country restored to its primitive 
 owners." 
 
 FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 Before the war cloud burst, in the spring of 17^3, several 
 English traders went with canoes to Michilimackinac; some 
 followed the Ottawa route, and others the lower strait 
 
PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 79 
 
 ("Detroit") by way of the lakes. Let us follow one of these 
 adventurers by the lake route. Leaving Lake Erie he enters 
 the "Detroit," and passing the settlement and fort of the 
 same name, he soon enters Lake St. Clair and crosses 
 that water. His voyageurs urge their bark canoes against 
 the current of the longer arm of the strait (St. Clair) above 
 until they reached the outlet of Lake Huron. Now, they 
 enter that, apparently, boundless fresh water ocean, following 
 the eastern shore they paddle northward over the bay of 
 " Sagina," and onward still. In two or three weeks, if his 
 Canadians labor well, and there is no accident, the trader 
 approaches the end of his voyage. Near the head of the lake 
 westward, on the right, he passes the extensive island of 
 Bois Blanc, and sees nearly in front the " Pe-quod-e-nouze," 
 of th»i Indians, beautiful Michilimackinac, rising with its 
 white limestone cliffs and green foliage from the broad, clear 
 waters. He does not steer towards it, for at that time the 
 Indians were its only tenants, but keeps along the main shore 
 to the left, while his voyageurs raise the Canadian boat song 
 and chorus. " Doubling a point he sees before him the red 
 flag of England swelling lazily in the wind, and the palis- 
 ades and wooden bastions of Fort Michilimackinac stand- 
 ing close upon the margin of the lake. On the beach canoes 
 were drawn up, and Canadians and Indians were idly loung- 
 ing. A little beyond the fort is a cluster of white Canadian 
 houses, roofed with bark, and protected with fences of strong 
 round pickets. 
 
 "The trader enters at the gate and sees before him an 
 extensive square area, surrounded by high palisades. Numer- 
 ous houses, barracks and other buildings, form a smaller 
 square within, and in the vacant space which they inclose 
 appear the red uniforms of British soldiers, the gray coats of 
 Canadians, and the gaudy Indian blankets, mingled in pic- 
 
 y 
 
80 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 turesque confusion, while a multitude of squaws with chil- 
 dren of every hue, stroll restlessly about the place. Such 
 was Fort Michilimackinac in 1763.'' (Parkman.) 
 
 He adds — "This description is drawn from traditional 
 accounts aided by a personal examination of the spot, where 
 the stumps of the pickets and the foundations of the houses 
 may still be traced." Also, " Its name, which, in the Algon- 
 quin tongue, signifies the Great Turtle, was first, from a 
 fancied resemblance, applied to the neighboring island, and 
 then to the fort." 
 
 Michilimackinac though buried in the wilderness was of 
 no recent origin. The island was known to Champlain 
 before 1612, and the straits were afterwards frequently passed 
 by French traders with Indian convoys. About 1669 the island 
 of Michilimackinac, so famous from position and commanding 
 prominence, gave name to an extensive province of which it 
 was the emporium and capital, and probably the first settled 
 place in Michigan. It was the residence of Dablon, Superior 
 of the Jesuits, who there, with Marquette, in 1670, laid the 
 foundation of the mission of St. Ignace du Michilimackinac 
 established in 1671. That was on the north shore, and where 
 the first Fort Michilimackinac was, afterwards, constructed, 
 in 1673. There were two other forts in the northern region 
 besides Michilimackinac, Green Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. 
 " Both were founded at an early period, and both presented 
 the same characteristic features — mission house, a fort and a 
 cluster of Canadian dwellings. They had been originally gar- 
 risoned by small parties of militia, who, bringing their fami- 
 lies with them, settled on the spot and were the founders of 
 those little colonies. 
 
 Michilimackinac, much the largest of the three, contained 
 thirty families within the palisades of the fort, and about as 
 many more without. Besides its military value, it was im- 
 
PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 81 
 
 portant as a center of the fur trade; for it was here that the 
 traders engaged their men and sent out their goods in canoes 
 under the charge of subordinates, to the more distant regions 
 of the Mississippi and the Northwest. 
 
 The greater part of the year the garrisons and settlers were 
 isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. The distance 
 between the three posts was so great and a winter journey so 
 serious and perilous that all communication was often stop- 
 ped for months. 
 
 The Indians near Michilimackinac were the Ojibwas (Chip- 
 pewas) and Ottawas. The Ojibwas claimed the Eastern side 
 of Michigan and the Ottawas the Western, *fseparated by a 
 line drawn southward from the fort itself." The principal 
 village of the Ojibwas, on the island of Michilimackinac — 
 **contained about a hundred warriors." They had another 
 small village near the head of Thunder Bay. The Ottawas, 
 with two hundred and fifty warriors, lived at L^Arbre Croche 
 (the tree crooked, or crotched), west, on Lake Michigan. 
 The Jesuit mission of St. Ignace had been moved there from 
 the north side of the straits. The Ottawas were nominal 
 Catholics, and the Ojibwas were not the least removed from 
 their primitive barbarism. The two tribes were hostile to 
 the English and loyal to the French. Their feelings of hos- 
 tility were increased by the Canadians who were jealous of 
 the -English and their rivals in the fur trade. 
 
 We will now^rop back to 1761, in the spring and summer, 
 and note what was transpiring at Michilimackinac. The 
 English had not taken possession of the fort and it was occu- 
 l)ied by tradsrs and coureur du bois, with their Indian 
 families. 
 
 Bat before coming to one of a series of acts in the drama 
 about to be played, at eleven posts on the line of the Great 
 J^akes, let us present to our readers the English trader, Alex- 
 
82 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ander Henry, who was principal, though unwilling actor, in 
 the tragedy at Fort Michilimackinac. 
 
 Henry was the first English fur trader who arrived among 
 them. His adventures will describe the feeling of the Ind- 
 ians toward the English. He had difficulty in obtaining 
 permission to trade at Michilimackinac, as no treaty of peace 
 had been made with the Indians, the authorities were appre- 
 hensive that the property and lives of his Majesty's subjects 
 w^ould not be secure. He was eager to make the attempt 
 which he afterwards admitted was premature. 
 
 He obtained the coveted license on the 3d of August, 1761, 
 and began his journey by the "Ottawa route.'' But nothing 
 of note happened until he reached the island of La Cloche in 
 Lake Huron. Here he found a large village of Indians, who 
 treated him with kindness and civility until they discovered 
 he was English. They then told him the Indians at Michili- 
 mackinac would fall upon him and kill him, and they had a 
 right to share the pillage. They demanded a keg of rum, 
 and said if it was not given, they would take it. Henry com- 
 plied on condition that he should not be further molested. 
 He received repeated warnings of sure destruction at Michili- 
 mackinac that oppressed him with a sense of danger, but he 
 could not return as he was advised, for his provisions were 
 nearly exhausted. Observing ihe feeling was exclusively 
 towards the English and his Canadian attendants were cordi- 
 ally received, he changed his suit for one of Canadian make, 
 besmeared his face with grease and dirt, and resumed the 
 voyage. He took the place of one of the boatmen, and when 
 Indians approached, plied the paddle with as much skill as 
 possible. During the rest of the trip he escaped notice. 
 Early in September he arrived at the Island of Michilimack- 
 inac in his voyageurs costume, where we will allow him to 
 speak for himself. He writes: 
 
PONTIAO'S CONSPIBAOY. 83 
 
 "The land in the center of this island is high and its forni 
 somewhat resembles that ^f a turtle's back. Mackinac, or 
 Mickinac, signifies a turtle, and michi or missi, signifies 
 great, as it does also several, or many. The common inter- 
 pretation of the word Michilimackinac is, the Great Turtle. 
 It is from this island that the fort, commonly known by the 
 name of Michilimackinac, has obtained its appellation. 
 
 **0n the island, as I had previously been taught to expect, 
 there was r village of Chippewas, said to contain a hundred 
 warriors. Here I was 'earful of discovery, and consequent 
 ill-treatment; but after inquiring the news, and particularly 
 whether or not any Englishman was coming to Michilimack- 
 inac, they suffered us to pass uninjured. One man, indeed, 
 looked at me, laughed, and pointed me out to another. This 
 was enough to give me some uneasiness; but whatever was 
 the singularity he perceived in me, both he and his friend 
 retired, without suspecting me to be an Englishman. 
 
 "Leaving, as speedily as possible, the island of Michili- 
 mackinac, I crossed the strait, and landed at the fort of the 
 same name. The distance from the island is about two 
 leagues. I landed at four o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 " Here I put the entire charge of my effect? into the hands 
 of my assistant. Campion, between whom and myself it had 
 been previously agreed that he should pass for the proprietor; 
 and my men were instructed to conceal the fact that I was 
 an Englishman. 
 
 "Campion soon found a house, to which I retired, and 
 where I hoped to remain in privacy; but the men soon be- 
 trayed my secret, and I was visited by the inhabitants. With 
 great show of civility. They assured me that I could not 
 stay at Michilimackinac without the most imminent risk, and 
 strongly recommended that I should lose no time in making 
 my escape to Detroit. 
 
84 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ** Though language like this could not but increase ray un- 
 easiness, it did not shake oay determination to remain with 
 my property, and encounter the evils with which I was 
 threatened; and my spirits were in some measure sustained 
 by the sentiments of Campion in this regard, for he declared 
 his belief that the Canadian inhabitants of the fort were 
 more hostile than the Indians, as being jealous of Indian 
 traders, who, like myself, were penetrating into the country. 
 
 *^Fort Michilimackinac was built by order of the Governor- 
 General of Canada, and garrisoned with a small number of 
 militia, who, having families, soon became less soldiers than 
 settlers,. Most of those whom I found in the fort had origi- 
 nally served in the French army. 
 
 *'The fort stands on the south side of the strait, which is 
 between Lake Huron aad Lake Michigan. It has an area of 
 two acres, and is inclosed with pickets of cedar-wood, and it is 
 so near the water's edge that^ when the wind is in the west, the 
 waves break against thd stockade. On the bastions are two 
 small pieces of brass English cannon, taken some years since 
 by a party of Canadians who went on a plundering expedition 
 against the posts of Hudson's Bay, which they reached by the 
 route of the river Chun hill. 
 
 '* Within the stockade aro thirty houses, neat in their 
 appearance, and tolv'^rably commodious; and a church, in 
 which mass is celebrated by a Jesuit missionary. The num- 
 ber of families may be nearly equal to tliat of the houses, and 
 their subsistence is derived from the Indian traders, who 
 assemble here in their voyages to and from Montreal. 
 Miohilimaokinac is the place of deposit, and point of depart- 
 ure between the upper countries and the lower. Here the 
 outfits are prepared for the countries of Lake Michigan and 
 the Mississippi Lake Superior and the Northwest; and 
 here the returns in furs are collected and embarked for 
 Montreal. 
 
MACKINAC, FORMERLY MICHILIMACKINAO. 85 
 
 "I was not released from the visits and admonitions of the 
 inhabitant? of the fort, before t received the equivocal* intel- 
 ligence that the whole baud of Chippewt»a from the island of 
 Michilimackinac was arrived with the intention of paying me 
 a visit. 
 
 " There was in the fort one Farley, an interpreter, lately 
 in the employ of the French Commandant. He had married 
 a Chippewa woman, and was said to possess great influence 
 over the nation to which his wife belonged. Doubtful as to 
 the kind of visit which I was about to receive, I sent for this 
 interpreter, and requested first that he would have the kind- 
 dess to be present at the interview, and, secondly, that he 
 would inform me of the intentions of the band. Mr. Farley 
 agreed to be present; and, as to the object of the visit, replied 
 that it was consistent with a uniforru custom, that a stranger 
 on his arrival should be waited upon, and welcomed by the 
 chiefs of the nation, who, on their part, always gave a small 
 present, and always expected a large one; but, as to the rest, 
 declared himself unable to answer for the particular views of 
 the Chippewas on this occasion, I being an Englishman, and 
 the Indians having made no treaty with the English. He 
 thought that there might be danger, the Indians having pro- 
 tested that they would not suffer an Englishman to remain in 
 their part of the country. This information was far from 
 agreeable; but there was no resource, except in fortitude 
 and patience. 
 
 "At two o^clock in the afternoon, the Chippewas came to 
 my house, about sixty in number, and headed by Mina'va'- 
 va'na, their chief. They walked in single file, each with 
 his tomahawk in one hand, and scalping -knife in the other. 
 Their bodies were naked, from the waist upward, except in a 
 few examples, where blankets were throwa loosely over the 
 shoulders. Their faces were painted with charcoal worked 
 
86 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 up with grease; their bodies with white clay, in patterns of 
 varions fancies. Some had feathers thrust through their 
 noses, and their heads decorated with the same. It is 
 unnecessary to dwell on the sensations with which I beheld 
 the approach of this uncouth, if not frightful, assemblage. 
 
 "The chief entered first, and the rest follov/ed, without 
 noise. On receiving a sign from the former, the latter Sveated 
 themselves on the floor. 
 
 " Minavavana appeared to be about fifty years of age. He 
 was six feet in height, and had in his countenance an inde- 
 scribable mixture of good and evil. Looking steadfastly at 
 me, where I sat in ceremony, with an interpreter on either 
 hand, and several Canadians behind me, he entered, at the 
 same time, into conversation with Campion, inquiring how 
 long it was since I left Montreal, and observing that the 
 English, as it would seem, were brave men, and not afraid of 
 death, since they dared to come, as I had done, fearlessly 
 among their enemies. 
 
 ''The Indians now gravely smoked their pipes, while I 
 inwardly endured the tortures of suspense. At length, the 
 pipes being finished, as well as a long pause by which they 
 were succeeded, Minavavana, taking a few strings of wampum 
 in his hand, began the following speech: 
 
 " ' Englishman, it is to you that I speak, and I demand 
 your attention! 
 
 " 'Englishman you know that the French King is our 
 father. He promised to be such; and we, in return, promised 
 to be his children. This promise we have koi- . 
 
 " 'Englishman, it is you that have made war with this our 
 father. You are his enemy; and how, then, could yon have 
 the boldness to venture among us, his children? You know 
 that his enemies are ours. 
 
 " 'Englishman, we are informed that our father, the King 
 
PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY. , 87 
 
 of France, is old and infirm; and that, being fatigued with 
 making war upon your nation, he is fallen asleep. During 
 his sleep you have taken advantage of him, and possessed 
 yourselves of Canada. But his nap is almost at an end. I 
 think I hear him already stirring and inquiring for his chil- 
 dren, the Indians; and, when he does awake, what must be- 
 come of you? He will destroy you utterly! 
 
 " 'Englishman, although you have conquered the French, 
 you have not yet conquered us! We are not your slaves. 
 Those lakes, these woods and mountains, were left to us by 
 our ancestors. They are our inheritance, and we will part 
 with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the 
 white people, can not live without bread — and pork — and 
 beef! But, you ought to know that lie, the Great Spirit 
 and Master of Life, has provided food for us, in these spac- 
 ious lal^es, and on these woody mountains. 
 
 " 'Englishman, our father, the King of France, employed 
 c "^r young men to make war upon your nation. In this war- 
 fare many of them have been killed; ana it is our custom to 
 # retaliate until such time as the spirits of the slaiu are satis- 
 fied. But the spirits of the slain are to be satisfied in either 
 of two ways; the first is by the spilling of the blood of the 
 nation by which they fall; the other, by coverifig the bodies 
 of the dead, and thus allaying the resentment of their rela- 
 tions. This is done by making presents. 
 
 " 'Englishman, your king has never sent us any presents, 
 nor entered into any treaty with us, wherefore he and we 
 are still at war; and, until he does these things, we must 
 consider that we have no other father nor friend, among the 
 white men, than the King of France; but, for you, we have 
 taken into consideration that you have ventured your life 
 among us in the expectation that we should not molest you. 
 You do not come armed, with an intention to make war: you 
 
88 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 come in peace, to trade with us, and supply us with neces- 
 saries, of which we are much in want. We shall regard you, 
 therefore, as a brother; and you may sleep tranquilly, without 
 fear of the Chippewas. As a token of our friendship, we 
 present you with this pipe, to smoke/ ' 
 
 "As Minavavana uttered these words, an Indian presented 
 me with a pipe, which, after I had drawn the smoke three 
 times, was carried to the chief, and after him to every person 
 in the room. This ceremony ended, the chief arose, and 
 gave me his hand, in which he was followed by all the rest. 
 
 "Being again seated, Minavavana requested that his young 
 men might be allowed to taste what he called my English 
 milk (meaning rum), observing, that it was long since they 
 had tasted any, and that they were very desirous to know 
 whether or not there were any difference between the Eng- 
 lish milk and the French. 
 
 "My adventure on leaving Fort William Augustus had left 
 an impression on my mind which made me tremble when 
 Indians asked for rum; and I would therefore willingly have 
 excused myself in this particular; but, being informed that 
 it was customary to comply with the request, and withal 
 satisfied with the friendly declarations which I had received, 
 I promised to give them a small cask at parting. After this, 
 by the aid of my interpreter, I made a reply to the speech 
 of Minavavana, declaring that it was the good character 
 which I had heard of the Indians that had alone emboldened 
 me to come among them; that their late father, the King of 
 France, had surrendered Canada to the King of England, 
 whom they ought to regard now as their father, and who 
 would be as careful of them as the other had been; that I 
 had come to furnish the a with necessaries, and that their 
 good treatment of me would be an encouragement to others. 
 They appeared satisfied with what I said, repeating Eh! (an 
 
PONTIAO's CONSPIRACY. 89 
 
 expression of approbation) after hearing each particujar. I 
 had prepared a present, which I now gave them with the 
 utmost good-will. At their departure, I distributed a small 
 quantity of rum. 
 
 '* Relieved, as I now imagined myself, from all occasion of 
 anxiety as to the treatment which I was to experience from 
 the Indians, I assorted my goods, and hired Canadian inter- 
 preters and clerks, in whose care I was to send them into 
 Lake Michigan, and the river Saint Pierre, in the country of 
 the Nadowcssies; into Lake Superior among the Chippewas; 
 and to the Grand Portage, for the north-west. Every thing 
 was ready for their departure, when new dangers sprung up 
 and threatened to overwhelm me. 
 
 •'At the entrance of Lake Michigan, and at about twenty 
 miles to the west of Fort Michilimackinac, is the village of 
 L'Arbre Croche, inhabited by a band of Ottawas, boasting of 
 two hundred and fifty fighting men. L'Arbre Croche is the 
 seat of the Jesuit Mission of St. Ignace de Michilimackinac, 
 and the people are partly baptized and partly not. The mis- 
 sionary resides on a farm, attached to the mission, and situ- 
 ated between the village and the fort, both of which are 
 under his care. The Ottawas of L^Arbre Croche, who, when 
 compared with the Chippewas, appear to be much advanced 
 in civilization, grow maize for the market of Michilimacki- 
 nac, where this commodity is depended upon for provision- 
 ing the canoes. 
 
 " The new dangers which presented themselves came from 
 this village of Ottawas. Every thing, as I have said, was in 
 readiness for the departure of my goods, when accounts 
 arrived of its approach ; and shortly after, two hundred war- 
 riors entered the fort, and billeted themselves in the several 
 houses among the Canadian inhabi<"ants. The next morning 
 they ap'^**" bled in the house which was built for the com- 
 
90 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 mandajit, or governor, and ordered the attendance of myself, 
 and of two other merchants, still later from Montreal; namely, 
 Messrs. Stanley Goddard and Ezekie^ Solomons. 
 
 '' After our entering the council-room, and taking our 
 seats, one of the chiefs commenced an address: * English- 
 men,' said he, 'we, the Ottawas, were some time since 
 informed of your arrival in this country, and of your having 
 brought with you the goods of which we have need. At the 
 news we were greatly pleased, believing that, through your 
 assistance, our wives and children would be enabled to pass 
 another Winter; but what was our surprise when, a few days 
 ago, we were again informed that the goods which, as we had 
 expected, were intended for us, were on the eve of departure 
 for distant countries, of which some are inhabited by our 
 enemies! These accounts being spread, our wives and chil- 
 dren came to us, crying, and desiring that we should go to 
 the fort, to learn with our own ears, their truth or falsehood. 
 We accordingly embarked, almost naked, as you see; and on 
 our arrival here, we have inquired into the accounts, and 
 found them true. We see your canoes ready to depart, and 
 find your men engaged for the Mississippi and other distant 
 regions. 
 
 "'Under these circumstances, we have considered the 
 affair; and you are now sent for, that you may hear our 
 determination, which is, that you shall give to each of our 
 men, young and old, merchandise and ammunition to the 
 amount of fifty beaver-skins, on credit, and for which I have 
 no doubt of their paying you in the Summer, on their return 
 from their wintering.' 
 
 " A compliance with this f' inand would have stripped me 
 and my fellow-merchants of '^ our merchandise; and what 
 rendered the affair still more serious, we even learned that 
 these Ottawas were never accustomed to pay for what they 
 
PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY. 91 
 
 received on credit. In reply, therefore, to the speech which 
 we had heard, we requested that the demand contained in it 
 might be diminished; but we were answered, that the Otta- 
 was had nothing further to say, except that they would allow 
 till the next day for reflection; after which, if compliance 
 was not given, they ,.ould make no further application, but 
 take into their own hands the property, which they already 
 regarded as their own, as having been brought into their 
 country before the conclusion of any peace between them- 
 selves and the English. 
 
 "We now returned to consider our situation; and in the 
 evening, Farley, the interpreter, paid us a visit, assured us 
 
 that it was the intention of the Ottawas to put us, that night, 
 to death. He advised us, as our only meaiis of safety^ to 
 comply with the demands which had been made; but we sus- 
 pected our informant of a disposition to prey upon our 
 fears, with a view to induce us to abandon the Indian trade, 
 and resolved, however this might be, rather to stand on the 
 defensive than submit. We trusted to the house in which I 
 lived as a fort; and armed ourselves, and about thirty of our 
 men, with muskets. Whether or not the Ottawas ever in- 
 tended violence, we never had an opportunity of knowing; 
 but the night passed quietly. 
 
 "Early the next morning, a second council was held, and 
 the merchants were again summoned to attend. Believing 
 that every hope of resistance would be lost should we commit 
 our person into the hands of our enemies, we sent only a 
 refusal. There was none without, in whom we had any 
 confidence, except Campion. From him we learned, from 
 time to time, whatever was rumored among the Canadian 
 inhabitants as to the designs of the Ottawas; and from him, 
 toward sunset, we received the gratifying intelligence that a 
 detachment of British soldiery, sent to garrison Michilimack- 
 
92 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 inac, was distant only five miles, and would enter the fort 
 early the next morning. Near at hand, however, as relief 
 was reported to be, our anxiety could not but be great; for 
 a long night was to be passed, and our fate might be decided 
 before the morning. To increase our apprehensions, about 
 midnight we were informed that the Ottawag were holding a 
 council, at which no white man was permitted to be present, 
 Farley alone excepted; and him we suspected, and afte^'ward 
 positively knew, to be our greatest enemy. We, on our part, 
 remained all night upon the alert; but at day-break, to our 
 surprise and joy, we saw the Ottawas preparing to depart. 
 By sunrise, not a man of them was left in the fort; and, 
 indeed, the scene was altogether changed. The inhabitants, 
 who, while the Ottawas were present, had avoided all connec- 
 tion with the English traders, now came with congratula- 
 tions. They related that the Ottawas had proposed to them 
 that, if joined by the Canadians, they would march and 
 attack the troops which were known to be advancing on the 
 fort; and they added that it v^^s their refusal which had de- 
 termined the Ottawas to depart. At noon, three hundred 
 troops of the Sixtieth Regiment, under the command of 
 Lieutenant Lesslie, marched into the fort; and this arrival 
 dissipated all our fears, from whatever source derived. After 
 a few days, detachments were sent into the Bay des Puans, 
 by which is the route to the Mississippi, and at the mouth of 
 Saint Joseph, which leads to the Illinois. The Indians from 
 all quarters came to pay tLeir respects to the commandant; 
 and the merchants dispatched their canoes, though it was 
 now the middle of September, and therefore somewhat late 
 in the season.^' 
 
 Henry spent the winter at Michilimackinac, amusing him- 
 self by hunting and fishing. But few of the Indians came to 
 the fort, excepting two families, one of which was that of a 
 
PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY. 93 
 
 chief. These families lived on a river five leagues below, 
 and came occasionally with beaver flesh for sale. That chief 
 was an exception to the rule; for instead of being hostile to- 
 ward the English, he was warmly attached to them. But in 
 this case the exception proved the rule, to a demonstration. 
 Henry thus writes of him: **He had been taken prisoner by 
 Sir William Johnson, at the siege of Fort Niagara; and had 
 received from that intelligent officer his liberty, the medal 
 usually presented to a chief, • nd the British flag. Won by 
 these unexpected acts of kindness, he had returned to Michili- 
 mackinac, full of praises of the English, and hoisting his 
 flag over his lodge. This latter demonstration of his par- 
 tiality had nearly cost him his life; his lodge was broken 
 down, and his flag torn to pieces. The pieces he carefully 
 gathered up, and preserved with pious care; and whenever he 
 came to the fort, he drew them forth and exliibited them. 
 On these occasions, it grew into a custom to give him as 
 much liquor as he said was necessary to make him cry over 
 the misfortune of losing his flag. The commandant would 
 have given him another; but he thought that he could not 
 accept it without danger." 
 
 When navigation opened Henry left Michilimackinac to 
 visit Sault St. Marie. "Here he made the acquaintance of 
 M. Cadotte, an interpreter, whose wife was a Chippewa; and, 
 desirous of learning that language, he decided to spend the 
 succeeding winter in the family of his new-found friend. 
 Here also there was a small fort, and during the summer a 
 small detachment of troops, under the command of Lieuten- 
 ant Jemette, arrived to garrison it. Late in the fall, how- 
 ever, a destructive fire, which consumed all the houses except 
 Cadotte^s, and all the fort supplies, made it necessary to send 
 the garrison back to Michilimackinac. The few that were 
 left at this place were now crowded into one small house, and 
 
94 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 compelled to gain a subsistance by hunting and fishing. 
 Thus, inuring himself to hardships, and familiarizing him- 
 self with the Chippewa tongue, Henry passed the second 
 winter of his sojourn in the wilderness of the Upper Lakes. 
 Early in the succeeding spring, 1763, he was visited by Sir 
 Robert Dover, an English gentleman, who, as Henry tells 
 us, ^was on a voyage of curiosity,' and with him he again 
 returned to Michilimackinac."' He intended to remain until 
 his clerks should come from the interior, and then go back 
 to the Sault. Leaving our hero at the moment of his aarival 
 at the fort, we turn our attention to tribes further south. 
 
 Parkman says: *' It is difficult to determine which tribe 
 was first to raise the cry of war. There were many who 
 might have done so; for all the savages in the backwoods 
 were ripe for an outbreak, and the movement seemed almost 
 simultaneous. The Deltiwares and Senecas were the most 
 incensed; and Kiashuta, chief of the latter, was perhaps fore- 
 most to apply the torch; but if this were the ease, he touched 
 fire to materials already on the point of igniting. It belonged 
 to a greater chief than he to give method and order to what 
 would else have been a wild burst of fury, and to convert 
 desultory attacks into a formidable and protracted war. But 
 for Pontiac, the whole might have ended in a few troublesome 
 inroads upon the frontier, and a little whooping and yelling 
 under the walls of Fort Pitt." 
 
 The nationality of Pontiac is disputed. Some have made 
 him a member of the tribe of Sacks, or Saiikies; but the 
 greater number have placed him among the Ottawas. ** His 
 home was about eight miles above Detroit, on Pechee Island, 
 which looks out upon the waters of Lake St. Clair. His 
 form was cast in the finest mold of savage grace and strength, 
 and his eye seemed capable of penetrating, at a glance, the 
 secret motives which actuated the savage tribes around him. 
 
poNTiAc's consp:racy. 05 
 
 His rare personal qualities, his courage, resolution, wisdom, 
 address, and eloquence, together with the hereditary claim to 
 authority which, according to Indian custom, he possessed, 
 secured for him the esteem of both the French and English, 
 and gave him an influence among the Lake tribes greater 
 than that of any ether individual. Early in life he distin- 
 guished himself as a chieftain of lo ordinary ability. In 
 1746 he commanded a powerful body of Indians, mostly 
 Ottawas, who gallantly defended the people of Detroit 
 against the formidable attack of several combined northern 
 tribes; and it is supposed that he was present at the disastrous 
 defeat of Braddock, in which several hundred of his warriors 
 were engaged. He had always, at least up to the rime when 
 Major Kogers came into the country, been a firm friend of 
 the French, and received many marks tf esteem from the 
 French officer. Marquis de Montcalm.' 
 
 "How could he, then, 'the daring chief of the ISTorthwesi;,' 
 do otherwise than dispute the English claim to his country? 
 How could he endure the sight of this people driving the 
 game from his hunting-grounds, and his friends and allies 
 from the lands they had so 'long possessed ? When he heard 
 that Rogers was advancing along the lakes to take possession 
 of the country, his indignation knew no bounds, and he at 
 once sent deputies, requesting him to halt until such time as 
 he could see him. Flattering w^ords and fair promises 
 induced him, at length, to extend the hand of friendship to 
 Rogers. He was inclined to live peaceably with the English, 
 and to encourage their settling in the country, as long as 
 they treated him as he deserved; but if they treated him with 
 neglect, he would shut up the way, and exclude them from 
 it. He did not consider himself a conquered prince, but he 
 expected to be treated with the respect and honor due to a 
 king.' 
 
