Our Wisconsin; a school history of the Badger state

Preface

This little book has been prepared to meet the needs of schools for a short history of Wisconsin. It aims to tell the story of the state in its salient features, and to bring out the striking episodes which have lent picturesqueness to the earlier periods of our history and significance to the later developments when the commonwealth was in the making. It is not intended that the chapters dealing with the later development of the state shall serve as more than an introduction to these topics, which have been so fully treated in the special histories that have been published.

The teacher of Wisconsin history should have at hand for reference the latest edition of the Blue Book and one of the more complete histories such as Thwaites' **Wisconsin," of the American Commonwealth series. The history of the state should always be kept in strict subordination to that of the United States, although we should not undervalue the trials and sacrifices made by the pioneers of the Badger Commonwealth. To understand and appreciate what these men and women did for us is an important step in the development in our young people of the ideals of citizenship that obtain in our Wisconsin.

The basis of this book is *'The Leading Events of Wisconsin History" written in 1898 by Henry E. Legler. The publications of the Wisconsin Historical Society and the many works of the late R. G. Thwaites have also been used constantly in verifying statements of fact.

E. G. D.

I. Wtsconstn in 1634 5

II. The Indians 7

III. The Coming of the White Men 18

IV. The Strange Adventure of Radisson . . 27 V. Nicholas Perrot, Forest Ranger 31

VI. The Wanderings of the Black Gowns 35

VII. Joliet and Marquette. 40

VIII. La Salle and His Companions 47

IX. La Salle and the Mississippi 52

X. Famous Visitors 57

XI. The War with the Fox Indians 62

XII. Under the Flag of England 72

XIII. Charles Langlade 78

XIV. English Travelers in Wisconsin 83

XV. Wisconsin in the Revolution 88

XVI. The Northwest Territory 95

XVII. Wisconsin in the War of 1812 100

XVIII. Life in the Early Settlements 105

XIX. From Fur Trading to Lead Mi nix ;. . . . 109

XX. Red Bird and Black Hawk 116

XXI. The Territory of Wisconsin 126

XVII. The Thirteenth Star 134

XXIV. In the Civil War 146

XXV. The Melting Pot 154

XXVI. Since the Civil War 160

XXVII. In the World War 165

XXVIII. Wisconsin in Industry 171

XXIX. Wisconsin in Literature 179

XXX. The Growth of the Public School. . . . 185

Chapter I ' Wisconsin In 1634

The story of Wisconsin begins with the visit of Jean Xicolet to the Indians at Green Bay in 1634. He was the first white man to set foot upon Wisconsin soil. To get a clear notion of what the early explorers and settlers had to overcome it is worth while to look at this region when ''wilderness was king." We may go with the men and women who made the Badger state as they explore new territory and conquer the forces of nature. We may follow them on their weary journeys down unexplored streams, across almost impassable portages, and through trackless forests inhabited only by wild animals and the Indians. It is an interesting story and one that should make us take greater pride in our state.

Location. The location of Wisconsin had much to do with its early discovery and thorough exploration. It is situated at the headwaters of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi. So narrow are the watersheds between the basins of these two great rivers that portage paths between them were early worn by the Indians and followed by the French. At one point, only three-quarters of a mile separates the Wisconsin River which rises near the northeastern boundary and empties into the Mississippi near the southwestern line, from the Fox which passes through Lake Winnebago and empties into Green Bay. A raindrop falling between these two rivers may be carried down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, or through the Great Lakes, over Niagara Falls, into the St. Lawrence and thence to the great ocean. It was only natural, therefore, that travel from the French settlements in Canada to the settlements in the lower Mississippi valley should pass through this region.

Products. The rich soil of Wisconsin produced dense forests over practically all of the state. In the northern part pine, spruce, hemlock, birch, and cedar abounded. In the southern part were many hardwood trees, especially the oak. The elm and maple grew in all sections of the state. It is estimated that nearly one hundred billion feet of pine timber stood in its forests when the white man came. In the open spaces berries grew in great abundance, and the wild grape climbed on many a tree.

Near Lake Superior were enormous deposits of iron ore. Now more than three-fourths of all the iron mined in the United States comes from this region. The absence of coal and the difficulties of transportation made this section of the state of less importance in its early days than the lead region in the southwest. In what are now the counties of Grant, Iowa and LaFayette much lead and zinc were found, and by 1840 about thirty million pounds of this mineral were mined annually. Less lead is produced now, but in the production of zinc the state ranks third or fourth.

