Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-11-30
From the Wisconsin Argus.
Wisconsin twenty years ago.

|
cres-Satk tcGr-IocatiOn Of Madison, dc
The incidents of the early settlement of our
STATE, however unlmportant in a national point of
view, are worthy OF being treasured up for the
remembrance of posterity. But few of those
hardy and daring men who came into the coun-
try many years in advance of the present popu-
latlon, now remain among us, and the little circle
Is rapidly contracting. Itbeongs to this gener-
auon and our time TO collect together the perso-
nal history, experience, and adventures of these
worthy aud veteran pioneers, and preserve it as
very essential and interesting part OF our local
annals
One of these earliest Corners to the south-wes-
! tern part OF the state, was EbcncZer BRIGHAM of
Blue Mounds, the oldest and undoubtedly the
first permanent settler within the present limits
OF Dane county-a man of rare modesty, unsul-
lied reputation, possessing strong and retentive
memory, and WHO'S really living history of the
" life and times of the very first white settlers
We have never been able to induce him to write
out sketch of these early times but having got
him fast by the button hole few DAYS since. we
took the occasion to otdoWn so ne items. which
we serve up in our own way, i'll connection with
other matt rs, trusting that complete details
Will be obtained, of which he has large fund
and that the reader will bear in mind the admo-
mtlon he gave us, not to make him the hero Of
the tale.
hlr. Brigham journcycd from Worcester. Mass
to st. Louis, in 1918. The Upper Mississippi
| country was then almost unknown.-Beyond the
| narrative OF Pike ; expedition, and the somewhat
vague reports OF hunters, b amen, and few
lead dlggers about Dubuque, the public possess
es no reliable information, and telt little if any
lntercs'. twas regarded as a wild region filled
with hostile sayagcs, and very few were willing
! 10 trust themselves amor z them. In 1922, MIR.
Is. followed up the river on hor,c back, the pre-
sent site OF GaIena the place then consisting Of
one log cabin and a second one commenced,
which nc assisted in completing. Shortly after
he returned to Springfield, the present capital OF
Illinois, and settled there, the young CITY then
Containing four or five cabins. In II he again
returned to the lead region for the purpose OF en-
barking In tie business. With small party he
| pitched his tent on what is now called the Block
House Branch of the Platte river, about four
miles south OF the present village of Platteyille.
tor the purpose OF prospecting. From TINS point
the party retrcated in some haste to Galena oW-
| ing o the commencement OF hosttes by the In
dams.
| As the particulars Of this outbreak are not ge-
morally known, we digrcss little TO give few
of the leading facts.
Gen. Cass had made an appointment to meet
/ ]
| ilNed tor the council not an Indian appeared.
Alarmed at this and other hostile signs, he rapid
/ ~ descended the rycrtU Prairie du Chen. where
the people had ali taken shelter in the garrison,
/ ana whore he heard OF an attack on government
BOAT which had been up the river with supplies
Tor the garrison at st. Peters, short lime previ-
Gus fastening Immediately to GaleHay he no.
tined the citizens OF their danger, and advised
them to build block houses for their protection.
The boat alluded to had already reached Gale
ma, and as the fight shows some of the perils of
! river navigation during those early days, we give
the particulars N bri L. In descending the boats
| mad 10 pass narrow place batWc IN the island
! aud the main shore. The Indians. several hun
drcd III number had stationed themselves on both
sides, and had also prepared canoes to board, if
! necessary. The forward beat was suffered to
| pass unmocstcd; but when the second came
WITHIN reach it received discharge from the
! whole lorce, killing one man and wounding ano-
! Uhcr. Ihe llrc WAS returned, but with little eff
! tGct, as the crew were IN a very exposed and
awkward situation. In this position OF affairs an
effort was mad to board, and a strappiHg Warr-
| or jumped on to the stcrnt seized the uilpr and
set the vessel ashore, but not till after a bullet
struck him dead At this Iuncturc an lr,hman
OF the crew, iaml,iarIy call d Saucy Jack,
luml ed ashore AMI, amidst shower OF bullets.
showed II OIL and escaped unhurt, the boat pro-
ceCdlng without farther INC tatIou carving Of
the body OF the ambitious Indian, which was lett
at Gaicna The sides of the vessel, the boxes.
| Nc, was riddICd by over three hundred bullet
holes.
This was period of great suffering at Gale
ma. Tne weather was inCIement, and two or
three thousand persons driven jdlcny in, with
a scant supply d royisions, without amurition
or weapons, and eucamped in the open air, or
Gotta tents which was but little better, were pIac-
ed ma voy DIS grcelbo and critical position
From Gaena, Gen. Cass proceeded with the
utmost dispatch to jeff rson Barracks A large
force under Gen Atkinson imm sdat Nv came up
the river in boats, as far as the Portage (For.
Wnnebago) Gen. 10 &C ana Whitcsides with
c1mpanes # volunteers following along each
side on land, and SC, ing out the lurking sava-
geS. force iro Gree n Bay also concentrated
on the same point, al d the Indians b,hclI with
,lSmay formidable army in the miI-t of their
country. The v,sult was a treaty of peace, and
The giving up OF Red Bird who lad wear pre-
vIous mastered family near Prairie du Chen.
The reports made by the officers and men, on
| their return from this warlike expedition, first
drew public attention to the unbounded fertility
ana eNhauSUess resources of southwestern
| ISconSln-and their return was followed by a
large immigration To the lead region.
1t was while this force was on its march tn;
Mr. Brigham and his party returned and built a
o'ock-housa at the point they had left and recon-
menced their d gngs
In the spring ct 1923, he removed to Blue
Mounds, the most advanced outpost in tn mines,
ana has resided there ever since, being bv four
years At least tn oldest white settler in the coun-
~ The isolated position he thus settled upon.
VIII be apparent from the statement OF few facts
Inc nearest settler was at what is now Dodge
vile, about twenty-:our miles distant. Mineral
FONT and most OF th2 o.har digginrs where
villages have since grown ur, had not then been
discovered. On the southeast the nearest house
was on the O'Plano river twelve miles west Of
Chicago On the east, Solomon Juneau was his
nearest ncghbor, at the mouth of the Milwaukee
river and on the northeast, Green BAY was the
nearest setuement-Fort Winnebago not then
having been projected
Inc country at this tim, was part of Mich.
gan Territory. The northern boundary of Iii.
nols was 50 vaguely defined, that the diGcers or
me Mounds voted al the Shullsburg precinct fol-
congressman for the Sucker State Soon after
Locating al this place Mr.. Brigham visited Green
Bay In company with others 10 attend an Indian
council, in order 10 settle on certain bounlarie.
between the whites and red men. The line fix.