 }> 
 
96 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 The Indians felt, as Minavavana expressed it, that they 
 had **no father among the white men but the King of 
 France;" Pontiac resolved, as he had threatened, to **shut 
 up the way." His plan was to make a contemporaneous 
 assault upon all the British posts, and effectually extinguish 
 the English power at a single blow. ''1'his was a stroke of 
 policy which evinced an extraordinary gen'us, and demanded 
 for its execution an energy and courage of the highest order. 
 But Pontiac was fully equal to the task. He was as skillful 
 in executing as he was bold in planning. He knew that suc- 
 cess would multiply friends and allies; but friends and allies 
 were necessary to insure success." 
 
 "First, then, a council must be called; and for this pur- 
 pose, at the close of 1763, he sent out his ambassadors to all 
 the different nations. With the war-belt of wampum and 
 the tomahawk stained red in token of war, these swift-footed 
 messengers went from camp to camp and from village to vil- 
 lage, throughout the North, South, East, and West; and in 
 whatever tribe they appeared, the sachems assembled to hear 
 the words of the great Pontiac. The message was every- 
 where heard with approbation, 'the war-belt accepted, and 
 the hatchet seized, as an indication that the assembled chiefs 
 stood pledged to take part in the war, 
 
 "The Grand Council assembled on the twenty-seventh day 
 of the following April, on the banks of the little river Ecorce, 
 not far from Detroit. The pipe went round, and Pontiac 
 stepped forth, plumed and painted in the full costume of 
 war. He called into requisition all the eloquence and cun- 
 ning of which he was master. He appealed to their fears, 
 their hopes, their ambition, their cupidity, their hatred of 
 the English, and their love for their old friends, the French. 
 He displayed to them a belt which he said the King of 
 France had sent him, urging him to drive the English from 
 
' PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY. 9T 
 
 the country, and open the way for the return of the French, 
 lie painted, in ^^ )wing colors, the common interests of their 
 race, and called upon them to make a stand against a com- 
 mon foe." lie related a dream in which the Great Manitou 
 had appeared to a chief of the Abenakis, saying: '*I am the 
 Maker of heaven and earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, and all 
 things else. I am the Maker of mankind, and because I love 
 you, you must do my will. The land on which you live, I 
 made for you, and not for others. Why do you suffer the 
 white men to dwell among you? My children, you have for- 
 gotten the customs and traditions of your forefathers. Why 
 do you not clothe yourselves in skins, as they did, and usa 
 the bows an'l arrows, and the stone-pointed lances which 
 they used? You have bought guns, knives, kettles, and 
 blankets from the white men, until you can ro longer do 
 without them; and, what is worse, you have drunk the poison 
 fire-water, which turns you uito fools. Fling all these things 
 away; live as your wise forefathers lived before you. And as 
 for these English — these dogs dressed in red, who have come 
 to rob you of your hunting-grounds, and drive away the 
 game — you must lift the hatchet against them. Wipe them 
 from the face of the earth, and then you will win my favor 
 back again, and once more be happy and prosperous. The 
 children of your great father, the King of France, are not 
 like the English. Never forget that they are your brethren. 
 They are very dear to me, for they love the red men, and 
 understand the true mode of worshiping me." 
 
 We left Henry on his arrival at the fort. The Ottawas 
 and Chippewas had received the war belt of black and pur- 
 ple wampum and the painted hatchet, from Pontiac, and 
 were jDledged to join in the war of extermination. Near the 
 last of May word came th^ the blow had been struck at 
 Detroit, and the Indians were wild with excitement. The 
 
 ^ . - ■ 
 
 7 
 
98 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 Chippewus resolved to assault Michilimuckinac at once and 
 not notify tlie Ottawas. Other tribes had gathered in the 
 vicinity who joined the Chippewas. We will continue the 
 story in Henry's own words: 
 
 MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 " When I reached Michilimackinac. I found several other 
 traders who had arrived before me, from different parts of 
 the country, and who, in general, declared the disposition of 
 the Indians to be hostile to the English, and even appre- 
 hended some attack. M. Laurent Ducharme distinctly 
 informed Major Ethrington that a plan was absolutely con- 
 ceived fct destroying him, his garrison, and all the English 
 in the upper country; but the commandant, believing this 
 and other reports to be without foundation, proceeding only 
 from idle or ill-disposed persons, and of a ^ndency to do 
 mischief, expressed much displeasure against M. Ducharme, 
 and threatened to send the next person who should bring a 
 story of the same kind a prisoner to Detroit. 
 
 " The garrison at this time consisted of ninety privates, 
 two subalterns, and the commandant, and the English mer- 
 chants at the fort were four in number. Thus strong few 
 entertained anxiety concerning the Indians, who had no 
 weapons but small arms. 
 
 ** Meanwhile the Indians from every quarter were daily 
 assembling in usual numbers, but with every appearance of 
 friendship, frequenting the forts and disposing of their 
 peltries in such a manner as to dissipate almost any one's 
 fears. For myself, on one occasion I took the liberty of 
 observing to Major Ethrington that, in my judgment, no 
 confidence ought to be placed in them, and that I was 
 informed no less than four hundred lay around the fort. In 
 return the Major only rallied me on my timidity: and it is to 
 be confessed that, if this officer neglected admonition on his 
 
MASSACBB AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 99 
 
 part, so did I on mine. Shortly after my first arrival at 
 Michilimackinac, in the preceding year, a Chippewa named 
 Wawatam begmn to come often to my house, betraying in his 
 demeanor strong marks of personal regard. After this had 
 continued for some time, he came on a certain day, bringing 
 with him his whole family; and, at the same time, a large 
 present, consisting of skins, sugar, and dried meat. Having 
 laid these in a heap, ho commenced a speech, in which he 
 informed me that, some years before, he had observed a fast, 
 devoting himself, according to the custom of his nation, to 
 solitude and the mortification of his body, in the hope to 
 obtain from the Great Spirit protection through all his days; 
 that, on this occasion, he had dreamed of adopting an Eng- 
 lishman as his son, brother, and friend; that, from the 
 moment in which he first beheld me, he had recognized me 
 as the person whom the Great Spirit had been pleased 
 to point out to him for a brother; that he hoped that 
 I would not refuse his present, and that he should forever 
 regard me as one of his family. 
 
 "I could do no otherwise than accept the present, and 
 declare my willingness to have so good a man as this appeared 
 to be for my friend and brother. I offered a present in 
 return for that .which I had received, which Wawatam 
 accepted, and then, thanking me for the favor which he said 
 that I had rendered him, he left me, and soon after set out 
 on his Winter^s hunt. 
 
 " Twelve months had now elapsed since the occurrence of 
 this incident, and I had almost forgotten the person of my 
 irother, when, on the second day of June, Wawatam came 
 again to my house, in a temper of mind visibly melancholy 
 and thoughtful. He told me that he had just returned from 
 his ivintering -ground, and I asked after his health; but with- 
 out answering my r^uestion, he went on to say that he was 
 
100 HISrORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 very sorry to find me returneil from the Sault; that he had 
 intended to go to that place hioicelf, immediately after his 
 arrival at Michilimackinac; and that he wished me to go 
 there along with him and his family the next morning. To 
 all this he joined an inquiry whether or not the commandant 
 had heard bad news, adding that, during the Winter, he had 
 himself been frequently disturbed with the noise of evil 
 birds; and further suggesting that' there were numerous 
 Indians near the fort, many of whom had never shown them- 
 selves within it. Wawatam was about forty-five years of age, 
 of an excellent character among his nation, and a chief. 
 
 ** Referring much of what I heard to the peculiarities of 
 the Indian character, I did not pay all the attention which 
 they will be found to have deserved to the entreaties and 
 remarks of my visitor. I answered that I could not think of 
 going to the Sault so soon as the next morning, but would 
 follow him there after the arrival of my clerks. Finding 
 himself unable to prevail with me, he withdrew for that day; 
 but early the next morning he came again, bringing with him 
 his wife and a present of dried meat. At this interview, 
 after stating that he had several packs of beaver, for which 
 he intended to deal with me, he expressed a second time his 
 apprehensions from the numerous Indians- who were around 
 the fort, and earnestly pressed me to consent to an immediate 
 departure for the Sault. As a reason for this particular 
 request, he assured me that all the Indians proposed to come 
 in a body that day to the fort, to demand liquor of the com- 
 mandant, and that he wished me to be gone before they 
 should grow intoxicated. I had made, at the period to which 
 I am now referring, so much progress in the language in 
 which Wawatam addressed me, as to be able to hold an 
 ordinary conversation in it; but the Indian manner of speech 
 is so extravagantly figurative, that it is only for a very per- 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMaCKINAC. 101 
 
 feet master to follow and comprehend it entirely. Had I 
 been further advanced in this respect, I think that I should 
 have gathered so much information from this, my friendly 
 monitor, as would have put me into possession of the designs 
 of the enemy, and enabled me to save others as well as 
 myself; as it was, it unfortunately happened that I turned a 
 deaf ear to every thing, leaving Wawatam and his wife, after 
 long and patient, but ineffectual efforts, to depart alone, with 
 dejected countenances, and not before they had each let fall 
 some tears. 
 
 "In the course of the same day, I observed that the 
 Indians came in great numbers into the fort, purchasing 
 tomahawks (small axes of one pound vvoight), and frequently 
 desiring to see silver arm-bands, and o*^her valuable orna- 
 ments, of which I had a large quantity for sale. These 
 ornaments, however, they in no instanco purchased; but, 
 after turning them over, left them, saying that they would 
 call again the next day. Their motive, as it afterward 
 appeared, was no other than the very artful one of discover- 
 ing, by requesting to see them, the particular places of their 
 deposit, so that they might lay their hands on them in the 
 moment of pillage, with the greater certainty and dispatch. 
 
 "At night I turned in my mind the visits of Wawatam; 
 but, though they were calculated to excite uneasiness, 
 nothing induced me to believe that serious mischief was at 
 hand. 
 
 " The next day, being t?ie 4th of June, was the king's 
 birthday. The morning was sultry. A Chippewa came to 
 tell me that his nation was going to play at bag'gat'iway, 
 with the Sacs or Saakies, another Indian nation, for a high 
 wager. He invited me to witness the sport, adding that the 
 commandant was to be there, and would be on the side of 
 the Chippewas. In consequence of this information, I went 
 
102 HISTORY OP MACKINAC. 
 
 to the commandant, and expostulated with him a little, 
 representing that the Indians might possibly have some 
 sinister end in view; but the commandant only smiled at my 
 suspicions." 
 
 '* The game of baggatiway, which the Indians played upon 
 that memorable occasion, was the most exciting sport in 
 which the red man could engage. It was played with bat 
 and ball. The bat, so called, was about four foot in length, 
 and an inch in diameter. It was made of the toughest 
 material that could be found. At one end it was curved, and 
 terminated in a sore of r?ck3t, or perhaps more properly a 
 ring, in which a network of cord was loosely woven. The 
 players were not allowed to touch the ball with the hand, 
 but caught it in this network at the end of the bat. At 
 either end of the ground a tall post was planted. These 
 posts marked the stations of the rival parties, and were 
 sometimes a mile apart. The object of each party was to 
 defend its own post and carry the ball to that of the 
 adversary." 
 
 "At the beginning of the game the main body of the 
 players assemble half-way between the two posts. Every eye 
 sparkles and every cheek is already aglow with excitement. 
 The ball is tossed high into the air, and a general struggle 
 ensues to secure it as it descends. He who succeeds starts 
 for the goal of the adversary holding it high above his head. 
 The opposite party, with merry yells, are swift to pursue. 
 His course is intercepted, and rather than see the ball taken 
 from him, he throws it, as the boy throws a stone from a 
 sling, as far toward the goal of the adversary as he can. An 
 adversary in the game catches it, and sends it whizzing back 
 in the opposite direction, Hither and thither it goes; now 
 far to the right, now as far to the left; now near to the one, 
 now as near to the other goal; the whole band crowding con- 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 103 
 
 tinually after it in the wildest confusion, until, finally, some 
 agile figure, more fleet of foot than others, succeeds in bear- 
 ing it to the goal of the opposite party." 
 
 The writer when a boy, eleven years old, saw this game 
 played near Fort Towson, in the Indian Territory, between 
 Choctaws and Chickasaws. My father was Post Surgeon in 
 the medical corps of the army, at Towson. We were the 
 guests of a Choctaw chief, Colbert, and his son. I went to 
 school with young Colbert, where there were about forty 
 pupils, all Indians, except two white boys and myself. On 
 this occasion there were one hundred players, fifty from each 
 tribe. The players were naked, excepting a breech-clout, of 
 raw-hide or cloth, ornamented with feathers or beads, some 
 decked behind with horse or coon tails, according to the 
 fancy of the buck. The game was played just as here de- 
 scribed, but there were two long poles, about six or eight 
 inches apart, at each end of the line. The object was to 
 throw the ball between the poles of the adversary. At the 
 termination of the game there was a great feast, and, among 
 other delicacies, dog was served. My father said I partook 
 of roast dog with a relish, but I don't remember that part. 
 
 "In the heat of the contest, when all are running at their 
 greatest speed, if one stumbles and falls, fifty or a hundred, 
 who are in close pursuit and unable to stop, pile over him 
 forming a mound of human bodies; and frequently players 
 are so bruised as to be unable to proceed in the game. 
 
 "This game, with its attendant noise and violence, was 
 well calculated to divert the attention of officers and men, 
 and thus permit the Indians to take possession of the fort. 
 To make their success more certain, they prevailed upon as 
 many as they could to come out of the fort, while at the same 
 time their squaws wrapped in blankets, beneath which they 
 concealed the murderous weapons, were placed inside the 
 
104 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 inclosure. The plot was bo ingeniously laid that no one sus- 
 pected danger. The discipline of the garrison was relaxed, 
 and the soldiers permitted to stroll about and view the sport, 
 without weapons of defense. And even when the ball, as if 
 by chance, was lifted high in the air, to descend inside the 
 pickets, and was followed by four hundred savages, all eager, 
 all struggling, all shouting in the unrestrained pursuit of a 
 rude, athletic exercise, no alarm was felt until the shrill war- 
 whoop told the startled garrison that the slaughter had 
 actually begun. '^ 
 
 Henry continues: "I did not go myself to see the match 
 which was now to be played without the fort, because, there 
 being a canoe prepared to depart on the following day, for 
 Montreal, I employed myself in writing letters to my friends; 
 and even when a fellow-trader, Mr. Tracy, happened to call 
 upon me. saying that another canoe had just arrived from 
 Detroit, and proposing that I should go with him to the 
 beach, to inquire the news, it so happened that I still re- 
 mained, to finish my letters, promising to follow Mr, Tracy 
 in the course of a few minutes. Mr. Tracy had not gone 
 more than twenty paces from my door, when I heard an In- 
 dian war-cry, and a noise of general confusion. Going 
 instantly to my window, I saw a crowd of Indians, within the 
 fort, furiously cutting down and scalping every Englishman 
 they found. In particular I witnessed the fate of Lieutenant 
 Jemette. 
 
 "I had, in the room in which I was, a fowling-piece, loaded 
 with swan-shot. This I immediately seized, and held it for a 
 few minutes, waiting to hear the drum beat to arms. In this 
 dreadful interval x saw several of my countrymen fall, and 
 more than one struggling between the knees of an Indian, 
 who, holding him in this manner, scalped him while yet 
 living. 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 105 
 
 ''At length, disappointed in the hope of seeing resistance 
 made to the enemy, and sensible of course, that no effort of 
 my own unassisted arm could avail against four hundred In- 
 dians, I thought only of seeking shelter. Amid the slaugh- 
 ter which was raging, I observed many of the Canadian 
 inhabitants of the fort calmly looking on, neither opposing 
 the Indians nor suffering injury; and, from this circum- 
 stance, I conceived a hope of finding security in their houses. 
 
 " Between the yard-door of my own house and of M. Lang- 
 lade, my next neighbor, there was only a low fence, over 
 which I easily climbed. At my entrance I found the ^^hole 
 family at the windows, gazing at the scene of blood before 
 them. I addressed myself immediately to M. Langlade; beg- 
 ging that he would put me into some place of safety until the 
 heat of the affair should be over, an act of charity by which 
 he might perhaps preserve me from the general massacre; 
 but, while I uttered my petition, M. Langlade, who had 
 looked for a moment at me, turned again to the window, 
 shrugging his shoulders, and intimating that he could do 
 nothing for me: ' Q^le voudriez — votis que fen fjraisf 
 
 " This was a moment for despair; but the next, a Pani wo- 
 man, a slave of M. Langlade, beckoned me to follow her. She 
 brought me to a door, which she opened, desiring me to enter, 
 and telling me that it led to the garret, where I must go and 
 conceal myself. I joyfully obeyed her directions; and she, 
 having followed me up to the garret door, locked it after me, 
 and with great presence of mind took away the key. 
 
 *'This shelter obtained, if shelter I could hope to find it, I 
 was naturally anxious to know what might still be passing 
 without. 'Through an aperture, which afforded me a view of 
 the area of the fort, I beheld, in shapes the foulest and most 
 terrible, the ferocious triumphs of barbarian conquerors. 
 The dead were scalped and mangled; the dying were writhing 
 
106 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 and shrieking under the unsatiated knife and tomahawk; 
 and from the bodies of some, ripped open, their butchers 
 were drinking the blood, scooped up in the hollow of joined 
 hands, and quaffed amid shouts of rage and victory. I was 
 shaken, not only with horror, but with fear, The sufferings 
 which I witnessed, I seemed on the point of experiencing. 
 No long time elapsed before, everyone being destroyed who 
 could be found, there was a general cry of ^All is finished! 
 At the same instant I heard some of the Indians enter the 
 house in which I was. The garret was separated from the 
 room below only by a layer of single boards, at once the floor- 
 ing of the one and the ceiling of the other. I could there- 
 fore hear everything that passed; and the Indians no sooner 
 came in than they inquired whether or not any Englishmen 
 were in the house. M. Langlade replied that *he could not 
 say; he 'did not know of any,' — answers in which he did not 
 exceed the truth, for the *Pani woman had not only hidden 
 me by stealth, but kept my secret, and her own. M. Lang- 
 lade was therefore, as I presume, as far from a wish to destroy 
 me as he was careless about saving me, when he added to 
 these answers, that *they might examine for themselves, and 
 would soon be satisfied as to the object of their question.' 
 Saying this, he brought them to the garret door. 
 
 *' The state of my mind will be imagined. Arrived at the 
 door, some delay was occasioned by the absence of the key, 
 and a few moments were thus allowed me in which to look 
 around me for a hiding place. In one corner of the garret 
 was a heap of those vessels of birch bark used in maple-sugar 
 making, as I have recently described. 
 
 "The door was unlocked, and opening, and the Indians 
 ascending the stairs, before I had completely crept into a 
 small opening which presented itself at one end of the heap. 
 
 *Paunee. 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 107 
 
 An instant later four Indians entered the room, all armed 
 with tomahawks, and all besmeared with blood upon every 
 part of their bodies. 
 
 "The die appeared to be cast. I could scarcely breathe, 
 but I thought that the throbbing of my heart occasioned a 
 noise loud enough to betray me. The Indians walked in 
 every direction about the garret, and one of them appioached 
 me so closely that at a particular moment, had he put forth 
 his hand he must have touched me. Still I remained undis- 
 covered, a circumstance to which the dark color of my 
 clothes, and the want of light in a room which had no win- 
 dow, and in the corner in which I was, must have contributed. 
 In a word, after taking several turns in the room, during 
 which they told M. Langlade how many they had killed, and 
 how many scalps they had taken, they returned down stairs, 
 and I, with sensations not to be expressed, heard the door, 
 which was the barrier between me and my fate, locked for 
 the second time. 
 
 • ' There was a feather-bed on the floor, and on this, ex- 
 hausted as I was by the agitation of my mind, I threw myself 
 down and fell asleep. In this state I remained till the dark 
 of the evening, when I was awakened by a second opening of 
 the door. The person that now entered was M. Langlade's 
 wife, who was much surprised at finding me, but advised me 
 not to be uneasy, observing that the Indians had killed most 
 of the English, but that she hoped I might myself escape. A 
 shower of rain having begun to fall, she had come to stop a 
 hole in the roof. On her going away, I begged her to send 
 me a little water to drink, which she did. 
 
 "As night was now advancing, I continued to lie on the 
 bed, ruminating on my condition, but unable to discover a 
 source from which I could hope for life. A flight to Detroit 
 had no probable chance of success. The distance, from Mich- 
 
108 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ilimackiiiac was four hundred miles; I was v.ithout provis- 
 ions; and the wliole length of the road lay through Indian 
 countries, countries of an enemy in arms, where the first man 
 whom I should meet would kill me. To stay where I was, 
 threatened nearly the same issue. As hefore, fatigue of mind, 
 and not tranquility, suspended my cares and procuied me 
 further sleep. 
 
 " The respite which sleep afforded me, during the night, 
 was put to an end by the return of morning. I was again on 
 the rack of apprehension. At sunrise I heard the family 
 stirring, and, presently after, Indian voices, informing M. 
 Langlade that they had not found my hapless self among the 
 dead, and that they supposed me to be somewhere concealed. 
 M. Langlade appeared, from what followed, to be, by this 
 time, acquainted with the place of my retreat, of which no 
 doubt he had been informed by his wife. The poor woman, 
 as soon as the Indians mentioned me declared to her husband 
 in the French tongue, that he should no longer keep me in 
 his house, but deliver me up to my pursuers; giving 
 as a reason for this measure, that should the Indians 
 discover his instrumentality in my concealment, they might 
 avenge it on her children, and that it was better that 
 I should die than they. M. Langlade resisted, at first, this 
 sentence of his wife^s, but soon suffered her to prevail, 
 informing the Indians that he had been told I was in 
 the house, that I had come there without his knowledge, and 
 that he would put me into their hands. This was no sooner 
 expressed than he began to ascend the stairs, the Indians fol- 
 lowing upon his heels. 
 
 **I now resigned myself to the fate with which I was 
 menaced; and, regarding every attempt at concealment as 
 vain, I arose from the bed, and presented myself full in view 
 to the Indians who were entering the room. They were all 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MTCHILIMACKINAC. 109 
 
 in a state of intoxication, and entirely naked, except about 
 the middle. One of them, named, Wenniway, whom I had 
 previously known, and who "Was upward of six feet in height, 
 had his entire face and body covered with charcoal and 
 grease, only that a white spot of two inches in diameter en- 
 circled either eye. This man, walking up to me, seized me 
 with one hand by the collar of the coat, while in the other 
 he held a large carving-knife, as if to plunge it into my breast; 
 his eyes, meanwhile, were fixed steadfastly on mine. At 
 length, after some seconds of the most anxious suspense, he 
 dropped his arm, saying, *I won't kill you I' To this he 
 added, that he had been frequently engaged in wars against 
 the English, and had brought away many scalps; that, on a 
 certain occasion, he had lost a brother whose name was 
 Musinigon, and that I should be called after him. 
 
 "A reprieve, upon any terms, placed me among the living, 
 and gave me back the sustaining voice of hope; but Wenni. 
 way ordered me down stairs, and there informing me that 
 I was to be taken to his cabin, where, and indeed every- 
 where else, the Indians were all mad with liquor, death again 
 was threatened, and not as possible only, but as certain. I 
 mentioned my fears on this subject to M. Langlade, begging 
 him to represent the danger to my master. M. Langlade, in 
 this instance, did not withhold his compassion, and Wenni- 
 way immediately consented that I should remain where I 
 was, until he found another opportunity to take me away. 
 
 "Thus far secure, I reascended my garret stairs, in order 
 to place myself the farthest possible out of the reach of insult 
 from drunken Indians; but I had not remained there more 
 than an hour, wiien I was called to the room below, in which 
 was an Indian, who said that I must go with him out of the 
 fort, Wenniway having sent him to fetch me. This man, as 
 well as Wenniway himself, I had seen before. In the pre- 
 
110 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ceding year I had allowed him to take goods on credit, for 
 which he was still in my debt; and, some short time previous 
 to the surprise of the fort, he had said, upon my upbraiding 
 him with want of hcnesty, that 'he would pay me before 
 long!' This speech now came fresh into my memory, and 
 led me to suspect that the fellow had formed a design against 
 my life. I communicated the suspicion to M. Langlade; but 
 he gave for answer, that I was not my own m.aster, and must 
 do as I was ordered. 
 
 " The Indian, on his part, directed that before I left the 
 house I should undress myself, declaring that my coat and 
 shirt would become him better than they did me. His 
 pleasure, in this respect, being complied with, no other al- 
 ternative was left me than either to go out naked, or to put 
 on the clothes of the Indian, which he freely gave me in ex- 
 change. His motive for thus stripping me of my ov/n ap- 
 parrel, was no other, as I afterward learned, than this, that 
 it might not be stained with blood when he should kill me. 
 
 " I was now told to proceed; and my driver followed me close 
 until I had passed the gate of the fort, when I turned toward 
 the spot where I knew the Indians to be encamped. This, 
 however, did not suit the purpose of my enemy, who seized 
 me by the arm, and drew me violently in the opposite direc- 
 tion, to the distance of fifty yards above the fort. Here, 
 finding that I was approaching the bushes and sand-hills, I 
 determined to proceed no farther; but told the Indian that I 
 believed he meant to murder me, and that if so, he might as 
 well strike where I was as at any greater distance. He 
 replied, with coolness, that my suspicions were just, and that 
 he meant to pay me in this manner for my goods. At the 
 same time he produced a knife, and held me in a position to 
 receive the intended blow. Both this, and that which fol- 
 lowed, were necessarily the affair of a moment. By some 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. Ill 
 
 effort, too sudden r ' t-o little dependent on thought to be 
 explained or remembered, I v/as enabled to arrest his arm and 
 give him a sudden push, by which I turned him from me, 
 and released myself from his grasp. This was no sooner 
 done, than I ran toward the fort with all the swiftness in my 
 power, the Indian following me, and I expecting every 
 moment to feel his knife. I succeeded in my flight, and, on 
 entering the fort, I saw Wenniway standing in the midst of 
 the area, and to him I hastened for protection. Wenniway 
 desired the Indian to desist; but the latter pursued me 
 around him, making several strokes at me with his knife, and 
 foaming at the mouth, with rage at the repeated failure of 
 his purpose. At length Wenniway drew near to M. Lang- 
 lade's house, and, the dooi being open, I ran into it. The 
 Indian followed me; but on my entering the house, he vol- 
 untarily abandoned the pursuit. 
 
 " Preserved so often and so unexpectedly, as it had now 
 been my lot to be, I returned to my garret with a strong 
 inclination to believe that, through the will of the overruling 
 power, no Indian enemy could do me hurt; but new trials, as 
 I believed, were at hand, when, at ten o'clock in the evening, 
 I was aroused from sleep and once more desired to descend 
 the stairs. Not less, however, to my satisfaction than sur- 
 prise, I was summoned only to meet Major Ethrington, Mr. 
 Bostwick, and Lieutenant Lesslie, who were in the room 
 below. These gentlemen had been taken prisoners, while 
 looking at the game without the fort, and immediately 
 stripped of all their clothes. They were now sent into the 
 fort, under the charge of Canadians, because, the Indians 
 having resolved on getting drunk, the chiefs were apprehen- 
 sive that they would be murdered, if they continued in the 
 camp. Lieutenant Jemette and seventy soldiers had been 
 killed; and but twenty Englishmen, including soldiers, were 
 
112 HL'TORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 still alive. These were all within the fort, together with 
 nearly three hundred Canadians, belonging to the canoes, etc. 
 
 ** These being our numbers, myself and others proposed to 
 Major Etherington to make an effort for regaining possession 
 of the fort, and maintaining it against the Indians. The 
 Jesuit missionary was consulted on the project; but he dis- 
 couraged us by his representations, not only of the merciless 
 treatment which we must expect from the Indians, should 
 they regain their superiority, but of the little dependence 
 which was to be placed upon our Canadian auxiliaries. Thus 
 the fort and prisoners remained in the hands of the Indians, 
 though, through the whole night, the prisoners and whites 
 were in actual possession, and they were without the gates. 
 
 " The whole night, or the greater part of it, was passed in 
 mutual condolence; and my fellow-prisoners shared my 
 garret. In the morning, being again called down, I found 
 my master, Wenniway, and was desired to follow him. He 
 led me to a small house within the fort, where, in a narrow 
 room, and almost dark, I found Mr. Ezekiel Solomons, an 
 Englishman from Detroit, and a soldier, all prisoners. With 
 these I remained in painful suspense as to the scene that was 
 next to present itself, till ten o'clock in the forenoon, when 
 an Indian arrived, and presently marched us to the lake-side, 
 where a canoe appeared ready for departure, and in which we 
 found that we were to embark. 
 
 ** Our voyage, full of doubt as it vas, would have com- 
 menced immediately, but that one of the Indians, who was 
 to be of the party, was absent. His arrival was to be waited 
 for, and this occasioned a very long delay, during which we 
 were exposed to a keen north-east wind- An old shirt was 
 all that covered me. I suffered much from the cold, and in 
 this extremity, M. Langlade coming down to the beach, I 
 asked him for a blanket, promising) if I lived, to pay him for 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 113 
 
 it at any price he pleased; but the answer I received was this, 
 that he could let me have no blanket, unless there were some 
 one to be security for the payment. For myself, he observed, 
 I had no longer any property in that country. I had no 
 more to say to M. Langlade; but, presently seeing another 
 Canadian, named John Cuchoise, I addressed him a similar 
 request, and was not refused. Naked as I was, and rigorous 
 as was the weather, but for the blanket I must have perished. 
 At noon our party was all collected, the prisoners all 
 embarked, and we steered for the Isles du Castor, in Lake 
 Michigan. 
 
