History of Michigan : from its earliest colonization to the present time

Preface

The design of this volume is to present to the reader, in a brief and popular form, a view of the principal events connected with the history, progress, and present condition of Michigan, condensed from the larger work prepared by the author under the sanction of a law of that State. Such a work, embracing a great variety of particulars relating to the early settlement and subsequent growth of the West, would, it was thought, be both useful and interesting. The rapid advance of the vast territory bordering on the lakes in population and wealth, is the best commentary on the nature and effects of our free institutions, and offers a political phenomenon well worthy of being studied.

For my facts I have relied principally upon Father Marquette, Hennepin, Joutel, La Hontan, Charlevoix, Rogers, Henry, Carver, M‘Kenzie, Bouchette, and M‘ Gregor, and have consulted with particular care Mr. Bancroft’s great

X

PREFACE.

work, the “ History of the Colonization of the United States.55 The discourses, also, which have from time to time been delivered before the Michigan Historical Society, by Cass, Schoolcraft, Whiting, and Biddle, I found full of valuable information. Nor must I omit to acknowledge the great obligations I am under to my friend Mr. Schoolcraft, for his kindness in permitting me to consult his library, which is especially rich in everything relating to the West, as freely as if it had been my own. Besides these means of information, a residence in the interior of the state for a considerable period has afforded me a knowledge of its actual condition, which could not, perhaps, have been obtained in any other way.

If in this work, prepared during the intervals of professional labour, I shall have succeeded in presenting an impartial history of this interesting State, and in a manner to entertain and instruct the intelligent reader, my object will have been fully accomplished.

J. H. L.

New - Yorky August 18fA, 1841.

CONTENTS,

Chapter I

General Description of the State. — Soil. — Minerals. — Streams. — Interior Lakes. — The Great Lakes. — Origin of their Names — Wild Animals.— Birds.— Fish.— -Counties . . Page 15

Chapter II

First Advance of the Missionaries to the Lakes.— Breboeuf — Daniel — Pijart— Charles Raymbault. — First bark Canoe of white Men reaches St. Mary. — Father Jaques — Bressani — Chaumonotot— Claude Dablon— Mesnard— Lallemand— Gabrielle Dreuillette, and Leonard Gareau. — R§ne Mesnard advances to Che-goi*me-gon. — Father Claude Allouez.— Father James Marquette.— Indian Council held at the Falls of St. Mary. — Marquette’s Explorations. — His Death. — Robert de la Salle. — His Explorations.— Michilimackinac founded.— Death of La Salle. — Sault de Ste. Marie. — Fort St. Joseph. — Detroit founded. — Its early Condition. — Attacked by the Ottawas. — By the Foxes.— Early French Travellers through the Lakes

Chapter III

Colonial Emigrants. — Merchants. — Coureurs des Bois. — The Peasantry. — French Soldiers. — Legal Administration. — Policy of the French Government. — Indian Mythology of the Lakes. — Mode of Land Distribution.— Increase of Colonization.— The Fur-trade of the Lakes. — Canadian Boat-songs. — La Hontan’s Account of the Fur-trade . . .78

Xll CONTENTS.

Chapter IV

Struggle between France and England for the Possession of the Country. — The Iroquois and A lgonquins.— British Troops advance into Canada.— Battle of Quebec.— Death of Wolfe and Montcalm.-^- British Detachment under Rogers takes Possession of Michigan.— Rogers traverses Lake Erie.— Pontiac makes his first Appearance. — Beliestre. — Surrender of Detroit Page 96

Chapter V

Condition of the Territory under the English— Pontiac forms a Confederacy to attack the English Posts. — War breaks out. — Siege of Detroit. — Battle of Bloody Bridge. — Indians assemble around Michilimackinac.— Minavavana — Alexander Henry — Wawatam. — Michilimackinac destroyed. — General Bradstreet arrives.— Peace concluded.— Death of Pontiac 118

Chapter VI

Condition of the Fur-trade under the English. — Hudson’s Bay Company. — English Administration of the Law. — Criminal Trial. — Quebec Act. — Mineral Rock on Lake Superior.— Northwest Company.— American Revolution. — Expeditions from Detroit.— Indian Council held at Detroit. — American Independence established 145

