, 1876-05-08
CHICAGO, MONDAY. MAY 8, 1876.

SIG.
Keu.sson. who claimed Ia hsve besn ono Of tbs
party Who threw tbs tos overheard ln Doston
uaruos.
ion nIt! excuse no for dlgresslng from sts
direct purpose Of tbls iecsuEetf here stats 10
yo,l.that slnco commented willing It, h&Ts
received
\ LETTER raoM AZ olp COLLEAGUE II con-
ankss,
who WAS born shs sano year Great Britain ao.
knowlodged our Independence, 17a9,-kS It Will
probably ba the last opportunity that nan3 OF
yoa Tlll over have Of hearing \ letter Rad from
: man now living whn IA odsr tl'an our uo.etn.
1nent; I aItude TO tho Hon. Attemas Hale. Ut
UEiJecwk.tr. 3[Asa. uo Ia tho oldeat ex-member
Of Cong1css now i!ring, Ia his 93d year. Do
you want to hekr wnat the veteran says3
Ny heslsh, considering my age. IL quite good. But
mY me os taking my sc.lse III publis raateEs il
psst. s. however feel deep interest In the ret-
as snt s s1, ,s md 4
Of to highest importance that circulating medium
esnnot have bus Iy speclt ba.i.. 1ahou.i bs worry
much pleased 70 resara Litter from you. with your
viexs Of public matteEb-
answered bis letter 10 one word "Amen !"
Thus you vii! sco that our hlatoFy lapn 10
closely upon tho Revolutionary period that there
ia no precise point IT which wo can say shas
Chicago bcgan unloss It be IN 1882, "hon tho
marching Of tho sfoopa OF Gen. Hcost 10 Rock
1sInnd, on tho Mississippi, cslled attention to
tho fertility Of the soil Apd tho beautiful locs-
ttons weAt Of Us. va often henF OF different
men who have dans mich for Chicago by thosr
writings. their speeches. Or their enterprise.
But t,aye never hcard ct man who has done
mora for Chfcgao than Chicago has done for
him. God made Lake Micilsgan aud the country
to tho wcst Of T.; and, WHEN We come to estt-
mnte who hhvo done tbs most for Chicago, the
01nrY hAnn0a Hr0E In Tim AntAEDfl6tHQ
farmers who raised surplnn Of produce
aud sent 1t here for shipment. aud
SECOND to the hardy sailors who bsAEed the
storms os our harboriess lakes TO chrry # to mar.
not the necessities, Of an ombrJo city. Chicago
is bnt the index Of the prosperity Of our sg1t-
cultural classes. And to thls day We hear Chi
cago mercantile failures attributed to the iua-
| blllty Of farmers to ret their produce to market
/! when the roads a1e iu . bad condition. i We
| pass br the impetus given to tie aRricultuga!
| Development OF tho country west OF Chicago BY
| tue Black Hawk var at 1889, Ne must admit thtt
wo are passing Into tho bl.cortountal period.
What did Chicago know Of tho Declaration OF
Independence, tho p1levofutonarr War the Peaoe
of 1888, or tho Inauguration Of Washington, ut-
! I'll ycara Afterwards? It probable that Capt.
| Whistles, wbeu 10 came here to build the fors
| OF 19Qf, broug4t 10 Chicago tho INSTRUMENTATION
on there subjocta. aud probably had to employ
M tntcrprater 10 explain tt. Il was probably hiB
Chaplain who made tho frat PRAYER for tho Pres
ideut of tue 0nitad States aud su IN authority
aud bis vessel that first doated the Ststs aud
Stsipes Oh Lake Michigan. But sherh we're
prayers hero 900 years ago. aud Gag that did
! not denoto our natona! Independence, bus
| Fronch tsrrltorlal agRrandlzcmeht.
| 1hRye used nv boat eflorts to hnd
TIE EARLIEST RECOGNITION or CHICAGO
h7 any oficl4t authority. CharfeyoIx aud other
F1cnch wr,tsTs make nontiou uf ths place. but
any way rocosuizad 1t. After the Cansdas 1ers
ceaed to Great Britain the whole Illinois 0 'ua-
Try wna placsd under the local administration OF
Cauadn b! bill wnioh passed thu Drit1sh Par.
