The history of Illinois, from its earliest settlement to the present time ...

Front matter

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Preface

The history of Illinois presents many points of singular interest. The villages of Cahokia, Kaskaskia, and Vincennes were founded by French missionaries at a very, early period ; and the territory formed a part of the French possessions in America until it was ceded to Great Britain in 1763. The romantic expedition of G-eorge Rogers Clarke wrested it from the latter power during the Revolutionary War, though it received very little increase of population from immigration until after the commencement of the present century. Since then its delicious climate, and the unexampled fertility of its soil, has been duly appreciated, while the vast works of internal improvement, either completed or in rapid course of construction, attest the energy and enterprise of its people. The

10 PREFACE.

author of this book has endeavoui*ed to exhibit the progress of the State in its several stages of growth ; and it is believed that nothing has been* omitted that might be regarded either as interesting in itself or as characteristic of its inhabitants.

Chapter I

The Frencli in Canada — Samuel Champlain — The Jesuit missionaries form the first permanent white settlement — Father Claude Aliouez — The Illinois — Fathers Marquette and Dablon — Grand Indian council at St. Mary's — Marquette and Jolliet explore the Mississippi — Their visit to the Illinois Indians — Hospitality and kindness of the 4atter — Their manners and customs — Marquette visits the Arkansas — Close of the exploration — Return to Green Bay — Death of Marquette — His remains removed from the wilderness — Reverent conduct of the Kiskakon Indians.... , Page 19

Chapter II

Robert de la Salle — -^ided by Frontenac, obtains a patent of nobility and the grant of Fort Frontenac — His prosperity and visit to France — Schemes favoured by Colbert — First vessel on Lake Erie — Voyage to Green bay and Illinois — Builds Fort Crevecoeur — Loss of the GriflBn — Descends the Mississippi and takes possession of its valley in the name of France — Voyage of La Salle to France for military and naval stores — On his return lands in Texas — Disasters in Texas — Unfortunate expedition in search of the

Mississippi — Attempts an overland journey to the Freneh settlements in Illinois — Mutinous conduct of his men — Death of La Salle — His character — Fate of his companions Page 34

Chapter III

Progress of French colonization — Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Peoria founded — Expedition of D'Iberville — Discovers the mouth of the Mississippi — Letter from M. Tonti to M. de La Salle preserved by the Indians — D'Iberville builds Fort Biloxi and returns to France for reinforcements — First meeting of France and. England in the Mississijipi valley — Return and death of D'Iberville — Fort Chartres founded — Expedition of D'Artaguette, governor of Illinois, against the Chickasas — His defeat and death — Extracts from the letters of Vivier, a French missionary, showing the state ' of colonization in Illinois during this period — Territorial difficulties between France and England — Extract from a letter written by Father Marest 46

Chapter IV

English and French territorial claims examined — Commencement of hostilities and conduct of Colonel Washington — Brief sketch of the war from 1756 to 1760— Treaty of peace in 1763 between France and England — Native hostility to the English — Conspiracy of Pontiac — Nine forts captured — Failure of his attack on Detroit — Conciliatory policy of England — Death of Pontiac — Condition of Illinois under the British domination — Government proclamation —Annals of Hlinois from 1765 to 1778 56

CONTENTS.

Chapter V

Causes which brought about the American Revolution — Employment of Indians by the British — The Illinois settlements the grand sources of Indian hostilities — George Rogers Clarke — Sends spies into Illinois — His interview with Patrick Henry — Receives instructions to attack the British posts in Hlinois — Expedition to Kaskaskia — John Saunders — Stratagem by which Kaskaskia was captured — Cahokia surrenders Page 71

Chapter VI

The capture of the British post at Vincennes — Complimentary resolution of the Virginia legislature — Negotiations of Clarke with the Indians — His mode of treating them — The Meadow Indians attempt his life — Affecting and romantic Incident — Fort Vincennes recaptured by Colonel Hamilton, governor of Detroit, and the whole garrison, consisting of one officer and one private, allowed to march out of the fort with the honours of war — Expedition of Colonel Clarke against Vincennes — Incidents on the march — Eort Vincennes retaken by the Americans — Governor Harrison's letter to Colonel Clarke

