Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-09
GRAND RAPIDS WIS., THURSDAY OCT 9 1873
Discovery OF Chicago.

A late issue of one of our Chicago
contemporaries contained the following
very interesting facts with reference tc
the discovery of Chicago two hundred
Years ago, taken from Parkmans book
on the ''Discovery Of the Great West .
The author says;
ain this volume are described the
adventures of La Sale, Marquette, Jo-
liet and Hennepin, including the dis
covery of the Mississippi from a point
far above St. Paul to the mouth Of the
river. La Sale in 1869 10, explored
the eastern shore of Lake Michigan ;
ascended the st. Joseph river to what
is now South Bend, Iud. thence car
rie3 his canoe across the country to the
Kankakee, and thence sailed to the
Mississippi; thus avoiding the un-
known but more direct route by way of
Chicago and the Desplains rivers. In
1913, Louis Joliet, who was a man Of
considerable attainments, was dispatch
ed from Montreal to discover the Mis-
sissippi river, and Jacques Marquette,
one of the Jesui. missionaries, was des-
ignated to accompany him, the CONVEX
sion of the savages being at that time
part of the object of all discoveries.
Joliet joined Marquette at what was
then called Michillimackinac. The
outfit was two birch canoes, with a sui
ply of corn and smoaked meat They
started on the 18th Of May, 1873, and
ccasted to Green bay :; ascended the
Fox river, dragging their canoes up the
rapids; crossed Lake Winnebago s;
reached the grand portage between the
Fox and the Wisconsin rivers, and de-
sdenced the latter, reaching the Missis-
sippi at Prairie du Chine, June II.
Here they cast themselves upon the
rapid waters of the great river, and de-
scended as far as the mouth Of the ar
kansas. The voyagers by this time
felt satisfied that the Mississippi dis
charged itself into the Gulf Of Mexico
and not into tho Vermillion or Califor.
MIA sea, as had been supposed, and
tiiGS utCIutu W lCtul H. L HIS was - u
ly Il. After a tedious journey they
reached the Illinois river. and ascend
ed it, stopped at the Indian city of
Kaskaskia. a few miles below the pres
ent city Of Ottawa Here they obtain
Cd guides who conducted them to the
Desplains, and thence by the Chicago
river to Lake Michigan, Following
the West coast of the lake they arrived
at Green Bay 'at the end of Septem-
bcr, having been absent four months.
This was unquestionably the first ar
rival CT white man on the spot now
known as Chicago. Unfortunately,
the records Of the tri were lost by the
overturning of Jolet's canoe when
within a few miles of Montreal, with
er he had gone to report. There is no
means of fixing the precise date when
these two men passed down the Chica-
90 river. The nearest dates are July
Il, when they left the mouth Of the Ar
kansas river, and the end of Septem-
ber;' when they reached Green Bay.
Colonel Foster, who took particular
pains to investigate these early facts,
estimated that the party We're at Chi
cago in the last week Of August or the
first Of September, 1878.
"Marquette, who was afflicted with
consumption, remained at Green Bay
until October %, 1914, when, with two
white companions, he started for the
Illirois country again, intending to
found mission among the Indians.
He was joined by number Of Potta-
watomies and Illinois Indians, the ex-
pedition consisting Of ten canoes. The
lake was very stormy"
Parkmap then adds:
They were more than month in
coasting it's western border, when at
length they reached the river Chicago,
entered it and ascendcd about two
leagues Marquette's disease had late
ly returned, and hemorrhage now en-
sued. He told his companions that
this journey would be his last: In the
condition in which he was, it was i'm
possible to 90 farther. The two men
built log hut by the river, and here
they proposed to spend the winter,
while Marquette, feeble as he was, be-
gan the spiritual exercises of St. 1gna
thus, and confessed his two companions
twice a week.
THE country was covered with snow,
but buffalo, deer and wild turkeys were
abundant. Indians were encamped
within two days journey, and as Chi
cago was "a well-known thoroughfare,
they had numerous Indian visitors dur
ing the winter, who furnished them
with corn and other needed articles.
Here these three oldest white inhabit-
ants lived until March so, when, Mar
quette, being better, they proceeded on
their journey down the Illinois. Colo
mel Foster. for some reason, located
this habitation on the North Branch
Of the river, near the present site, Of
Wards rolling mills, but on what
grounds we do not know. The por-
tase from the Chicago river to the
Desplains is described as not more than
"a few hundred PAGES, and this, judg-
ing from the present confirmation, must
have been from the head waters of the
G.x.l Dr,,ob Tho roet cf Nav