Lament in 1867 known IS Tim "Quobcc btl:'
bnt thora is uoshtpg to provo thss The Canadian
Government took anY official notice Ut this
place. Il nlay be Interesting to know what Tna
regionn liberty in those DAYS, A. tug period
under ths troaty Of Paris In 17G3, Thomas Gaga
was Commandes-!u.Chief Of tho British KlnC =
troops in North America and IN l76a hc isauea
Il proclamation authorizing tho Roman cntho-
religion in the Same mauner ~ they did in CAn-
ada. aud to 60 wherever they pleaaed' oven te
IL October, 177a, tho House OF Durgesses o.
Virginia created the County OF Illinois, Appoiut
cd John Todd, Of 4ientucky. Civil Commandor
aud authorized I'LL the clvll officers to which tbs
Inhabitants bad been accustomed to bo choear
by . majority oftne clslzons Of ther respective
districts. From this we rhould infer that ther'
weyc then settlements somewhere III the State
longod to Vuginia. Tho lata William II. Brown
of this city. in a lecture before our liisturlca
; Society in 1865. said !: "The French tphab,
made III! residence there, claimed that that vii
iaee was founded in 1907. There wero evidence
at that time (tbe rclnsina OF former edacea
among them the Jesuit oo!iessl that sno'
chronology VAS substantially correct"
In 1858. Con. Arthur ". Clair hecamo Govor
nor OF tho enttre Northwestern Territory, An
uAa the first nlau to till that position. Tho sea
Of government for Chicago pcope WAS then
Marietta, o. In 1795 Ito cnme Ia kaskask
! {Bo1ne nr,ters Bay Csnolia) and orgsnlzoa waa
is NOW tho entire Htato Of Illinois into county
which ia named for himself. Besides this thcr
! vese but two countos In tho wbo)o Northwest
. crn Territory-the County OF Knox. e1abraclnI
i Indlana. aud tho County OF Hamilton. embrae
INF Ohio, But there ia nothing to ahos ths
i | Chicago At that ltne was known to the civil Au
( thosities. Besides consulting n1l tho early wrli
Jugs upon tho subject haro cofrsspon'lsd wit
III the men in tho country who thought "onl
know anything concerning it. And 1cAnnot fin
. auy ono nuo has any authority for stating ths
thora was auy Official recognition. Of Chicago
. UNTIL oEx. wArsR's TtRATI,
made At 0reenvl'lo in l795. iu which 10 &C
. qu.Iod tltlo from the Indians to tract Of land
1 6 miles square. NJ Tho mouth Of tbo Llleag
. Rtyos, rhots d fort formerly stood. Groenyls
ts IN tic southwestern part OF ohio, IN Oar
=. County. upon the 1ndian* state ilnt. There
. nothing to show that, at that tit,1c, Gen. Wkyn
z came any farther West, hot evou "a far 40 Fo'
. Wayne. although ho appears 70 Lave had til
J aauio knowledge Of the Importance Of tue posi-
. tiou OF Fort Wayue, a. ha ld Of that Of Cusc!
. go, Why the fort 1t this place, roferrod to, VI
j built hcro. aud who built It. hsye not been ab
: TO ascertain. As tho French aud Indiana Wei
: always allies, there ii no reason whv tho Franc
0 should hayo built auch fort. It may DO that
. was bullt by one OF tho tr'bcs Of Indians TO d.
]; teud tho place from oonle other tribes. Eu
i olfsestlng tradition against ecu. Waynos otlici
r recognition OF io1t hero, It msy be that shol
l. way moro trading and storage-hullso, eu
rounded BY pickcta. The prevailing 'mpEess'c
i IL that such tho character Of all thone plac'
II called forly rros 10 tho abdcatiop OF tho Flene
y authority. Col. Gurdon 3. Hubbard, our o1de
It living sottleE nho waa hnto In 1878. favoEs III
. ilea. and h1a reminded mo Of an almost forge
I'll ton. but 1t one time extensively Tocelsed trad
T. ton, shas this old fort. or pahsadcti sshaip
u post, vas on tho WoAt Side. upon the Sott
!. branch. near whoto Indiana street no" e1osa'
!" / II and 1t waA erected. or II least "aa q ot
y tins occupied. by FFeuchman nanod oart
% | sud Lauco th;a tradition that ollE NoEth Dkant