Chapter VII

The " County of Hlinois" organized by the Virginia legislature — North-western territory ceded to Congress — Virginia grants lands to Clarke and his soldiers — Claims of the United States on Indian lands — Indian objections to these claims — Agency of the British in provoking Indian hosti- 2 lities — General Harmar is appointed commander-in-chief, and is defeated by Little Turtle — General St. Clair's disastrous defeat — Renewal of the attempt to negotiate a peace — Indian manifesto — General Wayne marches to subdue the Indians — Erects Fort Recovery — Fort Recovery attacked by Little Turtle — Fort Defiance erected — The Indians finally defeated — Treaty of Greenville — Condition of Illinois during this period — Beneficial results of General Wayne's expedition against the Indians ^a^« 106

CHAPTER Vni.

American settlements in Illinois — Character and mode of life of the Illinois backwoodsman — Annals of border warfare from 1786 to 1796— Anecdote of Little Turtle — Character and designs of Tecumseh — His interviews with General Harrison — Tecumseh's visit to the South — Battle of Tippecanoe — Frustration of Tecumseh's plans — Joins the British at Fort Maiden 125

Chapter IX

Causes which led to the renewal of war between Great Britain and the United States in 1812 — Disastrous commencement of the war — Fort Chicago ordered to be evacuated — The garrison wish to remain in the fort — Captain Heald attends the Indian council alone, protected by the guns of the fort — The ammunition and liquor destroyed, and the goods distributed among the Indians — Arrival of Captain Wells — The garrison leave the fort — Attacked by the Indians on their march — Mrs. Helm's account of the action — Cruel and faithless conduct of the Indians after the surrender of the soldiers — Kindness of Wau-bee-nee-mah to

Mrs. Helm — Heroic conduct of Mrs. Heald — Fate of the captives Page 148

Chapter X

Expedition of General Hopkins and Governor Edwards against the Indian villages on the Illinois — Americans defeated at Frenchtown — The massacre on the banks of the Raisin — Fort Meigs erected by General Harrison — General Procter attacks Fort Meigs and defeats Colonel Dudley — Noble and humane conduct of Tecumseh — Gallant defence of Fort Stephenson — Retreat of Procter to Fort Maiden — Defeat of the British fleet on Lake Erie by Commodore Perry — Invasion of Canada by General Harrison — Battle of the Thames — Death of Tecumseh — Illinois defended against the Indians during this period by its native militia, under the title of " Rangers" — The character of the rangers — Exploits of Tom Higgins — Peace restored between Great Britain and the United States, and termination of the hostile incursions of the Indians 164

CHAPTER XL

Rapid increase of population in Hlinois — Illinois admitted into the Union as an independent state — Its constitution — Indian title to possession gradually extinguished — Land, the origin of all the diflSculties between the Indians and whites — Early life of Black Hawk — His account of the treaty of 1804 — The American government attempts to induce the Indian tribes to live in peace — Some account of the Sioux and Chippewa Indians — Attack on the keel-boats by the Indians — Black Hawk imprisoned — Treaty of Prairie du Chien — Keokuk — Indians notified to leave the country east of the Mississippi — Refusal of Black Hawk — Correspondence between General Gaines and the Secretary of War — The Sac village abandoned on the approach of the military — Treaty between Black Hawk and General Gaines Page 181

CHAPTER XIL

Black Hawk and his men recross the Mississippi — Defeat of Major Stillman and his party — Conduct of Captain Adams — The bodies of the Americans killed in the battle shamefully mutilated by the savages — The massacre at Indian Creek — Major Demont's skirmish with Black Hawk — Defeat of Black Hawk by General Hervey — General Atkinson defeats him at the Mississippi — Capture and speech of Black Hawk — Treaty with the Indians — Progress of Black Hawk through the United States — Restored to his native country 196

CHAPTER XIII.

The Mormons, or " Latter-Day Saints," settle in Illinois and build the city of Nauvoo — Biography of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon sect — His discovery of the golden plates — Persecuted by his neighbours — Translates the golden plates — Description of the "Book of Mormon" — THe Spaulding manuscript — First settlement of Mormons at Kirtland in Ohio — The Mormons driven from Ohio and Missouri — The city of Nauvoo built by the Mormons — The Nauvoo Legion incorporated — Attack on the Nauvoo Expositor — Joseph and Hyrum Smith arrested and lodged in Carthage jail — The citizens of Carthage attack and kill the prisoners — The Mormons exhorted to peace and submission by their leaders — The Mormons settle in the valley of the Great Salt Lake — The present prosperous condition of the Mormons accounted for 213

CHAPTER XIV.