 " The soldier who was our companion in misfortune was 
 made fast to a bar of the canoe, by a rope tied around his 
 neck, as is the manner of the Indians in transporting their 
 prisoners. The rest were left unconfined; but a paddle was 
 put into each of our hands, and we were made to use it. The 
 Indians in the canoe were seven in number; the prisoners 
 four. I had left, as it will be recollected, Major Etherington, 
 Lieutenant Lesslie, and Mr. Bostwick, at M. Langlade's, 
 and was now joined in misery with Mr. Ezekiel Solomons, the 
 soldier, and the Englishman, who had newly arrived from 
 Detroit. This was on the sixth day of June. The fort was 
 taken on the fourth; I surrendered myself to Wenniway on 
 the fifth; and this was the third day of our distress. 
 
 "We were bound, as I have said, for the Isles du Castor, 
 which lie in the mouth of Lake Michigan; and we should 
 have crossed the lake but that a thick fog came on, on 
 account of which the Indians deemed it safer to keep the 
 shore close under their lee. We therefore approached the 
 lands of the Ottawas, and their village of L'Arbre Croche, 
 already mentioned as lying about twenty miles to the west- 
 ward of Michilimackinac, on the opposite side of the tongue 
 of land on which the fort is built. 
 8 
 
114 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 *' Every half-hour the Indians gave their war-whoops, one 
 for every prisoner in their canoe. This is a general custom, 
 by the aid of which all the Indians within hearing are 
 apprised of the number of prisoners they are carrying. In 
 this manner we reached Wagoshense (Fox Point), a long 
 point, stretching westward into the lake, and which the Otta- 
 was make a carrying-place, to avoid going ronnd it. It is 
 distant eighteen miles from Michilimackinac. After the 
 Indians had made their war-whoop, as before, an Ottawa 
 appeared upon the beach, who made signs that we should 
 land. In consequence, we approached. The Ottawa asked the 
 news, and kept the Chippewas in further conversation, till 
 we were within a few yards of the land, and in shallow water. 
 At this moment, a hundred men rushed upon us from among 
 the bushes, and dragged all the prisoners out of the canoes, 
 amid a terrifying shout. 
 
 "We now believed that our last sutferings were approach- 
 ing; but no sooner were we fairly on shore, and on our legs, 
 than the chiefs of the party advanced and gave each of us 
 their hands, telling us that they were our friends, and Otta- 
 was whom the Chippewas had insulted by destroying the 
 English without consulting with them on the affair. They 
 added that what they had done was for the purpose of saving 
 our lives, the Chippewas having been carrying us to the Isles 
 du Castor only to kill and devour us. 
 
 " The reader's imagination is here distracted by the variety 
 of our fortunes, and he may well paint to himself the state of 
 mind of those who sustained them; who were the sport or the 
 victims, of a series of events more like dreams than realities 
 -r-more like fiction than truth! It was not long before we 
 were embarked again, in the canoes of the Ottawas, who, 
 the same evening re-landed us at Michilimackinac, where 
 they marched us into the fort, in view of the Chippewas, 
 
HA8SACBE AT FORT MIGHILIMAOKINAO. 115 
 
 ' confounded at beholding the Ottawas espouse a side oppo- 
 Bite to their own. The Ottawas, who liad accompanied us in 
 sufficient numbers, took possession of the fort. We, who 
 had changed masters, but were still prisoners, were lodged 
 in the house of the commandant, and strictly guarded. 
 
 *' Early the next morning, a Generpl Council was held, in 
 which the C'hippewas complained much vi the conduct of the 
 Ottawas, in robbing them of their prisoners; alleging that all 
 the Indians, the Ottawas alone excepted, were at war with 
 the English; that Pontiao had taken Detroit; that the King 
 of France had awoke, and re-possessed himself of Quebec and 
 Montreal, and that the English were meeting destruction, not 
 only at Michilimackinac, but in every other part of the 
 world. From all this they inferred that it became the 
 Ottawas to restore the prisoners, and to join in the ♦var; tnd 
 the speech was followed by large presents, being part of the 
 plunder of the fort, and which was previously heaped in the 
 center of the room. The Indians rarely make their answers 
 till the day after they have heard the arguments offered. 
 They did not depart from their custom on this occasion; and 
 the Council, therefore, adjourned. 
 
 " We, the prisoners whose fate was thus in controversy, 
 were unacquainted, at the time, with this transaction: and 
 therefore enjoyed a night of tolerable tranquillity, not iu the 
 least suspecting the reverse which was preparing for us. 
 Which of the arguments of the Chippewas, or whether or not 
 all were deemed valid by the Ottawas, I can not say, but the 
 Council was resumed at an early hour in the morning, and, 
 after several speeches had been made in it, the prisoners were 
 sent for and returned to the Chippewas. 
 
 ** The Ottawas, who now gave us into the hands of the 
 Chippewas, had themselves declared that the latter designed 
 no other than to kill us, and make broth of us. The Chip- 
 
116 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 pewas, as soon as we were restored to them, inarched us to a 
 village of their own, situate on the point which is below the 
 fort, and put us into a lodge, already the prison of fourteen 
 soldiers, tied two and two, with each a rope around his neck, 
 and made fast to a pole which might be called the supporter 
 of the building. 
 
 " I was left untied; but I passed a night sleepless, and full 
 of wretchedness. My bed was the bare ground, and I was again 
 reduced to an old shirt, as my entire apparel; the blanket 
 which I had received, through the generosity of M. Cuchoise, 
 having been taken from me among the Ottawas, when they 
 siezed upon myself and the others, at Wagoshence. I was 
 besides in want of food, having for two days eaten nothing. 
 I confess that in the canoe with the Chippewas, I was offered 
 bread — but bread with what accompaniment! They had a 
 loaf, which they cut with the same knives that they had 
 employied in the massacre — knives still covered with blood. 
 The blood they moistened with spittle, and rubbing it on the 
 bread, offered this for food to their prisoners, telling them to 
 eat the !:•' >''A of their countrymen. 
 
 "Such was my situation on the morning of the seventh of 
 June, in the year one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three. 
 But a few hours produced an event which gave still a new 
 color to my lot. Toward noon, when the great war-chief, in 
 company with Wenniway, was seated at the opposite end of 
 the lodge, my friend and brother, Wawatam, suddenly came 
 in. During the four days preceding, I had often wondered 
 what had become of him. In passing by, he gave me his 
 hand, but went immediately toward the great chief, by the 
 side of whom and Wenniway he sat himself down. The most 
 uninterrupted silence prevailed, each smoking his pipe; and, 
 this done, Wawatam arose and left the lodge, saying to me, 
 as' he passed, 'Take courage.' 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHIT.IMACKINAC. 117 
 
 "An hour elapsed, during which several chiefs entered, and 
 prepajrations appeared to be making for a council. At length, 
 Wawatam re-entered the lodge, followed by his wife, and 
 both loaded with merchandise, which they carried up to the 
 chiefs, and laid in a heap before them. Some moments of 
 silence followed, at the end of which Wawatam pronounced 
 a speech, every word of wliich, to me, was of extraordinary 
 interest: — 
 
 "* Friends and relations, what is it that I shall say? 
 You know what I feel. You all have friends and brothers 
 and children whom as yourselves you love: and you — 
 what would you experience, did you, like me, behold your 
 dearest friend, your brother; in the condition of a slave; 
 a slave, exposed every moment to insult and to menaces of 
 death? This case, as you all know, is mine. See there 
 [pointing to myself], my friend and brother among slaves — 
 himfaelf a slave! 
 
 "'You all well know that, long before the war began, I 
 adopted him as my brother. From that moment, he became 
 one of my family, tio that no change of circumstances could 
 break the cord which fastened us together. He is my broth- 
 er; and because I am your relation, he is therefore your rela- 
 tion too. And how, being your relation^ can he be your 
 slave? 
 
 " * On the day on which the war began, you were fearful 
 lest, on this very account, I should reveal your secret. You 
 requested, therefore, that I would leave the fort, and even 
 cross the lake. I did so, but I did it with reluctance. I did 
 it with reluctance, notwithstanding that you, Menehwehna 
 (Minavr^vana), who had the command in this enterprise, gave 
 me your promise that you would protect my friend, deliver- 
 ing him from all danger, and giving him safely to me. The 
 performance of this promise I now claim. I come not with 
 
118 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 empty hands to ask it. Yon, Menehwehna, best know 
 whether or not, as it respects yourself, you have kept your 
 word; but I bring these goods to buy off every claim which 
 any man among you all moy have on my brother, as his 
 prisoner.' 
 
 "Wawatam having ceased, the pipes were again filled; 
 and, after they were finished, a further period of silence fol- 
 lowed. At the end of this, Menehwehna arose, and gave his 
 reply: 
 
 tf e lyjy relation and brother,' said he, ' what you have spoken 
 is the truth. We were acquainted with the friendship which 
 subsisted between yourself and the Englishman, in whose be- 
 half you have now addressed us. We knew the danger of 
 having our secret discovered, and the consequences which 
 must follow; and you say truly, that we requested you to 
 leave the fort. This we did out of regard for you and your 
 family; for, if a discovery of our design had been made, you 
 would have been blamed, whether guilty or not; and you 
 would thus have been involved in diflBculties from which you 
 could not have extricated yourself. 
 
 ** 'It is also true that I promised you to take care of your 
 friend; and this promise I performed by desiring my son, at 
 the moment of assault, to seek him out and bring him to my 
 lodge. He went accordingly, but could not find him. The 
 day after I sent him to Langlade's, when he was informed 
 that your friend was safe; and had it not been that the In- 
 dians were then drinking the rum which had been found in 
 the fort, he would have brought him home with him, accord- 
 ing to my orders. I am very glad to find that your friend 
 has escaped. We accept your present; and you may take him 
 home with you.' 
 
 " Wawatam thanked the assembled chiefs, and taking me 
 by the hand^ led me to his lodge, which was at the distance 
 
MASSACRE AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC. 119 
 
 of a few yards only from the prison-lodge. My entrance ap- 
 peared to give joy to the whole family; food was immediately 
 prepared for me, and I now ate the first hearty meal which I 
 had made since my capture. I found myself one of the fam- 
 ily; and but that I had still my fears as to the other Indians, 
 I felt as happy as the situation could allow. 
 
 " In the course of the next morning, I was alarmed by a 
 noise in the prison-lodge; and looking through the openings 
 of the lodge in which I was, I saw seven dead bodies of white 
 men dragged forth. Upon my inquiry into the occasion, I 
 was informed that a certain chief, called by the Canadians 
 Le Grand Sable, had not long before arrived from his win- 
 ter's hunt; and that he, having been absent when the war 
 began, and being now desirous of manifesting to the Indians 
 at large his hearty concurrence in what they had done, had 
 gone into the prison-lodge, and there, with his knife, put the 
 seven men, whose bodies I had seen, to death. 
 
 "Shortly after, two of the Indians took one of the dead 
 bodies, which they chose as being the fattest, cut off the head, 
 and divided the whole into five parts, one of which was put 
 into each of five kettles, hung over as many fires, kindled for 
 this purpose at the door of the prison-lodge. Soon after 
 things were so far prepared, a message came to our lodge, 
 with an invitation to Wawatam to assist at the feast. 
 
 *' An invitation to a feast is given by him who is the master 
 of it. Small cuttings of cedar-wood, of about four inches in 
 length, supply the place of cards; and the bearer, by word 
 of mouth, states the particulars. Wawatam obeyed the sum- 
 mons, taking with him, as is nsual, to the place of enter- 
 tainment, his dish and spoon. After an absence of about 
 half an hour, he returned, bringing in his dish a human 
 hand, and a large piece of flesh. He did not appear to relish 
 the repast, but told me that it was then, and always had 
 
120 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 been, the custom among all the Indian nations, when return- 
 ing from war, or on overcoming their enemies, to make a 
 war-feast from among the slain. This, he said, inspired the 
 warrior with courage in attack, and bred him to meet death 
 with fearlessness. 
 
 " In the evening of the same day, a large canoe, such as 
 those which come from Montreal, was seen advancing to the 
 fort. It was full of men, and I distinguished several pass- 
 engers. The Indian cry was made in the village, a general 
 muster ordered, and, to the number of two hundred, they 
 marched up to the fort, where the canoe was expected to 
 land. The canoe, suspecting nothing, came boldly to the 
 fort, where the passengers, as being English traders, were 
 seized, dragged through the water, beaten, reviled, marched 
 to the prison-lodge, and there stripped of their clothes, and 
 confined. 
 
 " Of the English traders that fell into the -hands of the 
 Indians, at the capture of the fort, Mr. Tracy was the only 
 one who lost his life. Mr. Ezekiel Solomons and Mr. Henry 
 Bostwick were taken by the Ottawas, and, after the peace, 
 carried down to Montreal, and there ransomed. Of ninety 
 troops, about seventy were killed; the rest, together with 
 those of the posts in the Bay des Puants, and at the river 
 Saint Joseph, were also kept in safety by the Ottawas, till 
 the peace, and then either freely restored, or ransomed at 
 Montreal. The Ottawas never overcame their disgust at the 
 neglect with which they had been treated, in the beginning 
 of the war, by those who afterv.ard desired their assistance 
 as allies." 
 
 THE ESCAPE OF HENBY AND OTHERS. 
 
 The part the Ottawas played at Michilimackinac will 
 readily explain Indian character. They had rescued Henry 
 and his companions from their captors and bore them back 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY 2ND OTHERS. 121 
 
 to the fort, of which they took possession, with the other 
 prijoiiers, to the dismay of the Chippewas. It was not for 
 any good will to the prisoners, hnt out of revenge because 
 the Chippewas made the attack without consulting or inform- 
 ing them. They held a council and gave up Henry and some 
 of the prisoners, but the officers and several soldiers were re- 
 tained and carried to L'Arbre Croche by the Ottawas. Here 
 Father Janois influenced the Indians to treat them with kind- 
 ness. From that place Etherington sent a letter by Father 
 Janois to Major Gladwin at Detroit, and one to Lieut. Gorell 
 at Green Bay by an Ottawa Indian. These letters both con- 
 tained brief accounts of the massacre and an entreaty for 
 assistance. The following was addressed to Gorell: 
 
 " MiCHiLiMACKiNAC, June 11, 1763. 
 
 '• Dear Sir, — This place was taken by surprise on the 4th instant 
 
 by the Chippewas (Ojibwas), at which time Lieutenant Jamette and 
 
 twenty men were killed, and all the rest taken prisoners; but our 
 
 good friends the Ottawas have taken Lieutenant Lesslie, me, and 
 
 eleven men out of their hands, and have promised to reinstate us 
 
 again. You'll therefore, on the receipt of this, which I send by a 
 
 canoe of Ottawas, set out with all your garrison, and what English 
 
 traders you have with you, and come with the Indian who gives you 
 
 this, who will conduct you safe to me. You must be sure to follow 
 
 the instruction you receive from the bearer of this, as you are by no 
 
 means to come to this post before you see me at the village, twenty 
 
 miles from this. ... I must once more beg you'll lc«e no time 
 
 in coming to me; at the same time be very careful, and always be 
 
 on your guard. I long much to see you and am, dear sir, 
 
 " Your most humble servant, 
 
 *'Geo. Ethrinoton. 
 "J. Gorell, Royal Americans.''^ 
 
 The following is from Parkman: "The Conspiracy ol 
 Pontiac," Vol. 2, p. 336, 337. " A copy of the original was 
 procured from the State Paper Office of London." 
 
122 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 *• Michilimackinac, 12 June, 1763. 
 
 *' Sir: — Notwithstanding that I wrote you in my last that all the 
 savages were arrived, and that every thing seemed in perfect 
 tranquility, yet, on the 2nd instant, the Chippewas, who live in a 
 place near this fort, assemoled to play ball as they have done almost 
 every day since their arrival. They played from morning; then 
 throwing their ball close to the gate, and observing Lieut. Leslie and 
 me a few paces out of it, they came behind us, seized and carried 
 us into the woods. 
 
 " In the mean time the rest rushed into the Fort, where they 
 found their squaws whom they had previously planted there, with 
 their hatchets hid under their blankets, which they took, and in an 
 instant killed Lieut. Jaunet and fifteen rank and file, and a trader 
 named Tracy, They wounded two, and took the rest of the garri- 
 son, five (seven, Henry) of whom they have since killed. 
 
 " They made prisoners of all the English Traders, and robbed them 
 of every thing they had; but they oflFered no violence to the persons 
 or property of any of the Frenchmen. 
 
 " When the massacre was over, Messrs. Langdale and Farle the 
 interpreter, came down to the place where Lieut. Leslie and me 
 were prisoners; and on their giving themselves as security to return 
 us when demanded, they obtained leave for us to go to the Fort, 
 under a guard of savages, which gave time, by the assistance of the 
 gentlemen above mentioned, to send for the Cutaways, who came 
 down on the first notice, and were very much displeased at what the 
 Chippeways had done. Since the arrival of the Cutaways they 
 have done everything in their power to serve us, and with what pris- 
 oners the Chippeways had given them, and what they have bought, 
 I have now with me Lieut. Leslie and eleven privates; and the other 
 four of the Garrison whd are yet living, remain in the hands of the 
 Chippeways. 
 
 " The Chippeways who were superior in number to the Ottaways, 
 have declared in Council to them that if they do not remove us out 
 of the Fort, they will cut off all communication to this Pont, by 
 which means all the Convoys of Merchants from Montreal, La Baye, 
 St. Joseph, and the upper posts would perish. But if the news of 
 your post being attacked (which they say was the reason why they 
 took up the hatchet) be false, and you can send us a strong reinforce- 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 123 
 
 ment, with provisions, &c, accompanied by some of your savages, I 
 believe the post might be re-established again. 
 
 '• Since this affair happened, two canoes arrived from Montreal, 
 which put in ray power to make a present to the Ottaway nation, 
 who very well deserve anything that can be done for them. 
 
 " I have been very much obliged to Messrs. Langdale and Farle, 
 the Interpreter, as likewise to the Jesuit, for the many good offices 
 they have done us on this occasion. The Priest seems inclinable to 
 go down to your post for a day or two, which I am very glad of, as 
 he is a very good man, and had a great deal to say with the savages, 
 hereabout, who will believe every thing he tells them on his return, 
 which I hope will be soon. The Cutaways say they will take Lieut. 
 Leslie, me, and the eleven men which I mentioned before were in 
 their hands, up to their village, and there keep us, till they hear 
 what is doing at your Post. They have sent this court for that 
 purpose. 
 
 *'I refer you to the Priest for the particulars of this meloncholy 
 affair and am, Dear Sir, 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 (Signed) Geo. Etherinqton. 
 
 "To Major Gladwin. 
 
 "P. S. The Indians that are to carry the Priest to Detroit will not 
 undertake to land him at the Fort, but at some of the Indian villages 
 near it; so you must not take it amiss that he does not pay you the 
 first visit. And once more I beg that nothing may stop your sending 
 of him back, the next day after his arrival, if possible, as we shall be 
 at a great loss for the want of him, and I make no doubt that you 
 will do all in your power to make peace as you see the £>ituation we 
 are in, and send up provision as soon as possible, and ammunition, 
 as what we had was pillaged by the savages, 
 
 "Adieu, Geo. Etheeington." 
 
 Van Fleet writes: — 
 
 "When Father Janois reached Detroit he found the place 
 closely besieged, and consequently no assistance could come 
 from that quarter; but at Green Bay the case was otherwise. 
 With seventeen men. Lieutenant Gorell had taken possession 
 of that post in 1761, and, by a system of good management. 
 
124 HISTORY OP MACKK/AC. 
 
 had succeeded in allaying the hostility of the savages and se- 
 curing the friendship of at least a part of the tribes around 
 him. On receiving Ethrington's letter, Gorell, told the Ind- 
 ians what the Ojibwas had done, and that he and his soldiers 
 were going to Michilimackinac to restore order, adding that, 
 during his absence, he commended the fort to their care. 
 Presents were distributed among them, and advantage taken 
 of every circumstance that could possibly be made to favor 
 the English cause; so that when the party was ready to 
 embark, ninety warriors proposed to escort the garrison on 
 its way. 
 
 "Arriving at I7Arbre Croche, where Captain Ethrington, 
 Lieutenant Lesslie, and eleven men were yet detained as pris- 
 oners, Gorell received an intimation that the Ottawas 
 intended to disarm his own men also; but he promptly in- 
 formied them that such an attempt would meet with a vigor- 
 ous resistance, and the Indians desisted. Several days were 
 now spent in holding councils. The Indians from Green Bay 
 requested the Ottawas to set their prisoners at liberty, to 
 which the latter at length assented. Thinking only of 
 how they might escape the presence of their troublesome 
 and treacherous foes, they prepared to depart. One diffi- 
 culty, however, yet remained. The Ojibwas had declared 
 that they would prevent the English from passing down to 
 Montreal, and again they had recourse to a Council. A re- 
 version of feeling, as we shall soon see, had already taken 
 place among the Ojibwa chiefs; and at length, though 
 reluctantly, they yielded the point. On the eighteenth day 
 of July, escorted by a fleet of Indian canoes, the English left 
 lyArbre Croche; and on the thirteenth day of August all 
 arrived in safety at Montreal, leaving not a British soldier in 
 the region of the lakes, except at Detroit. '' 
 
 Let as go back now. Hear Henry to the end of his story: 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 125 
 
 "la the morning of the ninth of June, a General Council 
 was held, at which it was agreed to remove to the island of 
 Michilimackinac, as a more defensible situation in the event 
 of an attack by the English. The Indians had begun to 
 entertain apprehensions of a want of strength. No news had 
 reached them from the Potawatomies, in the Bay des Puants, 
 and they were uncertain whether or not the Monomins would 
 join them. They even feared that the Sioux would take the 
 English side. This resolution fixed, they prepared for a 
 speedy retreat. At noon the camp was broken up, and we 
 embarked, taking with us the prisoners that were still un- 
 disposed of. On our passage, we encountered a gale of wind, 
 and there were some appearances of danger. To avert it, a 
 dog, of which the legs were previously tied together, was 
 thrown into the lake — an offering designed to soothe the 
 angry passions of some offended Manitou. 
 
 "As we approached the island, two women in the canoe in 
 which I was, began to utter melancholy and hideous cries. 
 Precarious as my condition still remained, I experienced 
 some sensations of alarm from those dismal sounds, of which 
 I could not then discover the occasion. Subsequently I 
 learned that it is customary for the women, on passing near 
 the burial-places of relations, never to omit the practice of 
 which I was now a witness, and by which they intend to 
 denote their grief. 
 
 "By the approach of evening we reached the island in 
 safety, and the women were not long in erecting our cabins. 
 In the morning there was a muster of the Indians, at which 
 there were found three hundred and fifty fighting men. In 
 the course of the day, there arrived a canoe from Detroit, 
 with embassadors, who endeavored to prevail on the Indians 
 to repair thither, to the assistance of Pontiac; but fear was 
 now the prevailing passion. A guard was kept during the 
 
126 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 flay, and a watch by night, and alarms were very frequently 
 spread. Had an enemy appeared, all the prisoners would 
 have been put to death; and I suspected that, as an English- 
 man, I should share their fate. 
 
 " Several days had now passed, when, one morning, a con- 
 tinued alarm prevailed, and I saw the Indians running in a 
 confused manner toward the beach. In a short time I 
 learned that two large canoes from Montreal were in sight. 
 
 **A11 the Indian canoes were immediately manned, and 
 those from Montreal were surrounded and seized as they 
 turned a poi^it, behind which the flotilla had been concealed. 
 The goods were consigned to a Mr. Levy, and would have 
 been saved if the canoe-men had called them French prop- 
 erty; but they were terrified and disguised nothing. 
 
 "In the canoes was a large proportion of liquor — a dan- 
 gerous acquisition, and one which threatened disturbance 
 among the Indians, even to the loss of their dearest friends. 
 Wawatam, always watchful of my safety, no sooner heard the 
 noise of drunkenness which, in the evening, did not fail to 
 begin, than he represented to me the danger of remaining in 
 the village, and owned that he could not himself resist the 
 temptation of joining his comrades in the debauch. That 
 I might escape all mischief, he therefore requested that I 
 would accompany him to the mountain, where I was to 
 remain hidden till the liquor should be drank. We ascended 
 the mountain accori^ingly. After walking more than half a 
 mile, we came to a large rock, at the base of which was an 
 opening, dark within, and appearing to be the entrance of a 
 cave. Here Wawatam recommended that I should take up 
 my lodging, and by all means remain till he returned. 
 
 *' On going into the cave, of which the entrance was nearly 
 ten feet wide, I found the further end to be rounded in its 
 shape, like that of an oven, but with a further aperture, too 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 127 
 
 small, however, to be explored. After thus looking around 
 me, I broke small branchcri from the trees and spread them 
 for a bed, then wrapped myself in my blanket and slept till 
 daybreak. On awaking, I felt myself incommoded by some 
 object upon which I lay, and, removing it, found it to be a 
 bone. This I supposed to be that of a deer, or some other 
 animal, and what might very naturally be looked for in the 
 place in which I was; but when daylight visited my chamber 
 I discovered, with some feelings of horror, that I was lying 
 on nothing less than a heap of human bones and skulls, 
 which covered all the floor! 
 
 "The day passed without the return of Wawatam, and 
 without food. As night approached, I found myself unable 
 to meet its darkness in the charnel-house, which, neverthe- 
 less, I had viewed free from uneasiness during the day. I 
 chose, therefore, an adjacent bush for this night's lodging, 
 and slept under it as before; but in the morning I awoke 
 hungry and dispirited, and almost envying the dry bones, to 
 the view of which I returned. At length the sound of a foot 
 reached me, and my Indian friend appeared, making many 
 apologies for his long absence, the cause of which was an 
 unfortunate excess in the enjoyment of his liquor. 
 
 "This point being explained, I mentioned the extra- 
 ordinary sight that had presented itself in the cave to which 
 he had commended my slumbers. He had never heard of its 
 existence before, and, upon examining the cave together, we 
 saw reason to believe that it had been anciently filled with 
 human bodies. 
 
 "On returning to the lodge, I experienced a cordial 
 reception from the family, which consisted of the wife of my 
 friend, his two sons, of whom the eldest was married, and 
 whose wife and a daughter of thirteen years of age completed 
 the list. 
 
128 inSTOUY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ** Wttwatam related to the other Indians the adveuturo of 
 the bones. All of them expressed surprise at hearing it, and 
 declared that they had never been aware of the contents of 
 this cave before. After visiting it, which they immediately 
 did, almost every one offered a different opinion as to its his- 
 tory. Some advanced, that at a period when the waters over- 
 flowed the land (an event which makes a distinguished figure 
 in the history of their world), the inhabitants of this island 
 had fled into the cave, and been there drowned; others, that 
 those same inhabitants, when the Ilurong made war upon 
 them (as tradition says they did), hid themselves in the cave, 
 and. being discovered, were there massacred. For myself, I 
 am disposed to believe th*'^ this cave was an ancient recepta- 
 cle of the bones of prisoners sacrificed and devoured at 
 war-feasts. I have always observed that the Indians pay 
 particular attention to the bones of sacrifices, preserving 
 them unbroken, and depositing them in some place kept 
 exclusively for that purpose. 
 
 **A few days after this occurrence, Menehwehna (Menava 
 vana), whom I now found to be the great chief of the village 
 of Michilimackinac, came to the lodge of my friend, and 
 when the usual ceremony of smoking was finished, he 
 observed that Indians were now daily arriving from Detroit, 
 some of whom had lost relations or friends in the war, and 
 who would certainly retaliate on any Englishman they fcnad, 
 upon which account his errand was to advise that 1 should be 
 dressed like an Indian, an expedient whence I might hope to 
 escape all future insult. 
 
 "I could not but consent to the proposal; and the chief 
 was so kind as to assist my friend and his family in effecting 
 that very day the desired metamorphosis. My hair was cut 
 off, and my head shaved, with the exception of a spot on the 
 crown of about twice the diameter of a crown-piece. My face 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 129 
 
 was paintod with three or four difPeront colors, some parts of 
 it red, and others black. A shirt was provided for me, 
 painted with vermilion mixed with grease. A large collar of 
 wampum was put round my neck, and another suspended on 
 my breast. Both my arms were decorated with large bands 
 of silver above the elbow, besides several smaller ones on the 
 wrists; and my legs were covered with mitasses, a kind of 
 hose, made, as is the favorite fashion, of scarlet cloth. Over 
 all I was to wear a scarlet mantle or blanket, and on my head 
 a large bunch of feathers. I parted, not without some regret, 
 with the long hair which was natural to it, and which I 
 fancied to be ornamental; but the ladies of the family, and 
 of the village in general, appeared to think my person im- 
 proved, and now condescended to call me handsome, even 
 among Indians. 
 
 "Protected in a great measure by this disguise, I felt my- 
 self more at liberty than before; and the season being arrived 
 in which my clerks from the interior were to be expected, 
 and some part of my property, as I had a right to hope, re- 
 covered, I begged the favor of Wawatam tliat he would ena- 
 ble me to pay a short visit to Michilimackinac. He did not 
 fail to comply, and I succeeded in finding my clerks; but, 
 either through the disturbed state of the country, as they 
 represented to be the case, or through their misconduct, as 1 
 had reason to think, I obtained nothing; and nothing, or 
 almost nothing, I now began to think would be all that I 
 should need during the rest of my life. To fish and to hunt, 
 to collect a few skins and exchange them for necessaries, was 
 all that I seemed destined to do and to acquire for the future. 
 
 "I returned to the Indian village, where at this time much 
 
 scarcity of food prevailed. We were often for twenty-four 
 
 hours without eating, and when in the morning we had no 
 
 yictuals |or the day before us, the custom was to black our 
 
 9 
 
130 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 faces with grease and charcoal, and exhibit through resigna- 
 tion a temper ^s cheerful as if in the midst of plenty. A 
 repetition of the evil, however, soon induced us to leave the 
 island in search of food, and accordingly we departed for the 
 Bay of Boutchitaony, distant eight leagues, and where we 
 found plenty of wild fowl and fish." 
 
