The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-11-29
SOME HIsIoRIc FORTS.


Northwest.
In looking back on the early history
of our country, the first things to which
we generally turn are the landing of
the Pilgrim fathers and their struggles
with the savages at their door.
The great west was unknown to these
d ring spirits, and yet while Miles
Standish was subduing the redskins at
Plymouth, French explorers were
establishing diplomatic relations with
tribes of Indians in the northwest, and
were building forts along the shores of
the Mississippi to make good the claim
of the grand monarch, Louis XIV, to
the surrounding country
There is a great deal of romance
about the history of the settlements
which were formed by these hardy adj
venturers. The forts were a mixture
of trading post and military establish
ment They were strong protection
against the Indians, and those pictur-
esque figures, the coureurs de bois, idled
away their time there while waiting
for the winter hunt.
Some of these forts were built as far
back as 1850, and away up in Wiscon-
sin there have been found the remains
of some of these old fashioned fortifi-
cations.
One of them. named Fort st. Antoine,
was built by Nicholas Perrot, and used
as his headquarters while he was act
ing for the French government among
the Indian tribes of the upper Missis-
sippi 1t was there that, in May, 1859,
he took formal possession of the coun-
try as commissioner for King Louis
XIV.
In the year 1883 there was unearthed
near the village of Trempealeau, Wis,
and near bluff overlooking the Mis-
sissippi, what was believed to be por-
ton of Fort St Antoine.
A capacious fireplace covered with
ashes was the first discovery. Another
fireplace, opposite the first and sixty
feet distant, was next found; while be-
tween these two, and not quite in the
middle, a third was uncovered
1t was found afterward that two
more fireplaces had been met by the
graders of railroad some time before
and destroyed by them without exami-
nation.
These posts consisted usually of
few log houses, strongly built and sur
rounded by one or more rows of stout
oak palisades, twelve feet or more in
height
1t was in Green Bay settlement how
ever, that the happy, careless French
settlers were in constant danger from
the Indians.
From the first days of French domin-
ion in this country until England tri-
umphed over France. that settlement
was the headquarters for all the trade
down the great highway of the Mis-
sissipp-
The first post built there was called
Fort st. Francis, and the garrison sue
ceeded in holding the surrounding
tribes in awe, with the exception of
the Foxes, who were the indOmita BILE
70 of the French.
the Foxes were located along the
river bearing their name, and they had
a fort which was surrounded by three
rows of palisades and was defended 10y
FIVE hundred warriors.
In 1916. VI. de Louvigny laid siege to
this fort with a force of eight hundred
French and savages. On the third
day, just as the French were about to
undermine the defenses. the Foxes sur
rendered and were permitted To depart
on the condition that they would make
peace with the French and their allied
tribes.
The peace did not last long. and a
sharp lookout had to be kept for the
trou blesome Foxes
In 1928 Sicur de Lignery headed an
against the Foxes. but the
latter were too fleet-footcd for his men.
and he had to turn back without any
fighting.
In 1851 the French built fort at
Prairie du Chen. 1t was destroyed in
the first year of the Revolutionary war
to prevent it falling into the hands of
Gen. George Rogers Clarke, who was
said to be marching on Prairie du Chen
with a large force.
Indian traders who had stored their
furs in the fort carried them away in
and then set fire to the old |
buildings, thus disposing of the last !
relic of French dominion in the north |
DAYS