The Illinois and Michigan canal — Its great commercial importance — Governor Bond brings the subject before the legislature of Illinois — Canal commissioners appointed and the first estimate made — A company chartered — The charter repealed — Canal lands given by Congress — A board of commissioners appointed and authorized to employ suitable engineers, surveyors, and draughtsmen to determine the route of the canal — An act passed for the construction of the canal on a more enlarged scale — The work stopped through the failure of the public credit — The work completed by means of the "Shallow Cut" — The Illinois Grand Central Railroad — The public debt of Dlinois Poge 26%

CHAPTER XV.

Education among the early pioneers — The establishment of common schools — School funds in Illinois — Particulars respecting some of the principal colleges — The physical geography of Illinois — Its minerals and manufactures — Growth of towns and cities in Illinois — Springfield — Chicago — Alton — Kaskaskia — Climate — The climate of the interior of Illinois beneficial in cases of consumption —

Population 242

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HISTORY OF ILLmOIS.

Chapter I

The French in Canada — Samuel Champlain— The Jesuit missionaries form the first permanent white settlement — Father Claude AUouez — The Illinois — Fathers Marquette and Dablon — Grand Indian council at St. Mary's — Marquette and Jolliet explore the Mississippi — Their visit to the Illinois Indians — Hospitality and kindness of the latter — Their manners and customs — Marquette visits the Arkansas — Close of the exploration — Return to Green Bay — Death of Marquette — His remains removed from the wilderness — Reverent conduct of the Kiskakon Indians.

The discoveries of Yerrazani, a mariner in the service of France, having given that country a title to certain parts of the Western Continent, in 162T Samuel Champlain obtained from Louis XIII. a patent of New France, and entered upon its government. The territory so called included the whole basin of the St. Lawrence, together with Florida, or the country south of Virginia. The genius of Champlain, the founder of Quebec, could have devised no better method for extending the power of France on the American continent than by an alliance with the Hurons, and the establishment of missionaries. Jesuit missionaries were therefore commissioned to form alliances with the savage tribes that inhabited the western wilds. Every tradition bears testimony to the worth and virtues of these men. They may have had faults, the natural result of a stringent adherence to an ascetic religion ; but they endured with invincible fortitude, hunger, cold, and nakedness, under the influence of an irrepressible religious enthusiasm. They carved the cross and the name of Jesus on the bark of the trees of the forest ; and the rise of several towns of importance amid the forests and prairies of the far West is historically connected with their labours.

In August, 1665, Father Claude Allouez founded the first permament white settlement on Lake Superior, among the kindly and hospitable Indians of the North-west. He soon lighted the torch of Catholicism at the council fires of more than twenty nations. He came in peace, the messenger of religion and virtue, and he found friends. The Chippewas gathered around him to receive instruction. Pottawatomies. Sacs, Foxes, and even Illinois, an hospitable race, having no weapon but the bow and arrow, diminished in numbers by wars with the Sioux and the Iroquois, came to rehearse their sorrows in the hearing of this devoted missionary. His curiosity was roused by their account of the noble river on which they dwelt,

1668.] MARQUETTE AND DABLON. 21

and which flowed toward the south. «' They had no forests, but, instead of them, vast prairies, where herds of deer, and buffalo, and other animals grazed on the tall grasses." They explained also the wonders of their peace-pipe, and declared it to be their custom to welcome the friendly stranger with shouts of joy. <' Their country," said Allouez, "is the best field for the gospel. Had I leisure, I would have gone to their dwellings, to see with my own eyes all the good that was told me of them."

In 1668 additional missionaries arrived from France, who, following in the footsteps of Father Allouez, Claude Dablon, and James Marquette, founded the mission at St. Mary's Falls, on the shores of Lake Superior. While residing at St. Mary's, Father Marquette resolved to explore the Mississippi, of whose magnificence he had heard so much. Some Pottawatomy Indians having heard him express this resolution, attempted to turn him from his purpose. " Those distant nations," said they, "never spare the stranger — the great river abounds with monsters which devour both men and canoes." "I shall gladly," replied Marquette, "lay down my life for the salvation of souls." Such was the noble spirit of this brave and worthy missionary, such his entire devotedness to the sacred principles of that religion of which he was the humble expounder.