 Leaving that bay, Henry, with his friend Wawatam and 
 family, came to St. Martin's Island, where, in the enjoyro*^nt 
 of an excellent and plentiful supply of food, they remained 
 until the twenty-sixth of August. ** At this time,'* contin- 
 ues the writer, "the autumn being at hand, and a sure pros- 
 pect of increased security from hostile Indians afforded, 
 Watatara proposed going to his intended wintering-ground. 
 The removal was a subject of the greatest joy to myself; on 
 account of the frequent insults to which I had still to submit 
 from the Indians of our band or village, and to escape from 
 which I would freely have gone almost anywhere. At our 
 wintering-ground we were to be alone; for the Indian families 
 in the countries of which I write separate in the winter 
 season for the convenience as well of subsistence as of the 
 chase, and reassociate in the spring and summer. 
 
 "In preparation, our first business was to sail for Michili- 
 mackinac, where, being arrived, we procured from a Cana- 
 dian trader, on creidt, some trifling articles, together with 
 ammunition and two bushels of maize. This done, we steered 
 directly for Lake Michigan. At L'Arbre Croclie we stopped 
 one day, on a visit to the Ottawas, where all the people, and 
 particularly O'ki'no'chu'ma'ki, the chief — the same who took 
 me from the Chippewas — behaved with great civility and 
 kindness. The chief presented me with a bag of maize.'' 
 
 From L'Arbre Croche they proceeded directly to the month 
 of the river Aux Sables, which, Henry tells us, is "on the 
 southern side of the lake," and as they hunted along their 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY A»D OTHERS. 131 
 
 way, Henry enjoyed a personal freedom of which he had long 
 been deprived, and became as expert in the Indian pursuits 
 as the Indians themselves.- The winter was spent in the 
 chase. "By degrees," says Henry, "I became familiarized 
 with this kind of life, and had it not been for the idea of 
 which I could not divest my mind, that I was living among 
 savages, and for the whispers of a lingering hope that I 
 should one day be released from it — or if I could have for- 
 gotten that I had ever been otherwise than as I then was — I 
 could have enjoyed as much happiness in this as in any other 
 situation/' 
 
 As spring approached the hunters began their preparations 
 for returning to Michilimackinac, but their faces were no 
 sooner turned toward the scene of the massacre than all began 
 to fear an attack from the English, on account of the con- 
 stant dreams of the more aged women. Henry labored, but 
 in vain, to allay their fears, but on the twenty-fifth of April 
 the little party embarked in their canoes. 
 
 Henry writes: "At La Grande Traverse we met a large 
 party of Indians, who appeared to labor, like ourselves, under 
 considerable alarm, and who dared proceed no further lest 
 they should be destroyed by the English. Frequent councils 
 of the united bands were held, and interrogations were con- 
 tinually put to myself as to whether or not I knew of any 
 design to attack them. I found that they believed it possible 
 for me to have a foreknowledge of events, and to be informed 
 by dreams of all things doing at a distance. 
 
 "Protestations of my ignorance were received with but 
 little satisfaction, and incurred the suspicion of a design to 
 conceal my knowledge. On this account, therefore, or be- 
 cause I saw them tormented with fears which had nothing 
 but imagination to rest upon, I told them at length that I 
 knew there was no enemy to insult them, and that they 
 
132 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 might proceed to Michilimackinac without danger from the 
 English. I further, and with more confidence, declared that 
 if ever my countrymen returned to Michilimackinac, I would 
 recommend them to their favor, on account of the good treat- 
 ment which I had received from them. Thus encouriged, 
 they embarked at an early hour the next morning. In 
 crossing the bay, we experienced a storm of thunder and 
 lightning. 
 
 "Our port was the village of L'Arbre Oroche, which we 
 reached in safety, and where we staid till the following day. 
 At this village we found several persons who had lately been 
 at Michilimackinac, and from them we had the satisfaction 
 of learning that all was quiet there. The remainder of our 
 voyage was therefore performed with confidence. 
 
 "In the evening of the twenty-seventh we landed at the 
 fort, which now contained only two French traders. The 
 Indians who had arrived before us were very few in number, 
 and by all who were of our party I was very kindly used. I 
 had the entire freedom both of the fort and camp. 
 
 "Wawatam and myself settled our stock, and paid our 
 debts; and, this done, I found that my share of what was left 
 consisted in a hundred beaver-skins, sixty raccoon-skins, and 
 six otter, of the total value of about one hundred and sixty 
 dollars. With these earnings of my winter's toil, I proposed 
 to purchase clothes, of which I was m uch in need, having 
 been six months without a shirt; but on inquiring into the 
 prices of goods, I found that all my funds would not go far. 
 I was able, however, to buy two shirts, at ten pounds of 
 beaver each; a pair of leggins, or padtaloons, of scarlet cloth, 
 which, with the ribbon to garnish them fashionably, cost me 
 fifteen pounds of beaver; a blanket, at twenty pounds of 
 beaver; and some other articles at proportionable rates. In 
 this manner my wealth was soon reduced, but not before I 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 133 
 
 had laid in a good stock of ammunition and tobacco. To the 
 use of the latter I had become much attached through the 
 winter. It was my principal recreation, after returning from 
 the chase; for my companions in the lodge were unaccus- 
 tomed to pass their time in conversation. Among the Ind- 
 ians the topics of conversation are but few, and limited, for 
 the most part, to the transactions of the day, the number of 
 animals which they have killed, and of those wliicli have 
 escaped their pursuit, and other incidents of the chase. In- 
 deed, the causes of taciturnity among the Indians may be 
 easily understood if we consider how many occasions of speech 
 which present themselves to us are utterly unknown to them, 
 — the records of history, the pursuits of science, the disquisi- 
 tions of philosophy, the systems of politics, the business and 
 the amusements of the day, and the transactions of the four 
 corners of the world. 
 
 " Eight days had passed in tranquillity when there arrived 
 a band of Indians from the Bay of Saguenaum. They had 
 assisted at the siege of Detroit, and came to muster as many 
 recruits for that service as they could. For my own part, I 
 was soon informed that, as I was the only Englishman in the 
 place, they proposed to kill me in order to give their friends 
 a mess of English broth, to raise their courage. 
 
 " This intelligence was not of the most agreeable kind, 
 and, in consequence, of receiving it, I requested my friend 
 to carry me to the Sault de Sainte Marie, at which place I 
 knew the Indians to be peaceably inclined, and that M. 
 Cadotte enjoyed a powerful influence over their conduct. 
 They considered M. Cadotte as their chief, and he was not 
 only my friend, but a friend to the English. It was by him 
 that the Ohippewas of Lake Superior were prevented from 
 joining Pontiac. 
 
 " Wawatam was not slow to exert himself for my preserva- 
 
134 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 tion, but, leaving Michilimackinac in the night, transported 
 myself and all his lodge to Point St. Ignace, on the opposite 
 side of the strait. Here we remained till daylight, and then 
 went into the Bay of Boutchitaony, in which we spent three 
 days in fishing and hunting, and where we found plenty of 
 wild fowl. Leaving the bay we made for the Isle aux Out- 
 ardes, where we were obliged to put in on account of the 
 wind's coming ahead. We proposed sailing for the Sault the, 
 next morning. 
 
 "But when the morning came Wawatam's wif e complained 
 that she was sick, adding that she had had bad ^reams, and 
 knew that if we went to the Sault we should all be destroyed. 
 To have argued at this time against the infallibility of dreams 
 would have been extremelv unadvisable, since I should have 
 appeared to be guilty, not only of an odious want of faith, 
 but alao of a still more odious want of sensibility to the pos- 
 sible calamities of a family which had done so much for the 
 alleviation of mine. I was silent, but the disappointment 
 seemed to seal my fate. No prospect opened to console me. 
 To return to Michilimackinac could only insure my destruc- 
 tion, and to remain at the island was to brave almost eaual dan- 
 ger, since it lay in the direct route between the fort and the 
 Missisaki, along which the Indians from Detroit were hourly 
 expected to pass on the business of their mission. I doubted 
 not but, taking advantage of the solitary situation of the 
 family, they would carry into execution their design of kill- 
 ing me. 
 
 " Unable therefore to take any part in the direction of our 
 course, but a prey at the same time to the most anxious 
 thoughts as to my own condition, I passed all the day on the 
 highest part to which I could climb of a tall tree, and whence 
 the lake on both sides of the island lay open to my view. 
 Here I might hope to learn at the earliest possible moment 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 135 
 
 the approach of canoes, and by this means be warned in time 
 to conceal myself. 
 
 " On the second morning I returned, as soon as it was 
 light, to my watch-tower, on which I had not been long, 
 before I discovered a sail, coming from Michilimackinac. 
 The sail was a white one, and much larger than those usually 
 employed by the northern Indians. I therefore indulged a hope 
 that it might be a Canadian canoe on its voyage to Montreal, 
 and that I might be able to prevail upon the crew to take me 
 with them, and thus release me from all my troubles. 
 
 " My hopes continued to gain strength; for I soon per- 
 suaded myself that the manner in which the paddles were 
 used on board the canoe was Canadian, and not Indian. My 
 spirits were elated; but disappointment had become so usual 
 with me, that I could not suffer mvself to look to the event 
 with any strength of confidence. Enough, however, appeared 
 at length to demonstrate itself to induce me to descend the 
 tree and repair to the lodge with my tidings and schemes of 
 liberty. The family congratulated me on the approach of so 
 fair an opportunity of escape, and my father and brother (for 
 he was alternately each of these) lit his pipe and presented it 
 to me, saying: * My son, this may be the last time that ever 
 you and I shall smoke out of the same pipe! I am sorry to 
 part with you. You know the affection which 1 have always 
 borne you, and the dangers to which I have exposed myself 
 and family to preserve you from your enemies, and I am 
 happy to find that my efforts promise not to have been in 
 vain.' At this time a boy came into the lodge, informing us 
 that the canoe had come from Milchilimackinac, and was 
 bound to the Sault de Sainte Marie. It was manned by three 
 Canadians, and was carrying home Madame Oadotte, wife of 
 M. Cadotte, already mentioned. 
 
 " My hopes of going to Montreal being now dissipated, I 
 
136 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 resolved on accompanying Madame Cadotte, with her per- 
 mission, to the Sault. On communicating my wishes to 
 Madame Cadotte, she cheerfully acceded to them. Madame 
 Cadotte, as I have already mentioned, was an Indian woman 
 of the Chippewa nation, and she was very generally respected. 
 
 "My departure fixed upon, I returned to the lodge, where 
 I packed up my wardrobe, consisting of my two shirts, pair 
 of leggins, and blanket. Besides these, I took a gun and 
 ammunition, presenting what remained further to my host. 
 I also returned the silver arm-bands with which the family 
 had decorated me the year before. 
 
 "We now exchanged farewells, with an emotion entirely 
 reciprocal. I did not quit the lodge without the most grate- 
 ful sense of the many acts of goodness which I had experi- 
 enced in it, nor without the sincerest respect for the virtues 
 which I had witnessed among its members. All the family 
 accompanied me to the beach, and the canoe had no sooner 
 put off than Wawatam commenced an address to the Ki'chi' 
 Mani'to, beseeching him to take care of me, his brother, till 
 we should next meet. This, he had told me, would not be 
 long, as he intended to return to Michilipaackinac for a short 
 time only, and then would follow me to the Sault. We had 
 prociBeded to too great a distance to allow of our hearing his 
 voice, before Wawatam had ceased to offer up his prayers. 
 
 '^ Being nov,'^ no longer in the society of Indians, I laid 
 aside the dress, putting on that of a Canadian — a molton or 
 blanket coat over my shirt, and a handkerchief about my 
 head, hats being very little worn in this country. 
 
 " At daybreak on the second morning of our voyage we 
 embarked, and presently perceived several canoes behind us. 
 As they approached, we ascertained them to be the fleet 
 bound for the Mississaki, of which I had been so long in 
 dread. It amounted to twenty sail. On coming up with us 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 137 
 
 and sarrounding our canoe, and amid general inquiries con- 
 cerning the news, an Indian challenged me for an English- 
 man, and his companions supported him by declaring that I 
 looked very like one; but I affected not to understand any of 
 the questions which they asked me, and Madame Cadotte 
 assured them that I was a Canadian whom she had brought 
 on his first voyage from Montreal. 
 
 "The following day saw us safely landed at the Sault, 
 where I experienced a generous welcome from M. Cadotte. 
 There were thirty warriors at this place, restrained from 
 joining in the war only by M. Cadotte's influence. Here for 
 five days I was once more in the possession of tranquility; 
 but on the sixth a young Indian came into M. Cadotte's, say- 
 ing that a canoe full of warriors had just arrived from Mich- 
 limackinac; that they had inquired for me, and that he be- 
 lieved their intentions to be bad. Nearlv at the same time a 
 message came from the good chief of the village, desiring me 
 to conceal myself until he should discover the views and tem- 
 per of the strangers. A garret was a second time my place 
 of refuge; and it was not long before the Indians came to M. 
 Cadotte's. My friend immediately informed Mnt'chi'ki'wish, 
 their chief, who was related to his wife, of the design im- 
 puted to them of mischief against myself. Mutchikiwish 
 frankly acknowledged that they had had such a design, but 
 added that, if displeasing to M. Cadotte, it should be aband- 
 oned. He then further stated that their errand was to raise 
 a party of warriors to return with them to Detroit, and that 
 it had been their intention to take me with them. 
 
 "In regard to the principal of the two objects thus dis- 
 closed, M. Cadotte proceeded to assemble all the chiefs and 
 warriors of the village; and these, after deliberating for some 
 time among themselves, sent for the strangers, to whom both 
 M. Cadotte and the chief of the village addressed a speech. 
 
138 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 In these speeches, after recurring to the designs confessed to 
 have been entertained against myself, who was now declared 
 to be under the immediate protection of all the chiefs, by 
 whom any insult I might sustain would be avenged, the em- 
 bassadors were peremptorily told that they might go back as 
 they came, none of the young men of this village being foolish 
 enough to join them. 
 
 "A moment after, a report was brought that a canoe had 
 just arrived from Niagara. As this was a place from which 
 every one was anxious to hear news, a message was sent to 
 these fresh strangers, requesting them to come to the Coun- 
 cil. They came accordingly, and, being seated, a long 
 silence ensued. At length, one of them, taking up a belt of 
 wampum, addressed himself thus to the assembly: 'My 
 friends and brothers, I am come with this belt from our great 
 father. Sir William Johnson. He desired me to come to you, 
 as his embassador, and tell you that he is making a great 
 feast at Fort Niagara; that his kettles are all ready, and his 
 fires lit. He invites you to partake of the feast, in common 
 with your friends the Six Nations, which have all made peace 
 with the English. He advises you to seize this opportunity 
 of doing the same, as you can not otherwise fail of being de- 
 stroyed; for the English are on their march with a great 
 army, which will be joined by different nations of Indians. 
 In a word, before the fall of the leaf they will be at Michil- 
 imackinac, and the Six Nations with them.' 
 
 " The tenor of this speech greatly alarmed the Indians of 
 the Sault, who, after a very short consultation, agreed to send 
 twenty deputies to Sir William Johnson, at Niagara. This 
 was a project highly interesting to me, since it afforded me 
 the means of leaving the country. I intimated this to the 
 chief of the village, and received his promise that I should 
 accompany the deputation. 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHEBS. 139 
 
 "Very little time was proposed to be lost in setting for- 
 ward on the voyage; but the occasion was of too much mag- 
 nitude not to call for more than human knowledge and dis- 
 cretion; and preparations were accordingly made for solemnly 
 invoking and consulting the Great Turtle. In this, the 
 first thing to be done, was the building of a large house or 
 wigwam, within which was placed a species of tent, for the 
 use of the priest, and reception of the spirit. The tent waa 
 formed of moose-skins, hung over a frame-work of wood. 
 Five poles, or rather pillars, of five difEerent species of tim- 
 ber, about ten feet in height, and eight inches in diameter, 
 were set in a circle of about four feet in diameter. The holes 
 made to receive them were about two feet deep; and the pil- 
 lars being set, the holes were filled up again with the earth 
 which had been dug out. At the top, the pillars were bound 
 together by a circular hoop, or girder. Over the whole of 
 this edifice were spread the moose-skins, covering it at top 
 and round the sides, and made fast with thongs of the same; 
 except that on one side a part was left unfastened, to admit 
 of the entrance of the priest. 
 
 " The ceremonies did not commence but with the approach 
 of night. To give light within the house, several fires were 
 kindled round the tent. !N"early the whole village assembled 
 in the house, and myself among the rest. It was not long 
 before the priest appeared, almost in a state of nakedness. 
 As he approached the tent, the skins were lifted up as much 
 as was necessary to allow of his creeping under them, on his 
 hands and knees. His head was scarcely inside, when the 
 edifice, massy as it has been described, began to shake; and 
 the skins were no sooner let fall than the sounds of numerous 
 voices were heard beneath them; some yelling, some barking 
 as dogs, some howling like wolves; and in this horrible con- 
 cert were mingled screams and sobs, as of despair, anguish^ 
 
140 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 and the sharpest pain. Articulate speech was also uttered, as 
 if from human lips, but in a tongue unknown to any of the 
 audience. 
 
 "After some time, these confused and frightful noises were 
 succeeded by a perfect silence; and now a voice, not heard 
 before seemed to manifest the arrival of a new character in 
 the tent. This was a Jow and feeble voice, resembling the 
 cry of a young puppy. The sound was no sooner distin- 
 guished, than all the Indians clapped their hands for joy, 
 exclaiming that this was the Chief Spirit — the Turtle — the 
 spirit that pever lied! Other voices, which they had dis- 
 criminated from time to time, they had previously hissed, as 
 recognizing them to belong to evil and lying spirits, which 
 deceived mankind. New sounds came from the tent. During 
 the space of half an hour, a succession of songs were heard, 
 in which a diversity of voices met the ear. From his first 
 entrance, till these songs were finished, we heard nothing in 
 the proper voice of the priest; but now he addressed the 
 multitude, declaring the presence of the Great Turtle, and 
 the spirit^s readiness to answer sucL questions as should be 
 proposed. 
 
 " The questions were to come from the chief of the village, 
 who was silent, however, till after he had put a large quantity 
 of tobacco into the tent, introducing it at the aperture. This 
 was a sacrifice, offered to the spirit; for spirits are supposed, 
 by the Indians, to be as fond of tobacco as themselves. The 
 tobacco accepted, he desired the priest to inquire, — Whether 
 or not the English were preparing to make war upon the 
 Indians? and, whether or not there were at Fort Niagara a 
 large number of English troops? These questions having been 
 put by the priest, the tent instantly shook; and for some 
 seconds after, it continued to rock so violently that I expected 
 to see it leveled with the ground. All this was a prelude, as 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 141 
 
 I supposed, to the answers to be given; but a terrific cry 
 announced, with suflBcient intelligibility, the departure of the 
 Turtle. 
 
 "A quarter of an hour elapsed in silence, and I waited 
 impatiently to discover what was to be the next incident in 
 this scene of imposture. It consisted in the return of the 
 spirit, whose voice was again heard, and who now delivered 
 a continued speech. The language of the Great Turtle, 
 like that which we had heard before, was wholly unintelligi- 
 ble to every ear, that of the priest excepted; arid it was 
 therefore, not till the latter gave us an interpretation, which 
 did not commence before the spirit had finished, that we 
 learned the purport of this extraordinary communication. 
 
 •*The spirit, as we were now informed. by the priest, had, 
 during his short absence, crossed Lake Huron, and even pro- 
 ceeded as far as Fort Niagara, which is at the head of Lake 
 Ontario, and thence to Montreal. At Fort Niagara he had 
 seen no great number of soldiers; but, on descending the St. 
 Lawrence as low as Montreal, he had found the river covered 
 with boats, and the boats filled with soldiers, in number like 
 the leaves of the trees. He had met them on their way up 
 the river, coming to make war upon the Indians. 
 
 " The chief had a third question to propose; and the spirit 
 without a fresh journey to Fort Niagara, was able to give it 
 an instant and most favorable answer. * If/ said the chief, 
 * the Indians visit Sir William Johnson, will they be 
 received as friends?' 
 
 "' Sir William Johnson,' said the spirit (and after the 
 spirit, the priest), ' Sir William Johnson will fill their canoes 
 with presents: with blankets, kettles, guns, gunpowder, and 
 shot, and large barrels of rum, such as the stoutest of the 
 Indians will not be able to lift; and every mJin will return in 
 safety to his family.' At this, the transport was universal; 
 
142 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 and, amid the clapping of hands, a hundred voices exclaimed, 
 * I will go too! I will go tool ' 
 
 **The questions of public interest being resolved, individ- 
 uals were now permitted to seize the opportunity of inquir- 
 ing into the condition of their absent friendf, and the fate 
 of such as were sick. I observed that the answers given to 
 these questions allowed of much latitude of interx)retation. 
 
 "The Great Turtle continued to be consulted till near 
 midnight, when all the crowd dispersed to their respective 
 lodges. 
 
 " I was on the watch, through the scene I have described, 
 to detect the particular contrivances by which the fraud was 
 carried on; but such was the skill displayed in the perform- 
 ance, or such my deficiency of penetration, that I made no 
 discoveries, but came away, as I went, with no more than 
 those general surmises which will naturally be entertained 
 by every reader." 
 
 Henry accompanied the Indian deputation, and reached 
 Fort Niagara in safety, where he was received in the most 
 cordial manner by Sir William Johnson. 
 
 You will doubtless be interested to know the fate of Mina- 
 vavana, or the Grand Saulteur who led the Ojibwas at the 
 massacre of Michilimackinac. The following note is from J. 
 Carver, Esq., an English gentleman who visited Michili- 
 mackinac in the year 1766, three years after the massacre: 
 
 "The first I accosted were C'lippewas, inhabiting near the 
 Ottowan lakes, who received me with great coidiality, and 
 shook me by the hand in token of friendship. Af some little 
 distance behind these stood a chief, remarkably tall and well 
 made, bnt of so stern an aspect that the most undaunted per- 
 son could not behold him without feeling some degree of 
 terror. He seemed to have passed the meridian of life, and 
 by the mode in which he was painted and tattooed, I dis- 
 
THE ESCAPE OF HENRY AND OTHERS. 143 
 
 covered that he was of hig!i rank. However, I approached 
 him in a courteous manner, and expected to have met 
 with the same reception I had done from tho others; but, to 
 my great surprise, he withheld his hand, and looking fiercely 
 at me, said in the Chippewa tongue, 'Caurin nishishin saga- 
 nosh'; that is, 'The English are no good.' Ao he had his 
 tomahawk in his hand, I expected that this laconic sentence 
 would have been followed by a blow, to prevent which I drew 
 a pistol from my bolt, and holding.it in a careless ])G8ition, 
 passed close by him, to let him see I was not afraid of him. 
 
 ** I learned soon after, from the other Indians, that this 
 was a chief called by the French the Grand Saulteur, or the 
 Great Chippewa Chief; for they denominate the Chippewas, 
 Saulteurs. They likewise told me that he had been always a 
 steady friend to that people, and when they delivered up 
 Michilimackinac to the English, on their evacuation of Can- 
 ada, the Great Saulteur had sworn that he would ever remain 
 the avowed enemy of its new possessors, as the territories on 
 which the fort is built belonged to him. 
 
 "Since I came to England I have been informed that the 
 Grand Saulteur, having rendered himself more and more dis- 
 gustful to the English by his inveterate enmity toward them, 
 was at length stabbed in his tent, as he encamped near Mich- 
 ilimackinac, by a trader." (Carver's Travels.) 
 
 A little more than a year after the massacre, Michilimack- 
 inac was occupied by the coureurs de hois and such Indian 
 bands as chose to make it a temporary residence; but after 
 the treaty with the Indians, Captain Howard, with a detach- 
 ment of troops, was sent by Col. Bradstreet to take possession 
 of it, and "once more the cross of St. George was a rallying 
 point, and the protection of the adventurous traders." 
 
144 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 After a treaty of peace had been made with the Indians, 
 and the fort reoccupied by Capt. Howard's forces, confidence 
 was restored, and the fur trade resumed. 
 
 Sir William Johnson wrote to Gen'l Gage. "Johnson Hall, 
 Jany. 15th, 17G7." Extract. " As Michilimakinak seems 
 now to be our principal mart of trade and that for sevl 
 reasons it should be well and Duly Inspected I think a Com. 
 issr there very necessary and shall be glad of your 
 thoughts about it, which if agreeable to mine, I shall 
 remove one of the Comissr to that place early in the 
 spring." * * * (p. 835 Doc. Hist. N. Y.) 
 
 Reply of " Geu'l Gage to Sir \Vm. Johnson, New York, 
 Jany 35th, 1767." 
 
 Extract. " Michilimakinak seeais to be the most material 
 Post we have, and certainly more necessary for a Commissary 
 than any other. 
 
 '* Sir Henry Moore shall be acquainted with your desire 
 concerning the Traders being obliged to take passes. 
 
 ** It is reported that all the Traders who came this year to 
 Missilimackinac have been permitted to ramble wherever 
 they chose." * * * * * rpj^^^g^ Gage." 
 
 " Sir. Wm. Johnson, Bart. Johnson's Hall, (p 873 Doc. 
 Hist. N. Y.) 
 
 " For the next thirteen years the history of the post 
 appears to have been the usual military routine with the 
 annual gathering and departure of the fur-traders, until the 
 garrison was removed to Michilimackinac Island in 1780-81. 
 
 1780. Michilimackinac Island and the present Fort 
 Mackinac ( '* MichiJ'mackinac." ) 
 
H 
 ao 
 -11 
 
 W 
 
 o 
 
 !^ 
 I— I 
 
 '^ 
 o 
 o 
 
 I— I 
 
 o 
 
 10 
 
146 HISTORY OF MAOEINAO. 
 
 The following year, 1764, after the massacre, at South 
 Fort Michilimackinac the^French began to move to the island 
 and the present settlement may be said to date from that 
 period. Although the scene of action, during the war of 
 1775-83, was far from the region of the straits of Mackinac 
 the island had its part in that revolution. It was selected on 
 account of its commanding position, adaptability for defense, 
 with a small force, and strategic importance, and garrisoned. 
 
 From fear of attack by the United States forces, and " as a 
 measure of safety,'' Major A. S. DePeyester commanding 
 (South) Fort Michilimackinac, and under instructions, with: 
 "' In 1779, a party of British Officers, passed over from the 
 point of the peninsula to the island of Michilimackinac to 
 reconnoiter, with the intention of removing the fort thither. 
 After selecting a location, they asked permission of the Indi- 
 ans to occupy it. Some time elapsed before their consent could 
 be obtained; consequently the removal was not effected until 
 the ensuing summer. A government house and a few other 
 buildings were erected on the site of the present village, and 
 the troops took possession on the 15th of July, 1780. 
 
 " The removal of the inhabitants from the main land to 
 the island was gradual, and the fort which was built on the 
 site of the present one, was not completed until 1783.'' 
 
 On the 4th of October, 1779, Major Patrick Sinclair, 
 Lieut. Governor, arrived and assumed command of (South) 
 Michilimackinac, relieving Major De Peyster, who left, Oct. 
 15th, on His Majesty's Sloop of War, "Welcome," bound for 
 Detroit. 
 
 There is somewhere packed away with my old books and 
 papers, the original parchment deed of the Island of Michili- 
 mackinac, from the Chippewa Indians, to St. Clair. It 
 reserved a stone's cast, or one hundred feet, of the beach 
 around the island to Indians for camping purposes forever. 
 
FORT MOVED TO MICHILTMACKINAC ISLAND. 147 
 
 Maj. Sinclair sent to the island, Nov. 6, 1779, the sloop of 
 war ''Welcome/' with workmen and the timbers of a house 
 to be erected for them to live in. The government house 
 was erected in the garden, below the present fort, on the 
 level, nearly in front of where the stable now stands. 
 
 February and March, 1780, when the ice was firm, the 
 Catholic church, on the south shore, was taken down, the 
 logs hauled over, and the church re-tuilt on the "old ceme- 
 tery " lot on Market street, and (old) Church street. A 
 government wharf was built of log cribs, filled with stone, in 
 the bay in the front of the present south sally-port of the 
 fort. On the 4th of November Lieut. Governor and Com- 
 mander Sinclair moved over to the island and established his 
 headquarters. 
 
 During the winter of 1780-81 the sloops "Welcome," 
 "Angelica," "Archangel," and schooner "De Peyster"laid 
 np at the island in the harbor. A block house was com- 
 pleted east of the government house, on the present school 
 lot, and in January the crews of the vessels were quartered 
 therein. 
 
 During the fall of 1780 the sash, doors and casings and 
 other wood work of many buildings were sent over in vessels 
 to the island; and in the following winter the logs and tim- 
 bers taken down were hauled over on the ice. Pine and 
 cedar logs and timbers were also whip-sawed at Pine river, on 
 the north shore, and transported. When spring came, the 
 traders pulled down their buildings and rafted them to the 
 island, where the logs were again put up. Their provisions 
 and goods were sent in boats. The entire movement of the 
 troops was not completed until late in the summer of 1781. 
 
 The stone quarters for oflScers, block houses, magazines, 
 and walls of the fort appear to have been constructed of the 
 hard limestone formation of the island, quarried near by. 
 
148 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 with an idea of the security and permanency of the British 
 Empire. Wells were dug for water supply, and there was a 
 system for elevating water through lead pipes (borel^ inch 
 diameter) from springs at the foot of the hill, west of the 
 fort. Water is now forced up by steam pump from the same 
 source into a reservoir in the second story of the north block- 
 house, and from thence distributed about the fort. Water 
 was also conveyed through log piping to the stores, ware- 
 houses and dwellings of the fur company. Apple, cherry and 
 plum orchards were planted, with currants and gooseberries 
 in the gardens. All accounts show that they raised the finest 
 of fruits and vegetables. Some of the apple trees are there 
 to this day, and can be found at St. Ignace and vicinity, on 
 Bois Blanc, Drummond's and St. Joseph's islands. All of 
 these fruits, and pears, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries 
 and hardy vegetables grow to perfection in this region. The 
 British continued to improve the fort and strengthen the 
 position until 1796, when their troops were withdrawn to St. 
 Joseph's Island. 
 
