Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-01-27

wseonsin's State ID splsy at the CO..
umoian Exp3sl;son-

omoiau EAposfSon-
The Wisconsin fiistoricsl society's ex-
hifit ~ the worlds fair viii be AN e.
pesialiy interesting and valuable enc.
Great preparations have bcen made FOR
the big show and the many relics
and curiosltiss OF the historical mu-
scum will attract no little attention.
While there are thousands ~ relics II
laore or less interest. Secretary
Thwaites has carefully selected objects
for the exhibit that stand without RI
walls In their class.
No other relic aftesting the presence
OF white men west Of the Alieghenies
50 long ago has ever been discovered.
and in this fact lies the value OF the ia
nous ostensorium. which viii be the
most prominent feature of this coliec-
ton Of curios at the fair. The vessel.
which is made 81 silver and handsome
liz engraved. WAS presented 10 the mis-
sion Ut De Pcrc i'm 1854. The osten-
sorinm. 81 called because IL ostentates
the sacred wafer. Is also termed the
soleil. from its resemblance In shape 10
the solar orb. In 1856 there were only
two white settlements west Of the Allie
ghenies. one nj La Pointe and the other
at MaelSinaw. When the mission was
burned by the Indians it was thought
that the holy vessel had been de-
stroyed, but ii was afterwards I'M
earthed by a nan named Grignon in
the latter part OF the seventeenth cen
fury. The relic was preserved in his
house for time. but later was removed
u the new church at Green Bay A
number of years afterward the osteIi-
sorium was discovered In the St. Ann
Catholic church 1t Detroit. and upon
being identified was returned ~ Green
Bay. the Detroit Catholics releasing oil
claim 10 /, upon the payment of its
value N old metal The archbishop OF
the diocese at the latter place was the
last posses sor OF the relic before its pre-
sentation 90 the historical society The
inscription on the ostcnsorium reads as
| follows:
This soleil Was Given by NJ. N'cho-
las Perrot the Mission of St Francis,
in the Bay Q. Puans. 1896"
Although I. words are rudcly cut
every letter is distinctly legible. The
4
rot was at Green Bay as governor OF the
northwest The workmanship of the
silver shrine Is of type well known as
marking the last half of tae seventeenth
century.
The Historical society will also ex-
| hibit the batteau. which is n style OF
| boat that was In use by French FUR
traders on Wisconsin waters and the
/ great lakes. The craft is thirty feet
Eng and weighs eleven hundred pounds
lts age Is unknown. tnt its interest
lies In the fact that it is an excellent
/ specimen of pioneer boat architecture
| The traders would start from a point
above tie Lachine rapids at Montreal.
and come out to Wisconsin, either by
| tho Wisconsin or Ottawa river, fron
the headwaters of which they would
portage orrr 10 a stream emptying into
Georgian bay and thence into Lake
| Huron. or up 10 the chain Of lakes by
way Of Niagara and Detroit. With his
/ goods for the Indian I -ade, chiefly hawk
bells. paint, combs. flash jewelry and
brass and glass beads. and his crew of
gayly appareied voysgeurs. the hour
ffft WI hitsosEAf rC3trtt ia HIS DkIttAu.
entered the furthcrmost haunts of saw
agcry. prepared To fight or barter,
marry Indian squaws or take Indian
scalps. browbcat his dusky customers
or cajole them IA the case might be.
The batteau carried eighteen men a.
well as a ton OF goods. IL was procured
for the society at the headwaters Of the
81 Croix river in 1880.
Another valuable curiosity which
will be included In the collection Is the
| perfect model of the Murdoch iocosno-
tive, made in Soho. England. in 1881.
and giren 20 the Historical museum
last year by X. and O. Tangye. the
great locomotive builders of Birrning.
nam. Enginnl The original owned By
them IS on exhibition In the Bi-min0-
harm town k-ll, ard the model in pos
session of zoe Historical so iety Of Wis
consin Is the only cory in America, be-
Ing exactly like the original In every re-