Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-30

Ct. Louis Qdu uttu lOuuucus auu dttdihCo
a healthy growth, but the site of Chicago
had almost been forgotten save as an In
dian trading post, or as it was remarked in
| the archives Ief the missions.
| The final and fatal blow which broke
| the power of the French in North Amer
| lea was given at Quebec on the nights of
Abraham in 1859. The treaty of 176l
| sounded the knell of French hopes and
ambitions in Illinois, and Neyon de Viii
| Tiers, the last commander, whose six
brothers had been slain in the defense of
Canada, with his few followers went to
Louisiana to save the shattered remnant.
Fort Charities, of which the veteran St.
Ange was commander, was the last place
in America to display the French colors.
The subsequent treaty of peace between
the United States and Great Britain in
1888, defined the western boundaries of
the new republic "from the northwest
point of the Lake of the Woods on due
west course to the Mississippi" thence
northwest until "it shall intersect the
northwest part of the 3lst degree of north
latitude"
OLD FORT DEARBORN.
Chicago's first white settler, by a
strange contradiction of terms, is recorded
as Jean Baptiste Point de Sable, native
of San Domingo, who came as trader in
1879. There was theory that he was
ambitious to start San Domingo colony,
that appeared to have no basis His cabin
was on the north side of the main river,
near where It turns south (near the west
end of Kinks soap factory, and subse-
quently became the property Of La Mai, a
French trader. By the treaty of Greenville
made by Anthony Wayne (the tempest)
with the Indians in 1895, the Pottawa-
tribes, coded to the United States: "One
piece of land six miles square at the mouth
Of the Chicago river, emptying into the
southwest end of lake Michigan. where
fort formerly stood" This last clause YVES
probably based on information given
Francis Vigo or John Blen, who signed
the treaty. This, at any rate, was the first
real estate transfer in Chicago. John
Kinzie, the first genuine white settler, Sc
cured LIE MATS cabin, and having enlarged
and improved it, occupied it in 1904.
Fast following came Jean Baptist Beau
bied, several other settlers, and then the
soldiers, under the direction of the order of
June %, 1903, Gen. Henry Dearborn. Sec
rotary of War during Jefierson's admins
tration: 81 have directed stockade works,
aided by block-houses, to be erected at Vim
cennes, at Chikago, and at Kashaskias,
each calculated for full company the
block-houses to be constructed of timber,
slightly hewed, and of most durable kind;
the magazines for powder to be of brick of
&c
fifty to one hundred barrels of powder.
You will observe the block-houses are in
tended to be so placed as to scour from the
upper and lower stories the whole of the
lines The back part of the barracks are
to have port holes which can be opened
when necessary for the use of musketry for
annoying an enemy
In the summer of 1903, Captain John
Whistler's company was ordered from De-
troit to occupy the post and build the fort.
Captain James S. Swearenger conducted
the company overland. The United States
schooner Tracy, Dorr master, was dis
patched with supplies, having on board,
Captain John Whistler, his wife and their
son George W., then three years old
afterwards distinguished engineer in
the service of the Russian Government.
Whistler, the eccentric artist, now in En-
gland, is from this family, Lieutenant
William Whistler and his young wife.
The schooner stopped briefly at st. Jo
seph's river, where the Ministers left and
came by a row-boat to their new home.
The schooner on arriving here anchored
half mile from the shore, discharging
her freight by boats. Two thousand In
dams watched the proceedings, "the big
canoe with wings" being great novelty.
Mrs. w. writes: "There were then here
but four rude cabins occupied by white
men, Canadian French, with Indian wives"
At that time there was mot team OF
horses or yoke of oxen within hundreds
of miles of Chicago, and the soldiers had
to don the harness and drag home the
timbers," for the erection of the fort.
There were no nails used in the construc-
ton of the fort, all the timbers being
pinned together with wooden pins.
1t stood nearly on the site Of the fort
erected in 1916, aud finally demolished in
the summer of 1856. 1t was somewhat
different in its structure from its successor.
1t had two block houses, one on the south
east corner, the other at the northwest.
On the north side was sally-port, or sub
terranean passage, leading from the parade
ground to the river, designed as a place of
escape in an emergency, or for supplying
| the garrison with water In time OF a siege.
The whole was inclosed by strong pail
SADIE of wooden pickets, twelve feet high.
At the west of the fort and fronting north
on the river, was two-story log building,
covered with split oak siding, which was
the United States factory, attached to the
fort. On the shore of the river, between
the fort and the factory, were the root
houses, or cellars of the garrison. The
ground adjoining the fort on the south side
jseyeral acres) was inclosed and cultivated
as garden. The fort was furnished with
three pieces of light artillery. A company
of United States troops, fifty in number.
many of whom were invalids (they were
unacclimated), constituted the garrison.
1t received the name of Fort Dearborn, by
which it was ever after known as long as
it continued a military post Such was
the old fort previous to 1912. The fort
occupied position on the river. The ex-
tension of Michigan avenue would prob
ably have entered its battle-ground. The
blockhouse of the second fort in the
southwest corner has position along the
line Of Hoyt's store now indicated by the
memorial tablet The garden occupied a
plat of ground southwest along River
street. The river then was shallow and
narrow, the central pier Of the Rush-street
bridge having been the place where the
ferry landed. When the south channel
was excayated the well Of the old fort was
found partly filled with ffints and ammu'
milton.
During the early years of its existence
Chicago was simply Fort Dearborn, the
trading establishment and house of Johr
Kinzie, and the traders representing the
various other fur ompanies-North Amer
lean, Canadian and Astor's-save perhap!
few huts inhabited by half-breeds and
| Il IL d. =.