Chapter VII

Northwestern Territory organized. — Arthur St. Clair appointed Governor. — English refuse to surrender the Posts.— Indian Disaffection.— Indian Council at Detroit. — Message from the Spanish Settlements on the Banks of the Mississippi.— Campaign of General Harmar.— Campaign of General St. Clair. — Campaign of General Wayne.— Extension of French Settlements.— Michigan surrendered to the United States.— Condition of the Territory in connexion with the Fur-trade. — Currency employed in the Fur-trade 163

Contents

X1U

Chapter VIII

Condition of Michigan after the Surrender of the Posts. — Its Erection into a Territory. — General Hull appointed Governor. — Detroit destroyed by Fire.— Administration of the Law.— Third Indian Confederacy under Tecumseh -end the Prophet. — Le Marquoit.— Land-office established. — Walk-in-the Water.—Population in 1811. — Memorial from Michigan praying Aid from the General Government. — Savage Outbreak. — Operations on the Wabash.— American Fur Company Page 181

Chapter IX

War declared between Great Britain and the United States. — Representations of Governor Hull.— Appointed to Command the Western Army. — Crosses to Sandwich and Addresses the Canadians. — Policy of Prevost.— Surrender of Detroit. — Tecumseh. — Conduct of Hull. — Expedition to the River Raisin.— Capture of Chicago. — Battle of the River Raisin.— General Harrison’s Campaign. — Commodore Perry. — His Victory on Lake Erie.— General Harrison arrives at Malden. — Marches to Detroit. — Battle of the Thames. — Death of Tecumseh.— His Character. — Attack on Mackinaw. — Peace Concluded 197

Chapter X

Lewis Cass appointed Governor of the Territory. — Its Condition at that Time. — Public Lands brought into Market. — First Steamboat on the Lakes. — University Founded. — Expedition to Explore the Lakes. — The Clinton Canal. — Mr. Porter appointed Governor. — Mode of making Surveys. — Controversy with Ohio. — Mr. Mason elected Governor. — State Organized. —Internal Improvements. — Education. — Conclusion . 228

B

XIV

CONTENTS

Appendix

First Colonization of Canada ..... Page 249

Massacre of the Jesuits ....... 252

Early Grant at Detroit 253

Early Land Trespass . . ...... 257

Treaty of Greenville 258

General Hull’s Proclamation 267

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

Chapter I

General Description of the State. — Soil. — Minerals. — Streams.

— Interior Lakes. — The Great Lakes. — Origin of their Names.

— Wild Animals. — Birds. — Fish.— Counties.

The State of Michigan derives its name, it is said, from the Indian words Mitchi-sawgyegan> which mean, in English, a great lake, a term which has been given to the territory from the position it occupies. It is bounded on the north by Lake Superior, on the south by Ohio and Indiana, on the east by Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Huron, and on the west by Lake Michigan, all of which lakes pour their accumulated waters down the Falls of Niagara. The extent of its domain is believed to be about sixty-five thousand square miles.

Along the shores of Lake Erie there stretches a belt of level and heavily-timbered land, bearing a growth of large and noble forest-trees upon a low and level soil. The land gradually rises towards

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

the centre of the state, presenting a variegated scenery composed of tracts of dense wilderness, alternated with prairies, natural parks, or oak openings, copses of burr-oak, marshes, barrens, and pine groves, each watered by small streams, lakes, or springs. That part of the state which borders Lake Superior is more bold and primitive, and is broken by mountains and plains, hills and valleys. The Porcupine Mountains, which are the dividing ridge, and separate the waters of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, are estimated at their most elevated point to be nearly two thousand feet high. Many parts exhibit a bold, rocky, and steril prospect, which caused one of the early French travellers, La Hontan, to call this region “ the fagend of the world.” It abounds with forests of white and yellow pine, and will probably never be favourable for agricultural production, although it is a rich mineral region. The northwestern portion of the state is impressed with still more sublime features of natural scenery, comprising masses of stupendous rocks and rugged mountain chains ; the northern part of the lower peninsula is flat, containing many swamps ; the central portion is gently rolling, covered with groves of oak, alternated with tracts of heavily-timbered land, is peculiarly favourable for the production of wheat, which is its staple product, and presents the most

SOIL.

picturesque points of scenery, and resources for the most dense population.

The soil of Michigan is various in its character. It is in general much more level than that of New- York and New-England, being of alluvial formation, and comparatively free from rocks. The different species of soil consist of heavily-timbered land, oak openings, burr-oak plains, prairies, and pine groves, each of which will be considered.

