The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-12-10
MAReUETTE's CABIN.
Illinois Priests Discovery May
Mark It's Site.


| Just 23O years ago today. Dec. T.
| 1914. camp was made on the site of
Chicago by the first white man. a man
/ sick, and cold. and young--not more
than &c. Father Marquette. on his way
south was i'll; and the two Frenchmen
With him and the Indian guides
watched him anXiously while they put
! Ut the rough log hut for mis- shelter.
! Imagine dusk creeping over the open
| IIace son this winter night: everywhere
| there was silence and stretching plain,
and growing darkness. No hint of Chi
cago, no sign Of the future was there,
unless the hut was symbol of it. 1t
was bleak. and cold. and lonely, and
in the midst Of it ali stood a man
whose passion for discovery and zeal
for religion had brought him TO the
place.
Today in Wihnette a young priest in
d new parish is reproducing so far as
possible that first historic camp. Father
Edmund Byrnes has been so much inn
pressed with the historic significance
of the time and place that he has
/ reused his parishioners to enthusiasm
and persuaded them to carry out his
iteas. In the rear of his church hangs
. great canvas curtain with a painting,
which is TO give the early picture Of
Marquette's winter camp OF 1914. II rep
Tesents the log hut. the winter setting
ih its wilderness and desolation. Before
this painting have been erected several
tepees and wickiups copying as closely
as possible the real Indian architecture
of the period
All about are Indians-braves and
squaws-who are selling Indian curios
and Indian handiwort. To one side is
rough boothlike structure, in which
are stacked Indian bows and arrows
for target practice. II is 10 be doubted
VI neither the scouts and Indian warriors
Cf today can approach the skill with
these weapons of the redskins. who
stood al a distance and watched Father
Marquette build his cabin Oil the bank
Of the river
That cabin stood the storms and lake
winds for at least a century and q half
Marquette used 1t before he went on his
iourneyings; his stay in his camp lasted
the winter of 1914 and 10. for his illness
WAS serious one. Just where the cao-
i'm stood is still in doubt The Chica go
Historical society is trying TO find out
tie exact site. A year ago workmen
for the Wiley Lumber company dlscov-
cred a wooden cross on the bank of the
river They did not realize what it
was. did not guess its value, and either
threw ii on the scrap pile or into the
river. Mr.. Wiley, the son of the head
Ct the company, heard III some way of
the cross and reported il TO the society.
The peculiarity Of the cross lay in
the fleur de lis which made the ends of
the cross piece and the smaller cross
Il at surmounted the tree. This same
f'eur de lis decoration is seen in the
cross on the old church at Cahokia.
Ills, which is said to have been erected
by Marquette. Ii may be that further
discoveries can be made in this same
lumber yard.
The choice of a date for the churcn
entertainment which was to commeua-
crate Marquette's soiourn was made
letore Father Byrnes had looked up the
details of the history. BY strange CO.
incidence the date of the original maxi
ing of a camp and of the reproduction
IS the same-Dec. 4. Another 1lotewor- |
thy coincidence is that the name of
ne church in Which the esentertainincnt
: to-takeyRsaee bears the name of the |
man whom Marquette considered his i