Continued and peaceful commerce with the French having confirmed the attachment of the Indian tribes inhabiting Canada and the North-west, a friendly alliance was now sought with them which was well calculated to extend the power of France on the continent. In May, 1671, a grand Indian council was held at the Falls of St. Mary's. At this council, convoked by the agents of the French government, it was announced to the tribes assembled from the banks of the Mississippi, the head springs of the St. Lawrence and the Red River, that they were placed under the protection of the French king, formal possession being taken of Canada and the North-west by officers acting under his authority. The Jesuit missionaries were present to consecrate the imposing ceremonial. A cross of cedar was erected ; and by its side rose a column of similar wood, on which was engraved the lilies of the Bourbons. The authority and faith of France being thus proclaimed, •.." the whole company, bowing before the image of man's redemption, chanted to its glory a hymn of the seventh century."

On the 10th of June, 1673, Father Marquette, who 'had long entertained the idea of exploring the Mississippi, the great river of the West, accompanied by Jolliet, five Frenchmen, and two Algonquin guides, ascended to the head of the Fox River, and carrying their two bark canoes

1673.] EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 23

across the narrow portage which divides the Fox River from the Wisconsin, launched them upon the waters of the latter. The guides now left them, and for seven days they floated down the stream, between alternate prairies ^nd hill-sides, beholding neither man nor beast — through the solitudes of a wilderness, the stillness of which overawed their spirits. At length, to their inexpressible joy, their frail canoes struck the mighty waters of the Mississippi, rolling through verdant prairies, dotted with herds of buffalo, and its banks overhung with primitive forests.

Having sailed down this noble stream for about sixty leagues, they discovered, toward the close of June, an Indian trail on its western bank. It was like the human footsteps which Robinson Crusoe saw in the sand, and which had not been effaced by the rising of the tides or the rolling of the waters. A little footpath was soon found, and, leaving their companions in the canoes, Marquette and Jolliet determined to brave alone a meeting with the savages. After following the little path for about six miles they discovered an Indian village. First imploring the protection of Divine Providence, they made known their presence to the Indians by uttering a loud cry. <'At this cry," says Father Marquette, " the Indians rushed out of their cabins, and having probably recognised us as French, especially seeing a < black gown,' or at least having no reason to distrust us, seeing -we "were but two, and had made known our coming, they deputed four oki men to come and speak with us. Two carried tobacco-pipes well adorned, and trimmed with many kinds of feathers. They marched slowly, lifting their pipes toward the sun, as if offering them to him to smoke; but yet without uttering a single word. They were a long time coming the little way from the village to us. Having reached us at last, they stopped to consider us attentively. I now took courage, seeing these ceremonies, which are used by them only with friends, I therefore spoke to them first, and asked them who they were. '^Ye are,' said they, 'Illinois;' and in token of peace they presented us their pipes to smoke. They then invited us to their village, where all the tribe awaited us with impatience. These pipes are called in the country calumets."

Our travellers having arrived at the village, an aged chief bid them welcome to his cabin with uplifted hands, their usual method of recei^'ing strangers. " How beautiful," said the chief, '» is the sun, Frenchman, when thou comest to visit us ! Our whole village awaits thee ; thou shalt enter in peace into all our dwellings."

A errand council of the whole 'tribe was now held, which Marquette addressed on the subject of the Christian religion, informing them at the same time that the French king had subjugated