The heavily -timbered land consists of tracts which are densely wooded with a variety of large forest-trees* the principal of which are the black and white walnut, oaks of different species, maple, ash, elm, linden, sycamore, hackberry, cottonwood, aspen, locust, butternut, box or dogwood, poplar, whitewood, beech, cherry, sassafras, white, yellow, and Norway pine, hemlock, spruce, tamerack, cedar, cypress, chestnut, and pawpaw ; as w^ell as the smaller trees and shrubs, such as willow, alder, sumach, and honeysuckle, together with the different kinds of undergrowth which are found in the Middle and Southern States. This timbered land is often found upon the borders of the streams, upon what are called bottoms , and also upon the ridges which border them. It is discovered along the shores of the lakes from Monroe to Detroit, and thence to Lake Michigan, in a belt varying from five to fifteen miles in breadth. But a small B 2

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

proportion of the peninsular part of the state is, however, densely wooded.

There are various other species of soil which constitute a beautiful variety, and which will be described in their proper order. The soil which is heavily timbered is generally composed of a deep vegetable mould, sometimes mingled with clay, and produces a dense and luxuriant vegetation. Compared with the other sections of the state, it is gloomy, being generally more low and level, and it is more difficult to clear from the thick and tangled mass of trees which covers it ; but these disadvantages are made up by its fertility, and it yields in great abundance the grasses, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, rye, and large crops of corn. Perhaps it is not so favourable to wheat, being damp, from the fact that it is shut out from the sun, and also cold in its nature.

In advancing into the interior of the state, across the narrow belt before described, we arrive upon a more dry and undulating soil — a species of land which swells into little hills like artificial mounds, and is called oak openings. This land is composed of a sandy loam, mingled sometimes with limestone pebbles, and appears light upon the surface, but, when laid open by the plough, turns black from the intermixture of lime in its composition. The trees, consisting chiefly of white-

SOIL.

oak, scattered over the ground generally from ten to sixty feet apart, and extending for miles like cultivated parks, now sweeping down to a clear stream, a fertile prairie, or the brow of a transparent lake, impress one with the idea that he is travelling through an old, rather than a newlysettled country. These openings constitute a feature which distinguishes this from most of the adjoining states. The land, although not as productive as some other kinds of soil, yields heavy crops of oats and abundant harvests of wheat, besides the ordinary products of the Middle States. Although containing apparently but a thin covering of decomposed vegetable matter, the absence of that material is made up by the admixture of lime in its composition, which is favourable to vegetation ; and in summer the surface is almost entirely covered with red, yellow, white, and purple flowers, which, in their richness and beauty, are not known in the oldersettled portions of the country, spreading a gorgeous carpet through the forest as far as the eye can reach. The surface of the oak openings also presents a turf of matted grass, which requires three or four yoke of oxen to break it up ; and, as you can ride for miles in a carriage under the trees that are thus widely separated, it does not need so great an amount of labour in clearing it as the timbered land. The trees, however, are usually

HISTORY OP MICHIGAN.

girdled in order to effect their decay. These oak openings extend throughout the greater part of the lower peninsula.

Another species of soil of very great value is found in the state, commencing at the county of Jackson and studding the timbered land and oak openings from the head of the Kalamazoo River to the shores of Lake Michigan. It is called burr-oak plains or openings ; a soil which consists of tracts spread over with groves of trees of a small size, called the burr-oak, with a rough bark and deep green foliage. They closely resemble cultivated orchards of pear-trees, springing from a soil which is composed of a brown loam mingled with clay ; yet they are highly productive, and are deemed by the settlers of the greatest value, yielding in abundance the crops of the Middle States, corn, oats, potatoes, buckwheat, rye, and all the products of the other kinds of soil. As the trees, like those of the white-oak openings, are widely separated, this land requires but little clearing ; but four or five yoke of oxen are generally used to break it up for seeding. Corn to the amount of forty, and sometimes eighty bushels to the acre, is produced from these openings, and from forty to fifty bushels of oats. Thirty bushels of wheat to the acre are also frequently obtained from this land ; but the average amount may be placed at about twenty-five bushels.

SOIL.

