Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-05-30
AN oLD.TIME MAP.
The Geography OF the Mississippi Valley
a Century gO.."Chikag0, an Indian
Viliage".- Changes In the
Names OF Rivers and Settlements,
ST. Louis Times Journal.

ouities handed down to him by his fore
fathers that the Missouri Historical
Society would like TO own. According
it's title, it is "a new map of the ives
,rn parts of Virginia, Pennsylvania
Maryland, and North Carolina, com
erphending the River Ohio and all the
rivers which fall ntoit,pnrt Of the River
Mississippi, the whole Of the Illinois
sser, Lake Erie, parts of Lakes Huron
aAi Michigan, and NIL the countries
bordering on these lakes and rivers"
The map is thirty-six inches wide and
forty inches long, and was made in
London in 1878, more than II century
ago. The territory shown by the map
Isl parallelogram, the four corners OF
which are the mouth Of the Ouisconsing
WISCONSIN, river, mouth Of the Arkan-
saw (Arkansas) rives, point in Lake
Ontario, near the mouth of the Genesee
river, and Cape Fear on the Atlantic
Ocean. ST. Louis has y place on the
map, and has also "Chikago, an Indian
village"
The territory between the Mississippi
and Illinois rivers on the west, and the
Ohio and Wabash rivers on the east, is
called the "Illinois Country" and III the
space representing the Country" is
printed the following Very large nat
ural meadows. lnnumerable herds Of
buffalo, elk, deer, etc, feed here" The
only towns on this portion Of the map
are Cahokia, Kaskaskia's Village, St.
Phillips and Fort Malsac, the latter on
the Ohio river. A road connects Caho-
kin and Malsac, running through kas-
kaskins and 81. Phillips. The only
other road represented in the Illinois
country" was one running from Kas-
kaskias TO Post Vincent (now Vincen-
mes, Ind.). The upper portion Of the
Country" was stated to be "rich and
level"
Several branches Of the Kaskaskias
river are put down on the may, Those
on the east side, commencing mt tho
mouth, are called Blind Creek, Big Hill
Creek, Beaver Creek, Yellow Bank
Creek, Copper Mine Creek, md La
Grand Creek. Those on the west side,
commencing with the one nearest the
mouth of the Kaskaskias, are Gar Fish
Creek, Embbarras Creek, and Water
Crosses Creek. The head of the river
is called Kickapoos river. The branches
OF the Illinois river are also given, but
none OF the names correspond with
their present names. Tho river was
formed by the Plein and the Theakiki
rivers, now the Fox and KnnkaKeo
rivers. Peoria Lake was then called
Illinois Lake. Rock river was "Riviere
In Roche" and the Maramec lin st.
Louis county, WIS called the Maramcg
river. Between the Missouri and Nor
nmeg was the country OF large mead
ows," and little further south groves
of red and white ccdurs." A dot on
the map near tho cedar groves il called
"Lond Nine"
"fhe country is much broken, yet fer
tile, and nbounds, IL IN said, in iron,
lead and copper ore" was the descrip-
ton given Of what il now tic great
lead mining districts of Missouri. Cab.
aret Island and Prosque Isle, two little
river islands, now both opposite the city
of ST. Louis, were deemed of sufficient
importance to be named on tho map.
On the Illinois river, near tho mouth Of
the present Vcrmillion river, were "two
small ponds" il was stated, "whero the
French and the natives made good salt,
md near by was "conl mine half n
mile long in the bank Of tho river"
Only three towns are put down on the
Mississippi river above st. Louis. One
was "Sontoux Village" and the other
two were nnmeless towns, having. how
over, from three to four hundred inhab-
itants each, both on tho enst side of the
river short distance above the Illinois.
Two ranges of mountains, close to-
gethor, are pictured on tho map north
OF the Ohio river, running parallel with
the river and only short distance from
it. The description of the territory ly
ing north Of tho Ohio river and east Of
country is level, rich md woll timbored,
and abounds in very extensive mt
ural meadows of snvannnhs, and
innumcrnblN herds of buffalo, elk,
deer, etc. IL yields rye, hemp, penvino,
wild indigo, red and white clover, etc"
The territory represented on the map
south of the Ohio is called Virginia, ex-
cept o small district, now embracing tho
Ohio river counties Of West Virginia,
which was called Indiana. The district
south of the Ohio called Virginia was
decided, it was stated, by six tribes of
Indians in 176S to His Majesty for
something over 100000 Tho rcnnos-
see river ON the mp is called tho Cher.
okee river, and tho Cumberland river is
called the Shawnnoe river. Tho bound
ary limo between the provinces Of Penn.
sylvania and Virginia could not bo
given, M it was still in dispute. Only
two or three roads in the "territory of
the northwest" were given on tho mp,
ono being Nh Indian path, from Man
go (near whore Pitsburg now stands) to
Chinago and running through Sioto,
Miami Fort, and Fort Joseph, Some
OF the other towns on the map and not
already mentioned were Pontawatamies,
Michillmackinac, Youghiogonny, and
Waukataumikee. Lake Michigan is
stated to be nayigable for the largest
ships and to contain lots of trout and
other fish, some weighing sixty or more
pounds. Distances arc not always nc.
curately represented on the map, Chi.
cago appearing nj greater distance