The daily union., 1846-10-02
wINNEBAao INDIANS.


Laquer and by the United States interpreter, Pierr
Manaigre, Sylyanus b. Lowry, son Of the late agen
for the tribe, who also speaks their language fluent
ly, and by Hercules s. Dausman, esq, one Of th'
oldest, wealthiest, and most important traders, il
the northwest; Messrs. Richard Chute, III. M. Rice
John Haney, jr., and George Culver, also largely
engaged and representing important interests IN thu
Indian trade, on the Upper Mississippi.
The Winnebagoes occupy valuable tract o
land west Of Prairie du CHEN, bordering forty
miles on the Mississippi, within the territory o
Iowa, and running one hundred miles back from thu
river. This land was ceded by the Sac and Fon
and Sioux tribes at the treaty Of Prairie du Chen
concluded in July, 1880. These tribes had beer
aneieat enemies, and the feuds inherited from the
fathers had never been healed. Their countries lay
contiguous to each other and each party reinquish
ed twenty miles of the adjoining country, which wai
thereafter TO be considered neutral sacred ground
which threw the hostile bands forty miles apart This
was done for the purpose Of preventing the frequent
| massacres which so often occurred when smal
hunting parties Of one tribe were found on the hunt
ing grounds of the other. On the "neutral ground,
each party could hunt unmoested by the other; and
have understood, this agreement was held sacred
thereafter.
The above agreement although based upon an un.
denanding entertained between the parties at the time
the treaty was negotiated, not inserted in that
instrument--and in September, 1882, treaty was
concluded between General Winfield Scott and
Governor Reynolds, with the Winnebago nation,
by which the latter eeded the balance Of the extern
sve and rich country they originally occupied, south
of the Wisconsin and east of the Mississippi ivers.
This cession embraced large tract Of land, extend.
ing from the Mississippi, to the Grand Chute of
Fox river, below Winnebago lake. The ID ar
ticle of the treaty pledges, on behalf of the United
States, as follows:
"ARr. 2. In part consideration of the above ces
sion, II is hereby stipulated and agreed, that the
United States grant TO the Winnebago nation TO be
held as other Indian lands held tnat part Of the
tact of country the west side Of the Mississippi
known, at present, the neutral ground embraced
within the following lmits-viz: Here the boun.
dares of the tract Of land, eeded by the Sioux and
Saes and Foxes, in the manner and for the purpo.
ses above stated, by the treaty Of July, 1880, bor
dering forty miles on the Mississippi rver-and the
article concludes as folows:l "The exchange Of the
two tracts Of country to take place on before the
lst day Of June next-that is TO say, on or before
that day-all the Winnebagoes now residing within
the country ceded TO them above, shall leave the
said country, when, and not before, they shall be
allowed to enter upon the country granted by the Uni
ted States IN exchange"
Thus was the Winnebago tribe Of Indians pos
sessed of the neutral ground which, at the treaty OF
$780, il was determined should never be occupied by
any other tribe Of Indians, or by a white popula-
ton, without the consent Of the then contracting par
ties.
The Winnebagoes did not settle upon the ''neu-
tra ground" after the treaty of 1882, but removed
across the Wisconsin river, and occupied the ex-
tensivc country they still held north of that stream
and east Of the Mississippi In the year 1897, a
proposition was made to extingush the Winneba.
go title to all their country in Wisconsin Territory
and a delegation was brought to Washington for
that purpose. On the first day of November, 1887,
treaty was entered into between Carey A. Harris,
ESQ.,, Commissioner Of Indian Affairs, specially ap-
pointed by the President and the delegation of Win
nebago Indians. The LIST article ofths treaty reads
as follows: "The Winnebago nation Of Indians cede
to the United States all their lands east of the Mis-
sssppi river" The Cd article stpulates as follows,
to WI: "The said Indians further agree to relin-
quish The right 10 occupy, ercept for the purpose Qfhni
ing, portion Of the land held by them ,os of The Mis-
sssppi, included bettpeen that riper and line draen
from point hceniy miles distant herejrom on the
southern boundary Of the neutral ground TO point
equi-dstan from the said riper The northern boundary
thereof" "But this stipulation shall not be 30 con-
srued as TO invadate their title TO the said tract'
The second article Of the same treaty provides as
follows, viz: "The said Indians agree to remove,
within eight months from the ratification of this
treaty, to that portion Of the neutral ground west of
the Mississippi, which was conveyed to them in the
second article of the treaty of September I5 1885,
and the United States agree that the said Indians
may hunt upon the ,eessrn part Of said neutral ground
until they shall procure permanent settlement" 1t
will readily be perceived that the tenure by which
the Winnebagoes are to hold the "neutral land"
under the provisions of this treaty. is materially
changed from that conferred upon them by the trea-
ty Of 1899! And they now declare that they did
not understand this variation of their occupant
title.
Notwithstanding the provision in the treaty of
1887, that the Winnebagoes would remove to the
west of the Mississippi within eight months after
the ratification of this treaty. they refused to do So,
in consequence of certain promises made to them
by United States officers, that they would be per-
mtted to remain their locations east of the river
and receive their annuities there. Thus matters
rested until the year 1910, when they removed
by the military force of the United States, at great
expense, and placed upon the country they now oc-
cupy west of the mississippi, called the "neutral
ground"
The time at length arrived when the young giant
of the west, Iowa, determined to throw off her ter
ritorial dependence, and become sister of the
federacy of States and she demanded removal of
the Indians within her limits. The country occu-
pied by the Winnebagoes, borders forty miles on
that great thoroughfare the Mississippi river, and
cuts off that distance of the upper or northern
portion Of the new State, extending one hundred
miles into the interior. Everybody conversant with
the past history of Indian tribes, who occupied
lands within the limits Of State will at once con-
ceve the impossibility of the Winnebagoes retain