The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-11-12

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Of Quebec, with five boatrnen, to Point
St. Ignatius, to take Marque tie and
set,out in search of the much talked-of
river On the 18th Of, May this little
band of seven men, in two birch canoes
commenced their adventurous voyage.
They took with them some Indian corn
and jerked meat, but were to live main
ly upon such food as they could obtain
by they way.
On the northwest of Lake Michigan
there is sheet Of water running south.
called Green Bay. It is one hundred
miles long by twenty or thirty broad.
The boatmen padded their frail canoes
along the western border Of this lake
until they reached it's southern extrem-
ity, where they found a shallow river
flowing into it from the south, which
they called Fox river. They could pro-
pei, their, canoes about thirty miles a
day. Each night they selected some
propitious spot for their encampme nt.
Upon some dry and grassy mound they
could speedily with their axes construct
a hut which would protect them from
the weather. Carefully smoothing down
the floor, they spread over it their am.
pie couch of furs. Fish could be taken
in abundance. The forest was filled
with game. An immense fire, blazing
before the open side of the hut gave
warmth and jllumined the sublime scene
with almost the brilliance of noon-day
Here they joyously cooked their sup
pers, with appetites which rendered the
feast more luxurious to them probably
than any gourmand at Delmonico' s ever
enjoyed sal. vn tnej his 3av3ms sml
Each night Father Marquette held a
religious service, which all reyerently
attended. Prayers were. offered, and
|. their hymns of Christian devotion float
ed sweetly through those sublime soil
tudes. The boatmen were men of a
gentle race, who had been taught from
infancy to revere the exercises of the
church. qo1 3rarsaaaa on. =. aial
They came upon several Indian vii
lagos. But the natives were friendly
as brothers. Many of them had visited
the station at ST. Ignatius, and all Of
them had heard OF Father Marquette
and his labors of love. These children
of the forest begged their reverend
friend to desist from his enterprise. o.
'"sThere are" they said, g on the
great r6Ver bad Indians who will cut off
your heads without any cause. There
are fierce warriors who will try to seize
you and make you slaves There are
enormous birds there whose wings dark
en- the air and who can swallow you all
with your canoes at a mouthful3 And
worst of all there is malignant demon
there who, if you escape all other dam
gers, will cause the waters to boil and
whirl around you and destroy you"
To all this the good Marquette re-
piled, /" / thank you dear friends, for
your kind advice, but cannot follow
it. There are souls there to save for
whom the Sonhof God came to earth
and died. Their salvation is at stake.
I would joyfully lay down my life if I
could guide them to the Savior.
They found the navigation of Fox
river impeded with many rapids. To
surmount these it was necessary often to
alight from their canoes, and, wading
over the rough and sharp stones, to
drag them up against the swift current.
They were within the limits of the pres
ent State of Wisconsin, and found them
selves in a region OF lakes. sluggish
streams and marshes. But there were
Indian trails, which had been trodden
for uncounted generations, leading
west. These they followed, often pain
fully carrying their canoes and their
burdens on their shoulders, for many
miles, from water to water, over what
the Indians called the Carrying Places.
At length they entered region of re-
markable luxuriance, fertility and beau
ty. There were crystal streams and
charming lakes. Magnificent forests
were interspersed with broad and green
prairies. God seemed to have formed
in these remote realms an Eden of sur
passing loneliness for the abode of his
children. Three tribes, in perfect har-
mony, occupied theregion-the Miamis,
Mascoutins, and Klckapoos There was
large village with abundant corn-felds
around. River and lake, forest and
prairie were alike alive with game.
To their surprise they found that a
French missionary, Father Allouez,
had reached this distant spot, preach
ing the gospel, eight years before. The
Indians had received him with fraternal
kindness. He had left in the center of
the village a cross, the emblem of the
crucifed Son of God. ,ta
L found, Marquette writes, that
these good people had swung skins and
belts and bows and arrows on the cross,
an offering to the Great Spirit, to thank
him because he had taken pity on them
during the winter and given them an
abundant chase.
No white man had ever penetrated
beyond this region. These simple, in
offensive people seemed greatly sur
prised that seven unarmed men should
venture to press on to meet the un-
known dangers of the wilderness
.beyond-wilds which their magma
tons had peopled with all conceivable
terrors.