1673.] VISIT TO THE ILLINOIS. 25

their enemies, the Iroquois, and questioning them respecting the Mississippi and the tribes which inhabited its banks. The missionary having finished, the sachem of the Illinois arose, and spoke thus : — " I thank thee, black gown, and thee Frenchman," addressing M. Jolliet, "for taking so much pains to come and visit us ; never has the earth been so beautiful, nor the sun so bright as to-day ; never has our river been so calm, nor so free from rocks, which your canoes have removed as they passed ; never has our tobacco had so fine a flavour, nor our corn appeared so beautiful as we behold it to-day. Here is my son that I give thee, that thou mayest know my heart. I pray thee to take pity on me and all my nation. Thou knowest the Great Spirit who has made us all ; thou speakest to him and hearest his word; ask him to give me life and health, and come and dwell with us that we may know him." <' Saying this," says Marquette, <-he placed the little slave near us; and made us a second present, an all-mysterious calumet, which they value more than a slave ; by this present he showed us his esteem for our governor, after the account we had given of him ; by the third he begged us, in behalf of the whole nation, not to proceed further, on account of the great dangers to which we exposed ourselves. I replied that I did not fear death, and that I esteemed no happiness greater than that of losing my life for the glory of Him who made all."

This council was followed by a festival of Indian meal, fish, and the choicest products of the prairies. The town, consisting of about 300 cabins, was then visited. Its inhabitants, who had never before seen a Frenchman, gazed at them with astonishment, and made them presents. "While we marched through the streets," says Marquette, " an orator was constantly haranguing, to oblige all to see us without being troublesome ; we were everywhere presented with belts, garters, and other articles, made of the hair of the bear, and wild catile, dyed red, yellow, and gray. These are their rarities ; but not being of consequence, we did not burden ourselves with them. We slept in the sachem's cabin, and the next day took leave of him, promising to pass back through his town in four moons. He escorted us to our canoes with nearly six hundred persons, who saw us embark, evincing in every possible way the pleasure our visit had given them."

The following is a brief abstract from the account given by Father Marquette of the manners and customs of the Illinois Indians at the period of his visit. Happily, the Jesuits were men of learning and observation, who felt the importance of their position ; so that while faithfully discharging the duties of their religious

1673.] CUSTOMS OF THE INDIANS. 27

profession, thej carefully recorded the progress of events around them : —

(■<■ To say ' Illinois' is, in their language, to say 'the men,' as if other Indians compared to them were beasts. They are divided into several villages, some of which are quite distant from each other, and which produces a diversity in their language, which in general has a great affinity for the Algonquin. They are mild and tractable in disposition, have many wives, of whom they are extremely jealous ; they watch them carefully, and cut off their noses and ears when they do not behave well; I saw several who bore the marks of their infidelity. They are well formed, nimble, and very adroit in using the bow and arrow. They use guns also, which they buy of our Indian allies, who trade with the French; they use them especially to terrify the nations against whom they go to war. These nations have no knowledge of Europeans, are unacquainted with the use of either iron or copper, and have nothing but stone knives." "When the Illinois go to war, a loud cry is made at the door of each hut in the village the morning and evening before the warriors set out. <' The chiefs are distinguished from the soldiers by a scarf, ingeniously made of the hair of bears and wild olen. The face is painted with red lead, or ochre, which is found in great quantities a few days' journey from the village. They live by game, which is abundant in this country, and on Indian corn. They also sow beans and melons. Their squashes they dry in the sun, to eat in the winter and spring. Their cabins are very large, and lined and floored with rush mats. They make all their dishes of wood, and their spoons of the bones of the buffalo. Their only clothes are skins ; their women are always dressed very modestly and decently, while the men do not take any pains to cover themselves.

" It now only remains for me to speak of the calumet, thaii which there is nothing among them more mysterious or more esteemed. Men do not pay to the crowns and sceptres of kings the honor that they pay to it. It seems to be the god of peace and war, the arbiter of life and death. Carry it about you and show it, and you can march fearlessly amid enemies who, even in the heat of battle, lay down their arms when it is shown. Hence the Illinois gave me one, to serve as a safeguard amid all the Indian nations that I had to pass on my voyage."