LIST OF FRENCH AND ENGLISH OFFICERS. 149 
 
 HISTORICAL RESUME AND LIST OF OFFICERS, FRENCH 
 AND ENGLISH, AT MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 1634. John Nicolet passes through the straits convoyed to 
 
 Green Bay. 
 1665. Nicholas Perrot, interpreter and officer, passes the 
 
 straits to Green Bay. 
 1669. Father Allouez, S. J. in the straits, at St. Martinis 
 
 Islands, St. Ignace, and Michilimackinac Island bound 
 
 for Green Bay. 
 1669-71. Father Dablon, S. J., at Michilimackinac Island. 
 1670-71. Father Jaques Marquette, S. J., at Michilimackinac 
 
 Island. 
 
 1671. Mission at St. Ignace du Michilimackinac founded by 
 Marquette by direction of- Dablon. 
 
 1672. Dec. 1. Joliet arrived at St. Ignace. 
 
 1673. Marquette and Joliet start on their voyage of discovery. 
 1679. KoJbert Cavelier de La Salle, with Henry DeTonty, Du 
 
 Lhut and Father Hennepin arrive, Aug. 27, at St. 
 
 Ignace, on the " Griffon," and spend some days. 
 1680-81. Du Lhut winters at St. Ignace. 
 1681. M. De Villeraye commanding Michilimackinac. 
 1684. M. de la Durantaye commanding Michilimackinac. 
 
 1684. M. de la Valtrie acting commander of Michilimackinac, 
 while Du Lhut and Perrot, with Ottawas, are in La 
 Barre's campaign against the Iroquois. 
 
 1685. M. de la Durantaye commanding Michilimackinac and 
 dependencies. 
 
 1688. Baron La Houtan at Michilimackinac. 
 1690. M. de la Pore Louvigny commanding Michilimackinac 
 and dependencies. 
 
150 HISTORY OP MACKINAC. 
 
 1694. M. de la Motte Cadillac commanding Michilimackinac 
 and dependencies. 
 
 1695. Cadillac advises an expedition against the Iroquois 
 that takes the field, and many prisoners are brought 
 back by the Michilimackinac Indians. Frontenac 
 orders nine posts, among them Green Bay and Sault 
 Ste. Marie, placed subject to the command of Cad- 
 illac. A treaty of peace made by Le Baron, a Huron 
 chief, with the Iroquois. Thirty Iroquois scalps 
 brought to Michilimackinac, and thirty-two prison- 
 ers, by the Potawatomies and other Algonquin Indians. 
 
 1701. Cadillac leaves Michilimackinac (St. Ignace), to found 
 Detroit and Fort Pontchartrain, taking many Indians 
 with him. Perrot and Father Enjabron at Michili- 
 mackinac. 
 
 1702-3. The Hurons and more Ottawas go to Detroit. 
 
 1705. The Jesuits burn their church at St. Ignace and move, 
 with most of the French, to Quebec. 
 
 1712. Fort Michilimackinac regarrisoned by M. De Louvigny 
 and command. 
 
 1721- Father Charlevoix visits Michilimackinac. 
 
 1728. M. De Lignery's expedition from South Michilimacki- 
 nac. 
 
 1730. M. de Buisson comd'g (South) Michilimackinac. 
 
 1743. M. de Blainville, Commandant, Michilimackinac. 
 
 1744. M. de Vivchevet, Commandant; Michilimackinac. 
 
 1745. Louis de la Corne, Capt. and King's Commandant, 
 Michilimackinac. 
 
 1747. M. de Noyelle, jr.. Commandant, Michilimackinac. 
 
 1748. M. Jacques Legardeur St. Pierre, Commandant, Mich- 
 ilimackinac. 
 
 1750. M. Duplessis Faber, Capt. and King's Commandant, 
 Michilimackinac. 
 
LIST OF FRENCH AND ENGLISH OFFICERS. 151 
 
 1753-54. M. Beaujeu de Villemonde, Capt. and King's Com- 
 mandant, Michilimackinac. 
 
 1754-55. Mons Herbin. Capt. and King's Commandant, 
 Michilimackinac. 
 
 1758-60. M. Beanjeu de Villemonde, Capt. and King's Com- 
 mandant, Michilimackinac. 
 
 1761. Capt. Belfour, 80th Regt., comd'g Michilimackinac. 
 
 1761. Oct. 21st, Lieut. Leslie, 60th Royal Amer., comd'g 
 Michilimackinac. 
 
 1763. Geo. Etherington, Capt. 60th Royal Amer., comd'g 
 Michilimackinac. 
 
 1763. Massacre at Michilimackinac, June -^A. 
 
 1764. Capt. Howard, comd'g Michilimackinac. 
 
 1774-79. A. S. De Peyster, Major, comd'g Michilimackinac 
 and dependencies. 
 
 1779-82. Patrick Sinclair, Major, comd'g Michilimackinac 
 and dependencies. 
 July 15th, 1780, Major Sinclair transferred part of 
 his troops to Michilimackinac (*•' Mackinac") 
 Island and there established the 3d Fort Michili- 
 mackinac; and, Nov. 4th, following, Sinclair him 
 self removed to the island permanently. 
 
 1782-87. Daniel Robertson, Capt., comd'g Michilimackinac 
 and dependencies. 
 
 1791-96. Edward Charleton, Capt. 5th Regt. Foot, comd'g 
 Michilimackinac. 
 
 1796. Occupation of Mackinac Island by the troops of the 
 United States. 
 
152 HISTORY OF MACKINAC, 
 
 MICHILIMACKINAC UNDER THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 At the close of 1775-83 the independence of the United 
 States of America was acknowledged by Great Britain and by 
 the terms of the Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783, the post 
 of Michilimackinac ("Mackinac")., with others on the lakes, 
 became a part of the Republic. On various pretexts the 
 British retained possession of this and other forts until after 
 the treaty promulgated on the 29th of February, 1796, in 
 which it was stipulated that all British troops should be with- 
 drawn from posts within the boundaries by June 1, 1796. 
 By a treaty between the United States and the Potawatomies^ 
 Chippewas, Ottawas, Shawnees, Delawares and other Indian 
 tribes, at Greeville, Ohio, August 3, 1795, the Indians ceded 
 the fort of Michilimackinac and Island, with the adjacent 
 main land, wherever the title of the Indians had been extin- 
 guished by grants and gifts to the French and English gov- 
 ernments, and a piece of land north of Michilimackinac 
 Island, on the main shore, to measure six miles along the 
 strait between Lakes Huron and Michigan, extending three 
 miles back from the water. The Chippewas also included 
 Bois Blanc Island as a voluntary gift. 
 
 1796. The first United States troops to occupy Fort Mich- 
 ilimackinac, on the island, was the command of Major Henry 
 Burbeck, who, with one company of Artillerists and Engin- 
 eers, and a company of the 1st Infantry and three officers 
 arrived in October, 1796, and took possession. In 1802, Rev. 
 David Bacon, Presbyterian, who had been for two years a 
 missionary at Detroit, sent by the Connecticut Board of Mis- 
 sions, was assigned to Mackinac Island to preach and teach. 
 He was the first Protestant clergyman to the island, but was 
 
MICHILIMACKINAC UNDER THE UNITED STATES. 153 
 
 re-called in August, 1804. Until 1813 matters appear to 
 have been conducted without disturbance, the only excite- 
 ment being the business of the Fur Company, and the annual 
 arrival and departure of the "Brigade Commanders,'* with 
 their men, boats and outfits, to the various trapping and 
 trading stations. 
 
 List of United States Army Officers Stationed at Fort Mich- 
 ilimachinac from 1796 to 1812, A. D. 
 
 Henry Burbeck, Major, Artillerists and Engineers, 1796. 
 
 Ebenezer Massay, Lieut., Artillerists and Engineers, 1796. 
 
 Abner Prior, Captain, 1st Infantry, 1796. 
 
 John Michael, Lieut., Ist Infantry, 1796. 
 
 John Wiley, 1st Lieut., Artillerists and Engineers, 1800. 
 
 Thomas Hunt, Major, 1st Artillerists and Engineers, 18» '2. 
 
 Josiah Dunham, Capt., Artillerists and Engineers, 1802. 
 
 Francis LeBarron, Surgeon's Mate, 1802. 
 
 Jacob Kingsbury, Lieut. Colonel, 1st Infantry, 1804. 
 
 Jonathan Eastman, 1st Lieutenant, Artillerists, 1807. 
 
 * Lewis Howard, Captain, Artillerists, 1808. 
 
 Porter Hanks, 1st Lieutenant, Artillerists, 1808. 
 
 Archibald Darragh, 2d Lieutenant, Artillerists, 1808. 
 
 Sylvester Day, Garrison Surgeon's Mate, 1810. 
 
 *Died January 13, 1811. 
 
154 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 WAR OF 1813-15. 
 
 June 19, 1812, in accordance "with declarative Act of Con- 
 gress, President Madison proclaimed war with Great Britain. 
 
 During that war the British generally, got the worst of it 
 on the sea, and the United States on the land, until the final 
 battle of New Orleans (fought January 8th, 1815, after peace 
 had been concluded) when the British forces were defeated. 
 Without noting what occurred elsewhere we shall confine 
 ourselves to the operations at Mackinac Island and vicinity. 
 
 In the spring of 1812 Fort Mackinac was all within the 
 inner intersecting lines of the three block-houses and the slope 
 in front very much as it is now; there were no buildings 
 without the lines. The only approaches were through the 
 south and north arched sally-ports, each provided with a 
 portcullis, that could be instantly dropped. They were, 
 both, additionally secured by gates, double planked, that 
 could be closed at any time during the night or day. Strong, 
 squared, cedar "palisades" pickets, were set vertically on 
 the walls and in the ground intersecting the inner lines of the 
 block-houses. They were about 10 feet high, pointed at the 
 top, pierced at intervals, by two rows of loop-holes, (one- 
 half on two adjoining pickets) for musketry, angled from 
 within outwards so that the fire could be delivered, standing 
 or kneeling at the enemy in any direction. Near the block- 
 houses strong, three-pronged, sharp, iron spikes, were set in 
 the apexes of the pickets and like spikes and pointed hooks 
 wherever the ground approaches seemed to favor scaling 
 parties. The block-houses were armed with iron cannonades 
 that protected the picket walls of the fort and iron guns were 
 planted at convenient places so as to rake the hill-sides and 
 other approaches. 
 
SURRENDER OF MICHILIMACKINAO. 155 
 
 Lieut. Hanks commanding Fort Mackinac and the people 
 of the island generally, had reason to expect a declaration of 
 war and measures for safety were taken. The British com- 
 mander at St. Jost^ph's Island, Capt. Charles Roberts, 10th 
 Royal Veteran Battalion, got the first notification. It is 
 believed it reached Roberts through the agents of the fur 
 companies, as the traders of the Mackinac company were 
 mostly English, and both companies were unfriendly to the 
 United States. He was advised in the message from General 
 Brock, his superior, to attack the fort of Michilimackinac 
 at once, as the best means of preserving his own position. 
 Capt. Roberts received the message July loth. On the 
 morning of the 16th he embarked for Michilimackinac, on 
 the N. W. Fur Co's ship, " Caledonia, ^^ with two iron six 
 pounders, ten batteaux and seventy canoes. His force con- 
 sisted of 43 regulars and 4 officers, 260 Canadians, 572 
 Chippewas and Ottawas, 56 Sioux, 48 Winnebagoes, and 39 
 Menomonies, being 306 white men and 718 Indians, all told 
 1021. 
 
 At 3 o'clock A. M., July 17th, they arrived at the north- 
 west bay, facing St. Ignace, and began to debark. The Can- 
 adians attached ropes to the guns and hauled one of them to 
 the top of the hill commanding the fort. The other gun 
 was brought over in the same way and planted in the rear of 
 the fort. Just before daybreak. At 11:30 a. m. an officer with 
 a flag of truce, approached and demanded the surrender of 
 the fort. The official report of Lieut. Hanks will give the 
 cause and reasons. 
 
 Copy of the official report of Lieut. Porter Hanks, to 
 General Hull, announcing the surrender of Fort Michili- 
 mackinac, July 17th, 1812, "to his Britannic Majesty's 
 forces: " 
 
166 HISTORY OF MACKTNAO. 
 
 ••Detp it, August 12th, 1813. 
 
 •* Sir— I take the earliest opportunity to acquaint Your Excellency 
 of the surrender of the garrison of Michilimackinac, under my com- 
 mand, to his Britannic Majesty's forces under the cominand of 
 Captain Charles Roberts, on the 17th ultimo, the particulars of 
 which are as follows: On the 16th, I was informed by the Indian 
 Interpreter that he had discovered from an Indian that the several 
 nations of Indians then at St. Joseph (a British garrison, distant about 
 forty miles) intended to make an immediate attack on Michili- 
 mackinac. 
 
 " I was inclined, from the coolness I had discovered in some of the 
 principal chiefs of the Ottawa and Chippewa nations, who had but 
 a few days before professed the greatest friendship for the United 
 States, to place confidence in this report. 
 
 " I immediately called a meeting of the American gentlemen at 
 that time on the island, in which it was thought proper to dispatch 
 a confidential person to St. Joseph to watch the motions of the 
 Indians. 
 
 "Captain Michael Dousman, of the militia, was thought the most 
 suitable for this service. He embarked about sunset, and met the 
 British forces within ten or fifteen miles of the island, by whom he 
 was made prisoner and put on his parole of honor. He was landed 
 on the island at daybreak, with positive directions to give me no 
 intelligence whatever. He was also instructed to take the inhabi- 
 tants of the village, indiscriminately, to a place on the west side of 
 the island where their persons ard property should be protected by a 
 British guard, but should they go to the Fort, they would be subject 
 to a general massacre by the savages, which would be inevitable if 
 the garrison fired a gun. This information I received from Dr. Day, 
 who was passing through the village when every person was flying 
 for refuge to the enemy. I immediately, on being informed of the 
 approach of the enemy, placed ammunition, etc., in the Block 
 houses; ordered every gun charged, and made every preparation for 
 action. About 9 o'clock I could discover that the enemy were in 
 possession of the heights that commanded the Fort, and one piece of 
 their artillery directed to the most defenseless part of the garrison. 
 The Indians at this time were to be seen in great numbers in the edge 
 of the woods. 
 
SURRENDER OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 157 
 
 "At half pfii«t ll o'clock the enemy sent in a flag of truce, demand- 
 ing a surrender of the Fort and island to his Britannic Majesty's 
 forces. This, Sir, was the first information I had of the declaration 
 of war; I, however, had anticipated it, and was as well prepared to 
 meet such an event as I possibly could have been with the force 
 under my command, amounting to 57 effective men, including 
 oiScers. Three American gentlemen, who were prisoners, were per- 
 mitted to ac(;ompany the flag: from them I ascertained the strength 
 of the eaemy to be from nine hundred to one thousand strong, con- 
 sisting of regular troops, Canadians and savages; that they had two 
 pieces of artillery, and were provided with ladders and ropes for the 
 purpose of scaling the works, if necessary. After I had obtained 
 this information, I consulted my oflScers, and also the American 
 gentlemen present, who were very intelligent men; the nsuii of 
 which was, that it was impossible for the garrison to hold out 
 against sucih a superior force. In this opinion I fully concurred, 
 from the conviction that it waa the only measure that could prevent 
 a general massacre. The Fort and garrison were accordingly 
 surrendered. 
 
 "The enclosed papers exhibit copies of the correspondence 
 between the officer commanding the British forces and myself, and 
 of the articles of capitulation. This subject involved questions of a 
 peculiar nature; and I hope, Sir, that my demands and protests will 
 meet the approbation of .ay government. I cannot allow this 
 opportunity to escape without axpressing my obligation to Doctor 
 Sylvester Day, for the service he rendered me in conducting this 
 corresix)ndence. 
 
 " In consequence of this unfortunate affair, I beg leave, Sir, to 
 demand that a Court of Inquiry may be ordered to investigate all 
 the facts connected with it: and I do further request, that the court 
 may be specially directed to express their opinion on the merits of 
 the case. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 "PORTER HANKS, 
 
 ''Lieutenant of Artillery.^* 
 •' His Excellency General Hull, 
 
 "Commanding the N. W. Army." 
 P..S. * * " It may be also remarked that one hundred and fifty 
 
158 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 Chippewas and Ottawas joined the British forces two days after the 
 capitulation. . P. H." 
 
 CAPITULATION. 
 
 By the terms of that instrument, agreement between Cap- 
 tain Charles Roberts, commanding his Britannic Majesty^s 
 forces, and Lieut. Porter Hanks, commanding those of the 
 United States of America, the fort and islands were to be 
 surrendered and the troops allowed to march out with the 
 honors of war, and then deliver their arms. They were to be 
 sent to United States stations as paroled prisoners of war, on 
 their honor, not to fight until exchanged. All private prop- 
 erty of individuals was to be respected and the vessels in the 
 harbor, with their cargoes. All citizens of the United States 
 who refused to take the oath of allegiance to the British 
 King were allowed to leave the island within one month from 
 the date of the surrender. 
 
 Lieut. Hanks had but fifty-seven effective men and five 
 sick men and a drummer boy. Taking into consideration 
 the odds against him and the fact that he did not know that 
 war existed, or had been declared, also the unfriendly dispo- 
 sition of the Fur Companies, coupled with the temper of the 
 Indians, whom the Fur Companies influenced and largely 
 controlled, resistance would have been hopeless and fatal. 
 
 The other officers besides Lieut. Hanks surrendered and 
 paroled, were 2d Lieut. Archibald Darrah and Dr. Sylvester 
 Day, Garrison Surgeon's Mate. Dr. Day had quarters with- 
 out the fort, in the village, in a house on Market street, at 
 the head of "Old" Church street; the lot now belongs to the 
 Donnelly estate. Capt. Michael Dousman, whom Lieut. 
 Hanks dispatched to watch the motions of the Indians, and 
 was captured by Roberts, was an agent of the South West 
 Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor was president. 
 Mr. Dousman had in the winter sent Wm. Aikins and John 
 
SURRENDER OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 159 
 
 Drew to trade and purchase furs of the Lake Superior Ind- 
 ians. He heard they had returned to Sault Ste. Marie, and 
 judged from the actions of the Mackinac Indians, there was 
 cause for their non-appearance at the island. When Mr. 
 Dousman returned to the island he called at the house of Mr. 
 Ambrose Davenport and notified him, next on Dr. Day, and 
 in turn, t^e citizens. Dr. Day went immediately to the fort. 
 The people all gathered at the 'Distillery," for refuge, where 
 the British, after landing, placed a guard. The "Distillery" 
 was near the Indian cemetery, under the bluff to the west of 
 the village. The three gentlemen, prisoners, referred to by 
 Lieut. Hanks, and who accompanied the flag of truce, were 
 John Dousman, Samuel Abbott and Ambrose E. Davenport. 
 
 At that time the village was small and compact. The 
 houses were one-story log structures roofed with bark, 
 except the two-storied (Dr. Mitchell) residence with mansard 
 roof, now standing, on Market street. There were, in the 
 harbor, nine small vessels, each with an average crew of five 
 or six men. Two other vessels arrived after the surrender, 
 loaded with furs. All the building lots, gardens and gov- 
 ernment inclosure were fenced, for protection, by high cedar 
 pickets, firmly set in the ground, that gave the town a weird 
 and foreign aspect. Many stumps of pickets can be traced, 
 on dividing lines, to this day, and some shortened ones are 
 still standing. 
 
 After the surrender the citizens were assembled at the gov- 
 ernment house to have the oath of allegiance to the British 
 Crown administered, which most of them willingly took. 
 Messrs. Samuel Abbott, Stone, Bostwick, Davenport and 
 Dousman brothers, refusing to subscribe to the oath, were 
 sent away with the soldiers. Michael Dousman was allowed 
 to remain neutral. 
 
160 
 
 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 BRITISH OCCUPATION OF THE CAPTURED FORT MICHILI- 
 
 MACKINAC AND ISLAND. 
 
 The British troops held the fort and islanc^ until the sum- 
 mer of 1815, after the close of the war. They constructed, 
 armed, and equipped the strong earthwork and out- works on 
 the "Heights above Michilimackinac," which they named 
 " Fort George, '^ in compliment to their king. The citizens 
 of the island were compelled to assist in building that re- 
 doubt. In the center of the oblong, within, a pit was exca- 
 vated, over which was erected a square block-house and mag- 
 azine made of cedar logs hewed. There were two bomb-proof 
 lookouts in advance, right and left of the gateway, connected 
 with the fort by covered, underground ways. In advance of 
 
 BLOCK HOUSE, ERECTED 1780. 
 
 these, on the edge of the hill, each facing southward and 
 westward, gun platforms, mounted with iron cannon, that 
 
A FLEET SAILS TO MICHILIMACKINAC. 161 
 
 covered the lower fort, and raked all the approaches. The 
 face of the earthwork within the moat was set with three 
 rows, interlaced, of sharpened, pointed cedar stakes, inclined 
 in as many angles, so arranged as to render it about impossi- 
 ble for an enemy to get to the top of the parapet alive. There 
 were iron guns mounted within the fort; the slope without 
 the ditch was cleared of all obstructions, and the trees on the 
 plateau below felled. The plateau in rear of the earthwork 
 was also cleared and used as a drill and parade ground. 
 
 1814. A FLEET SAILS TO MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 Although the British had captured the island key of the 
 straits, without bloodshed, they w^ere in constant fear of 
 attack from the land and naval forces of the United States. 
 
 After the memorable naval battle near the head of Lake 
 Erie between Perry and Barclay, Sept. 10th, 1813, where the 
 entire British fleet of six vessels was captured, or destroyed, 
 the tide had turned and the chances of invasion were immi- 
 nent. 
 
 April, 1814, an expedition was proposed to capture Mich- 
 ilimackinac and destroy certain vessels; the enemy were said 
 to be constructing, at Gloucester, on Matchadash Bay, south- 
 eastern extremity of Lake Huron. In accordance with 
 orders issued June 2d, following, a fleet of vessels was fitted 
 out consisting of U. S. sloops of war, '* Niagara" and 
 " Lawrence,'^ each twenty guns, and the smaller schooners, 
 "Tigress," "Detroir," "Caledonia," "Scorpion," and 
 pthers, Capt. Sinclair (commodore), on board, with a land 
 
 11 
 
162 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 force of seven hundred and fifty officers and men. Lieut. 
 Col. Croghan, commanding. Ambrose E. Davenport, of 
 Mackinac Island, was quartermaster and guide. 
 
 They sailed July 3d, and entered Lake Huron the 12th 
 instant, and made for the entrance of Matchadash Bay. It 
 was the largest and strongest fleet that had ever ridden the 
 waters of the lake. Continuous fogs delayed them, and, not 
 having a pilot, the many shoals and reefs at the inlet of the bay 
 threatened sore destruction. It takes an expert sailor, with 
 the best modern charts, to enter Georgian Bay in good, 
 clear weather. 
 
 Deeming the entrance unsafe the squadron sailed for the 
 head of the lake Then it was decided to leave part of the 
 fleet to cruise about the island, and with the rest of them to 
 go to St. Joseph's, and destroy that fort before going to 
 Michilimackinac. If they had assailed the island first, it is 
 thought, it might have been taken (as it occurred in 1812), 
 without firing a shot, as the enemy had only one small com- 
 pany in the fort. The delay allowed the British time to fortify 
 and secure Canadian and Indian allies, which led to the subse- 
 quent defeat of the United States invading forces. Col. Cro- 
 ghan arrived, with the detached expedition, at St. Joseph's 
 Island, July 20th, and burned the fort but left the town and 
 N. W. Fur Co.'s warehouses intact. Whilst there, wind 
 bound, he captured that company's schooner, "Mink," 
 bound up from Mackinac Island to Sault Ste. Marie loaded 
 with flour. From parties on the " Mink " he learned the 
 flour was to be transported to Fort Williams, by the schooner 
 Perseverence then waiting above the falls. 
 
 Lieut. Turner, with a naval party, was dispatched to cap- 
 ture the schooner, and, if possible, to get her below the falls, 
 Maj. Holmes, with regulars, was in command, intending to 
 get possession of the fort of Sault Ste. Marie and destroy it. 
 
CAPTURE OF THE SCHOONER PERSEVERANCE. 163 
 
 Lieutenant Turner's report to Commodore Sinclair relates 
 what was accomplished : • 
 
 ** U. S. Schooner *' Scorpion," off Michilimackinac, 
 
 July 28th, 1814. 
 
 •* Sir: I have the honor to inform you, that agreeable to your 
 orders of the 22nd instant, I proceeded on the expedition to Lake 
 Superior with the launches. I rowed night and day; but having a 
 distance of sixty miles, against a strong current, information had 
 reached the enemy at St. Mary's of our approach about two hours 
 before I arrived at that place, carried by Indians in their light 
 canoes; several of whom I chased, and by firing on Ihem, killed some 
 and prevented their purposes; some 1 captured and kept prisoners 
 until my arrival, others escaped. The force under Major Holmes 
 prevented anything like resistance at the fort, the enemy, with their 
 Indians, carrying with them all the light valuable articles, peltry, 
 clothes, etc. I proceeded across the strait of Lake Superior without 
 a moment's delay; and on my appearance, the enemy, finding they 
 could not get off with the vessel I was in quest of, set fire to her in 
 several places, scuttled, and left her. I succeeded in boarding her, 
 and by considerable exertions extinguished the flames, and secured 
 her from sinking. I then stripped her and prepared for getting her 
 down the falls. Adverse winds prevented my attempting the falls 
 until the 26th, when every possible effort was used, but I am sorry 
 to say without success, to get her over in safety. The fall in three- 
 quarters of a mile is forty-five feet, and the channel very rocky; the 
 current runs from twenty to thirty knots, and in one place there is a 
 perpendicular leap of ten feet between three rocks; here she bilged, 
 but was brought down so rapidly that we succeeded in running her 
 on shore below the rapids before she filled, and burned her. She 
 was a fine new schooner, upward of one hundred tons, called the 
 •' Perseverance," and will be a severe loss to the North-west Company. 
 Had I succeeded in getting her safe, I could have loaded her to 
 advantage from the enemy's storehouses. I have, however, brought 
 down four captured boats loaded with Indian goods to a considera- 
 ble amount; the balance, contained in four large and two small 
 storehouses, were destroyed, amounting in value from fifty to one 
 hundred thousand dollars. All private property was, according to 
 
164 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 your orders, respected. The officers and men under my command 
 behaved with great activity and zeal, particularly Midshipman 
 Swartwout. 
 
 •' I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your obedient 
 servant, Daniel Turner." 
 
 After Holmes and Turner returned from St. Mary's Falls, 
 with the launches, to St. Joseph's Island, the squadron sailed 
 for Michilimaekinac, arriving July 26th. Since their first 
 appearance off Bois Blanc Island, Lieut. Colonel Robert Mc- 
 Douall, (Glengarry Light Infantry, Fencibles), commanding, 
 had ample to plant cannon at assailable points, muster Cana- 
 dian and Indian allies, and prepare for defense. Guns were 
 planted to command all water approaches, the heights, the 
 elevation above the distillery, on the hill west of the fort and 
 convenient places east to Robinson's Folly. 
 
 The fleet came to anchor at the foot of Round Island. They 
 were at once obliged to move towards Bois Blanc Island to 
 avoid the range of the enemy's guns, that opened fire, and 
 rendered their position untenable. Then Col. Croghan sent 
 a force in launches to Round Island (Mr. Ambrose Davenport 
 as guide), to reconnoiter, with the view of establishing a bat- 
 tery on the water front opposite the fort. A site above the 
 ^"^ lime-kiln" was selected, facing the village, and the party 
 leisurely returned through the woods and clearings, picking 
 raspberries by the way. The British, on the alert, discovered 
 them and sent a large party of savages over in two or three 
 hundred canoes and several batteaux, who soon reached the 
 island. They pursued the stragglers to their boats and cap- 
 tured one Frenchman. One of the launches struck a rock, 
 just below the water level, and swung around as if on a pivot 
 within reach of the enemy's guns. The savages opened fire 
 and the boat returned the compliment, but no damage was 
 done. The officer in charge ordered the men to cease firing 
 
AFFAIR AT MICHILIMAOKINAC. 165 
 
 and push off the boat, which was soon done, and they re- 
 turned to the fleet. Sinclair directed a small, one-gun, vessel 
 to sail up through the Eound Island channel to head off the 
 Indians and re-take the prisoner if possible. Whenever the 
 boat, in tacking, neared the shore she was fired on hy the 
 savages, who swarmed on the beach. The fire was returned 
 from the boat with gun and small arms. No one was injured 
 but nothing was accomplished, as the wind was against them. 
 
 As the Indians were returning by the Mackinac channel, 
 the '^ Lawrence,^' anchored west of the island, fired a shot at 
 them without effect. They plied their paddles, chanting the 
 death-dirge, intending to roast their victim and feast on him. 
 When they landed. Colonel McDouall sent a strong guard, 
 who took the prisoner and conveyed him to the fort. 
 
 When the ^'^ Lawrence" was cruising, the day after, a dense 
 fog came on. As it lifted, later that day, the vessel had 
 drifted near the southwest end of the island, with little wind, 
 and in range of the enemy's guns; she was fired on from the 
 west-end battery without effect. One shot was returned by 
 the "Lawrence," but her guns could not be elevated enough 
 to strike the fort. After this, unfavorable weather prevented 
 operations several days. 
 
