North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1870-04-13
Julien Du buque and his Grave.

Julien Dubuque and his Grave.
Some correspondent of one of our city
papers proposed last year, that a monu'
ment be erected to the memery of Julien
Dubuque, on the cspot where he was bur-
led. We were reminded of this pubic
duty, as we considered it, on visiting, last
week, the bluff two miles below the city,
where rest the remains of the FIRST white
man who lived and died within the pres
cnt limits of the State Of Iowa. One
hundred and fifteen years after the French
Missionary, Marquette, and his compan-
ions, descended the Mississippi on yoy-
age of discovery, Dubuque, in l77S, OBJ
tanned permission Of the Fox Indians, in a
council assembled at Prairie du CHEN, to
work the lead mines in this vicinity. A
reference to the historical records on this
subject dissipates the romance about "the
Indian maiden, Peosta," presenting the
lead ore to Dubuque. The originai"per-
nit now deposited in the archives of our
State capitol, in referring to the grant of
the Indians, states "that, moreover, they
sell and abandon to him all the cost and
contents Of the mine discovered by the
wife of Peosta, SO that no white man or
In lian shall make any pretension to it
without the consent of Mr.. Julien Du
buque."
Dubuque lived here twenty-five years,
trading with the Indians and exchanging
lead at St. Louis fol the necessaries of life,
and those articles of Indian luxury, the
supplying of which enabled him to exert
powerful influence over them. He lived
like a patriarch, the governor of his
French followers from Canada, and his
Indian subjects whom he had attached to
his interest At the time of his death,
forty-eight years ago this month, he was
living at the mouth of Catfish Greek,
though he had resided for some years
nearer his mines, not far from the pres
ent northern limits Of the city. The
=
in Langworthy Hollow. 1t was near the
latter spot that one of his dwelling houses
had been erected. He was buried it is
said, in coffin lined with lead, on the top
Of the narrow bluff north Of the mouth
of Catfish Creek. The grave is now
unmarked, except by the remains of the
low stone wall that once enclosed it, and
is but few rods from the extreme point
of the perpendicular rock, and nearly two
hundred feet above the river. After the
death Of Dubuque, the Indians having
complied with the contract, in securing to
him peaceable possession of the mines
during his life time, refused to permit his
followers to occupy the mines any longer,
or even to remain in the neighborhood.
So bitter at last became their i'll feeling
toward the whites, stimulated no doubt by
their persistence in claiming the privileges
that had been granted to Dubuque, that
the Indians fina lily destroyed all his build
ings, cut down his orchard, and even
threw the foundation Of his house in the
river.
Whether Indian hatred on the part o.
the successors of those chiefs who had, q
quarter of century before, made Du'
buque their friend, or some maraudina
white men, desecrated his grave, it is no
certain, but upon visiting the spot by some
of the early pioneers still living among
us, they found, in 1880, that the grave
had been opened, and destructive hane
had partially destroyed the walls and the
cedar post that had been placed there tt
commemorate the spot. The following
inscription in French was, however, still
legible:
JULIEN DUBUQUE,
MINER OF THE MINES OF SPAIN,
Died this Oath day Of March, 1910.
AGED As YEARS AND MONTHS.
"The Mines of Spain" was nam
given to this region by Dubuque, in com
pliment to his Majesty, the King of Spain
of whose dominion the territory west o
the Mississippi remained part until tn
Louisiana Purchase was made by GU
Govern mt in 1902. He had petitioncd tn