The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-06-20
A scrap Of Mistery.

ualne OIL = 4outa Wa su86eeteu, ~ one OF more
than ordinary local significance But the imme-
date question came from all sides: What is
Tsnti n" Who was Tonti 2" "What does the
word Tonti mean?" And for week these cues.
tons went from mouth to mouth with appar-
emily nobody ready to answer them. Surprised
that such ignorance should prevail in reference
to most interesting period in the early history
of the immediate locality in which we live, we
have taken the pains to look up on, Bancroft,
Peck, Ford and some local records and collate
from them the following plain but entirely au-
thentic narrative:
Early in the year 1850, chevalier De Ia salle
obtained from the King Of France a Commission
authorizing him to make an expedition of discov.
cry through the Valley Of the Mississippi, then
supposed to be the western part of North Amer
lea, and to take possession of such lands as he
might discover in the name of the King of
France.
Under this commission La Sale fastened to
the Canadas, which were then held by the
French, and there formed and equipped party
consisting of men whom various fortunes and
the civil wars Of Europe had driven to America,
and of Indian Chiefs who had fought the English
under King Philip and been driven from their
homes in the regicn of country now known as
the New England states. Five Catholic priests
accompanied La Sale on this expedition, for the
purpose of converting the Indians
With this band of adventures La Sale pro.
1al h. 6 II. -.
summer Of 1880, and there constructed rude
boat or schooner which he named the Griffin,
with which to navigate the lakes. This was the
first European vessel that ever traversed the
lakes.
Among those composing the party there was a
man by the name of 7onh, pronounced Tontee,)
an Italian by birth, who possessed singular force
Of character and mind full Of resources Tonti
as well La Sale was able to control aud direct
the wild and adventurous spirit of their follow
ers, and make firm allies of the more powerful
Indian tribes with whom they came in contact
La Sale made Tonti his Lieutenant and al
ways relied upon his advice with implicit conf
dence. In the absence of La Sale, Tonti was
Tue cOInlHaNuer OF ApeultlOu.
With this rude boat, constructed as stated above,
and several bark. canoes furnished by the In
dams, the brave band of men coasted the whole
length of Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan,
and arrived at the mouth of the river st. Joseph
in the fall of 1880
They proceeded up this river for some distance
and succeeded, with the exception of narrow
tract of land over which they carried their bark
canoes, in reaching by water the head waters of
the Kankakee.
They continued down the Kankakee and ILL
nois rivers to place on the bank of Peoria Lake
the present site Of the city of Peoria, where
they halted, and constructed fort in which they
remained until the following spring.
1t was some time in the month of November
when the party reached the head waters of the
Kankakee. During their passage down the Kan.
kakee and Illinois rivers the weather was cold,
ice was running in the river, grain was scarce.
and they suffered much for want of food
Some distance above the place now occupied
by the city Of Ottawa, they found buffalo,
hemmed in by the ice, which they captured.
This furnished them with temporary supply of
food.
a little further down the river and not far
from the present site of the city of Ottawa, they
found an Indian Village and considerable guam
titles of corn deposited in caches. They found no
inhabitants in the village, the Indians, a. it was
their custom to do, had removed TO more south
ern parts of the country during the cold weather
From these caches La Sale supplied his party
with corn for the winter for which he paid the
Indians on their return in the spring.
In the spring of 1851 La Sale, being exceed
ingly pleased with the country he had found, de-
termined to return to France to obtain means
and men with which to prosecute his discoveries
With him, to will was to do. Accompanied by a
few friendly Indians he started early in March
1851 on his return to France. He halted on hi s
way at a place now known as Starved Rock.
This rock stands on the south bank of the ILL
nois river, its base being washed by the water of
the river, and is about eight miles down the river
from Ottawa
The rock is about 1876 feet high and is psrpen-
dicular except on the south side, where its top
with some difficulty oan be reached by narrow
pathway. The top of the rock contains an area
of about one half Of an acre. - 81 Ia VS.
The quick eye of La Sale perceived that this
rock could be easily made into a fort which
would be impregnable to any mode Of Indian at.
tack; and he sent a messenger back with direc-
without delay, and continued on his journey to
France
IA Accordingly Tonti immediately proceeded TO