The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-06
From the Rock Island Advertiser, Of 1851.
Leaves from the History Of Rock
Island,


Inc tIlDc OL luulduS huOWu Wv
Foxes early emigrated from the 81 Law
renee river, and settled upon the southern
extremity. of Green Bay. This tribe is
also known by the different names OF hey
nards. Musduakees aud Outagamies. A
few wears after the Foxes emigrated to
the west, they were Joined by their former
allies, the Sacs, or Saukies, who had been
driven from their possessions on the St
Lawrence, on account of their dissenslonS
with other tribes. These Indians were
branches of the great ALGONQUIN family,
originally the same tribe; they spoke the
same dialect, their manners and customs
were similar, and ultimately they became
united under one head chief and are gen
orally spoken of in conjunction.
When the French discovered and ex-
plored this country in the year 1860, they
were found living together upon the Dor.
ders of Green Bay, and Fox river which
empties into it. They were warlike in
their dispositions and sometimes, in their
military excursions, travelled far to the
eastward. About the year 1886, while
they were on hunting excursion, they
were attacked by thousand Iroquois and
Chippeways. The Sauks and Foxes, upon
the approach of their enemies, retired to
a strip of land which divides two lakes,
not far from lake Lake Michigan; on one
extremity they threw up breast work.
behind which half of them were stationed.
The other half, two hundred strong, lay
concealed until the Chippeways advanced
upon the strip, when they threw up
another breastwork and completely hem.
med 10 their enemies Seeing this, the
Chippeways and IroQuois made no at
10 ~ ~ Enl
themselves by fishing When the ice
broke up in the spring they constructed n
raft and sailed across one or the lakes.
One hundred and fifty men were detached
from each of the Sank and Fox parties to
dispute their landing, This they did very
effectually, killing great numbers of the
Indians and capturing all the furs which
they had collected during the winter.
In l7l2, they attacked the French fort and
trading house at Detroit, At the time OF
the attack, the garrison consisted of only
twenty men, who would certainly have been
massacred had they not been relieved by
the friendly tribes of Ottawas and Potta-
watomies, who drove the Sauks and Foxes
to their homes and committed great havoc
among them. In 1922, they Joined the
kickapOOs, aud commenced war against
the Illinois Indians, which resulted in the
extermiuation of the latter. During the
year 1852, the Kahokias captured six Fox
Indians, who were burned One escaped.
after having been tied to the stake, re-
turned to his tribe and told them the fate
of his companies In retaliation, body
of one thousand Sauks, Foxes, Kickapoos
and Sioux set out in the spring Of the
same year and sailed down the Wisconsin,
~ Niag1ga,uni All tbnyv cd
the Kahokia village. Near the village
they concealed themselves and sent a
small party TO attack it, with orders to fall
back, and draw them into au ambush. This
was done and resulted 10 the slaughter of
the greater part Of Kahokias. Their
town was reduced to ashes, and those whose
lives had been spared were led into cap
tivity,
In 1868, Canada and Upper Louisiana
were ceded, by the French, to the Eng
lish In consequence of this, all the posts
lying east of the Mississippi river changed
hands.-Pontiac, a celebrated Ottawa
chief, had always maintained hatred to-
wards the English, and determined to at.
tack them. He enlisted most of the In.
dian tribes in his cause, and the Sauks
and Foxes Joined him. His scheme was
eminently successful, and within ffteer
days all the British posts. with the excep.
ton of Magra, Pittsburgh and Detroit fell
into his hands. This was termed the
Pontiac War;
In 1866. Captain Carver visited these
Indians. He says:
"On the sth Of October we got our canoes into
the Ousconsu river, which at this place is nor,
than II hundred yards wide; and the next day ar.
rived at the great town Of the Saukies This Is the
largest and best built Indian town / ever saw. Il
contains about ~ houses each large enough for sew
cral families These are built of hewn plank neat,
joiuted. and covered with bark so compactly as e
keep out the most penetrating rains. Before tbs
doors are placed comfortable sheds. In which thy
inhabitants sit, when the weather will permit, ant
smoke their pipes. The streets regular anC
spacious. so that It appears more like civilized
town than the abode of savages, The land neal
the town is very good In their plartatiens, which
lie adjacent to their houses, and which are neatly
laid out they raise great quantities Of Indi an
beans melons, &c so that this place Is esteemed
the best market for traders to furnish hemse I've,
with provisions, Of any within 800 miles of It.
Tine Saukes can raise about 81 warriors, who
are generally employed every summer In makiuc
incursions into the territories Of the Illinois
Pawnee nations from whence they return with /
great number OF slaves. But those people frequent
y retaliate aud in their turn destroy many OF the
Saukies, which Judge to be the reason why they
Increase no faster
On the 10th of the same month, Carver
visited village of the Outagamies oil
Foxes, situated upon the same river. He
describes this place as containing about
50 houses. most of them deserted on &C
count of an epidemical disorder which
prevailed at that time among them. They
had another considerable village at! Prairie
du Chen. Shortly after this the Sank,
and Foxes were driven from the Wisconsin
by the Chippeways or Sauteaux and the
MenOmOnies. They travelled south anC
settled upon the beautiful country neal
the Rock river Their principal town was
near the confluence of that river with thu
Mississippi, and was called by them As
sineseepoo. The year following, 1868
Black Hawk was born at this village
Black Hawk was at the siege Of For
Meigs. He was a son OF Pyesa,a war chic
of the Sauks. His Indian name was Muc
ka-tah Mish-a-kIa-kia, or the Black Spar
row Hawk. TO this place the Indians be
came very much attached, and it subse
quently cast the United States a consider
able amount of blood and treasure to driy
them from it,
During the Revolutionary war tn
Sauks and Foxes do not appear to hav
taken part against the c0lonists. Thei
habitations were so remote from the prin
clpal scene of action that they've unable
even ii they had been inclined, to partici
pate in the contest. In 1776, large bod
of Indians attacked the Spanish settlement
Of Saint Louis; a.war party Of the Sank
and Foxes shared in this engagement
Quite a number OF the inhabitants ver
killed, but upon tho appearance Of ColonC
George Rogers Ola =. on the opposite sid
of the river, with body of Virginia militia
they fed. Clark offered his services to tn
Spanish governor, 10 pursuing the savage'
Al. ~.