 Finding the place could not be carried by assault from the 
 front, or east and west sides of the island. Colonel Croghan 
 and Sinclair determined to effect a lauding in the northwest 
 bay, where Roberts debarked two years before, and make a 
 lodgment from which they could annoy and finally starve 
 out the enemy. That plan they attempted to execute, August 
 4th, and the result is shown in the following reports: 
 
BATTLE OF MICHILIMACKINAC ISLAND. 167 
 
 « 
 
 " Official report of Lieut. Col. George Croghan of the Battle of Mich- 
 
 ilimackinac Island. 
 
 " U. S. S. War, ' Niagara,' Off Thunder Bay, { 
 *' August 9th, IS U. \ 
 
 *• Sir— We left Fort Gratiot (head of the Straits St. Clair) on the 
 12th ult., and imagined that we should arrive in a few days at Mat- 
 shadash Bay. At the end of the week, however, the Commodore, 
 from the want of pilots acquainted with that unfrequented part of 
 the lake, despaired of being able to find a passage through the island 
 into the bay, and made for St. Josephs, where we anchored on the 
 20th day of July. After setting fire to the Fort of St. Josephs, which 
 seemed not to have been recently occupied, a detachment of infantry 
 and artillery, under Major Holmes, was ordered to Sault St. Mary's 
 for the purpose of breaking up the enemy's establishment at that 
 place. 
 
 "For particulars relative to the execution of this order, I beg 
 leave to refer you to Major Holmes' report, herewith enclosed. Find- 
 ing on my arrival at Michilimackinac, on the 26th ult., that the 
 enemy had strongly fortified the height overlooking the old Fort of 
 Mackinac, I at once despaired of being able with my small force, to 
 carry the place by storm, and determined (as the only course remain- 
 ing) on landing and establishing myself on some favorable position, 
 whence I could be enabled to annoy the enemy by gradual and slow 
 approaches, under cover of my artillery, in which I should have the 
 superiority in point of metal. I was urged to this step by another 
 reason, not a little cogent; could a position be taken and fortified on 
 the island, I was well aware that it would either induce the enemy 
 to attack me in my strongholds, or force his Indians and Canadians 
 (the most efl&cient and only disposable force) off the island, as they 
 would be very unwilling to remain in my neighborhood after a per- 
 manent footing had been taken. 
 
 •' On inquiry, I learned from individuals who had lived many 
 years on the Island, that a position desirable as I might wish could 
 be found on the west end, and therefore made arrangements f(»r dis- 
 embarking. A landing was effected on the 4th inst.,, under cover of 
 the guns of the shipping, and the line being quickly formed, had ad- 
 vanced to the edge of the field, spoken of for a camp, when the intel- 
 ligence was conveyed to me that the enemy was ahead, and a few 
 
168 HI8TORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 seconds more brought us a fire from his battery of four pieces firing 
 shot and shells. After reconnoitering his position, which was well 
 selected, his line reached along the edge of the woods, at the further 
 extremity of ihe field and covered by a temporary breast work; I 
 determined on changing my position (which was now two lines, the 
 militia forming the front), by advancing Major Holmes' battalion of 
 regulars on the right of the militia, thus to outflank him, and by a 
 vigorous effort to gain his rear. The movement was immediately 
 ordered, but before it could be executed, a fire was opened by some 
 Indians posted in a thick wood near our right, which proved fatal to 
 Major Holmes and severely wounded Captain Desha (the next officer 
 in rank). This unlucky fire, by depriving us of the services of our 
 most valuable officers, threw that part of the line into confusion 
 from which the best exertions of the oflScers were not able to recover 
 it. Finding it impossible to gain the enemy's left, owing to the im- 
 penetrable thickness of the woods, a charge was ordered to be made 
 by the regulars immediately against the front. This charge although 
 made in some confusion, served to drive the enemy back into the 
 woods, from whence an annoying fire was kept up by the Indians. 
 
 " Lieut. Morgan was ordered up with a light piece to assist the 
 left, now particularly galled ; the excellent practice of this brought 
 the enemy to fire at a longer distance. Discovering that this dispo- 
 sition from whence the enemy had just been driven (and which had 
 been represented to me as so high and commanding), was by no 
 means tenable, from being interspersed with thickets, and inter- 
 sected in every way by ravines, I determined no longer to expose 
 my force to the fire of an enemy deriving every advantage which 
 could be obtained from numbers and a knowledge of the position, 
 and therefore ordered an immediate retreat towards the shipping. 
 This affair, which cost us many valuable lives, leaves us to lament 
 the fall of that gallant officer, Major Holmes, whose character is so 
 well known to the war department. Gaptain Van Home, of the 
 19th Infantry and Lieut. Jackson of the 24th Infantry, both brave 
 intrepid young men fell mortally wounded at the head of their re- 
 spective commands. 
 
 " The conduct of all my officers on this occasion merits my appro- 
 bation. Captain Desha, of the 24th Infantry, although wounded, 
 continued with his command until forced to retire from faintness 
 through loss of blood. Captains Saunders, Hawkins and Sturges, 
 
BATTLE OF MICHILIMACiCINAC ISLAND. 169 
 
 with every subaltern of the battaMon, acted in the most exemplary 
 manner. Ensign Bryan, 2nd Rifle Regiment, acting Adjutant to 
 the battalion, actively forwarded the wishes of the commanding 
 officer. Lieuts. Hickman. 28th Infantry, and Hyde of the U. S. 
 Marines, who commanded the reserve, claim my particular thanks 
 for their activity in keeping that command in readiness to meet any 
 exigency. J have before mentioned Lieut. Morgan's activity ; his 
 two assistants, Lieut. Pickett and Mr. Peters, conductor of artillery, 
 also merit the name of good officers. 
 
 " The militia were wanting in no part of their duty. Col. Cot- 
 greave, his officers and soldiers, deserve the warmest approbation. 
 My acting assistant Adjutant General Captain N. H. Moore, 28th 
 Infantry, with volunteer Adjutant McComb, were prompt in deliver- 
 ing my orders. 
 
 " Captain Gratiot of the engineers, who volunteered his services 
 on this occasion, gave me valuable assistance. On the morning of 
 the 5th, I sent a flag to the enemy, to enquire into the state of the 
 wounded (two in number), who were left on the field, and to request 
 permission to bring away the body of Major Holmes, which was 
 also left, owing to the unpardonable neglect of the soldiers in whose 
 hands it was placed. I am happy in assuring you that the body of 
 Major Holmes is secured, and will be buried at Detroit with becom- 
 ing honors. I shall discharge the militia to-morrow, and will send 
 them down, together with two regular companies to Detroit. 
 " With the remaining three companies I shall attempt to destroy 
 the enemy's establishment in the head of Naw-taw-wa-sa-ga River, 
 and if it be thought proper, erect a post at the mouth of that river. 
 ** Very respectfully, I have the honor to remain, sir, your obedient 
 
 servant. 
 
 " G. CROGHAN, 
 
 Lieut. -Col. Snd Riflemen. 
 " To Hon. J. Armstrong, 
 
 Secretary of War." 
 
170 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 Naval Report, Battle of Michilimackinac Island, by 
 /Captain Sinclair: 
 
 •• United States Sloop of War ' Niagara,' \ 
 Off Thunder Bay, August 9th, 1814. J 
 
 " Sir — I arrived oflf Michilimackinac on the 26th of July ; but owing 
 to a tedious spell of bad weather, which prevented our reconnoiter- 
 ing, or being able to procure a prisoner who could give us informa- 
 tion of the enemy's Indian force, which, from several little 
 skirmishes we had on an adjacent island, appeared to be very great, 
 we did not attempt a landing until the 4th inst., and it was then 
 made more with a view to ascertain positively the enemy's strength 
 than with any possible hope of success; knowing, at the same time, 
 that I could effectually cover their landing and retreat to the ships, 
 from the position I had taken within 300 yards of the beach. Col. 
 Croghan would never have landed, even with his protection, being 
 positive, as he was, that the Indian force alone on the island, with 
 the advantages they had, were superior to him, could he have justi 
 fied himself to his government, without having stronger proof than 
 appearances, that he could not effect the object in view. Mackinac 
 is, by nature, a perfect Gibraltar, being a high inaccessible rock on 
 every side, except the west, from which to the bights, you have near 
 two miles to pass through a wood, so thick that our men were shot 
 in every direction, and within a few yards of them, without being 
 able to see the Indians who did it; and a height was scarcely gained 
 before there was another within 50 or 100 yards commanding it, 
 where breastworks were erected and cannon opened on them. 
 Several of those were charged and the enemy driven from them; but 
 it was soon found the further our troops advanced the stronger the 
 enemy became, and the weaker and more bewildered our forces 
 were; several of the commanding officers were picked out and killed 
 or wounded by the savages, without seeing any of them. The men 
 were getting lost and falling into confusion, natural under such 
 circumstances, which demanded an immediate retreat, or a total 
 defeat and general massacre must have ensued. This was conducted 
 in a masterly manner by Col. Croghan, who had lost the aid of that 
 valuable and ever to be lamented officer. Major Holmes, who, with 
 Captain VanHom, was killed by the Indians. 
 
 '* The enemy were driven from many of their strongholds; but such 
 
BATTLE AT MICHILIMACKINAC ISLAND. 171 
 
 • 
 
 was the impenetrable thicknesa of the woods, that no advantage 
 gained could be profited by. Our attack would have been made 
 immediately under the lower fort, that the enemy might not have 
 been able to use his Indian force to such advantage as in the woods, 
 having discovered by drawing a fire from him in several instances, 
 that I had greatly the superiority of metal of him; but its site being 
 about 120 feet above the water, I could not, when near enough to do 
 him an injury, elevate sufficiently to batter it. Above this, nearly 
 as high again, he has another strong fort, commanding every point 
 on the island, and almost perpendicular on ail sides. Col. Croghan 
 not deeming it prudent to make a second attempt upon this place, 
 and having ascertained to a certainty that the only naval force the 
 enemy have upon the lakes consists of one schooner of four guns, I 
 have determined to despatch the "Lawrence' and " Caledonia" to 
 Lake Erie immediately, believing their services in transporting our 
 • armies there will be wanting; and it being important that the sick 
 and wounded, amounting to about 100, and that part of the detach- 
 ment not necessary to further our future operations here, should 
 reach Detroit without delay. By an intelligent prisoner, captured in 
 the " Mink," I ascertained this, and that the mechanics and others 
 sent across from York during the winter were for the purpose of 
 building a flotilla to transport reinforcements and supplies to Macki- 
 nac. An attempt was made to transport them by the way of 
 Matchadash, but it was found impracticable, from all the portages 
 being a morass; that they then resorted to a small river called 
 Nautawasaga, situated to the south of Matchadash, from which 
 there is a portage of three leagues over a good road to Lake Simcoe. 
 This place was never known until pointed out to them last summer 
 by an Indian. This river is very narrow, and has six or eight feet 
 water in it about three miles up, and is then a muddy, rapid shallow 
 for 45 miles up to the portage, where their armada was built, and their 
 storehouses are now situated. The navigation is dangerous and 
 difficult, and so obscured by rocks and bushes that no stranger could 
 ever find it. I have, however, availed myself of the means of dis- 
 covering it; I shall also blockade the mouth of French River until 
 the fall; and those being the only two channels of communication 
 by which Mackinac can possibly be supplied, and their provisions at 
 this time being extremely short, I think they will be starved into a 
 surrender. This will also cut off all supplies to the Northwest Com- 
 
172 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 pany, who ai.^ no^s^ n iarly starving, and their furs on hand can only 
 find transportation by the way of Hudson Bay. At this place I cal- 
 culate oa falling in with their schooner, which, it is said, has gone 
 there for a load of provisions, and a message sent to her not to ven- 
 ture up while we ar*^ on the Lake. 
 " Very respectfully 1 have the honor to remain, Sir, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "Arthur Sinclair. 
 " To Hon. Wm. Jones, 
 
 ^^ Secretary of the Navy.^" 
 
 Eeport of Captain N. H. Moore, 28tli Infantry, Acting 
 Assistant Adjutant General, of the killed, wounded and 
 missing, affair of August 4th, 1814: 
 
 " On Board the U. S. Sloop of War, ' Niagara,' 
 11th August, 1814. 
 
 " Artillery — wounded three privates. 
 
 " Infantry — 17th Regiment; killed, five privates; wounded two ser- 
 geants, two corporals, fifteen privates. Two privates since dead. 
 Two privates missing. 
 
 "19th Regiment — wounded, one captain, nineteen privates. Cap- 
 tain Isaac Van Home, Jr., since dead; one private since dead. 
 
 "24th Regimeiit — killed, five privates; wounded, one captain, one 
 lieutenant, three sergeants, one musician, five privates. Captain 
 Robert Desha severely; Lieut. Hezekiah Jackson since dead; one ser- 
 geant since dead. 
 
 "32nd Regiment — killed one major. Major Andrew Hunter 
 Holmes. 
 
 ' United States Marines— wounded, one sergeant. 
 
 "Ohio Militia — killed, two privates. Wounded six privates — one 
 private since dead. 
 
 "Grand total— One major and twelve privates killed; two captains, 
 one lieutenant, six sergeants, three coi*porals, one musician and 
 thirty-eight privates wounded Two privates missing. 
 
 "The above return exhibits a true statement of the killed, 
 wounded and missing in the affair of the 4th instant. 
 
 "N. H. MooRE, Captain 28th Infantry. 
 "Acting Assistant Adjutant General." 
 
BATTLE OF MIOHILIMAOKINAC ISLAND. 173 
 
 The battle was fought on Michael Dousman's farm (now 
 Earley estate), in a field, westward of the road leading from 
 the foot to the "British Landing." The enemy ^s battery 
 (four guns) was masked behind a ridge, 750 feet from the 
 road, in the old orchard, in front of the woods, to the left, 
 after entering from the harbor and village, through the 
 **red gate." The positions are delineated on the outline map. 
 When the defeated troops regained their shipping the fleet 
 moved near their former position off Bois Blanc island. 
 
 Failing to capture Michilimackinac, measures were devised 
 to prevent the arrival of supplies and starve the enemy into 
 submission. All the troops but three companies were sent 
 to General Brown at Niagara, in the "Lawrence" and 
 "Caledonia." A pilot was secured and the remaining squad- 
 ron sailed for tl o French and Nautauwasaga rivers in Georg- 
 ian Bay. French river was decided useless as a winter route 
 (the one from Montreal by way of the Ottawa portage and 
 Lak'3 Nippissiug) and was avoided, and the course laid to 
 the "Nautauwasaga" the outlet of Lake Sincoe. Here sup- 
 plies were conveyed across the peninsula from York (Toronto) 
 and reshipped to Michilimackinac and Sault 8te Marie. The 
 enemy's schooner "Nancy" was discovered a few hundred 
 yards up the river, protected by a block-house on the op- 
 posite shore. The following morning two howitzers were 
 landed and planted within range of the block-house at which 
 shells were thrown. One of the shells burst and blew uj) 
 the magazine, allowing the enemy scarcely time to escape. 
 That lighted a train laid to the vessel, that set fire to her and 
 hf r valuable cargo, and six months supplies for Fort Michi- 
 limackinac were entirely consumed. It was not considered 
 necessary to fortify and garrison the position, so Colonel 
 Croghan and Sinclair left the "Tigress" and "Scorpion" to 
 blockade the river until the ice began to form, which would 
 
174 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 prevent the forwarding of provisions. After that the rest of 
 the squadron sailed for Detroit. 
 
 The captain and several of the crew of the "Nancy^' es- 
 caped in a boat and sailed for Michilimackinac and informed 
 Col. McDouall of the disaster. That intrepid officer saw 
 that something must be done to prevent starvation, as pro- 
 visions were scarce. The command, already, on half rations, 
 had a long winter before them. An expedition was sent in 
 open boats to break the blockade. It consisted of one hundred 
 and fifty sailors and soldiers with two hundred and fifty 
 Indians. When the force arrived at the head of the bay, 
 they discovered the **Tigress" alone; she had been separated 
 several days from the ^'Scorpion." During the night of 
 September 3rd, it being very dark, she was boarded and 
 captured after a desperate encounter, in which several men 
 were killed and others wounded. The signal book fell into 
 the hands of the enemy. British officers now, having the 
 vessel and knowing her signals, captured the * 'Scorpion" at 
 dawn, on the 6th instant. That was the final stroke to the 
 ill-fated expedition and Michilimackinac was secure for 
 another winter. 
 
 Mackinac I ?land was then, as it is now, the key of the Up- 
 per Lakes. W hen held by land and naval forces combined, 
 the power in possession was master of the situation. Con- 
 sidering the remoteness of the place from other settlements 
 and the slow and limited means of communication, the 
 "affair" of August 4, 1814, and the subsequent connected 
 events, was a serious and disastrous defeat to the United 
 States. Had it not been for the terms of the treaty of peace, 
 ratified the following year, the continued occupation of the 
 fort and straits, by the British, would have been of far-reach- 
 ing effect 0' the commercial and industrial interests of this 
 nation. 
 
U. 8. TROOPS RE-OCCUrY MICHILIMAOKINAC. 175 
 
 Peace was concluded between the two contending nations 
 during the winter of 1814-15, as the result of the Treaty of 
 Ghent, December 24, 1814, and proclaimed, February 18.. 1815. 
 
 The U. S. Sloop of War, '* Niagara,'^ U. S. Schooner, 
 "Porcupine," and two chartered vessels sailed from Detroit 
 with six months supplies for Michilimackinac, in command 
 of Samuel Woodhouse, Lieut., U. S. Navy, July 3, 1815, and 
 arrived the 18th instant. There was on board a land force of 
 one company of artillery and two companies of rifles, all 
 under Colonel Anthony Butler, 2d Rifles, U. S. Army. 
 William Gamble, collector of customs, was also with the ex- 
 pedition to establish the post. 
 
 After due exchange of courtesies between the retiring and 
 in-coming commanders and their troops. Col. Butler took 
 formal possession, 12 m., July 18, 1815, of the fort and de- 
 pendencies. Col. McDouall, with the British force, then 
 retired to Drummond's Island, at the mouth of St. Mary's 
 river, where a large post was laid out. Colonel Butler left 
 Capt. Willoughby Morgan, U. S. Army, in command of Fort 
 Mackinac and returned to Detroit with the fleet. 
 
 Fort ''George" was re-named "Fort Holmes" (in honor of 
 Major Holmes) and was occupied a few days by a detachment 
 and Michael Dousman was appointed military agent of Mich- 
 ilimackinac. 
 
 Soon after the detachment was withdrawn from Fort 
 Holmes the block house was taken down and rebuilt for the 
 stable, now at the foot of the hill, in front of Fort Mackinac. 
 It is not, and never was, ornamental; and it would be a 
 great improvement to the landscape to remove all the stabler 
 and storehouses from the lake front. 
 
 August 31, 1815, Major Talbot Chambers arrived and took 
 command of Fort Mackinac, and Capt. Morgan was ordered 
 to Detroit^ 
 
176 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 In 1816 Colonel John Miller, with part of the 3d Infantry, 
 arrived, and soon thereafter left with the *Hwo companies 
 of rifles/* to establish Fort Howard at Green Bay. 
 
 THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY. 
 
 The American Fur Company was organized by John Jacob 
 Astor, who was born in Germany, and migrated to this 
 country in 1784, and settled in New York. He first worked 
 in a bakery, afterwards assisted in a toy shop and then began, 
 in a limited way, selling furs in country towns about the city. 
 From the beginning he was industriou:^ careful, prudent, 
 saving (of course successful) anrl by strict attention to busi- 
 ness, soon accumulated considerable means. In 1809 the 
 American Fur Company was chartered, under act, by the 
 state of New York, with a capital of one million dollars, 
 Astor president, and principal ehare holder. In 1811, Mr. 
 Astor, and othen;, associates of the North West Fur Co. 
 (organized 1783) bought out the '* Mackinac Company" and 
 founded, with his company, the South West Fur Company." 
 The war of 1812-15 was a damper to the fur trade. After 
 peace was concluded in 1815 Mr. Astor bought out the '' South 
 West Fur Company" and re-established the '• American 
 Fur Company." Up to that time most of the merchants and 
 employes of those companies were British and not favorable 
 to the United States. During the winter of 1815-16, through 
 the influence of Mr. Astor and his company, congress passed 
 an act prohibiting foreigners trading with Indians in the 
 United States. 
 
 In the winter of 1817-18 more active operations in the fur 
 
THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY. 177 
 
 trade began. A number of clerks and Toyagenrs were 
 engaged at Montreal, by Mr. Matthews, agent of the **Amer- 
 ican Fur Company," of Mackinac Island. Hon. Gurdon S. 
 Hubbard, of Mackinac Island and Chicago, was one of the 
 clerks enrolled for five years, at one hundred and twenty dol- 
 lars a year and board. 
 
 Matthews* force left Lachine,on the St. Lawrence, May 13th, 
 1818, in open batteaux (loaded with supplies), propelled by 
 oars. The average di^'tance made was fifteen miles a day; 
 and, at the end of a month, th>v reached Little York 
 (Toronto). From York they journeyed overland, with ox 
 teams to (Youngs Street) Lake Simcoe. They crossed the 
 lake and hauled their batteaux, with the help of a yoke of 
 oxen (they had brought in one of the boats) over the Nau- 
 tau-wa-sa-ga portage — six miles — "into the river of the same 
 name." From thence, in re-loaded batteaux, down the river, 
 through Georgian Bay, and over Lake Huron, to Mackinac 
 Island, where they landed — " at the foot of Robinson's Fol- 
 ly," July 4th. Here they were met by Ramsey Crooks and 
 Robert Stewart, the resident managers of the headquarters 
 of the " American Fur Company," and " a host of clerks and 
 voyageurs," who gave them a royal welcome, with a 4th of 
 July celebration. 
 
 1818. " Here was located Fort Mackinac, at that time garri- 
 soned by three or four companies of United States troops. 
 The village had a population of about five hundred, mostly Ca- 
 nadian French and mixed Indian blood, whose chief occupa- 
 tion was fishing in summer and hunting in winter, ^here 
 were not more than twelve white women on the island, the 
 residue of the female population being either all or part In- 
 dian. Here, during the summer months congregated the 
 traders employed by the Fur Company, bringing their collec- 
 tions from their several trading posts, which extended from 
 12 
 
178 HISTORY OP MACKINAC. 
 
 the British dominions on the north and the Missouri river in 
 the west, south and east to the white settlements; in fact, to 
 all the Indian hunting grounds, so that when all were col- 
 lected they added three thousand or more to the population. 
 
 "The Indians from the shores of the upper lakes, who 
 made this island a place of resort, numbered from two to 
 three thousand more. Their wigwams lined the entire beach 
 two or three rows deep, and with the tents of the traders 
 made the island a scene of life and animation. The voyageurs 
 were fond of fun and frolic, and the Indians indulged in 
 their love of liquor, and, by the exhibition of their war, med- 
 icine, and other dances and sports, often made both night 
 and day hideous with their yells. These voyageurs were all 
 Canadian French, and were the only people fitted for the life 
 they were compelled to endure; their cheerful temperament 
 pnd happy disposition made them contented under the priva- 
 tions and hardships incident to their call'ug." 
 
 Yearly, in July, when the "outfits" of the various out- 
 posts had returned, the furs were unpacked, counted, assort- 
 ed, appraised, the profit and loss of each ascertained, then re- 
 packed, pressed and stored in the company^s large warehouse 
 ready for shipment to Mr. Astpr in New York. The furs, or 
 pelts taken, were marten (sable), mink, otter, beaver, black, 
 silver grey, and common fox, deer, moose, elk, bear, buffalo, 
 wolverine, badger, lynx, raccoon, wild cat, muskrat, and all 
 small fur animals. 
 
 " The force of the company when all were assembled on the 
 island comprised about four hundred clerks and traders, to- 
 gether with some two thousand voyageurs. About five hun- 
 dred of these were quartered in barracks, one hundred lived 
 in the agency house,^^ now the John Jacob Astor House, " and 
 the others were camped in ■ its and accommodated in rooms 
 of the islanders. 
 
THE AMERICAN FUR' COMPANY. 179 
 
 "Dances and parties were given every night by the reBi- 
 dents of the island in honor of the traders, and they, in their 
 turn, reciprocated with balls and jollifications, which, though 
 not as elegant and costly as those of the present day, were 
 sufl[iciently so to drain from the participants all the hard 
 earnings of the winter previous/' 
 
 Each "brigade" had a stout fellow, the "bully" of that 
 crew of voyageurs who "wore a black feather in his cap," 
 and, if he got cleaned out, good naturedly gave the feather to 
 the conqueror. 
 
 Batteaux used by the " brigades " (in addition to canoes) 
 resemble the Mackinac fishing boats of the present day, but 
 were larger, with a capacity for about three tons of mer- 
 chandise, and the clothing and rations of the men. Each 
 batteau had a crew of a clerk and five men. One man 
 steered and four propelled the craft with oars. The daily 
 ration of a mess of from six to ten men, was, to each man, 
 one pint of hulled or lyed corn and from two to four ounces 
 of tallow. It was more than they could eat, better than 
 bread and meat, and was generally liked. On Saturday flour 
 was issued for Sunday pan-cakes. The voyageurs were not 
 provided with shelter and their luggage was restricted to 
 twenty pounds, carried in a bag. The commander of the 
 "brigade" selected the best boat and an extra man for 
 "orderly," "and the will of the commander was the only 
 law known." The clerks messed with the commander and 
 orderly. They had salt pork, tea and coffee, and a tent for 
 shelter. 
 
 The company had mechanics, who made and repaired 
 boats, and manufactured traps, tomahawks, nails, and other 
 articles from iron. The capital of the Fur Company was 
 immense, and their policy was to monopolize; fully nineteen- 
 twentieths of traders of the northwest were engaged by them. 
 
ISO HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 The few traders on the island were Michael Dousman, 
 Edward Biddle and John Drew, also Mrs. Mitchell, wife of 
 Dr. Mitchell, surgeon in the British army. All were under 
 the influence of the Fur Company, bought most of their 
 goods of the corporation, and sold their furs to the company. 
 
 Some of the Indian women, the mixed bloods in particular, 
 were intelligent and accomplifehed, and married prominent 
 men. Mrs. Dr. Mitchell was a mixed blood, and the widow 
 Lafromboise, whose daughter married the 11. S. Commander 
 of Fort Mackinac; also a Miss Chandler, who married a 
 prominent lawyer of Green Bay. Mrs. Edward Biddle was 
 an Indian of queenly appearance; she dressed in Indian cos- 
 tume, the finest black or blue broadcloth, beautifully orna- 
 mented with silk and moose-hair work. 
 
 The late Major John H. Kinzie conducted the Fur Com- 
 pany's retail store in the basement of a building on the corner 
 of Fort and Market streets. Here Alexander St. Martin, a 
 French Canadian youth, 18 years old, was accidentally shot, 
 June 0, 1822, by one of his companions, whilst they were 
 carelessly examining a loaded shot gun. Dr. William Beau- 
 mont, U. S. A., Post Surgeon, Fort Mackinac, was called 
 and saw St. Martin about 25 minutes after the accident. He 
 wrote — •' The charge, consisting of powder and duck shot 
 was received in the left side of the youth, he being at a dis- 
 tance of not more than one yard from the muzzle of the gun. 
 The contents entered posteriorly, in an oblique direction, 
 forward and inward, literally blowing off integii ments and 
 muscles of the size of a man's hand, fracturing and carryii^g 
 away the anterior half of the sixth rib, fracturing the fifth, 
 lacerating the lower portion of the left lobe of the lungs, the 
 diaphragm, and perforating the stomach." The wound healed 
 and left a valvular orifice that could be depressed at pleasure 
 and the contents of the stomach and action of the gastric 
 
THE AMERICAN FDR COMPANY. 181 
 
 fluids on them watched. This case led to a series of experi- 
 ments and observations that are world renowned. (See 
 "Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and 
 the Physiology of Digestion. By William Beaumont, M. D., 
 Surgeon in the U. S. Army., 1833.") 
 
 In 1823 the United Foreign Missionary Society sent Rev. 
 William Montague Ferry to establish a mission and school for 
 Indians at Mackinac Island. He arrived October 19th, and 
 opened the school in the court house with twelve Indian 
 children on the 3d of November. The school increased in 
 numbers and usefulness, and in 1825 the *' Mission House" 
 was built and the ''Mission Church*' in 1830. Many children 
 from the neighboring shores attended, and at one time there 
 were nearly two hundred in training, with an ample corps of 
 teachers. The results of the usefulness and sound principles 
 taught in that institution can be noticed to this day, in some 
 of the inhabitants of this island and vicinity. Senator Thomas 
 W. Ferry, who has done much for Mackinac Island and the 
 state at large, was born in the ** Mission House" (now a 
 hotel), in 1827, on the 1st of June. Eev. Mr. Ferry went to 
 Grand Haven in 1834, and the mission was abandoned in 
 1837. 
 
 Fort Mackinac was temporarily evacuated, October 14, 
 1839, by Capt. Samuel McKenzie's company, 2d U. S. Ar- 
 tillery, and re-occupied May 18, 1840, b*y Capt. Harvey 
 Brown's company *'H," 4th Artillery. 
 
 The Fur Company continued operations from 1815 until 
 1834, when Mr. Astor transferred his stock and charter to 
 Ramsey Crooks and associates. Mr. Crooks became the pres- 
 ident, and business continued as usual until 1842, when, on 
 account of competition with the old '' North West Fur Com- 
 pany," (British) and other causes, it was obliged to assign, 
 tttid the American Fur Company's career ended. During all 
 
182 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 that period, the company for life and trade was Mackinac, 
 and to all intents and purjioses Mackinac was the American 
 Fur Company. 
 
 The erection of the Fur Company's buildings cost fifty 
 thousand dollars, and three million dollars worth of merchan- 
 dise were annually exchanged in the Indian country for furs. 
 The amounts disbursed by the government for Indian an- 
 nuities and the support and payment of the troops each year 
 were often over one million dollars more. 
 
