Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1895-05-10
THE CHICAGO OF 1926
a VILLAGE WHICH PRESENTED NO
Thrilling PROSPECTS"

Tho Country Thereabout offered Few Fea-
lures. and There was Nothing Worthy
OF Eulogy A Report That Failed Com
pleteiy as a Prophecy.
The Chicago Of nearly rs years ago
did not present an inviting appearance.
The party Of Heating and Lang left
Fort Wayne in May to- discover the
source Of the st. Peters river. The ap-
proach to Chicago is thus described in
the account published in 1926:
eve were near the southern extremity
of the lake. The view toward the north
was boundless, the eye meeting nothing
but the vast expanse of water which
spread like q sea, its surface at that
time az calm and unruffled as though it
were a sheet Of ice
"Our path led us over the scene Of tho
bloody massacre which occurred in 1912,
when the garrison Of Chicago was de-
stroyed by the Pottawatomies No traces
are now to be seen Of the massacre.
ION the afternoon Of June we reach
Cd Fort Dearborn (Chicago). Fort Dear
born is on the south bank, near the
mouth Of the Chicago river. The post at
Chicago was abandoned few moRths
after the party visited it. Its establish
nent had been foundnecessaryt to intimi
date the powerful tribes of Indians
which still iiihabit this part of the coun-
try.
eve were much disappointed at the
appearance of Chicago and its vicinity
We found in it nothing to justify the
great eulogium lavished upon it by Mr.
Schoolerdft, a late traveller.
'fThe best comment upon his descrip-
ton of the climate and the soil is the
fact that with the most active vigilance
on the part Of the officers, it was impos-
sible for the garrison, consisting Of 20
to 80 men, to subsist on the grain raised
in the country.
f'The appearance Of the country near
Chicago offers bat few features. There
is too much uniformity in the scenery.
The extensive water prospect is a waste
.uncheckered by islands and unenlivened
by spreading canvas.
"The village presents no thrilling
prospects, as notwithstanding its antiq-
uity it consists Of but few huts, inhab-
tied by miserable race Of men, scarcely
equal to the Indians, from whom they
are descended. Their log or bark houses
are low, filthy and disgusting, display
ing not the least trace of comfort.
"Chicago is perhaps one of the Oldest
settlements in the Indian country. Its
name. derived from the Pottawatomie
Language, signifies either skunk or
wild onion. Mention is made ofbthe
place as having been visited in 1871 by
Perot, who found 'Chicgou' to be the
residence of a powerful chief Of the
Aliamis.
Gas a place Of business it offers no
linducement to the settler, for the whole
annual amount of trade ON the lake did
not exceed the cargoes Of five sehooners'
even when the garrison received Its sup
plies from Maclinaw.
''It is not impossible that at some dis
tant day, when the banks of the Illinois
shall have been covered with dense
population and when the low pralrles
which extend between that river and
Fort Wayne shall have acquired popu-
llation proportionate to the produce which
they can yield, Chicago may become one
iof the points in direct communication
between the northern lakes and the Mis-
Isissippi.
tThe Indians were chiefly Pottawato-
mics. but intermixed with Ottowas and
Chippewas Among many charges
against these Indians there is none more
horrible than the charge Of cannibaism.
This has been denied, but it has been
acknowledged by the Indians themselves,
and it has been uniformly admitted
by the interpreters and traders who have
long resided with them.
at is common superstition with
them that he that tastes of the body OF
Ia brave man acquires part Of his valor'
and if he can eat Of his heart, which by
them is considered as the seat OF all
courage. the share Of bravery which ar
rives from it is still greater.
Captain Wells is still mentioned as
The bravest white man with whom they
ever met He had almost become one OF
their number and had united himself TO
a descendant of Little Turtle.
"At the commencement Of hostihties
between the British and Americans he
sided with his own countrymen, while
the Indians of this vicinity all passed
into the British service. Wells was
killed. After the action his body was
divided, and his heart was shared, as be-
ing the most certain spell for courage
and part Of it was sent to the various
tribes in alliance with the Pottawato-
mics, while they themselves Toasted up
on the rest. Chicago Times Herald.
fITEpARV MEN AND THE PIPE.