Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-02-26
.MEDoRE JENNETTjE..

MEDoRE JENNETTE U.
The Original Pioneer OF tho Great Army
OF Western Drummers. 5sa25
I wonder how many of tho great army
of valiant and chivalrous commercial
travellers who make the State of Illinois
their battlefield of trade and racket
could give correct answer ii asked who
was historically tho first drummer Of
their peculiar order to operate in this
Commonwealth? The question would
doubtless be poser to all of them,
therefore will answer it for their edit
cation. H. 80. -.
During the sixteenth and the chief
portion of the seventeenth centuries the
Indians and the French had it all their
own way in what was then known as the
Illinois country. The Indians were
famous hunters and the French were
sharp traders, and the latter bought up
all the furs and hides the former had to
sell, exchanging for them dazzling
trinkets, cheap clothing, firearms, am
munition, bad whisky and such-like
commodities. The traders made
good thing out Of the operation,
but the Indians apparently en-
joyed being cheated and imposed upon.
In time sharp competition sprung up
between two rival trading, interests,
both composed of Frenchmen, one hay
ing his headquarters at Peoria and the
other at st. Louis, the former shipping
ifc I'm tn N0~<uao1
the latter to New Orleans. Two enter
prising brothers named Chouteau were
the heads of the principal fur-trading
firm at st. Louis, who had thriven and
grown rich in the Upper Mississippi and
Missouri Indian traffic, and in 1772 de-
termined to extend their operations into
"the Illinois country" They had in
their employ shrewd, energetic young
man named Medore Jennette who was as
glib with the lingo Of the Indian tribe
as he was with his native French.
They dispa tched this young man to the
Indian settlements of Southern Illinois
and 'in the Illinois River Valley to
''work up the trade"-and he did it
with q degree Of alacrity and
success that fairly made the
heads Of the old-established
Peoria rivals of the Chouteaus swim.
He traversed the country almost con-
stantly for several years, visiting nd
making himself agreeable to all the
various Indian villages and camps, So
Letting their trade and obtaining it.
He became great favorite among the
Indians, and by and by, when he got
tired Of his rowing life, fell in love with
the prettiest and brightest maiden of
the Pottawatomies, married her like a
little man." and settled down and went
into the fur-trading business on his own
hook in u Pottawatomie village located
at the point opposite where the Fox
river empties into the Illinois, near
where the City of Ottawa now lies. He
died rich man, and left large family
of children. His st. Louis employers
gave him the credit of having contrib
uted largely to their trade and their
wealth, but their Peoria rivals never
would forgive him for the serious en-
croachments he made upon their trad
ing monopoly in the Illinois River VAL
ley. One of Medore Jennette's sons
half Frenchman, half Indian-still
lives. residing on a farm In what is
known as the american Bottom in
Southeastern Illinois. He is nearly one
hundred years old, and Is surrounded by
sons and daughters, grandsons and
granddaughters-a veritable patriarch.
His hair, once black as ravens feath-
ers, is now as white as snow.
Medore Jennette was the original pio-
neer of the Illinois commercial trav-
elers, now 50 numerous and festive, and
if his grave is discoverable (he was
buried near Ottawa) his successors
should rear over it a monument in
honor of ono who in his business life
was marked illustration of the old
Cesarian saying, "Vcni odd cicl!''-Gov-
ernor Andrew Shuman, in Chicago
Tribune.