Such is the account left by Marquette of the condition of the Illinois Indians at the time of his visit, in 1673. Taking leave of these hospitable savages, our adventurous travellers once more launched forth on the broad waters of the Mississippi. As they floated down this noble river day after day, they gradually entered on the richer scenery of a southern climate. The

1673.] VISIT TO THE ARKANSAS. 29

sombre pines of the woods of Canada, the forests of oak and maple, were by degrees exchanged for the lofty cottonwood, the fan-like palmetto, and the noble arborescent ferns of the tropics. They began to suiFer. from the increasing heat, and from legions of musquitoes which haunt the swampy margin of the stream. At length they arrived at that part of the stream which, upwards of a century before, had been discovered by De Soto and his ill-fated companions, in the country of the warlike Chickasaws. Here they were attacked by a fleet of canoes filled with Indians, armed with bows and arrows, clubs, and axes ; but when the old men got a fair view of the calumet or peace-pipe, which Marquette continually held up to view, their hearts were touched, and they restrained the impetuosity of their young warriors by throwing their bows and arrows into the two canoes, as a token of peace and welcome. Having been hospitably entertained by these Indians, they were escorted the following day by a deputation in a canoe, which preceded them as far as the village of Akamsea (Arkansas). Here they were received most kindly ; the natives continually bringing wooden dishes of sagamity — Indian corn — or pieces of dog flesh, which were, of course, respectfully declined. These Indians cooked in earthen pots, and served their food on earthenware dishes; were very amiable and unceremonious, each man

3* helping himself from the dish, and passing it on to his neighbor.

It was here that the travellers wisely terminated their explorations. «<M. Jolliet and I," says Marquette, " held a council to deliberate on what we should do, — whether we should push on, or rest satisfied with the discoveries we had made. After having attentively considered that we were not far from the Gulf of Mexico, the basin of which is 31° 40' north, and we at 33° 40', so that we could not be more than two or three days' journey ofi"; that the Mississippi undoubtedly had its mouth in Florida or the Gulf of Mexico, and not on the east, in Virginia, whose seacoast is 34° north. Moreover, we considered that we risked losing the fruit of our voyage if we fell into the hands of the Spaniards, who would undoubtedly make us prisoners ; and that we were not in condition to resist the Indians who infested the lower parts of the river. All these considerations induced us to return. This we announced to the Indians, and after a day's rest prepared for it."

On their return, they left the Mississippi at the thirty-eighth degree of latitude, and entered the Illinois river, which greatly shortened their voyage. The country through which this river flows was found to be full of fertile and beautiful prairies, abounding in wild ducks, swans, parrots, and turkeys. The tribe of Illinois living on its

1674.] Marquette's second visit. 31

banks entreated Marquette and his companions to come and live with them ; but as Marquette intimated his anxiety to continue his voyage, a chosen party conducted him by way of Chicago to Lake Michigan ; and before the end of September all were once more safely landed at Green Bay. Jolliet returned to Quebec to announce the discoveries they had made, whilst Marquette remained to preach the gospel to the Miamies, near Chicago.

Father James Marquette having promised the Illinois Indians to return among them to teach them the gospel, had great difficulty in keeping his word. The hardships of his first voyage had brought on a disease which deterred him from undertaking a second. His malady, however, abating, and having obtained the permission of his superiors, he set out for this purpose in the month of November, 1674, with two men, one of whom had already made his first voyage with him. During a month's navigation on the Illinois lake — Lake Michigan — his health became partially restored ; but when winter set in, his old malady returned with increased violence, and he was forced to stop in the river which leads to the Illinois. Here he spent the winter in such want of every comfort, that his illness bonstantly increased. The ice breaking up on the approach of spring, and feeling somewhat better, he continued his voyage, and at length was enabled to fulfil his promise to the Illinois, arriving at their town on the 8th of April, where he was enthusiastically received. Being compelled to leave them by the return of his malady, he resumed his voyage, and soon after reached the Illinois lake. His strength gradually failed as he sailed along the shores of the lake, and his men despaired of being able to carry him alive to the end of his journey. Perceiving a little river, with an eminence on the bank not far from its mouth, at his request his companions sailed into it, and carried him ashore. Here they constructed a "wretched bark cabin, where they laid him as little uncomfortably as they could ; but they were so overcome by sadness that, as they afterward said, they did not know what they were doing." Perceiving his end approaching, he called his companions and embraced them for the last time, they melting in tears at his feet. He then directed that his crucifix, which he wore constantly around his neck, should be held before his eyes ; and after repeating the profession of his faith, he devoutly thanked God for his gracious kindness in allowing him to die as a humble missionary of Jesus Christ, and above all to die as he had always prayed that he might die, — in a rude cabin in the forests, destitute of all human aid. He afterward became silent, his whole appearance denoting that he was conversing inwardly with