The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-07-29

49,
writing his fathers biography. There
is nothing about the spot to indicate
that it was eve a place OF human
habitation. In a valley running
back from the St. Joseph river about
a mile to the west, at the head OF a
ripping, winding little brook. sur
rounded by hills and on two sides by
heavy oak forests, it lies, a peaceful.
picturesque little nook of farm land
rarely ever cultivated, seldom visited
save by the farmers boy who goes to
bring home the cows grazing where
the wigwams stood a half century ago,
or by the relic hunter who knows its
history. 1t is hidden from the highway
n not a trace of the old town is left.
How old it was no one now living a
tell. The few log huts that Pokagon
and his followers with their little FAM
lilies occupied looked to the first white
settlers who saw them sixty-seven
years ago, as if they were about ready
to tumble down and they might have
been built seventy-fve or 100 years
before that time. Probably an Indian
village had been there around the bub-
bling spring that formed the source
OF the little brook for many genera
tons. The numerous relics of the
stone and copper variety found in the
vicinity would indicate this.
Pokagon was a pious Indian. On II
of the hills overlooking the village
was a log chapel where he and his
npOn1p Unrchinod ora0rdinO fn tho
rites of the Catholic church, taught
them by their fathers. How long the
chapel had been built is not known,
but it may have been one of the mis-
sions established more than 200 year
ago by Father Claude Allouez, the
pioneer missionary of the region,
whose ashes are reposing somewhere
along the st. Joseph river, the exact
spot of his burial place not being
known. In 1859 the English drove the
French from this region and took pos
session of the territory, dissolving all
these missions. They were not re-es-
tablished for nearly 100 years after
ward, and during that period, although
the Indians were deprived of the care
ehu hoe uSlioh vi tIc pi lCSlS, tAty ulu
not forget the forms of the church.
In the latter part of the '20s Polka
gon made a pilgrimage to Detroit to
implore' the church authorities to send
a BLACK robe,' the Indian name for
priest, among his people. His speech
to the vicar-general of the bishop of
Cincinnati, Father Gabriel Richard, on
this occasion, Is on record. 1t was an
earnest and effective plea. Il implore
you," he said, ito send us a black robe
to teach us the word of God. If you
have no car for us old men, at least
have pity on our poor children. who
are growing up in ignorance and vice.
I'VE still preserve the manner OF
prayer as taught our ancestors by the
black robe who formerly resided at st
Joseph. Morning and evening with
m wife and children we pray together
before the crucifiX. Sunday we pray
together oftener. On Friday we fasI
all evening, men, mt and children
according to the traditions handed
down to us by u fathers and mothers
for we have never seen a black robe
LiolSh w 1hS PioySio "hlSh ne laugh
to them and see if | have not learned
them correctly" Then the old chic
fell on his knees, made the signs ant
repeated the prayers of the church. tn,
creed and the ten commandments II
the Pottawattomie tongue.
The result of the plea was the send
ing of Father Stephen Theodore Ba
1;- thn fret Cathn1in nrio,@ oSl:.-
in the United States, who came to In
diana in 1929 and for several year
had charge of all the missions i,
southern Michigan and northern Indi
ana. He established a mission tw,
miles north of South Bend that eventu
ally developed into the great Notr
Dame university of today. He was tn
as long as they stayed at the old vii
lage and there are a number of oil
residents of the vicinity that hear
Father Badin preach in the little 10
| church on the hill. The church itse]
has long since been taken away. bu
1 the foundation remains. Down tn
valley on the bank of the river was tn
bulylh6 DIoNS vi ohd6oh IOWU I'M
the old cedar cross with it's hoizonts
arm gone is still standing. 1t wa
j there when the first white settlers cam
l into the region.
! Pokagon is represented by some his
T torical writer's as the leader of a ban
Il Of Pottawattomies in a battle with tn
Shawnees in the days before the white
at Three Rivers, but this can be classe
as fiction, as Pokagon was who'll
+ averse to fighting, and his whole all
was to keep his people from wa
u Again, he is said to have been at til
Z massacre of Fort Dearborn in 1912 i
e the capacity of peacemaker and to hay
been the one who brought Capt. Heal
II and his wife away from the blood
ARRAY at Chicago and across the LAX
to st. Joseph. This is not believed
be true by some of the older resident
u who were acquainted with Pokagol
4 He never made any such claim /
- them, though he had been heard I
u say that he used all his power to kee
the POttawattomies in that localit
from taking part in the massacre, an
' himself went to st. Joseph to dissuad
Topinabee from taking his men Their,
Pokagon doubtless was with Topinabe
! and was m of those who receive
= Capt. Head at St. Joseph and helpe
. him to get to Mackinac and Detroi
: The most authentic records of the mas
Sacre to be had give the credit of as