Scattered through the south and southwestern part, particularly upon the borders of the Kalamazoo, the Grand, and St. Joseph Rivers, are what are called prairies. These consist of a soil destitute of trees, and covered with a deep surface of black sand and vegetable mould. It is more productive than any other species, yielding very large crops of corn and potatoes, as well as wheat, which is, however, apt not to be as clean as that on the openings. All other crops that are produced in this climate it yields in great profusion. These prairies throughout ^he state are comparatively small, but in Illinois they stretch out beyond the horizon like a sea. Being comparatively easy to cultivate, and producing so abundantly, they are always selected by the farmers before any other kind of soil. The dry prairies on the banks of the Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Rivers furnish a soil equal to any other in the West, and frequently from thirty to fifty bushels of corn have been raised upon them the first season, without being ploughed or hoed ; and when the mould has been once subdued, from thirty to eighty bushels of corn, or forty of wheat, have been obtained to the acre ; they are also very favourable for grass.

Another species of soil found in the state is called wet prairies or marshes , tracts which are generally in part or in whole covered with water ;

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

and they produce a long and coarse grass that is very favourable for winter stock, and make a fine ranging ground for horses and cattle in the spring. When drained, these wet prairies may be converted into valuable meadow land.

Another species of soil that we meet with in the interior is termed barrens . They consist of tracts which are sparsely scattered over with stunted oaks or bushes, that would seem to indicate that the land is not favourable to vegetation. It is found, however, that by cultivation it produces well.

The kind of soil which is called swamp or marsh land is found in considerable tracts in the greater part of the state. It is in winter covered vvith water, and has a deep mire, which is dangerous to the traveller, and is sprinkled here and there with a few scattering trees or groves of tamerack, which resemble pine. In many cases these marshes are caused by beaver-dams.

The mineral productions of the state are various, and some of considerable value. Although the soil of the lower peninsula is, as has been before remarked, of alluvial formation, yet there are occasionally seen ledges of sandstone, which abounds in parts of the counties of Hillsdale, Jackson, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Livingston, Ingham, Eaton, Barry, Shiawassee, Clinton, and other portions of the state. Gray limestone is also found ; and on the

MINERALS.

immediate shore of Lake Huron a greenish-coloured clay slate has been discovered. Indications of coal are apparent in the counties of Eaton, Ingham, and Shiawassee. On the banks of the Grand River, near the Grand Rapids, beds of gypsum or plaster occur, which will be of considerable importance. Salt-springs, which can be used for the manufacture of salt, are scattered throughout a considerable portion of the interior ; and clay, sand, marl, bog iron ore, with other kinds, and springs tinctured with mineral qualities, especially sulphur, have been discovered in the eastern part of the peninsula, that may be of advantage for medicinal purposes.

Along the shores of Lake Superior, which are rich in mineral wealth, there are evidences of pure copper, and a large mass of that metal, near the mouth of the Ontonagon River, of many thousand pounds’ weight, has excited the interest of travellers from the earliest period. Among the rocks on this part of the coast are also scattered prase, jaspar, carnelian, agate, sardonyx, and other rare stones of some value.

The greater part of the state is also well watered by numerous rivers and small streams, which variegate the landscape, and flow into the surrounding lakes. The principal of these are the Raisin, Grand River, the Kalamazoo, the St. Joseph, the Huron, the Clinton, the Saginaw, and the Ontona-

STATE OF MICHIGAN.

gon. The Detroit, the St. Clair, and the St. Mary’s cannot be properly called rivers, as they are only straits which connect the lakes in the eastern and more level portions. Upon the eastern border of the state the rivers are sluggish, but, as you advance into the interior, they become more clear and rapid. The St. Joseph is a transparent and beautiful, though shallow stream, which meanders through the western part of the state over a bed of limestone rock and pebbles, and, watering counties of great fertility, consisting of oak lands and prairies, flows into Lake Michigan. The Kalamazoo is also a clear but narrow river, that runs over a surface of sand, limestone rock, or pebbles, and, watering extensive and productive tracts of the state, empties into the same lake. The Grand River is the largest stream in the interior, and, after furnishing a convenient channel for navigation and large manufacturing advantages, empties into Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. There are various other streams of less importance, which furnish sites for manufacturing establishments, and eligible points for settlement on their banks.