 Henry R. Schoolcraft, Indian Agent from 1833 to 1841, 
 author of *'Algic Researches," and other works, resided in 
 the **01d Agency" building that stood in what is now the 
 (East) fort garden, and afterwards in the '^Indian Dormi- 
 tory," west, adjoining. 
 
 With the \^'inding up of affairs of the American Fur Com- 
 pany, in 1842, the sail vessels, batteaux, small boats, build- 
 ings and other property on Mackinac Island passed into the 
 hands of private individuals and firms, who embarked in the 
 fur, fish and other branches of trade, on their own account, 
 with more or less success. The vast fur business at once 
 diminished to less than half the original volume, and finally 
 was transferred to other places until it entirely disappeared 
 from the island. 
 
FISIIEIilES OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 183 
 
 THE FISHERIES. 
 
 With the decliue of the fur trade the fishing busiuess 
 became prominent, unci the voyageurs, Indians and their 
 boats and outfits, that had been so successfully used, were 
 utilized for that purpose. The Indians resorted to Michili- 
 mackinac and vicinity, to obtain fish for subsistence long 
 before the ''pale faces'' visited this country. 
 
 As early as 1824 whitefish and trout, in small quantities, 
 salted and packed in barrels, were caught and sent to the 
 Buffalo market. All the fishing grounds for one hundred 
 and fifty miles, or more, around sent their catch to Macki- 
 nac Island, where the fish were assorted, resalted, repacked in 
 barrels ready for shipment. From 1854 to 1860 the trade in 
 sailed fish increased to over two hundred and fifty thousand 
 packages, valued at over one million dollars. Whitefish were 
 frequently taken in gill nets that weighed from twenty to 
 twenty-five pounds, and lake trout were caught that weighed 
 eighty-five pounds. . 
 
 The pound or trap nets introduced about 1865, in which 
 fish are taken whilst on the shores and shoals spawning, and 
 at all other times, have nearly ruined the business, and if it 
 were not for the artificial hatching and annual planting of 
 fry, there would be very few fish left in the lakes. Most of 
 the catch now is packed in ice and shipped fresh to Chicago 
 and other points; few are salted. The business can only be 
 revived by national legislation of a protective character, as 
 the states cannot control the "^'high seas.' 
 
 }f 
 
184 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 PEOPLE OF THE ISLAND. 
 
 Among the business firms and families of Mackinac Island 
 since the '^Os are Wendell Brothers, Toll & Rice, Lasley's, 
 Charles M. O'Malley and family, Jones, Drew, Biddle & 
 Drew, Chapman & Gray, William Scott, Edward Kanter, 
 Peter White ( *'Pere Le Blanc''), Bela Chapman, Edward 
 A. Franks, Michael Earley, Hulbert & Kirtland, Leopold & 
 Austrian, Bromilew & Bates, John G. Read, Jonathan P. 
 King, Hoban Brothers, Henry Van Allen, C. B. Fenton, 
 Todd's, Chambers, McNally and Donnelly families, Doud's 
 and Mclntyre's, Grascract, Desbro, Gaskill, Trus'^ott, Ben- 
 nett and Davis famiKes, Gallagher, Couchois, Meterico, 
 Lyon, Lachance and Louisignaw families. Tanner, Granger 
 and Hamblin's, Bailey families, George T. Arnold, F.' B. 
 Stockbridge, John W. Davis & Son. George Truscott & Son, 
 Dominick Murray and family, John R. Bailey & Son, H. W. 
 Overall, ^Y. P. Preston, Wm. Sullivan, Shomin, Lapeen, Allor, 
 McGulpin, Martineau, Renville, Taylor, Burdette, and Che- 
 niers, Bogan's and Foley Brothers, James F. Cable, Mul- 
 crone's and Holden's, Murray Brothers, McCarty. 
 
 COUNTY AND BOROUGH OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 Under the territory the jurisdiction of the courts at Mich- 
 ilimackinac extended over a large area of the Sou them Pe- 
 ninsula, all of the Northern, the greater part of Wisconsin 
 and westward to the Pacific Ocean. When Michigan became 
 a State in 1837, the bounr! i. es of the county of Michilimack- 
 inac were south to Saginan Bay (the south line across the 
 State being the north line of township twenty), west to the 
 Menominee river and north to Canada. As the country set- 
 
LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 185 
 
 tied the boundaries were gradually contracted to the present 
 limits. The borough of Michilimackinac (now village of 
 Mackinac) was the county seat. The village (borough) was 
 incorporated in 1817, April 6th; amended 1842-1843; the act 
 of April 6th, 1817, repealed March 16th, 1847; amended 
 1859, 1865, 1869; reincorporated 1875 and February 19th, 
 1895. The president of said village ('^'borough of Michili- 
 mackinac"), is a member of the Board of Supervisors of the 
 county by virtue of oltl acts of incorporation, operative. 
 
 September 18th, 1882, the county seat was transferred 
 from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace. 
 
 LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAC, 1879. 
 
 The following was written for the "Department of the 
 East," Military Division of the Atlantic, and published in 
 pamphlet form. A copy is in the ^' Park Book" "No. 1.," 
 "Letters Sent," p. 126 to 135, inclusive. Fort Mackinac, 
 Michifiran. The notes added marked with a star "*,"and 
 inclosed in brackets, (), are not in my original: 
 
 LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 
 
 Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island, Michigan. Latitude 45® 
 51' 22" north; Longitude 84° 41' 22" west. 
 
 Height of parade ground above Lake Huron, 150 feet. 
 (* Estimated; since found to be 133 feet.) 
 
 Area of Island. — The island is about nine miles in circum- 
 ference. (* Actual measurement, on the beach, within the 
 water line, eight miles, less twenty feet.) Area, 3.47 square 
 miles. 
 
 (* Elevation of "Lakes Huron and Michigan," above sea 
 level, is "581 3-10 feet." "Lake Superior 601 8-10 feet.'' 
 
186 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 "The difference of 20 1-2 feet between Lake Superior and 
 Huron occurs in the rapids of St. Mary's river.") 
 
 The general trend of the land is from northwest to south- 
 east, having a diameter of about three miles and a breadth, 
 from south-west to north-east, of a little less than two miles. 
 
 Area in acres: 
 
 Mackinac National Park.. 911.21 
 
 Military Reservation.. 103.41 
 
 Private Claims. 1,207.20 
 
 Total 2,221.82 
 
 Geology. — This peculiar formation is part of the Onondaga 
 salt group of the Upper Silurian System, and the Upper 
 Helderberg limestone group of the Devonian System. The 
 first, or base, is of unknown thickness, and the second, form- 
 ing the body, or cap, about 250 feet deep. 
 
 The south end of the island, and face, is plainly terraced. 
 Starting from the apex of Fort Holmes, 318 feet above Lake 
 Huron, before we come to the water, there are four distinctly 
 marked natural terraces, each showing the wave lines of 
 aqueous formation. The existence of the island is probably 
 due, under the agency of the Divine Creator, to the gradual 
 subsidence of the waters during thousands of years of time. 
 Trilobites are found in the limestone formation. Beautiful 
 arches, caves, conical and pyramidal rocks have been formed 
 by time and the action of the elements on the limestone 
 surface that add greatly to the beauty of the scenic isle. Of 
 such, the Great Arch Eock, " *Fairy Arch " of the Giant's 
 Stair- Way, Scott's Cave, Sugar Loaf Rock, Lover's Leap, 
 Chimney Rock, and others are examples. 
 
 Climate. — On account of the large bodies of fresh water 
 surrounding, the climate is pleasant and agreeable. Extremes 
 
 * " Fairy Arch " was discovered and named by Dr. Bailey in 1866. 
 
FAIRY ARCH. 
 
188 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 of temperature are 90° Fahr., and-23° Fahr. ; average about 
 39*= Fahr. (*to 41°). 
 
 ^0*7. — The surface of the island is very irregular, and the 
 soil scanty but very rich, covering, as a general rule, the 
 underlying rock only a few inches. 
 
 Vegetation. — The timber which has been cut down from 
 time to time is small. Beech, maple, iron wood, oak, birch, 
 wild cherry, and hazel, arbor vitae, fir, spruce, pine, juniper, 
 tamarack, etc., are the principal. The common juniper 
 abounds. 
 
 Fort Mackinac and Island. — The fort is built on the bluff 
 of a plateau, at the southeastern side of the island, and over- 
 looks, in frowning grandeur, the straits and the little village 
 of Mackinac, nestling on the beach, around the bay below. 
 The Island of Mackinac is situated in the straits of the same 
 name, between the Northern and Southern Peninsulas of 
 Michigan, about one-third the distance through the straits 
 from the eastern or Lake Huron side. The island is about 
 three miles from the shore of the North Peninsula, and south 
 side seven or eight miles from the Southern Peninsula. In 
 front of the fort, to the southeast, is Round Island, a mile 
 distant, and three miles away, in the same direction, is the 
 west end of the large island of Bois Blanc (white wood), 
 which stretches out ten or twelve miles to the eastward, 
 towards Lake Huron. The bay, or harbor, is small, of the 
 usual horseshoe or crescentic form, and should be improved 
 by breakwaters on the south and southeast points. 
 
 Near places. — The village of Mackinac on the beach, in 
 front of the fort adjoining the Military Reservation and Park, 
 (in two detached portions) is the nearest most important 
 town. It is the county seat (* was then) of Mackinac county, 
 has about 700 inhabitants, seven hotels, (* now ten) a number 
 of private boarding houses and several fine stores. It is one 
 
LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 189 
 
 of the most noted and healthful summer resorts in the 
 country, and is visited by hundreds of people from all parts 
 of the Continent and Europe, who are in search of health, 
 pleasure and recreation. The next town near the island, is 
 Point St. Ignace, on the mainland, three miles to the north- 
 west of the island, population about 450, (*St. Ignace is 
 now a city and is the county seat, population 2,500). But 
 the most important town, near the fort, is Cheboygan, 
 at the mouth of the Cheboygan river, in the Southern 
 Peninsula, about sixteen and a half miles south-east, popula- 
 tion 2,500, (*present population of the City of Cheboy- 
 gan is about 7,000.) Fort Brady, Sault Ste. Marie, sixty 
 miles north and east is the nearest military post. The near- 
 est railroad station is Petoskey, fifty-five miles distant, on 
 Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, (*since the ( ' E. and I. 
 R. E., and the Mackinac Division of the M. C R. E. have 
 extended their lines to "Mackinaw," a village of about 250 
 inhabitants, adjoining the site of (South) Fort Michili- 
 mackinac. These roads make daily connections by ferry 
 steamers — ice crushers — "Ste. Marie" and "St. Ignace," from 
 St. Ignace the terminal point of the D. S. S. and A. R. E. 
 and the M. St. P. and Sault Ste. Marie E. E. and with 
 Mackinac Island by the steam ferry "Algoma.") Three months 
 during the summer season there is a daily mail from Petoskey 
 and a mail three times a week via Cheboygan the rest of the 
 year, (*now there is a daily mail, the year round, and in the 
 summer season, four or five mails per day, by the railroads 
 and steam ferry connections.) During the season of naviga- 
 tion from about the 25th of April to the 15th of Decembei 
 this place is accessible by lines of steamers from Buffalo, 
 Detroit, Chicago and other points, which land at all hours 
 of the day and night and in winter by rail to Petoskey, (*see 
 
}f 
 
 yy 
 
 190 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 notes above), stage via Cheboygan, thence over the ice bridge 
 to Mackinac. 
 
 The straits generally freeze over about the 15th or 20th of 
 January and continue closed until the 15th or 25th of April. 
 
 The entire section of country bordering the straits and 
 vicinity, with the islands in the straits, was originally called 
 " Michilimackinac," or " Michilimackina,^' rendered thus 
 by the French from the Indian name " Me-che-ne-mock-1- 
 nong," which is said to mean " Great Turtle. '* It was thus 
 named by the savages from a fancied resemblance of the 
 island, as seen from Point St. Ignace, to the back of a large 
 turtle. The name has since been contracted to "Mackina c, 
 now pronounced by the English '* Mack-i-naw." This beaut 
 iful Isle of Mackinac, the " Home of the Great Manitou, 
 and of the spirits whom the Indians delighted to worship, was 
 a favorite sporting and camping ground of various Indian 
 tribes long before the white man trod its sacred soil. 
 
 Settlement. — The first settlement of Michilimackinac by 
 white men, it is said, was the founding of the mission of St. 
 Ignatius at " Michilimockinong," now Point St. Ignace, in 
 1671 by Kev. James Marquette. (* Recent research shows 
 that Mackinac island was settled before St. Ignace, and we 
 believe that its occupation antedates any other in this region 
 of the lakes.) Within two or three years thereafter, the first 
 stockade at the post of Michilimackinac was constructed. 
 The stockade itself was called, by the French, some other 
 name. This post was the most important in all Canada; it 
 was the center of the fur trade, and the base of supplies for 
 the entire northwest. The garrison consisted of two hun- 
 dred soldiers, and at least 8,000 Indians, in wigwams and 
 villages, were encamped along the shores. Finally the post 
 was abandoned and subsequently the " Post of Michilimacki- 
 nac," and a mission of the same name, was established in 
 
LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 191 
 
 1714 (""that date is not positively known) at what is now called 
 **01d Maekinaw/\on the south shore of the straits eight 
 miles from this point. It was held by the French until 17G1 
 when it was transferred to the English as a part of the terri- 
 tory cc^ed by the French in 1760. 
 
 Massacre. — June 4, 17G3, as a part of the plot of the ''Con- 
 spiracy of Pontiac," the English garrison was surprised and 
 captured by the Indians, a portion of the command massa- 
 cred, and the rest made captives. For a little more than a 
 year after the massacre the post was occupied by coureur 
 de bois and a few Indians as a temporary residence. It was 
 then taken possession of by Captain Howard of the British 
 army, with two companies of troops and occupied until 1780. 
 That year it was abandoned and the troops removed to the 
 Island of Mackinac. 
 
 Fort Mackinac. — The present fort was occupied July 15, 
 1780, but not completed until 1783. At that time the stone 
 building (on ground plan marked "'6") and the block-houses 
 **27, 28 and 29," and a strong bomb-proof magazine with 
 arched walls, six feet thick, built on part of the site of the 
 present commissary, "^^" were constructed, also, the two 
 arches and stone-works, surmounted by a stockade of white 
 cedar posts, squared and pointed at the tops, about ten feet 
 high and set in the lines intersecting the block-houses. The 
 stockade was pierced with two sets of loop-holes for musketry 
 and the block-houses armed with small iron cannon. The 
 whole formed a most perfect and secure defence against the 
 Indians of that day. 
 
 In 1817-18 and as late as 1856-7 the fort retained much of 
 its original appearance. About this last date a part of the 
 stockade rotted and fell down and the rest was removed. 
 The other parts of the old fort and works, viz., the stone wall 
 facing the lake, and the other stone and earth works, block- 
 
s 
 
 QC 
 H 
 
 eu 
 <1 
 
 » 
 
 O 
 
 E-« 
 GQ 
 
 as 
 O 
 
 o 
 
LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 193 
 
 houses and old buildings, **1, 2, 3 and 4/' retain much if 
 not all their uniqueness. 
 
 Buildings.— The material of "3, 27, 28 and 20," is rough 
 limestone, quarried near the fort, of various shapes and sizes. 
 The walls are very thick and strong, and also now about one 
 hundred years old, bid fair to last for centuries. No. *'3," 
 is a story high, on the parade with a basement facing the 
 water, and a two-story porch on the water front. It is divided 
 by a stone wall into two equal parts, with a narrow hall 
 through the center of each half, and a set of officers' quarters 
 on each side of the halls. The barracks for two companies, 
 *'5 and 6," were constructed in 1858. Other buildings on 
 the same foundations have been twice destroyed by fire. An 
 upper story "G," was added, and porch remodeled to make 
 room for two companies in 1870-7. This barrack is a two- 
 story frame building with porches the whole length in front, 
 facing the parade ground southeast. The upper story of the 
 porch has a tight deck planking that answers the double pur- 
 pose of a floor above and a roof of the lower part. The dor- 
 mitories are 11 5-12 feet high and are fitted with single iron 
 bedsteads, each having an air space of 496 and 749 cubic feet 
 respectively. Mess-rooms and kitchens, "6," are in the rear 
 of the main building. 
 
 Hospital. — "10, 11, 12,'^ is a wooden structure two stories 
 high, with porches in front facing the lake, stands on the 
 second level, east and just outside of the old walls of the fort, 
 about 17 feet above the level of the parade ground. It is a 
 double house with wide halls through the center of each 
 storv, and rooms on the sides of the halls. There are three 
 wards besides the other rooms, capacity 14 beds, with an air 
 space of from 600 to 800 cubic feet each. It was constructed 
 in 1858. There Ir no bathroom nor dead house attached. 
 (* Since ^ dead house ^^^ also hospital steward's quarters, 
 13 
 
194 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 both near by, have been built and a bathroom added to the 
 hospital.) 
 
 Commissary. — This fine building was completed in 1878. 
 It is a one-story frame house, built on the site of the old 
 magazine. It has a cellar which is part of the walls of the 
 demolished magazine. 
 
 Officers' Quarters. — ''25" remodeled, and "2G" added, 
 "26," ''22," "23," and "24," constructed in 187G-7, all on 
 the right of the flagstaff, on the second level, are new modern 
 houses, one and a half stories high, with wide one-story 
 porches in front, bay windows on the west and east sides of 
 each. Commandant's block, "21," with a hall in the center 
 and two rooms on each side of hall. "23 "and "25 "are 
 also double, with two halls in the center, separated by a 
 division wall, and two rooms on the outside of each hall. 
 The attic stories of each are finished, and there are dining- 
 rooms and kitchens, "22," "24," " 2G," "20," in the rear. 
 
 Other Buildings. — The magazine, " 18," brick, and the 
 wood buildings, "19," "20," "14," " 15," "IG" and "31," 
 were constructed in 18?'6-7. Date of construction of "13," 
 "30,"anf'' "32" unknown. There are no reliable data to 
 tell even the probable costs of construction. 
 
 Drainage. — The drainage is natural and very good. 
 
 Water. — The supply is from a well back of the stockade 
 and from cisterns, but mostly from the lake, and has to be 
 drawn up the steep hill in carts. This keeps two men and a 
 span of mules constantly employed. (* A system of water 
 supply, through iron pipes, forced from a spring at the foot 
 of the hill west of the fort, has since been devised. The 
 spring water, hard, from the limestone formation, ie forced 
 into a reservoir m the upper story of the north block-house 
 by a steam pumping engine and from thence distributed to 
 all of the buildings. Bath rooms, water closets and drainage 
 
LEGEND OF MICHILIMACKINAO. 195 
 
 pipes have, also, been put in the officers' and men's quarters 
 and the hospital). 
 
 Sanitary. — The health of the post is excellent. There are 
 no epidemics or prevailing diseases. It is, probably, the 
 most healthy station in America. 
 
 Reservations. — The original reservation, mostly on the 
 east side of the island, contained a little more than two 
 square miles. See Capt. J. N. Macomb's T. E. Map of 
 Island of Mackinac, 1855. 
 
 Round Island — Is reserved for lighthouse purposes. (* It 
 is in the corporate limitsof the village of Mackinac; area, 180 
 acres.) 
 
 Bois Blanc Island. — The greater part of this large island, 
 containing 21,351-88, is "Reserved to supply Fuel for the 
 Garrison of Michilimackinac." The sections reserved are: 
 "10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, IG, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 31, 32, 33 and 
 34." See map "According to survey filed Surveyor General's 
 Office, Chillicothe, Ohio, October 5th, 1827." 
 
 National Park. — By an Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1875, 
 the Military Reservation, and the United States lands, on the 
 island, not in market, were set apart as a "National Park," 
 excepting only the present Reservation, 103.41 acres around 
 the fort. See map " Mackinac National Park," by Major G. 
 Weitzel, U. S. A., 1875. The park is under th°, control of 
 the Secretary of War, and the commanding officer of Fort 
 Mackinac is, ex officio, the Superintendent. 
 
 History.— From 1780 to 1795 the fort was held by the 
 British. Then the place was peacefully occupied by our 
 forces in accordance with previous treaty. Our troops held 
 the position until July 17th, 1812, when the fort and island 
 was captured without bloodshed by Capt. Roberts of the 
 English army, from St. Joseph's Island, with only a few, 135, 
 soldiers and about 1,000 Indians. Roberts landed in the 
 
196 HISTOBY OF MAOEINAC. 
 
 night, on the north side of the island in a small bay, that has 
 ever since been called the "British Landing." Fearing he 
 could not hold what he had so easily attained, he caused the 
 redoubt of ''Fort George,^' ("Fort Holmes,") a very strong 
 earthwork, to be erected on the highest point of the island, 
 about a half or three-quarters of a mile in rear of the present 
 fort. Between the 4th and 8th of August, 1814, a force of 
 United States troops, under Colonel Croghan and Major 
 Holmes, attempted to recapture the island. A severe battle 
 was fought, and our troops were surprised and defeated by 
 the British and Indians in ambush. Major Holmes and 
 twelve men were killed, two officers and thirty-eight men 
 were wounded and two missing. Failing in the attempt 
 Colonel Croghan withdrew the remnant of his command to 
 his shipping. 
 
 During the following winter, 1814-15, peace was concluded 
 and the English evacuated the place in the spring, (* sum- 
 mer.) "Fort George" has since been called "Fort Holmes" 
 in honor of the lamented major. 
 
 The fort has been several times without a garrison, and 
 many of the old records are lost or stolen. It is at present 
 garrisoned by Go's "C" and "D" of the 10th Infantry, Capt. 
 and Brevet Major E. E. Sellers in command. The morale of 
 the command, discipline, and police regulations of the fort 
 are excellent. 
 
 Fort Mackinac, Michigan, Augut 20th, 1879. 
 
 John E. Bailey, 
 
 - Acting Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army, Post Surgeon. 
 
MACKINAC NATIONAL PARK. 197 
 
 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF MACKINAC NA- 
 TIONAL PARK. 
 
 When General Belknap was Secretary of War/_in 1875, he 
 sent a letter through General Sackett, Inspector General 
 U. S. Army, requesting Dr. John E. Bailey to give a written 
 outline for the improvement, etc., of Mackinac Island 
 National Park. We suggested that the park be left as nearly 
 as possible in a state of nature, the present roads, walks and 
 bridle paths should be improved, and the carriage-roads 
 widened. An additional road around the island on the bluff, 
 and one on the beach below, both to be connected at conven- 
 ient places. A limited number of lots to be platted at 
 suitable points, subject to lease, one parcel only to each 
 applicant, for a stated time (with a privilege of renewal), so 
 that there could be no chance for speculation, the whole to 
 be under the direction and control of the Secretary of War, 
 and the commanding officer of Fort Mackinac, ex-officio, the 
 superintendent of said park, in accordance with the title of 
 the original bill. And that an additional company of troops 
 be sent to patrol and police the park. The additional com- 
 pany was sent, and new quarters and barracks erected in 
 1876-7 for their accommodation. 
 
 All work and plotting of lots on the park appear to have 
 been done, as nearly as could be, to the letter and spirit of 
 that communication. 
 
108 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 LIST OF OFFICERS AT FORT MACKINAC, 1815-1895. 
 
 ''List of [Officers stationed at Fort Mackinac, Michigan, 
 and year of their arrival, from 1815 to 1895 inclusive: 
 
 1815. Anthony Butler, Colonel 2nd Kifles. 
 Willoughby Morgan, Captain Riflemen. 
 Talbot Chambers, Major. 
 
 Joseph Kean, Captain. 
 John O'Fallow, Captain. 
 John Heddelson, 1st Lieutenant. 
 James S. Gray, 3nd Lieutenant. 
 William Armstrong, 2nd Lieutenant. 
 William Hening, Surgeon^s Mate. 
 Benjamin K. Pierce, Captain, Artillery. 
 Robert McCallum, Jr., Ist Lieutenant, Artillery. 
 Louis Morgan, 1st Lieutenant, Artillery. 
 George S. Wilkins, 2nd Lieutenant, Artillery. 
 John S. Pierce, 2nd Lieutenant, Artillery. 
 Thomas J. Baird, 3rd Lieutenant, Artillery. 
 
 1816. John Miller, Colonel, 3rd Infantry. 
 John McNeil, Major, 5th Infantry. 
 
 Charles Gratiot, Major, Engineers. *^ 
 
 William Whistler, Captain, 3rd Infantry. 
 John Greene, Captain, 3rd Infantry. 
 Daniel Curtis, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 John Garland, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 Turly F. ^homas, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 Henry J. Conway, Jr., Ist Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 James Dean, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 Andrew Lewis, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 Asher Phillips, Paymaster, 3rd Infantry. 
 
OFFICERS AT FORT MACKINAC. 199 
 
 1817. Edward Purcell, Hospital Surgeon's Mate. 
 Albion T. Crow, Hospital Surgeon's Mate. 
 William S. Evelith, 2nd Lieutenant, Engineers. 
 
 1818. Edward Brooks, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 Joseph P. Russel, Post Surgeon. 
 
 1819. Joseph Gleason, died at station, March 27th, 1820, 1st 
 
 Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 William Lawrence, Lieut. Colonel, 2nd Infantry. 
 Peter T. January, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 John Peacock, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 William S. Comstock, Surgeon's Mate, 3rd Infantry. 
 
 1821. William Beaumont, Post Surgeon. 
 Thomas C. Legate, Captain, 2nd Artillery. 
 Elija Lyon, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Artillery. 
 
 James A. Chambers, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Artillery. 
 Joshua Barney, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Artillery. 
 
 1822. James M. Spencer, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery. 
 
 1823. Alexander C. W. Fanning, Captain, 2nd Artillery. 
 William Whistler, Captain, 3rd Infantry. 
 Samuel W. Hunt, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 Aaron H. Wright, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 George H. Crosman, 2nd Lieutenant, 0th Infantry. 
 Stewart Cowan, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry. 
 
 1825. William Hoilman, Captain, 2nd Infantry. 
 
 Richard S. Satterlee, Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army. 
 Carlos A. Wait, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Seth Johnson, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 
 1826. David Brooks, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Alexander B. Thompson, Captain, 2nd Infantry. 
 
 1827. James G. Allen, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Edwin James, Asst. Surgeon, XJ. S. Army. 
 Ephraim K. Barnum, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Edwin V. Sumner, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 
200 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 1827. Samuel T. Heintzelman, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd In- 
 
 fantry. 
 
 1828. Charles F. Morton, Ist Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Sullivan Burbank, Captain, 5tli Infantry. 
 Robert McCabe, Captain, 5th Infantry. 
 William Alexander, 1st Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Abner B. Iletzel, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Josiah H. Vose, Major, 5th Infantry. 
 
 1829. James Engle, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Amos Foster, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Enos Cutler, Lieut. Colonel, 3rd Infantry. 
 Moses E. Merrill, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Ephraim Kirby Smith, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Isaac Lynde, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 
 Caleb C. Sibley, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 William E. Cruger, 1st Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Louis T. Jamison, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 
 1830. Henry Clark, 1st Lieutenant, 5tli Infantry. 
 
 1831. John T. Collingworth, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Robert McMillan, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1832. George M. Brooks, Colonel, 5th Infantry. 
 Waddy V. Cobbs, Captain, 2nd Infantry. 
 
 Joseph S. Gallagher, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 George W. Patten, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Thomas Stockton, Brvt. 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Alexander B. Thompson, Major, 6th Infantry. 
 John B. F. Russell, Captain, 5th Infantry. 
 
 1833. William Whistler, Major, 2nd Infantry. 
 Ephraim K. Barnum, Captain, 2nd Infantry. 
 Joseph R. Smith, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 James W. Penrose, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Charles S. Frailey, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 George F. Turner, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
OFFICERS AT FOET MACKINAC. 201 
 
 1834. Jesse H. Leavenworth, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 John Glitz, died at station, Nov. 7, 1836, Captain, 2nd 
 
 Infantry. 
 
 1835. James V. Bomford, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Julius J. B. Kingsbury, Ist Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Massena R. Patrick, Brvt. 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd In- 
 fantry. 
 
 1836. James W. Anderson, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry. 
 Erastus B. Wolcott, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1839. Samuel McKenzie, Captain, 2nd Artillery. 
 Arnold Elzey Jones, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery. 
 
 1840. Harvey Brown, Captain, 4th Artillery. 
 
 John W. Phelps, 1st Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 John C. Pemberton, 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 
 1841. Patrick H. Gait, Captain, 4th Artillery. 
 George C. Thomas, 1st Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 George "W. Getty, 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 Henry Holt, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 Alexander Johnston, Captain, 5th Infantry. 
 William Chapman, 1st Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Spencer Norvell, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Henry Whiting, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 John M. Jones, Brvt. 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 
 1842. Martin Scott, Captain, ^th Infaai^fy. 
 
 Rev. John O'Brien, Chaplain. &th Inf a atry . 
 
 1843. Levi H. Holden, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 Moses E. Merrill, Captain, 5th Infantry. 
 William. Root, 1st Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 John C. Robinson, 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 
 1844. John Byrne, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1845. Charles C. Keeney, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 George C. Westcott, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry, 
 Silas Casey, Captain, 2nd Infantry. 
 
202 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 1845. Joseph P. Smith, Brvt. 2ncl Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 Fred Steele, Brvt. 2nd Lieutenant, 5th Infantry. 
 
 1847. Frazey M. Winans, Captain, 15th Infantry. 
 Michael P. Doyle, 2nd Lieutenant, 15th Infantry. 
 Morgan L. Gage, Captain, 1st Michigan Vols. 
 Caleb F. Davis, 1st Lieutenant, 1st Michigan Vols. 
 William F. Chittenden, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Michigan 
 
 Vols. 
 