Soil. The soil of Wisconsin is very fertile, although even now not more than sixty percent of the state's land area is in farms. Almost the entire state was at one time covered by glaciers, although the region in the southwest

WISCONSIN IN I634 7

known as the "driftless area" shows no indications of glaciation. There are three principal soil belts in the state. The northern part ha-^ bot'i sand and clay soils. In the south is a clay-loam area of limestone rock; and between them is an area of lighter soil which, in the Wisconsin River valley, is quite largely sand. The southern part of the state was developed first for these reasons : its climate was warmer and its growing season longer, the hardwood lands were more easily cleared than the denser forests of the north, and transportation facilities were developed earlier in that section. The northern part is now developing steadily.

Wild Animal Life. Just as the call of Europe for

precious stones had much to do with the discovery of America, the demand for furs had much to do with the discovery and exploration of Wisconsin. A greater quantity of fur was to be found in Wisconsin than in any other part of the world, and it soon became the center of that great and romantic industry which contributed so much to the development of the Great Lakes region of North America. Here were found the beaver, the black bear, the fox, the marten, the otter and the muskrat, all valued for their pelts.

Besides the fur-bearing animals the wolf, the lynx, the wildcat, the porcupine and the opossum lived in the woods and caves. Elk, deer, ducks, geese, grouse and other game were abundant and made it easy for the Indian and explorer to procure food in the spring, summer, and fall. Song birds nested in the trees, and the owl and the hawk were common. Many kinds of reptiles infested the forests, the rattlesnake being the most dangerous. On the prairies in the south and west roamed great herds of buffalo, and the rivers abounded with fish.

Over all of the state the red man was free to wander, and save for the few Indian villages it was one vast wilderness. These resources were, of course, developed by the white people who found these natural riches the source of their prosperity. But a state is made by its men and its women, not by material things, and it is, therefore, the story of the men and women who made Wisconsin that we wish to tell.

1. On a map of North America trace an imaginary drop of

water from Portage to the Atlantic through the Wisconsin River; through the Fox River.

2. Locate all of the places named in this chapter.

3. Why were the southern and eastern parts of the state the

first to be developed?

4. What is the area of Wisconsin?

5. What effect did Wisconsin's location have upon its early

history?

6. Describe Wisconsin as it was before *he white man came.

7. Give in detail the water route to the Mississippi from Canada

by way of the great Lakes and the St. Croix River.

8. How would the fact that there are no coal beds in the state

affect the development of the iron districts of northern Wisconsin?

Chapter II

Tribes. During the period in which Wisconsin was being explored there were probably ten thousand Indians living within the present boundaries of the state. These Indians belonged to several tribes and families. We usually classify a people on the basis of the language spoken. Those who speak English, German, or Dutch are called Germanic ; those speaking Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish are Scandinavians ; and the French, Spanish, and Italian are Latins. Indian families are classified on the same principle as Algonkins, Iroquois, and Dakotas. The Dakota family lived chiefly to the west of the Mississippi and the others to the east.

The Winnebagoes. The Winnebagoes, a branch of the Dakotas, lived at the head of Green Bay and in the valleys of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, They were called by the other Indians The Men of the Sea, as it was believed they had come from near the ocean. Their early home had been beyond the Mississippi, and this river was probably thought to be near the sea. They were a savage looking people, with high cheek bones, flat noses, and eyes set far apart. In many respects they were wild and cruel like their cousins, the Sioux. It is now quite generally believed that the Winnebagoes built the strange earth works found in Wisconsin so long attributed to the mound-builders. When Nicolet came to the state they were warlike and possessed great physical strength, but those of their descendants now living are described as being "the poorest, meanest, and most ill-visaged of Wisconsin Indians."

In the northern part of Wisconsin and in upper Michigan and Canada were found the Hurons, an Iroquois tribe driven thither by the stronger Indian nations of the East. Here and there were other tribes, the Kickapoos, Mascoutins, Illinois, Miami, and Ottawas being the principal ones. They influenced the history of the state but little.

Location of Tribes. The Algonkins, the most numerous Indian family in Wisconsin, were also the most intelligent. To this family have belonged many of the celebrated Indians of history; King Philip, Powhattan, Tammany, Pontiac, Tecumseh, and Black Hawk. The Ojibways, now called the Chippewas, were the least savage of this family. They lived along the shores of Lake Superior and as far south as the Black River. In the northwest lived the quiet and gentle Menomonies, known as Wild Rice Eaters. They were a fine looking people of comparatively light complexion who were not particularly warlike in disposition. From Green Bay southward along the shore of Lake Michigan lived the Pottawattomies, the most restless of the Algonkin tribes. Much of the material in Longfellow's Hiawatha comes from their traditions, although the background of the poem is the land of the Chippewas on Lake Superior. The Sacs, sometimes known as the Sauks, and the Foxes, often known as the Outagamies, were other important tribes, and the only ones to become unfriendly to the French. The Foxes eventually brought on an Indian war which all but exterminated them, and which greatly weakened the hold of the French on the West.

