Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-12-10
AN OLD GLOBE. :
What Was Known of the State of
Iowa One Hundred and Sixty
Years Ago.

This globe we have in mind is over
seven feet In diameter aud made OF wood,
by Capucian monk, Father Legrand,
it 1929, and is to-day, preserved ia the
public library Of Dijou, the French an
cestral home OF Father Laurent On the
proper place of its huge surface is marked
the then known geography Of what's now
the State of Iowa and adjacent territory,
and, as elsewhere appears in the report
of the Academy of Science meeting,
transcripts of this part of the globe IRE
iating to lowa) have been carefully made
by NJ. Guignard, Librarian of Djou,
and transmitted to the academy.
What was known of Iowa and what
was iowa $50 years ago? We find the
great river flowing by he eastern border
and then known as the mississippi"
Lake ''Pepin" is located near St. Paul,
and is an immense widening of the river,
which, from this point north breaks into
many streams.
The River des Moingona is easily rec
equitable from its name and course as the
Des Moines, and is quite accurately
traced, but wldens into an immense lake
near the Minnesota line, and at point
quite above is marked the spot inscribed.
"Io this point came the Baron Lahcn-
tan" 1t is probable that the Baron got
mixed up in travelling over those marshy
prairies, for, though he evidently struck
Lake Obokoji and Spirit Lake, he evil
IDENTITY got over on the Missouri This
river is down, but it runs parallel with
the Moingona or Des Moines, up into
Iowa and comes to a sudden end. Be.
tween these rivers was the apparent
missionary ground of the Jesuit fathers,
for this country is tilickly lined with the
names of Indian tribes, while north of
the Des Moines we find few Indian set
Elements.
OF the Indians, the Panis appear the
most numerous. Others are the Esan-
apes, Panibouas, Paoutaouas, Aiaouez,
Mahas, Tintons, Osages. Apanas, Pan.
isassas, Cansas and the Illinois, the latter
being put on the west bank of the Mis-
sissippi river, near St. Louis.
The only bluffs marked on the great
river are located near Muscatne and be.
low in Illinois.
There is river flowing from Lake
Panis in Missouri eastwerdly, which ia
named "Meschasepi," evidently corrup-
ton of or the original Of Mississippi.
The Ouabache (Wabash) empties into
the Mississippi where the Ohio joins it,
and the fathers evidently supposed the
two rivers were one and the same.
Fort St. Louis is marked ON the Him
ois river, about 100 miles from its mouth
Salt Springs are located very near the
celebrated Hot Springs of Arkansas, and
it ia probable that the famous Arkansas
baths had been tried by these early mis-
sionaries, let Ls hope with great relief to
those pioneer fathers who were traversing
the malarial swamps of the West 200
years ago in the service of their Master.
Many other singular features appear in
these extracts from the old globe. They
are the earliest map of Iowa extapt, 90
far as known, and will be studied with
deep interest by students of history and
geography. They settle the question Of
the origin of the name of Iowa's capital
and river, which but for the elegance of,
the present computation should be chang
ed from Des Moines to Moingona. The.
present name has no meaning; the other
name would perpetuate the memory of
what appears to have been Iowa's most
powerful tribe Of Indians.-From the
MuScdtiHe Journal