Another peculiar point in the scenery is the little lakes which are scattered over the soil. These are clear, and abound with fish ; and in summer, when the vegetation upon their banks is in full

RIVERS AND LAKES.

bloom, appear like mirrors, where Nature, dressed in green and flowery robes, may admire her own beauty amid the solitude.

But the most prominent feature of the state is the great lakes which wash its shores. These constitute much the largest body of fresh water on the face of the globe. To the eye they appear like oceans, and water the borders of the forest for thousands of miles, from the state of New- York to the regions of Canada lying along the shores of Lake Superior, which are now ranged only by tribes of Indians and fur traders. Their surges roll like those of th^ sea, and the mariner obliged to navigate them often encounters as dangerous storms as upon the ocean. Their waters, however, are not, like those of the open sea, of a blue colour, but have a tinge of green, from the fact that they are fresh. They were formerly explored only by the bark canoes of the Indians, and were the theatre of the fur trade, which will be described hereafter ; but, with the exception of Lake Superior, they are now crossed by steamboats of large tonnage, as well as vessels and ships of all sizes.

The origin of the names of the great lakes is not wanting in interest. Lake Ontario was formerly called Lake Frontenac, while that of Erie is derived from a nation of Erries, who roamed C

STATE OF MICHIGAN.

along the northern borders of Ohio, and were destroyed by the Iroquois. Lake Huron was termed Karegnondi, and also Lake of Orleans. Lake Michigan was called Lake Michigonong, and also Lake of Puans and Illinese, and Lake of the Dauphin. Lake St. Clair was named by La Salle’s expedition, from the day on which he entered the river. The length of Lake Superior is estimated at five hundred miles, and its breadth at one hundred and ninety. This lake is as clear as crystal, and the polished stones upon the bottom, as well as numerous shoals of fish, can be seen at a great depth. Lake Michigan is believed to be three hundred and thirty miles long, and sixty miles broad. Lake Huron is two hundred and sixty miles long, and, coastwise, three hundred and sixty ; its breadth is one hundred and sixty miles. Lake Erie is two hundred and eighty miles long, and its widest part is about sixty-three miles. Lake St. Clair is thirty miles long and twenty-eight miles broad. It is thus seen that this chain of lakes must furnish an important channel of navigation in the future commerce of the country.

The wild animals of this as well as the other portions of the Northwest are various. The mammoth or mastodon once roamed through its forests, and its skeletons are now found below the surface. Herds of buffaloes roved over the prairies upon the

ANIMALS.

borders of Lake Erie as late as 1720, and we have a full account of that fact from the early French travellers ; but these have been driven, by the progress of emigration, to the plains which sweep along the base of the Rocky Mountains. The elk and moose and troops of deer formerly fed on the green herbage upon the banks of the Detroit ; but these have now retired to the more unsettled portions of the state. The wolverine, the black or brown bear, the wolf, the elk, the deer, moose, lynx, wild-cat, panther, fox, marten, raccoon, porcupine, opossum, weasel, polecat, gopher, the black, red, gray, and striped squirrel, nharmot or woodchuck, rabbit, hare, and various other species of animals, are now found in the interior. The beaver, the otter, the muskrat, and the mink inhabit the rivers and small streams, and furnished a valuable article of commerce during the early French, English, and Amer* ican fur trade. Of birds, the robin, the blackbird, the thrush, the lark, the bluebird, different species of the sparrow, the wren, the woodpecker, the brant, and the loon, the jay, and the cuckoo, are the most common. The forests shelter flocks of the wild turkey and the partridge. The grouse or prairie-hen swarms in the prairies. Pigeons appear in large flocks at particular seasons of the year, and the snipe and the white partridge are not uncommon. The eagle, the brant, the buzzard,

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

and others of the vulture kind, the crow, the raven, the heron, and owls of different species, the most distinguished of which is the great white owl, are among its carnivorous birds. The streams and lakes abound with numerous species of wild ducks, of various and beautiful plumage. They fly in large flocks along the shores of the lakes, and feed in the marshes which fringe them, sometimes blackening the surface by their numbers. The swan may sometimes be seen floating upon the waters ; and flocks of wild geese, in the season of summer, collect around the small interior lakes after their winter migrations, where they obtain their food from the wild rice, which is the peculiar product of this region.

