The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-11-12
HE ADVENTURES OF MARQUETTE
BY JOHN S. G. ABBOTT.

d y
.-sl BY JOHN s. G. ABBOTT. H
Nearly three hundred and fifty years
ago, in April, 1541, De Soto, in his ad
venturous march, discovered the males
tic Mississippi, not far from the south
ern border of the State of Tennessee
No white mans eye. had ever before be-
held that food, whose banks are now
1Hhabited1 by busy millions. The In
dams informed him that all the regior
below consisted of dismal, endless. un
inbabitable swamps. De Soto, world.
weary and woe stricken, died upon the
banks of the river, and in It's fathomless
depths his body found burial. r
These cruel Adventures, insanely i'm.
PEELED in search of mines of gold, found.
ed no settlements, and left behind them
no traces Of their passage, save that by
their cruelties they had excited the i'm
placable ire Of the Indians against the
white man. A hundred years of earth s
many grlefs fingered slowly away, while
these vast solitudes were peopled only
by wandering Indian tribes whose record
must forever remain unknown.
In the year 1641, some French envovs
trom Canada, seeking to open friendly
trade with the Indians fer the purchase
Of furs, penetrated the northwest of oul
country as far as the Falls of st. Mary,
near the outlet Of Lake Superior. The
most friendly relations existed between
these Frenchmen and the Indians, wher-
ever the tribes were encountered. This
visit led to no settlement. The adven.
turous traders purchased many furs,
with which they loaded their birch
canoes established friendly relations
with these distant Indians, and greatly
extended the region from which furs
were brought to their trading posts in
Canada,
twenty more years passed away, over
the silent and gloomy wilderness, when,
In 1859, a little band of these bold and
hardy explorers, in their frail canoes,
wath Indian guides, padded along the
lonely, orest-fringed shores of Lake
Ontario, assembled the Niagara river to
the Falls, carried their canoes on their
shoulders around the rapids, launched
them again on Lake Erie, traversed that
inland sea over two hundred and fifty
miles, entered the magnificent strait.
passed through it to Lake st. Clair,
crossed that lake, assembled the St.
CLAIR river to Lake Huron, and travers-
ing its whole length, distance of three
hundred miles, reached the Falls of St.
Mary.
Here, at the distance of more than q
thousand miles from the least vestiges
of civilization, and surrounded by nu.
merOus and powerful bands of savages.
these hardy men passed an inclement
Winter. Amidst rocks and gloomy pines
they reared their hut. Game was album
dant, fuel was at their door, the Indians
we're hospitable, and they wanted for
nothing. One event only darkened
these wintry months. The leader of the
band became lost in the woods and per
ished. -a
La the spring the men returned re-
Jolclngiy to Canada, with their canoes
laden with the richest furs They also
brought such reports of the dociIity and
am1ablllty OF the Indians as to inspire
the Christians in Canada with the in
tense desire to establish missionary sta
tions among them. Five years passed
away, when Father Claude Allouez. with
q small band of Christian heroes. pene,
trated these wilds to proclaim the glad
tidings Of the gospel. Two years after,
he was followed by Father James Mar.
Quette, a noble man, whose name will
never die. r..
Marquette established mission about
forty miles below the Falls of st. Mary,
at point on the main land, which he
named st. Ignatius, just north of the
Island Of Mackinaw. Here he gathered
little band RI loving disciples. His
gentle anu devoted spirit won, not
merely the friendship of the Indians,
but their ardent affections. He was
just as safe among them as the most be,
loved father surrounded by his children.
Three years this good man remained in
these lonely wilds, peacefully and sue
cessfully teaching these benighted chill
dren of the forest salvation through an
atoning Savior. During all this time
his mind had been much exercised with
the thought of exploring the limitless
and unknown regions south and west.
He had heard rumors of the Missis-
sippi, the Father of Waters, and his
devout mind peopled the vast realms
through which it flowed with the lost
children of God, whom he perhaps
-.,i"h4 rAolainn thrnnOh the gospel of