 1848. William N. B. Beall, Brvt. 2nd Lieutenant, 4th 
 
 Infantry. 
 Charles H. Larned, Captain, 4th Infantry. 
 Hiram Dryer, 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Infantry. 
 
 1849. Joseph B. Brown, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 Joseph L. Tidball, Brvt. 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Infantry. 
 
 1850. Charles H. Laut, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1851. David L. Russel, 1st Lieutenant, 4th Infantry. 
 
 1852. Thomas Williams, Captain (Brvt. Major), 4th Artil- 
 
 lery. 
 1852. George W. Eains, 1st Lieut. (Brvt. Major), 4th Artil- 
 lery. 
 
 Jacob Culbertson, 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 
 Joseph H. Bailey, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 Army. 
 
 1854. John R. Bailey, Actg. Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1855. John H. Greland,lst Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 Joseph B. Brown, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, IT. S. 
 
 Army. 
 
 1856. John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, IT. S. Army. 
 Edward F. Bagley, 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 William R. Terrell, 1st Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 Joseph H. Wheelock, 1st Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. 
 John Byrne, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1857. Arnold Elzey (Jones), Captain, 2nd Artillery. 
 
OFFICERS AT FORT MACKINAC. 203 
 
 1857. Henry Benson, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery. 
 Guilford D. Bailey, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery. 
 John R. Bailey, A, A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1858. Henry C. Pratt, Captain, 2nd Artillery. 
 
 Henry A. Smalley, 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery. 
 John F. Head, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, IT. S. Army. 
 
 1859. William A. Hammond, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 
 Army. 
 George R. Hartsuff, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery. 
 
 1860. John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 George E. Cooper, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 
 Army. 
 1862. Grover S. Wormer, Captain, Stanton Guards, Michi- 
 gan Vols. 
 
 Elias F. Sutton, 1st Lieutenant, Stanton Guards, 
 Michigan Vols. 
 
 Louis Hertmeyer, 2nd Lieutenant, Stanton Guards, 
 Michigan Vols. 
 
 James Knox, Chaplain, Michigan Vols. 
 
 John Gregg, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army, Michigan 
 Vols. 
 
 Charles W. Le Boutillier, Asst. Surgeon, 1st Minne- 
 sota Infantry, Michigan Vols. 
 
 1866. Jerry N. Hill, Captain, Vet. Res. Corps. 
 Washington L. Wood, 2nd Lieutenant, Vet. Res. 
 
 Corps. 
 John R.Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1867. John Mitchell (Reed), Captain, 43rd Infantry. 
 Edwin C. Gaskill, 1st Lieutenant, 43rd Infantry. 
 Julius Stommell, 2nd Lieutenant, 43rd Infantry. 
 Hiram R. Mills, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1869. Leslie Smith, Captain (Brvt. Major), 1st Infantry. 
 John Leonard, 1st Lieutenant, Ist Infantry. 
 
204 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 1869. Matthew Markland, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Infantry. 
 
 1870. Samuel S. Jessop, Oaptain, ABst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 
 Army. 
 
 1871. Thorn;. T Sharp, 1st Lieutenant, 1st Infantry. 
 John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1872* William N. Notson, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 Army. 
 
 1873. John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 Carlos Carvallo, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1874. Carlos J. Dickey, Captain (Brvt. Major), 22nd Inft. 
 John McA. Webster, 2nd Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry. 
 John R. Bailey, Actg. Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 J. Victor DeHanne, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 Army. 
 
 1875. Alfred L. Hough, Major, 22nd Infantry. 
 
 1876. Joseph Bush, Captain, (Brvt. Major), 22nd Infantry. 
 Thomas H. Fisher, 1st Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry. 
 Fielding L. Davis, 2nd Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry. 
 John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1877. Charles A. Webb, Captain (Brvt. Major), 22nd Infan- 
 
 try. 
 John G. Ballance, 2nd Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry. 
 Theodore Mosher, Jr., 2nd Lieutenant, 22nd Inft. 
 Peter Moffatt, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1878. Oscar D. Ladley, 1st Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry. 
 
 1879. Edwin E. Sellers, died April 8th, 1884, Captain 
 
 (Brvt. Major), 10th Infantry. 
 Dwight H. Kelton, 1st Lieutenant, 10th Infantry. 
 Walter T. Duggan, 1st Lieutenant, 10th Infantry. 
 Bogardus Eldridge, 2nd Lieutenant, 10th Infantry. 
 Edward H. Plummer, 2nd Lieutenant, 10th Infantry. 
 Charles L. Davis, Captain, 10th Infantry. 
 John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
OFFIOEBS AT FOBT MACKINAC. 206 
 
 1880. George V. . Ji.di*ir, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1881. John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1882. William H. Corbusier, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 
 Army. 
 
 1883. John Adams Perry, 2nd Lieutenant, 10th Infantry. 
 
 1884. George K. Brady, Captain (Brvt. Lt. Col.), 23rd 
 
 Infantry. 
 Greenleaf A. Goodale, Captain, 23rd Infantry. 
 Edward B. Pratt, 1st Lieutenant, 23d Infantry. 
 Stephen O^Connor, 2nd Lieutenant, 23rd Infantry. 
 Benjamin C. Morse, 2nd Lieutenant, 23rd Infantry. 
 Calvin D. Cowles, 1st Lieutenant, 23rd Infantry. 
 J. Rozier Clagett, 1st Lieutenant, 23rd Infantry. 
 John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1886. William C. Manning, Captain, 23rd Infantry. 
 George B. Davis, 2nd Lieutenant, 23rd Infantry. 
 
 1887. Charles E. Woodruff, 1st Lieutenant, Asst* Surgeon, 
 
 U. S. Army. 
 
 1889. John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 Harlan E. McVay, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1890. Jacob H. Smith, Captain, 19th Infantry. 
 Charles T. Witherell, Captain, 19th Infantry. 
 Edmund 1). Smith, 1st Lieutenant, 19th Infantry. 
 
 1890. Zebulon B. Vance, jr., 2nd Lieutenant, 19th Infantry. 
 Woodridge Geary, 2d Lieutenant, 19th Infantry. 
 Henry G. Learnard, 2nd Lieutenant, 19th Infantry. 
 Edwin M. Coates, Major, 19th Infantry. 
 
 Harlan E. McVay, 1st Lieut., Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 Army. 
 
 1891. John R. Bailey, A. A. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 Alexander McGuard, Captain, 19th Infantry. 
 
 1892. Edwin F. Gardner, Captain, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. 
 
 Army. 
 
206 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 189;;J. John R. Bailey, Attending Surgeo»i. 
 
 Edwin F. Gardner, Capt., Asst. Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 1893. John Howard, 2nd Lieutenant, 19th Infantry. 
 James Ronayne, 2nd Lieutenant, 19th Infantry. 
 
 1894. Clarence E. Bennett, Major (Brvt. Col. U. S.V .), 19th 
 
 Infantry. 
 Woodbridge Geary, 1st Lieut. (Comd'g Post), 19th 
 
 Infantry. 
 John R. Bailey, Attending Surgeon." 
 
 Fort Mackinac was evacuated by Major Thomas Williams* 
 command, Co. ''h/' 4th Artillery, October 12th, 1856, and 
 re-garrisoned May 25th, 1857, by Capt. Arnold El zey (Jones), 
 Co. "E," 2nd Artillery. August 2d the command, and that 
 at Fort Brady, Sault Ste. Marie, all under Capt. Henry C. 
 Pratt, Co. " G," 2nd Artillery, with John R. Bailey, A. A. 
 Surgeon, U. S. Army, were ordered to the scene of Indian 
 hostilities at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. June Gth, 1858, 
 Fort Mackinac re-garrisoned by Capt. Pratt with Co. "G," 
 2d Artillery, and evacuated April 28th, ]861, by the same 
 officer and command. Re-occupied May 10th, 1862, by Capt. 
 Grover S. Wormer, Co. "A," Stanton Guards, Mich. Vols., 
 who had in charge "^Genl. William G. Harding, Genl. Wash- 
 ington Barrows and Judge Joseph C. Guild," "Confederates," 
 prisoners of war. September 10th, 1862, the troops and 
 prisoners were removed to Detroit, and the three state pris- 
 oners sent to Johnson's Island, Lake Erie. Re-garrisoned 
 August 3rd, 1866, by the 4th Independent Company V. R. 
 Corps, and that command ordered away August 26th, to be 
 mustered out of service. The fort re-occupied August 22d, 
 1867, by Co. "B," 43d U. S. Infantry, Capt. (Brevet Col.) 
 John Mitchell (Reed) commanding; and, since then has 
 continued to be garrisoned. The present garrison is a de- 
 tachment of the 19th U. S. Infantry, under 1st Lieutenant 
 
CHURCHES. — SUMMER RESORT. 207 
 
 Woodbridge Geary, with a quartermaster sergeant and twelve 
 men. 
 
 The title of the "National Park Bill," setting apart the 
 "Military Ilcservation and United States lands" on the 
 Island of Mackinac, makes "The Commanding Officer of Fort 
 Mackinac, ex-officio superintendent of said park." During 
 all the periods from 1856, when the troops were absent, the 
 fort was in charge of the late Ordnance Sergeant William 
 Marshall, deceased. 
 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 The oldest Christian parish on the island is St. Ann's, 
 Roman Catholic, that may be said to date from 1669, or be- 
 fore. Reverend Father James Miller in charge. Presbyterian 
 "Mission" and school dates from 1823, and the "Mission 
 Hou^e" and church was subsequently erected; the "Mission 
 Church," now a Union Chapel, is being repaired. "Trinity" 
 parish, formerly "St. Andrews," Protestant Episcopal, dates 
 from 1842; and the church on Fort Street was erected in 
 1882, mainly through the efforts and with the funds of de- 
 voted Christian women of the island and their tourist friends. 
 
 MACKINAC ISLAND.— A SUMMER RESORT. 
 
 About 1842 a few southern families began making the 
 island a resort. They brought their slaves with them and 
 often remained the entire season, from June until November. 
 Year after year the tourists, who could then only come by 
 water, gradually increased, also the accommodations, by re- 
 modeling old buildings, in proportion to the guests. 
 
 After "the late unpleasantness," 1861-5, summer travel in- 
 
20S HI8T0BY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 creased with years of peace and prosperity, railroads (lines be- 
 fore mentioned) projected their roads to both sides of the straits, 
 more steamers were placed in commission, new hotels, board- 
 ing houses, and private cottages erected, until finally, the 
 island has become one of the noted and most celebrated of 
 the world's resorts. 
 
 From an experience of over forty years in the practice of 
 medicine on Mackinac Island, and vicinity, much of that 
 time as Post Surgeon, Fort Mackinac, we have observed that 
 all cases of debility, and prostration from whatever disease 
 or cause — when the patients are not beyond the hope of 
 recovery — are benefited by the pure bracing air, and often 
 cured. Miasmatic diseases do not exist, and epidemics from 
 purely local causes can hardly occur. At the fort, with an 
 average command of GO to 80 men (or about 100, women and 
 children, included), there has been for two or three months — 
 at times — in succession, a clean sick report. Few places can 
 show as good a health bill the year round. 
 
 Professional and active business men, prostrated by active, 
 mental and physical exertion, and the heat of cities, debili- 
 tated women, nursing mothers, and teething children, suf- 
 fering with diseases peculiar to dentition and hot weather, 
 are often cured as if by magic — under proper management — 
 by the change to this climate. The island and vicinity, from 
 June to November is the place, "par excellance," for the 
 relief of hay-fever and all asthmatic subjects. It is not pru- 
 dent to bring patients here in the last stages of consumption 
 or wasting thoracic diseases, but cases in the incipient stages 
 are often greatly benefited. As the months of March, April, 
 November and December are variable and subject to extremes 
 of temperature, if this island has any local disease, it is 
 rheumatism and kindred affections, but for such the sum- 
 mer and mid-winter seasons are not objectionable. 
 
A SUMMER RESORT. 209 
 
 It is the days of long contituietl sunlight, the air, tem- 
 pered by great inland fresh-w.iter seas, latitude, altitude and 
 position of Mackinac Island, that makes the climate. Sum- 
 mer days, including twilight, are from about 3 a. m., to 9:30 
 P. M. The whole face of nature has lengthened, daily sun- 
 shine, and in consequence, all vegetable and animal life is 
 vigorous and buoyant wi^b circulation. A hop-vine^ has 
 been known to grow eiglitnen inches in twenty-four hours, 
 and in May you can watch currant leaves nnfolding in your 
 garden. 
 
 What to wear: When yon come to Mackinac bring 
 your winter garments, wear them, and take in the san-baths. 
 Your appetite will increase, digestion improve, and nightly, 
 under soft blankets, you will sleep the charming sleep of 
 perfect restfulness. 
 
 The extremes of cold and heat are less than in that same 
 latitude east and west, and some places far to the south. 
 
 Monthly mean and extreme temperature for a series of 
 twenty-four years, taken from Meteorological Records, 
 Fahrenheit thermometer, are: June, 57®; July, 05° 
 August, G4°; September, So'^; October, 45°; November, 34° 
 December, 23°; January, 19°; February, 18°; March, 26° 
 April, 37°; May, 48°; yearly mean, 41°; minimum,-23° 
 maximum, 90°. Annual rainfall, 28 inches. 
 
 At Sault Ste. Marie, not a degree north, minimum has 
 been -55° in February (when-29° here); maximum, 95° to 
 100°; Montreal,-3G° to 102°; St. Paul, less than a degree 
 south, minimum,-56'; maximum, 103°; St. Louis, Mo., 
 minimum,-'25°; maximum, 108°. We have only once, dur- 
 ing a residence of 43 years, seen the minimum here,-29°,and 
 maximum never above 90°. 
 
 14 
 
210 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 ALTITUDES. 
 
 The following table of altitudes is from Wineheirs Geolog- 
 ical Reports and Lake Surveys. 
 
 Lake Huron and Michigan above sea .feet 581.3 
 
 Fort Mackinac, parade ground, above lake 133 
 
 Fort Mackinac, upper level, above lake 150 
 
 Principal plateau of Mackinac Island above lake., 150 
 
 Upper plateau of Mackinac Island above lake 294 
 
 Fort Holmes above lake 318 
 
 Sugar Loaf Rock, summit, above lake 284 
 
 Arch Rock, top of arch, above lake 140 
 
 Arch Rock, summit, above lake 149 
 
 Arch Rock, buttress, top of, facing lake, above . 
 
 lake. 105 
 
 Robertson's Folly 127 
 
 Lover's Leap, above lake 145 
 
 Lake Superior, above sea 601.3 
 
 ACTS OF CONGRESS FOR MACKINAC ISLAND. 
 
 At the suggestion of Dr. John R. Bailey, and through the 
 influence of Senator Thomas W. Ferry, who introduced the 
 bill, the "Indian Dormitory," a part of the military reserva- 
 tion, 0.46 acres, between the fort gardens ( the building and 
 grounds enclosed), was ceded, by Act of Congress, in 1870 to 
 U'^ion School District No. 1, Township of Holmes, Macki- 
 nac Island; " For educational purposes only, and, if ever con- 
 verted to other uses, it shall revert to the government." 
 
 Foiir bills passed. Acts of Congress, were proposed by Dr. 
 Bailej'^ — thiee were introduced by Senator Ferry, and last by 
 Senator 0. D. Conger and Rep. Breitung. The first was 
 the " Mackinac Island National Park " Bill (passed March 
 3rd, 1875) — two were of a private nature — and the fourth the 
 "Bois Blanc Island" Bill; in "An Act to provide for the 
 disposal of abandoned and useless Military Reservations." 
 * * * ^QC. 3. ****** 
 
 "And provided further, the proceeds of the military res- 
 
DEFENSES OF THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC. 211 
 
 ervation lands sold to Bois Blanc Island near to Fort Macki- 
 nac military reservation shall be set apart as a separate fund 
 for the improvement of the National Park on the Island of 
 Mackinac, Michigan, under the direction of the Secretary of 
 War," passed, 1884. 
 
 The following provision in the " Sundry Civil Bill," was 
 introduced by Senator McMillan, at the suggestion of the 
 Secretary of War, and passed at the close of the last session 
 of Congress, March 3rd, 1895." 
 
 *' 165. Military Reservation on Mackinac Island, Michi- 
 gan. The Secretary of War is hereby authorized on the 
 application of the Governor of Michigan, to turn over to the 
 State of Michigan, for use as a State Park, and for no other 
 purpose, the military reservation and buildings, and the land 
 of the National Park on Mackinac Island, Michigan; Provided 
 that whenever the state ceases to use the land for the purpose 
 aforesaid, it shall revert to the United States." The meas- 
 ure is, now before the State Legislature. If Michigan pro- 
 poses to set up alone in the kingdom business she wants 
 this key to the waterways, but if not it may be well for the 
 U. S. to "hold the fort." 
 
 If under the French and British regime and with the 
 United States, up to the present time, the possession of the 
 Island of Mackinac and its fortification, has been deemed so 
 important, why should a continuance of its occupation be, all 
 at once, considered useless? A strategic point once selected, 
 on any commercial highway, must, so long as there is a ne- 
 cessity for an army and navy for foreign or local defense, 
 always remain. More vessels of every class, with a greater 
 tonnage and larger value, annually pass through these straits 
 and, by ferry, across them, than in any channel in the known 
 world. Assuming there is no longer danger from Great 
 Britain, simply because that nation never considers it policy 
 
212 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 to attack an equal or a stronger power, unless she finds it 
 divided or crippled by internal strife, that reason is not con- 
 clusive. Suppose, in times of peace and fancied security, 
 there should arise an insurrection, riot, rebellion, or a band 
 of robbers invade these channels in an armed vessel, and any 
 of said parties hold the position for two or three days, or less 
 time, interrupt navigation and stop the railway ferries. They 
 could destroy floating property and lives, levy contributions 
 and interrupt railroad connections, that would cost this gov- 
 ernment more than it would to hold the fort a hundred years. 
 A small garrison, with two or three properly mounted "dis- 
 appearing" modern guns, and gunboat well armed to rendez- 
 vous in the harbor and patrol the waters, would be ample 
 security, at comparatively little cost. 
 
 MACKINAC ISLAND. 
 
 Hon. Henry E, Schoolcraft, Indian Agent from 1833 to 
 1841, and author, writes, after a visit to Mackinac Island in 
 1820: 
 
 "Nothing can exceed the beauty of this island. It is a 
 mass of calcareous rock, rising from the bed of Lake Huron, 
 and reaching an elevation of more than three hundred feet 
 above the water. The waters around it are purity itself. 
 Some of its cliffs shoot up perpendicularly, and tower in pin- 
 acles, like ruinous gothic steeples. It is cavernous in some 
 places; and in these caverns the ancient Indians, like those 
 of India, have placed their dead. Portions of the beach are 
 level, and adapted to loading from boats and canoes. The 
 harbor at its south end is a little gem. Vessels anchor in it 
 

 SUGAR-LOAF KOCK, MACKINAC ISLAND. 
 
214 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 and find good holding. The little old-fashioned French 
 town nestles around it in a very primitive style. The fort 
 frowns ahove it, like another Alhambra, its white walls 
 gleaming in the sun. The whole area of the island is one 
 labyrinth of curioufe little glens and valleys. Old green fields 
 appear, in some spots, which have been formerly cultivated 
 by the Indians. In some of these are circles of gathered-up 
 stones, as if the Druids themselves had dwelt here. The soil, 
 though rough, is fertile, being the comminuted materials of 
 broken-down limestones. The island was formerly covered 
 with a dense growth of rock-maples, oaks, iron-wood, and 
 other hard-wood species; and there are still parts of this 
 ancient forest left, but all the southern limits of it exhibit a 
 young growth. There are walks and winding paths among 
 its little hills, and precipices of the most romantic character. 
 And whenever the visitor gets on eminences overlooking the 
 lake, he is transported with sublime views of a most ilimita- 
 ble and magnificent water-prospect. If the poetic muses are 
 ever to have a new Parnassus in America they should inevi- 
 tably fix on Michilimackinac. Hygeia, too, should place her 
 temple here; for it has one of the purest, driest, clearest, and 
 most healthful atmospheres." 
 
 Geologically speaking, too, the island is interesting and in- 
 structive. It appears to be a confused mass of corniferous 
 limestone, 250 or more feet in thickness, in places the strata, 
 well defined but broken, and tilted at various angles, and at 
 its base are the rocks of the Onondaga salt group. Prof. 
 Winchell writes: 
 
 " The well-characterized limestones of the Upper Helder- 
 berg group, to the thickness of two hundred and fifty feet, 
 exist in a confusedly brecciated condition. The individual 
 fragments of the mass are angular, and seem to have been 
 but little iuoved from their original places. It appears as if 
 
GEOLOGY OF MACKINAC ISLAND. 215 
 
 the whole formation had been shattered by sudden vibrations 
 and unequal uplifts, and afterward a thin calcareous mud 
 poured over the broken mass, percolating through all the 
 interstices, and re-cementing the fragments. 
 
 "This is the general physical character of the mass; but in 
 many places the original lines of stratification can be traced, 
 and individual layers of the formation can be seen dipping at 
 various angles and in all directions, sometimes exhibiting 
 abrupt flexures, and not infrequently a complete downthrow 
 of iifteen or twenty feet. These phenomena were particularly 
 noticed at the cliff known as * Robertson's Folly.* 
 
 "In the highest part of the island, back of Old Fort 
 Holmes, the formation is much less brecciated, and exhibits 
 an oolitic character, as first observed in the township of 
 Bedford, in Monroe county 
 
 "The island of Mackinac shows the most indubitable 
 evidence of the former prevalence of the water to the lieight 
 of two hundred and fifty feet above the present level of the 
 lake; and there has been an unbroken continuance of the 
 same kind of aqueous action from that time during the 
 gradual subsidence of the waters to their present condition. 
 No break can be detected in the evidences of this action from 
 the present water-line upward for thirty, fifty, or one 
 hundred feet, and even up to the level of the grottoes exca- 
 vated in the brecciated materials of 'Sugar-loaf,' the level of 
 'Skull Cave,' and the 'Devil's Kitchen.' 
 
 " While we state the fact, however, of the continuity of 
 the action during all this period, it is not intended to allege 
 that the water of the lakes, as such, has ever stood at 
 the level of the summit of Sugar-loaf. Nor do we speak 
 upon the question whether these changes have been caused 
 by the subsidence of the lakes, or the uplift of the island and 
 adjacent promontories. It is true that the facts presented 
 
216 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 bear upon these and other interesting questions; but we 
 must forego any discussion of them.'* 
 
 Professor AVinehell believed there had been some elevation 
 of the island and surrounding land, but more subsidence of 
 the waters: **much of which was probably effected during 
 the prevalence of the continental glacial, and, much during 
 the time of floods following, and the action of the sea while 
 the region was submerged." 
 
 The grand feature of the island formation is the **Arch 
 Rock," in the bluff, on the eastern face. 
 
 The following parody on a popular song was found, in 
 1865, written on a stone, placed on a water-worn shelf near 
 the base of the arch. It was published in Van Fleet's "Old 
 and New Mackinac" (out of print) in ''1870": 
 
 " Beauteous Isle! I sing of thee, 
 Mackinac, my Mackinac ; 
 Thy lake-bound shores I love to see, 
 Mackinac, my Mackinac, 
 From Arch Rock's height and shelving steep 
 To western cliffs and Lover's Leap, 
 Where memories of the lost one sleep, 
 Mackinac, my Mackinac. 
 
 Thy northern shore trod British foe, 
 
 Mackinac, my Mackinac, 
 That day saw gallant Holme's laid low, 
 Mackinac, my Mackinac. 
 Now Freedom's flag above thee waves, 
 And guards the rest of fallen braves, 
 Their requiem sung by Huron's waves, 
 Mackinac, my Mackinac." 
 
 Summit of arch rock above lake level 149 feet. Foster 
 and Whitney mention the Arch and Sugar-Loaf Rocks, *'as 
 particular examples of denuding action." 
 
 "The portion supporting the arch on the north side, and 
 the curve of the arch itself, are comparatively fragile, and 
 can not for a long period resist the action of rains and frosts, 
 which, in this latitude, and on a rock thus, constituted, pro- 
 duce great ravages every season. The arch, which on one 
 
GEOLOGY OF MACKINAC ISLAND. 
 
 217 
 
 side now connects this abutment with the main cliff, will 
 soon be destroyed, as well as the abutment itself, and the 
 whole be precipitated into the lake.' 
 
 }> 
 
 ARCH ROCK. 
 
 Gleaned from *' The Highest Old Shore Line on Mackinac 
 Island, by F. B. Taylor, 1892. 
 
 "All the lower levels of Mackinac show plain evidence 
 of past glacial action. The modern beach is composed 
 
218 HISTORY OF MAOKINAO. 
 
 almost entirely of limestone pebbles which are generally well 
 rounded." The beach on which the village is built, from the 
 water to an altitude of forty-five or fifty feet, is of the same 
 material. 
 
 " Lost glacial submergence is more plainly marked from 
 the 170 foot plain where there is a well developed beach 
 ridge, and four others, up to 205 feet, about the base of Fort 
 Holmes hill. Facing the N. E. cliffs of Fort Holmes 
 ("island"), the beach lines are all wanting but the 170 foot 
 ridge. The surface of the island is well sprinkled with 
 bowlders, many erratics, of northern origin, their exposed 
 surfaces strongly weathered. There are no bowlders with 
 glacial scratches below the 205 foot level. 
 
 "Then the real 'Ancient Island,' three-quarters of a mile 
 long and less than half as wide, its longer axis northwest and 
 southeast, the highest point, covered by the British earth- 
 work, is the Fort Holmes plateau. It is covered with drift, 
 the bowlders and pebbles striated. The fort embankment, 
 surrounded by a ditch five or six feet deep, is most entirely 
 bowlder clay mixed with striated bowlders and pebbles. 
 
 "All the main land, north and south, was submerged when 
 the summit of the Island of Michilimackinac (*Pequod-e- 
 nonge' ) was a dot in the waters." We leave the rest to the 
 reader for deeper study, theories and conjecture. 
 
 •' Ye call these red-browed brethren 
 
 The insects of the hour, 
 Crushed like the noteless worm amid 
 
 The regions of their power; 
 Ye drive them from their fathers' lands. 
 
 Ye break the faith, the seal; 
 But can ye from the court of Heaven 
 
 Exclude their last appeal." 
 
HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION. 219 
 
 MACKINAC ISLAND HOTELS. 
 
 Capacity Capacity 
 
 The Grand 1,000 Lake View 100 
 
 Island House 300 New Chicago 90 
 
 Astor House 300 Bennett Hall 90 
 
 Mission House 250 Brunswick 75 
 
 New Mackinac 250 Palmer House 50 
 
 New Murray 200 Lozon House 60 
 
 SAINT IGNACE. 
 
 Sherwood House -. 150 Russell House 50 
 
 LES CHENEAUX. 
 
 Les Cheneaux 100 Islington 100 
 
 STEAMBOAT LINES TO MACKINAC ISLAND. 
 
 " D. & C." Steam Navigation Company. 
 Lake Michigan & Lake Superior St. Co. 
 Grummond Mackinac Line. 
 N. M. T. Co. 
 Hart S. Line. 
 
 N. Steamship Co. (Hiirs.) 
 Anchor Line. 
 N. S. N. Co. 
 Great N. Transit Co. 
 C. P. Steam S. Co. 
 Island Transp. Co. (Algoma.) 
 
 Arnold Line Steamers (for Cheboygan, Sault Ste. Marie, 
 St. Ignace and Les Cheneaux). 
 North Star (Ferry, St. Ignace and Mackinac Island). 
 Inland Route Navigation Co. 
 Webb Transp. Co. 
 U. S. and Dominion Transp. Co. 
 
 ROADS AND PATHS ON MACKINAC ISLAND. 
 
 Steamers landing from twenty to forty per day. 
 When you land at Mackinac Island, by lake steamers or 
 by the steam ferries that connect with the M. C, G. R. & I., 
 
220 HISTORY OF MACKINAC. 
 
 D., S. S. & A., and Minneappolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. 
 Marie R. Rs., face to the front, with the town and fort 
 before you. The road through the center of the island leads 
 from the fort to Fort Holmes, Skull Cave, Cemeteries, Dons- 
 man's Farm {" Barley's "), Battle Field, British Landing and 
 Scott's Cave. Roads to the right (eastward) to east end, 
 Robertson's Folly, Giants Stairway, Fairy Arch, Arch Rock, 
 Sugar- Loaf Rock, and Leslie avenue into the British Landing 
 road: Roads to the left (westward) to Grand Hotel,, *' West 
 End," Wacheo,('* Hubbard's Annex"), Lover's Leap, Chim- 
 ney Rock, and Lover's Lane, and Cupid's Pathway, into the 
 British Landing road. Consult Outline Map of Mackinao 
 Island. You cannot get lost, if attentive to directions, but 
 if you do it will be only a charming, temporary novelty. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 Bailey & SoN'S.... 
 
 National Park 
 Drug Store, 
 
 MflGKINflG ISLAND, MiGfl. 
 
 Is acknowledged to be the finest and most reliable place in Mackinac to buy 
 Drugs, Medicines, Prescriptions, etc., and is the most popular place where the 
 weary pedestrian can for a few pence revel in the delights of an Ice Cream 
 Soda or quench the thirst with the finest carbonated beyerages that can be 
 produced 
 
 We give this branch of our business special attention, and we shall endeavor 
 to furnish our customers with the best of everything. A single trial will be 
 sufficient to satisfy the most fastidious 
 
 COME AND SEE US. 
 
 Finest Line CHOCOLATES, 
 
 Finest Line CIGARS, 
 
 Finest Line PERFUMERY 
 
 IN THE CITY 
 
 E>R. J. R. BAII.KY Sz Son,