Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-01-09

- H.0"NN lhe WaJeTy grave III III
Mississippi river, had | not bee
providentially rescued by the boil
and noble conduct of two young men
who at the hazard of their own lives
saved mine.
Nothing else can prevent my &C
ceptance Of your invitation for tn
2lst inst | would have been graft
fed to meet you and contribute m,
mite 20 the interest which Away
grows out Of q recurrence TO tn
events Of the early history of Wis
consin by its pioneers.
1t would have offered me an es
pecial pleasure to have referred Il
the early settlement Of the "Leat
Mines" and to have reminded tn,
club, and through it, the people o
the whole State, that the occupation
Of what now constitutes Iowa, Gram
and Lafayette counties by lead min.
ers, was really the first aggressive
effort made by white men to occupy
any part Of Wisconsin in opposition
to the wishes Of It's savage inhabi
tants.
1t is true that more than 200 years
previous, adventurous missionaries o.
the Roman Catholic church had cree
ted the cross at La Pointe, Greer
Bay, Prairie du CHEN, and at some
other places and ut these and various
mission stations, were, with the yea
OF the crusaders engaged in propaga,
ting the tenets oftheir mother church
But none of these acts or efforts
produced any antagonism between
tho Indians and the missionaries. -
They already believed in an invisible
spirit, which they called Mantle, .
while the faith Of the missionaries
differed only in the triune character
of the spirit they worshiped. These
differences created no hostilities, and
the missionaries continued prosecu-
ting their holy work for two centur'
les, being regarded by the Indians a;
their welcome guests and by no act
provoking their hatred or revenge.
1t is also true that prosperous vii
lagos grew up during the first quar-
ter Of this century, and before there
was any occupancy Of the lead mines
both at Green Bay and Prairie dr
CHEN. But these, 80 far from being
in antagonism with the interests o
the Indians, were in entire harmony
with them and in accord with theiI
savage designs.
These villages we're occupied by
daalers and traders in furs and pei.
tries and by the numerous retinue Of
voyagers and attaches, which were
deemed necessary TO the success o.
the trader This co-occupaton of {
limited portion Of the Indians hunt
ing ground, be willingly assented to
for the consideration Of being thus
enabled to exchange the products Q
the hunt, for such articles of utility
or fancy as gratified the desires o
himself, his squaw or his papoose
So that in truth, no hostile feelings
approximating to war, were excited
between the Indians and white men
until after the occupation Of the leac
mines by the pioneer settlers Of tina
region.
The time is now rapidly approach
ing when war-a frontier, savage wa
was to exist, to try in the cruciblt
of physical strength the antagonist,
ideas Of the savage and the whit'
man. The Winnebago tribe Of Indi
ans hv the common consent Of otheI
tribes, occupied ali that part Of Wis
consin which / have spoken of al
the lead mines. According to tn,
idea they entertained Of their rights
all these broad, rolling and beautiful
prairies, all the luxurious oak open
ings, all the beautiful and valuable
groves Of larger timber which dotteC
the whole surface of this generally
prairie region, and the babbling
brooks and crystal springs which
met the eye on every hand, all were
their inheritance, to be used as THEN
happy hunting grounds
Quite different were the ideas o.
the pioneer Very many Of then
had always lived upon the frontier
and regarded it as their duty to ere
plenish the earth and subdue it, +" anC
that no imaginary rights of indiana
were 20 interrupt them. Previous Il
1926 tho occupancy Of the lndian
had been but little disturbed, but dur
ing that year settlements were coin
mon all over the mines from Galeni
to the Wisconsin river. In the mex
wear formidable band of warriors
nnder chief called Red Bird, was or
ranized. and numerous incursion
made upon the whites. The miners
however. were not Indifferent to thei
danger, and organized themselves in
10 a mounted force. choosing one G
their number, Col Henry Dodge, q
their commander, aided ard support
ed by . regiment Of mounted me
: sent by the Governor of Illinois,
. The war was sharp and decisive, an
, before autumn was entirely suppress
: ed and the leading spirits in it take
= prisoners.
The resdlt was treaty Of peac
Oy winch All NuS tcEAAtoAg SiHAhVa =
the Winnebagoes south Of the Wis
eonsin river was ceded TO the Unite
p States. and the miners continued
occupy it without molestation.
A few years later Gn 1889 ii
Black Hawk war broke out, the gel
eral history of which is more gene
ally understood. This was brougt
on by similar causes, the Wisconsi
troops were under the same comman,
+ err. il was terminated in short tim
with the same successful result, an
: was, like the other, followed by
{ treaty which granted the Indian TIT
TO other extensive tracts and the tw
treaties opened to unobstructed Sc
Element, and occupation all the val
A ,@wAsDw. Of Gfoi