The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-05
KASk ASkIA.
A Kentucky Writer COrrects Certain
Historical Errors.

j. Stoddard Johnson, in Louisville Courier
Journal.
In your paper of to-day is an interesting
article from the New York Mail and Ex-
press on Kaskaskia. ILL.,. which only lacks
the element of truth TO make it "a valuable
historical contribution. There is so much
of this history being written now for the
magazines and press that before this has
time to crystalline / beg space to correct
some of its most glaring misstatements.
In the first place, the writer falls into a
common error. There were two towns in
Illinois named Ksskaskia. The first was on
the Illinois river. and was founded by
important station i'm very early times. The
other. also founded by the French Jesuits,
near the beginning OF the eighteenth GEN.
fury. was on a river of the same name.
which emptied i'm the Mississippi about
seventy-hve miles below st. Louis. 1t was
six miles from its mouth, and was. for Il
considerable time. the principal town i'm
that whole region. The statement that it
was situated on an island and that in
lation of 1000 is ridiculous. Fortunately.
the evidence is clear and incontrovertible.
In 1865 Captain Harry, Gordon. chief engi-
neer in the Western department of North
America. who was sent from FIT. Pitt.
Pittsburg. down the Ohio river to ILL
nois. left a journal of his observations.
which is very explicit as to Kaskaskia
and that region of the country. 1t will be
found i'm the typographical description of
Thomas Pownall NJ. p, printed and pub
lished according TO act of Parliament. Lon
don. 1876. He arrived at the Kaskaskia
river. then called kuskuskies. and visited
the village. which was on the low ground
on the northwest side OF the river. He
describes ii as consisting of eighty
houses. well built. mostly of stone. with
gardens and large lots. The inhabitants
generally live well and have large stocks
of cattle It's population then was four
or five hundred. St. Louis. which had
been founded two years before. and was
theG known as Pain Court (short of bread).
had fifty families. and went steadily ahead
of Kaskaskia. But this is not the only
witness to refute this triher with history.
In l717 Captain Thomas Hutchins. known as
the geographer of Mouth America, pub
ment. his Typographical description OF
Virginia. Pennsylvania. Maryland and
North Carolina. in which he describes the
country even more infinitely than Gordon.
having been with him I'm 1776. and paid a
second visit Just before the breaking out
OF the revolutionary war. In his volume he
gives a Typographical map of the Missis-
sippi and adjacent country from kaskaskia
to ST. Louis. in which are laid down al
the roads. settlements and villages. There
was then no town or settlement on any
island i'm the Mississippi. and kaskaskia
was situated. as stated. six miles from the
Mississippi on the northwest side IF the
river of the same name. on bad ground,
with an old fort on the high ground near
the east bank of the river. The new fort
taken by General George Rogers Clark July
4. 177s. was on the town side OF the liver.
According to his account, Kaskaskia con-
tanned ''fve hundred white inhabitants AID
between four hundred AMI i've hundred ne
groes. The former nave large stocks of
black cattle. swine. etc II was then at
the height of its prosperity. as st. Louis
was already drawing 10 itself the trade of
that section and dwaring the older towns.
Hutchins describes St. Louis as having
eight hundred inhabitants. principally
French. Some Of them have a liberal edu-
cation. are polite and hospitable. They have
about 80 negroes and large fiocks OF black
cattle"
The article is fun of errors. but | have
only deemed il necessary TO point out the
NEST glaring.