The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-05-26
try again until the much coveted boon
hal


had been obtained.
Here the old men eYpatiated in extrava-
giant SMILES of their wisdom and expert
ence and the deeds of valor they had
performed in their days of active man
hood. Here. too, their prophets declared
their dreams and visions, their sooth
sayers, their auguries, and their big
medicines proclaimed their triumphs over
disease and death. And here was held
their courts of justice with the most aged
and talented chief as presiding judge and
their counsellors discussed the law and
the evidence. Some of them gifted with
that fervid overpowering eloquence which
approached the power of enchantment.
Now rousing the passions of his auditors
until they filled with the spirit of demons
then soothing and softening them to
tears of commiseration and pity and here
were the sentences of their courts an
nounced and executed. The
scenery surrounding this ancient city was
of that weird kind of beauty which cap
tivated our senses and holds us spell
bound. Scenery of that ravishing love
illness as apt terms OF description, a kind
of second Eden prepared by God. Him.
self expressly to serve as perpetual
admonition to His children of the primlv-
al sin of Adam and Eve and the penalty
which followed.
Rising few feet above the river slightly
above Saukenuk, the lower point lying
south of the upper end of the ancient city
is Vandruff's island, described by Gov.
Ford lin his history of nlinois) as being
rocky and rising up abruptly from the
river. He was clearly mistaken in this
statement. 1t is a perfectly fiat and level
island and contains about 200 acres of
land. Immediately south of Vandruff's
island lies another small island called Big
island, somewhat larger than Vandruff's
island, and equally level. Rock river at
this point having three branches of which
the north or channel next to the Indian
city is much the deepest and narrowest.
On Vandruffs island originated the
circumstances which impelled the difficulty
between these Indians and Joshua Wand
ruff and his friend Gov. Reynolds. which
led to the expulsion of the Indians and
the burning of Saukenuk in 1881 as will
more fully appear in subsequent chap
ter
Rock river being chiefly fed by springs
is very staid and sober kind of river and
never was known to go ON "big bender .
II Milan, late Camden, is located
south of Big island and connected by
horse railway with the city of Rock Island
some four miles north, making hourly
trips. This railway runs through the
upper end of Saukenuk. The Rock Island
& Peoria railroad also passes through
ancient Saukenuk and Milan. A branch
of the horse railroad. but operated by
steam portion of the way, leads from
Searsville to Black Hawks watch tower
about half mile east Saukenuk sioo.
upon the peninsula between the Missis
sippi and Rock rivers, on which prom
ontory comes down on the Rock river sidt
to the upper end of SaukenUk. Upor
the western end of this promontory va:
located the Sank Chippiannock or ''Silen
City OF the Dead" The beautiful city o
Rock Island lies north about three miles
while the distance from the west end o
the promontory to the mouth of the Rocl
river is about two and half miles =
IL To the north of tie highest point o
the promontory about four hundred yard
and running parallel thereto is deep III
vine, which leaves narrow high Tidg
extending up Rock river from Saukcnul
for distance of nearly mile of abou
100 feet attitude Near midway of thi
ridge the surface suddenly rises some fort
feet for distance of about twenty rod
and then drops back again to its uniform
height. This highest elevation is Blaol
Hawks watch tower or look ont.
Its surface is covered with soil, soddet
with grass, but the body OF this grand oil
tower is of sandstone. Among the man,
wonders of this truly wonderland THU
singular elevation is the most wonderful
If we except the rock extending east o
the tower for a short distance, there ar
no sand stone rocks within many miles o
this location, add to this the fact that i
| is located on the peninsula which wa
largely formed by deposities and crifting
of these two rivers as is attested by thu
richness of the soil the wonder is how
came this sandstone desposite here. B.
what freak of Mother Nature was thi
: hoary old rock erected upon this PENN
sula! This is one of Natures hidden sc
csets which time nor science can reveal
1t justly excIties our special wonder an
furnished food for thought and specula-
ton. The apex of this tower, embrace
about half large oak trees. In or among
the branches of these large trees the In
dams constructed platforms of poles ex
tending from limb to limb for the accom-
mediation of their sentinles or watchmen
one or more of whom was ever on dut
from early dawn to dewy eve. and from
dwey eve to early morn, perched in hi
tree fully 200 feet above the rivers sur
face. His ever watchful eye constant
on the look out for the approach of a
enemy up and down the river, away owe
the tree tops, over hills, bluffs, valley
and streams, far over the wide sprea
parties, his vision took in every movin
object, ready to signal the City any 81:
picious appearance which might indicat
the approach of an enemy as well as tn
, return of their own hunting, fishing c
war parties. This was their mode {
telegraphy, the tower was their battery
fire their electricity. Laugh not at tn
simile for it is NO fiction, but the sObe
truth. By the use of signal fires an
smoke they communicated news wit
the rapidity of lightning
= pronounced Sauk-e nook, and means ''Sau
. City"
| Saukie means Men from the White Earth
This tribe was found in 1868 in Northern Canad
where there was large amount Of snow whit
covered the earth, hence the name. But ii
French found difficulty in pronouncing the Ia
r syllable and therefore dropped it off, They a
= more generally but enormously called Sack.
The drawings are of course omitted in tn
sketch.
CONTINUED.