The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-02-14
FRENCH VISITED
The STATE IN 1866.

At.the..recent maeting OF the MINI
esota Historical Society Warren
Upham, the secretary, gave an
address on "The First White Men
in Minnesota, Groseilliers and Radi-
son, in 1866, at Prairie Island
Mr.. Upham said in part:
"The earliest white explorers on the
upper Mississippi and in the area of
Minnesota were these two French
traders, who are shown, by Radisson's
narrative, to have come to Prairie Is
land, on the west side of the main
channel of the Mississippi between
Red Wing and Hastings, about the
first of May, 1866, and to have con-
tinued there until near the end of
June, 1866.
"These men were brother-in-laws,
Groseilliers at that time, was "a years
old, an experienced fur trader, while
Radisson was only 20 years of age.
"They lived at Three Rivers on the
st. Lawrence between Quebec and
Montreal. During the greater part of
their lives they were closely associated
in trading expeditions to the far west
and in efforts to establish the fur trade
in the region of Hudson bay.
''The narratives of their travels and
discoveries were written by Radisson,
in grotesque English, to promote their
interest when they transferred allegi-
ance and service from the French to
the English government, becoming un-
der the latter the principal agents in
founding the Hudson Bay company.
"Radisson's manuscripts remained
more than 300 years unknown to his
torians. They had come into the pos
session of the British museum in Lon
don and the Bodleian library in Oxford
and, in 1886, were published by the
Prince society of Boston.
"The edition of this book, called
The Voyage of Rsdisson, was lin
tied to $50 copies, two of which are in
Minnesota, one being owned by the
state historical society and the other
by the Duluth public library.
"Groseilliers and Radisson started
on their first western expedition in
August, 1854, and went up the Ottawa
river to the Georgian bay of Lake
Huron and back through the Straits of
Mackinaw into the north part of lake
Michigan.
Every early in the spring these two
Frenchmen, with about $50 Indians,
went, on snowshoes, across distance
of about fifty leagues, as Radisson
says, to river. where they spent three
weeks in making boats The snowshoe
journey took them across the present
area Of. Wisconsin to the Mississip pi
river, probably in the vicinity of
Prairie du Chen.
"When their boats were built they
went up the river eight days to two
Indian. tribes, probably near the site
of the city of Winona, from whom they
obtained supplies of corn and meal,
which as the narrative says, lasted
until they came to the first landing
, isle. .
Many evidences give US entire assur-
ance that this First landing isle" was
Isle Pelee, which afterward was the
chief center of the French fur trade
for this region. 1t is now known as
Prairie island, lying between the main
channel of the Mississippi and the
sloughs of the lower course of it's tri-
butary, the Vermillion river.
This island is mostly beautiful""ex-
panse of fertile prairie, from which it
received both its French and English
names. 1t is ten miles long and about
two miles wide. being the, largest is
land in the whole course of the Missis-
sippi.
To make sure of large crop of corn
and that it should be stored and saved
for the long returning Journey, Gros-
eilliers remained at Prairie island all
the year, from early in May, 1866, un-
til the expedition for Lower Canada
started about the end of June, 1856.
In the summer of 1866 Radisson
went with Indian hunting parties and
spent, as he says, -four months :.
without doing anything but go from
river to river. Portaging from one
hunting ground to another, they came
"into the great river that divides it.
self in two,' meaning probably the
Illinois river, which is formed by the
Des PLANES and Kankakee rivers, each
an important canoe route.
In the ensuing winter, messengers
were sent from Prairie island to many
tribes far and near, to invite them to
join in the fur trade and to go with
, their peltries and canoes to the French
settlements. The representatives of
many tribes came in the spring for
! this great expedition.
According to the request of Groseil-
liers and Rsdisson, a public council
was called, at which more. than 800
men were present.
The earnest arguments of Groseilliers
seemed unavailing, until Radisson
asserted that he would leave all the
beavers skins, shoulder his sack of
corn, and beign the journey alone, Fat
the same time suiting his action to his
words
This turned the tide of the council
1t was decided that large company,
"about $780," as Radisson says, ''all
stout men, should accompany the