Although the Indians shifted about somewhat as the seasons changed to seek game or to find fields best fitted for growing corn, they could not be called a nomadic people. In places where water and fish were easily procured and where grain and potatoes were easily grown they pitched their wigwams and built their villages. In proportion to population, then and now, these villages had as many people as the cities and villages of today. The love of their home-land was deep and strong, and when driven from it they sought again and again to return. It was unusual for a family of Indians to live alone in the forest.

The Indian Home. The Indian house was frequently a hut or tent which could be moved easily. It was made of slender poles tied together at the top and covered with animal skins, mats made of rushes, or sheets made of birch bark. It was usually called a wigwam but often was known as a tepee or lodge. The Hurons built their cabins entirely of bark, and long and high. Around their villages they built a double row of pahsades, thus making a fortress. Sometimes cabins large enough to hold several families were built. These were sometimes a hundred feet long, twenty-five feet wide and twenty feet high. The Sioux built a cone shaped wigwam and the Chippewas a house shaped like half a baseball. Most of the houses were very insanitary. This condition led to many diseases, especially lung troubles and rheumatism. Contrary to the general impression the Indian was not unusually healthy. Epidemics of small-pox and other diseases often swept away half the population of a village. Before middle age, both men and women usually looked old and haggard. The home life reflected the dirty, improvident habits of the red man.

Clans. The Indians were divided into clans, each having its clan-sign or totem which represented some beast, bird, or reptile. The clansmen were supposed to be relatives, although often not a single drop of blood was common to all of them. Marrying within a clan was forbidden ; a member of the \\o\i clan, for instance, might marry into the Bear clan but not into the Wolf clan even though no blood relationship existed between the members. Away from home the Indian always found a welcome among the members of his clan. To identify himself, he often had his totem tatooed upon his body.

The Indian's Squaw and Her Home Life. It was not uncommon for an Indian to have several wives. He was apt to tyranize over his squaw, or squaws, but usually he was a jolly, easy-going, shiftless fellow. He smoked tobacco in curiously carved pipes made from the red pipestone of Minnesota. IMost of his food was obtained by hunting and fishing. When the Indians raised corn, beans, melons, pumpkins and sunflowers, the ground was prepared by the women who also planted and cultivated the crops. They made maple sugar and frequently dried the grapes and berries that grew in profusion everywhere. The Menomonies made use of the wild rice which grew in their section of the state. In general it may be said that the home life of the Indian was the least admirable part of his scheme of living.

The Indian made fire in two ways. Sometimes two flint-like stones were struck together and the sparks which resulted caught on dry, rotten wood called "punk." If flints were not available they rubbed two pieces of dry cedar together with great rapidity until the friction i)roduced sparks which set fire to the "punk." Some tribes made beautiful cooking utensils but this was an unusual practice. Dishes were made of shells, bark or rude pottery. These could not be placed on a fire, therefore a primitive fireless cooker was devised ; that is, stones were heated and then put into dishes which were partly filled with water. In this way the water was made to boil and the meal was cooked. There were also rude devices for pounding corn into coarse meal. These the women operated.

Clothing. The clothing of the Indian was made principally of deer-skin. Needles of stone or bone were used to sew the skins together. Their garments were often handsomely embroidered, particularly the leggings and moccasins. Buffalo robes were common, and among some tribes the long wool of the buiTalo was spun into yarn and woven into cloth. Some of the Indians wore very elaborate head-dresses of eagle feathers, each feather representing an enemy slain by the brave. They painted their faces and sometimes decorated their bodies with gaudy red and green colors. If other colors were scarce, charcoal was used. Men usually wore their hair short, although one long lock, the scalp lock, was left on the top of the head.

Government. There were no fixed forms of government. There were chiefs, but they were simply men who through personal influence were made leaders and advisers. They possessed no power to compel obedience. If a chief had much natural ability, he had a strong following and almost as much power as a king ; but without ability, hereditary power gave him little control. In order to arouse enthusiasm for wars and for hunting it was frequently necessary for the chief to hold noisy feasts and dances. The Indian liked to debate, and he held councils at which every man who had taken an enemy^s scalp was permitted to be heard. Most of the talking was done by these privileged men. Age was respected, and an old man was listened to with consideration. This was a primitive kind of democracy although not very efficient. Fear of common enemies and of famine kept the Indian from anarchy.