The rivers, interior lakes, and surrounding waters of the country abound with fish. These are of various species and of delicious kinds. In the strait of St. Mary and Lake Superior they are of a more valuable sort, from the fact that the water of the latter lake is clear and very cold. The quantity in the last-named lake is very great. The sisquoelle and muckaw, which are not found in other portions of the lake waters, are seen in great abundance in Lake Superior. They sometimes grow to the weight of eight or ten pounds.

The principal fish which are found in the surrounding lakes and interior waters of the country

PISH.

are the sturgeon, white fish, Mackinaw trout, salmon trout, muskalunjeh, pickerel, pike, perch, herring, the rock bass, the white and black bass, catfish, pout, lamprey eel, bullhead, roach, sunfish, dace, sucker, carp, mullet, billfish, swordfish, bullfish, stone-carrier, sheep’s-head, the gar, and many other kinds. The muskalunjeh, Mackinaw trout, and whitefish are deemed most valuable. The former is sometimes caught weighing forty pounds. The Mackinaw trout resembles in lustre and appearance the salmon. The whitefish, a very delicious fish, is similar to the shad, with brighter scales, which appear like burnished silver. This fish has been celebrated by the French travellers from the earliest period, and Charlevoix, who travelled through this region in 1720, once declared that “ nothing of the fish kind could excel it.” Great numbers of trout and whitefish are taken upon the lakes and shipped to Ohio, New-York, and Pennsylvania, besides those which are consumed in the state.

The nortnern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan, bordering on Lake Huron, has not yet been thoroughly surveyed and brought into market. The soil of this section of the state is not so favourable for agriculture as that of the southern portion. It is more wet and marshy, abounds with pine, and is broken by sandhills and swamps. It has been re- C 2

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

marked that the portion of the state bordering on Lake Superior is broken and rocky ; and, although containing some elevated table-lands which may be adapted to cultivation, it may be considered unfavourable to agriculture. It has, however, been ascertained to be a rich mineral region. The most settled portion of the state has been organized into counties, as the advance of population has required.

From the brief view which has been taken of the productions of the soil, it is clearly perceived that it affords a variety of resources. The low and densely- wooded land upon the immediate shore of the lower lakes, where the streams run sluggishly over beds of clay, is strikingly contrasted with the more rolling character of the oak lands, extending from this belt towards the centre, dotted as they are by natural ponds of pure water, and coursed by more rapid streams, which have their beds upon sand or gravel ; and these in turn are entirely distinct from the more primitive, rocky, and rugged portion lying in that part of the upper peninsula bordering on the shores of Lake Superior. Exhibiting different degrees of fertility, the southern part, from its undulating character and its clear streams, affords a greater inducement for present settlement than the level strip to which allusion has been made, or the more primitive and rocky region of the north. It happens, accordingly, that emi-

PRODUCTIONS.

gration has in a great measure crossed this strip and sought the more rolling country, leaving the marshes and the mouths of the streams which flow into the eastern side ; a section of the territory which is not only at present unfavourable to settlement from the configuration of the land, but from the fact that it is productive of the class of bilious disorders that prevails in the greater portion of our new country.

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

Chapter II

First Advance of the Missionaries to the Lakes. — Brebceuf — Daniel — Pijart— Charles Raymbauit.— First bark Canoe of white Men reaches St. Mary.— Father Jaques— Bressani— Chaumonotot— Claude Dablon— Mesnard— Lallemand— Gabrielle Dreuillette, and Leonard Gareau. — R6n6 Mesnard advances to Che-goi-me-gon. — Father Claude Allouez.— Father James Marquette.— Indian Council held at the Falls of St. Mary. — Marquette’s Explorations.— His Death. — Robert de la Salle. — His Explorations.— Michilimackinac founded.— Death of La Salle.— Sault de Ste. Marie.— Fort St. Joseph.— Detroit founded.— Its early Condition. — Attacked by the Ottawas. — By the Foxes.— Early French Travellers through the Lakes.

The wide region stretching away in a luxuriant expanse of forest, river, and prairie, from the shores of the great lakes westward to the banks of the Mississippi, was first explored and colonized by the French. That portion of the French territory now comprised in the Canadas, the original point of French settlement, was long the centre of its trade, commerce, and religion ; yet the government claimed the country, both by right of discovery and appropriation, that extended far beyond the boundaries of their actual colonization. Nor were the settlers who had established themselves upon the banks of the St. Lawrence at any time wanting in zeal and enterprise in extending their explorations.