Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1838-01-13
| told them of the sin. the cruelty. of
those who would wonnd the 'sstran-
gers. heart.
From tho Peoria Register.
HISTORY OF PORT CLARK.


lquest to furnish history of this work
of defence in the following article. HI
regrets that his facilities were so few
and that he has had no documents te
refer to in aid. We are glad to obtain
this sketch, brief as it is, that our pa.
per may be the means of preserving
some memorial of work, which few
weeks ago was utterly demolished, SO
that not vestige remains:
| In the year 1913 the United States
and Great Britain were engaged lii
war, and nearly all the Indian tribes
within the territory of Ilisnois were
engaged on the side of the latter. o.
nited, they had captured Mackinaw,
Chicago and Detroit, and were greatly
harassing the frontier settlements of
Illinois and Indiana For the purpose
of striking terror into the Indians,
and bringing them TO terms, an ex-
petition was planned in this manner.
Col. Russell was to take an army of
regulars and others up the Mississippi,
and across what is now called the Mi
litary tract, to lake Peoria; Gen. Ed
wards was to take an army Of Illinois
volunteers up the Illinois river; and
Gen. Hopkins was to march an army
of Kentucky volunteers and few re-
gular soldiers across through Indiana
and Illinois; so that all three detach-
ments should at the same time meet at
the outlet Of lake Peoria. Gen. Hop
kins, by reason of the ignorance per-
fdy Of his guides, did not reach the
place of destination; but after destroy
ing an Indian town or two, somewhere
between the Wabash and Illinois, re-
turned with his troops. The other
two detachments met where Peoria
now stands, and pursued party of In
dians up the river 90 miles TO near the
present site of Ch|icothe, where an
engagement took place, in which the
whites were victorious.
The troops then returned and bull,
Fort Clark at the spot in question. 1t
was constructed by two rows Of pick
cts being placed in the ground, and the
space between being filled with earth. !
Around this was ditch and out-works
at two opposite corners, so constructed
as to defend the ditch. Within gun
shot, but detached from the fort, was
he powder magazine. The timber
with which the fort was built was cut
on the opposite side of the lake, where
the city of Cleaveland has since been
surveyed, hauled on truckle wagons
to the lake, and brought across in RATS
Late in the fall Of 1913 the fort was
completed; but few months after
wards, some time in the year 1914, the
soldiers being ordered to anotherquar-
ter, it was burnt by the Indians, but
whether by accident or design, accounts
do not agree. | do not recollect that
this fort, during its short existence,
was ever formidably attacked; yet it
appears that skirmishes occasionally /
took place. recollect when Mr..
Chrisman, four years ago, was build
ing the house which stands back of
Mr.. McC'elland's store, there were
grave stones standing near the door, on
which there was a rude epitaph. The
person indebted by it, as tradition in
forms US, was sprightly young man,
who, venturing tut from the fort too
far, was shot by an Indian who had
concealed himself for the purpose and
having done the fatal deed, made his
escape.
In 1882, when the celebrated Black
Hawk was marching his army through
the northern parts of Illinois, spread
ing destruction and dismay in every I
when the inhabitants had
generally fled across the river, about
twenty-five men banded themselves
together under the application Of the
Peoria guards, and resolved that the
place should be defended to the last ex-
tremity, and that those who had not
deserted the country should stay and
help defend it; and for this purpose
they seized upon the ferry and placed
a guard at it, with orders to let no
man pass. This being effected, they !
procured timber opposite the ferry
landing and rebuilt the fort. This was
done, not by putting up double rows
OF pickets as at first, but by placing
one row firmly between the old ones,
the lower part (which still remained,
and breaking the joints by smaller
pickets. As this last fort was not SO
large as the other, the pickets on one
side were planted in the common
But as the Indiens did not
think t proper to attack this place, this