Indian War Tools. The principal instruments of war were the bow and arrow. A typical bow was about three feet long and made of the toughest and most elastic wood to be found. The bow string was made of sinew twisted and braided until it was very strong. The arrow was made of hard wood or cane, had a point of stone and was tipped with feathers. Often the point was poisoned. The tomahawk was quite generally used, and in time it came to be considered a symbol of war. War-clubs, knives, spears, lances and shields were commonly used implements.

Warfare was common, usually for defense or for revenge ; but military campaigns as we know them were unknown. Raids, ambuscades, and surprise attacks were the favorite forms of strategy. Prisoners were treated without mercy and cruelly tortured, although sometimes an Indian would rescue a captive and adopt him into the tribe to take the place of a member killed in battle. Scalping was a common practice, and the scalps were treasured and worn upon state occasions.

When a war chief was preparing an attack, he usually held a feast of several days' duration. Its purpose was to arouse the enthusiasm of his followers and make them anxious for war. On the return from a successful raid another feast was held, accompanied by the war dance and other ceremonies of celebration and thanksgiving. The Indian on such occasions was very particular to observe the correct forms and to preserve the dignity of the tribe. The calumet, or peace-pipe, was smoked with elaborate ceremony. Welcome visitors received the pipe, and those whom the tribe particularly desired to honor were accorded a special program of speech-making, singing and dancing when the pipe was presented.

The religion of the red man was like the rest of his ideas, primitive. He believed in good and bad spirits called manitous. Until after the coming of the white man, very few Indians believed in a ''great spirit." However, they believed that the soul existed after the body was dead, and that it had wants like those the Indian had on earth. All sorts of offerings were made at the burial, and these were placed in the grave with the departed.

Manner of Living. After the coming of the white man the Indian quickly changed his manner of living. He adopted fire-arms and "fire-water." He gave up his own methods of making a living and began hunting furs to sell to the fur-trader. He came to be dependent upon the trader and lost some of his original independence. At the best, his social development was not high, and it seemed to be easier for him to adopt the white man's vices than his virtues. The two centuries of struggle for possession of the continent ended with the Indian's living on reservations provided by the government and dependent upon the bounty of Congress, or more rarely, living the life of civilization among his conquerers.

Indian Mounds. It would not do to close this chapter without reference to the numerous mounds to be found in Wisconsin. For many years it was supposed that they were built by a race that inhabited this country before the Indian came, but evidence seems to prove that they were built by the Indians. These mounds were usually found on the banks of streams and lakes or on high elevations near them. Once they must have been very numerous as more than two thousand have been counted in a single county. Many were built to resemble such animals as the lizzard, the turtle, the buffalo, or the squirrel. These are known as ejfigy mounds. Some of them are at least a thousand years old ; others were built probably after the coming of the white man. They seem to have been built to commemorate the burial places of important men, to designate the clan to which the Indian group belonged, or perhaps as fortifications. It is a curious fact that many of the important cities of the state are located where the presence of numerous mounds shows Indian villages once to have been located.

In the school library you may find Fredrick Starr's American Indians. If you are interested in Indians, read this book. Hicnvatlia, The Last of the Mohicans, and Ramona may also be read with profit. A number of other interesting books on Indian life may be found on the Wisconsin township library list.

1. Find on the map of Wisconsin as many Indian names as

you can.

2. How many Indian reservations are there in the state? Lo-

cate them.

3. Compare Indian warfare with that of the Great War.

4. The Indian is brown; why is he called red?

5. What vegetables in common use were first obtained from the

Indians?

6. How did the name Indian originate?

7. Some topics for additional study: Personal appearance of

the Indian; Indian children; Indian farming; Wampum; Indian myths.

8. Are there any Indians in your vicinity? If there are, report

on them to your teacher.

9. Are there any mounds near where you live? If there are.

describe them.

Chapter III The Coming Of The White Men

Discovery and Exploration. It was a hundred and forty years after the discovery of America before a white man set foot upon Wisconsin soil. Through the forests roamed the Indians unvexed by the knowledge that some day a great state, governed by a race of men of whom they had never heard, would take the place of their hunting grounds. Suddenly out of the East a Frenchman, Jean Nicolet, skirted the coast of Green Bay, made a spectacular entrance into their villages, explored the Fox River, and returned to the mysterious country whence he came. For twenty years more the Indian held undisputed possession with no white men coming to molest him. Then began the long procession of explorers, traders, priests, and soldiers who laid the foundations of our Badger state. These men were nearly all French ; therefore, it is to France we owe the discovery and exploration of Wisconsin.

