The Ottawa free trader., 1851-07-12
For the Free Trader.
Starved Rock. Once a French Fort,

Jg rIou
Every one who has visited this natural curosl
Is. which IS rendered The more an object OF IA
ttr,st by the evidences and remains of . Former
;u'ttcaton on is summit aud who has listened
Co the dim Indian legend OF the seigc, the starya
ton. and the final extinction Of the remnant of
thai ONCE populuus tribe, the Illinois must have
.o,t 4 desire TO SNOW more oi It's previous history
And while resting within those entertainments N
the deep shade of lts eyerSreenS, Though which
he wind whistles moUnlully AS if chanting a re
QUEEN 10 the dead around who has not wished
that the -ishng breeze could more iully reveal
the scenes that have been enacted herel What
excited such a spirit of hatred and revenge where
all nature appears 50 calm and delightful How
/ many cycles have passed since these revolving
scenes transpirtdi Were these embellishments
thrown up by the red men : These and addition
al queries are often asked by the numerous yis.
tauts of this signal spot.
From limited examination Of history and the
variations OF the early French discoveries Of the
west, am induced to believe that the fortiiica
tlons on the Rock, are not the work of the Indians
but Of the French who, nearly hundred years
before our Revolutionary War built fort there
and occupied 1t as such for a number Of years.
/ The first particular account of this region is by
/ La Sale and Father Henucpin who mention a
Nhld.t vi Aht lAhl'lN NhlNi must nave
been within the limits of this county, aud pyoba.
bly not far from that spot.
/ They left Lake Michigan, at the moutlI Of the
S. Jo,eph's, on the third Of December, 1879 and
travelling west, fell in with the head waters Of the
Illinois down which they sailed. The latter part Of
/ the month they came to this village Of about
500 cabins, where they found corn in abundance
Continuing on their journey they reached Peoria
Lake the forth of January Here they remained
daring the winter and built fort (Crsveceur)
[ In the spring La Sale returned 20 Canada, first
despatclug Uruu,pin down the river to explore
. The Mississippi and leaving his lieutenant Font
[ In command who, under his direction, commcn.
I ced fort called Fort 81. Louis :" both of which
/ however, in the following September ldSO, he
was obliged to desert on account of the attacks of
the lrrquois In the autumn Of l6S9 La Sale
on lis return from having discovered the mouth
/ of the Mississippi completed his long projected
I fort of S. Louis, upon the high aud~sommandng
/ bluff Of he Illinois, now known as rock fort
bluff two hundred and fifty feet high. aud acccs.
sible only on one side '--Annais ot tie West
Here this cuterprl,ng explorer resided for part
I of the succeeding wear thus honoring the county
] which now bears his name by having lived in IT,
On leaving for the last time, he again placed
Font in command, who appears to have rciguod
here for years monarch of all be surveyed" OF in
, the language of the author quoted above. SWAY
i,. al.,lu,rlv tho Indian ,ribe, and actin, ~ H.
/ ,er,y ov.r Tie rpkpnvp and uncopr,,d Fro,,b
men who were be,ippinl. TO wander through that
beautiful country making discoyeres OF which We
/ have no record left In 1856 his dominions were
| invaded by the Iroquols lie with Baron IA
/ Houtan and their Indian allies appear to have
I warred against them : intervals during this and
/ the two following years.
/ In lfS7 he was ioinad by Jopt.I and his six
contentious H., sole Survivors of /, S,lIc'. lost
and fatal expedition. How long Fonti remained
! hero or the fort was kent up. ia NOT certainly
/ known Charleyoix saws that ia Sallcs de,ib
I li.rersrI tic French who had -athqr,d uncn the
! Illinois " vet h, asserts that Fouti and tvcn,v
/ C,p7Ii,rs rer,sipod tl.re three ycars ,f,,r Lis
death which would extend the time until the fall
I Of 1890 ten wears from its commencement which
was prrhans as lopg as the fort was kcnt ~, .
though IN n work publi.hed in 1888. in nm eru.
meration Of the French posts then eS.tiry in the
[ west mention /. made Of Rock Fort or Fort s.
louis n, the Illinois
I But when and by whom were the IllInoi, In.
Ifans eytorruiuafs1 A. early n 1868 or so.p
thereafter AVouerz. the founder of the mission
Of the HOLY sriritr on Lake Superior. was visited
by some Of the Illuni. hospitlble race uuaccut.
toned to canoes having no weapon but the bow
[ and arrow who told them how their ancient glo-
ry and their numbers had been diminished bv
the Sioux on one side and the Iroanois armed
with nuskets on the Bapcyttt,, Ujs 7
S-Yet more than half a century afterwards thew
still must have been oui,e numerous for Charlie.
yoix .inamap of"New France ms theynamed their
possessions here represents the Illinois rs nha.
biting all the country between the Ouabache. Oyo
Mississippi. and Illinois rivers also that portion
between the last two named streams In Mar.
ouctte. time. 1918 they in addition 10 This terri
torv occunicd the lower Desuoin country Ue
describes tbc race n .remarkablv handsome well
hammered and kindly. even efFeminate" and OF
. his Journey up their river the Illinois he saws
.oV1vhers did we sec such gropnd. meadows
woods stocs huff, r,lo.s deer wildcats bps,orls
Six Nations, or Iroquois as they are also called
onncor to have contiuued the deadly enemies O