First Settlement. When the news came from Spain that a new world of untold riches had been discovered, the French, eager to obtain a share of the vast wealth to be had for the taking, fitted out an expedition under Verrazono an Italian in the employ of the King of France. In 1524 he explored the coast of North America from South Carolina to New Hampshire and thus gave France a claim to the continent. A few years later

THE COMING OF THE WHITE MEN 19

Jacques Cartier was sent out to explore the lands west of New Foundland. His voyage resulted in the discovery of the St. Lawrence River and his taking possession of it in the name of the King of France. But attempts at settlement failed, and it was nearly a century before the French made their first permanent settlement at Port Royal in 1604. Four years later Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec which soon became the starting point for French explorations.

New France. All the French possessions in America were named New France, and Champlain was made governor. He was the most brilliant and successful of French explorers and colonizers. In 1609 he joined a party of Algonkin Indians and reached the lake which now bears his name. Near there they met a band of fierce and hostile Iroquois. In a short battle the Iroquois were driven away in panic, but thereafter were the enemies of France. For a hundred and fifty years, allying themselves with the English and Dutch colonists the Iroquois controlled Lake Erie and compelled the French to send all of their exploring parties through the region to the west controlled by the friendly Algonkins. This mistake of Champlain was largely responsible for the early discovery and exploration of the upper Mississippi Valley.

Like all early explorers Champlain believed America to be much smaller than It really is. Nothing was known of the western country, although most men believed it to be but a narrow strip west of the Great Lakes through which rivers flowed into the China Sea. AVandering Indians brought strange tales to the settlers about the region to the west and thus kept alive the desire to get the rich trade of the East. Champlain studied such reports carefully and made a map of the region as he supposed it to be.

Champlain was the moving spirit in all of the early French activities. In 1611 he established a trading post at Montreal. He selected young men to live among the Indians to study their languages and customs and to increase French influence. He sent them on long journeys to make treaties with the Indians and to bring back information about the Western frontier. Through this severe training he developed young men who had all of the physical endurance of the savage combined with the intelligence of the white man. The explorations of these men greatly extended the boundaries of New France, but when Champlain died on Christmas day, 1635, their activities were discontinued for a quarter of a century.

French Motives. In their explorations the French were impelled by several motives. Four which seemed to give direction to their work were :

1. Desire for territorial expansion. The Frenchman wanted his flag to fly in every part of the world. He wanted to settle every available foot of land not already held by some other power.

2. Religious zeal. The Catholic church, through its missionaries, wanted to gather all of the Indians within its fold.

3. The fur-trade. Fur-trading was a very profitable industry.

4. Love of adventure. Popular imagination was kindled by the reports of adventures to be had in the New World.

THE COMING OF THE WHITE MEN 21

Jean Nicolet. One of the young men who heard of these adventures was Jean Nicolet, the son of a mailcarrier of Normandy. He came to Quebec in 1618 when he was twenty years of age, a vigorous, ambitious and daring young Frenchman. He was immediately employed by Champlain who sent him on a mission to the Algonkins. There on the Ottawa River, three hundred miles from Quebec and with no companions of his own race he spent two years, undergoing many hardships and perils. An old French chronicle says :

"He often passed seven or eight days without food, and once, full seven weeks with no other nourishment than a little bark from the trees."

Afterward he was stationed for ten or eleven years among the Nipissings near the lake of that name. He became one of them and seemed to enjoy their manner of living. He prepared notes of their life and customs which later fell into the hands of a French missionary.

In 1632 he returned to Quebec, which had been restored to the French after a short ownership by the English. Here he was employed by the company which had control of the development of New France. Champlain was anxious to have more explorations made to the west and Nicolet was eager to undertake the work. Accustomed as he was to the fatigues and privations of the wilderness and with a full knowledge of Indians and Indian life, he was just the man to be sent into the unknown West.

"People of the Sea/* One of the reasons why Champlain was anxious to have Nicolet undertake this journey was a story that had come from Indians trading at Quebec, which told of a nation of Indians dwelling some distance westward known as the People of the Sea. The Frenchmen beheved that these must be Chinese and that at last they were to reach the East by sailing west. These Indians were, however, a branch of the Dakotas, later known as the Winnebagoes but then called the Ouinipeg. The term ouinipeg means bad smelling water and was thought to refer to the salt water of the ocean as contrasted with the fresh water of the inland lakes. The ''sea" from which they came was undoubtedly the Mississippi River, and the ''bad smelling water" is now believed to have referred to a group of sulphur springs near Lake Winnipeg. The fanciful descriptions of these people had confirmed Champlain in the belief that he had at last found the long-sought route to China. He chose Nicolet as his ambassador to go to these people, make a treaty of peace with them and secure their trade for New France.