Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-09-28

place in the year 1880. And by Ban.
croft's first edition It appeared that
Wisconsin was mighty near discovered
when Boston was founded If The
historians had only ceased from their
labors, the exclusive claim Of he Hub
to antiquity, would perhaps have
stood But that great storehouse OF
written testimony, the Jesuit Rela-
lions, had not been half explored
who were fortunate enough to have
access to It kept plodding through its
ponderous volumes
In the year 1853, DR.. J. G.. Shea, one
OF the most restless searchers for
historical data through the medium Of
the Jesuit Relations, discovered that
Father lie Jeune wrote from Quebec to
France that m. NicOllet who has
penetrated farthest into these most
distant regions has assured me that
II he had pushed on three days longer
on a great river which issues from
the second lake of the Hurons nakc
Michigan) he would have found the
sea. Now | strongly suspect that this
sea Is on the north Of Mexico and that
therby we could have an entrance
into Japan and China" The Jesuit
father knew about Mexico; his order
had an eye on Japah and China, but
the great western country was I'M
known It might be land; It might b"
sea. TO the Jeguits it gave promise
in either event. If it were land, then
It had heather to convert; if 1t were
sea, then it would carry their ms
sionaries to Japan and China The
early books of their relations are fiIled
with these speculations regarding the
great unknown west. Probably
NicOllet had been told of the great
water" ly Indians ana understood ~
the term a sea; when in fact they
were telling him of the Fathc: Oi
Waters. 1t Is probable that Parltman
wrote in Jesuits in North America,
"As early as 1889, Nicolet assembled
the Green Bay Of Michigan, and cross
cd the waters of the Mississippi on
the information furnished by DR.. Shea,
for Parllman had access to all new
facts brought ont by research In the
relations.
Somebody noticed that Father lie
Jeune lid not state, in the quotation
above made, the date of M. Nicollet's
excursion into the river that issued
from the second lake of the Hurpns.
His record was made in 1910, burt
when lid Nicollct make his VOYAGE
Accordingly they began looking up his
history. It was discovered in the
Canadian archives that Nlcollet start
ed from Three Rivers on a western
trip In July, 1884, and returned the
year following That he became In
terprcter for the French Fur com
pany called the hundred associates"
in the year 1896, with headquarters at
Three Rivers, Canada, and that he re-
manned there until 1912, when, while
IN business journey to quebec, he
was accidentally drowned So his
voyage Oh 1884 was his last into the
western country But he had made
earlier trips into the unknown region.
Beginning In 1913 he lived several
years amongst the Indians, as one OF
them, In western Canada. Two years
he was a member of tribe in the
shores Of Lake Huron. The Fox
Wisconsin rivers was a thoroughtare
for traffic in Mexican shells from pre-,
historic time. Stranger things have
happened than that a wild and al.
venturous spirit, such as NJ. Nicolet
possessed, should have joined party
on Lake Huron for a trip into the
southwest, bent on commerce In the
currency of the lnulans- Mexican
shells. But these speculations are not
essential Most badgers will be con
tent with the written record, which
brings the first white explorer down
to within four years of the founding
Of Boston TO lower the mark would
bring ineXpressble discomfort to our
yankee brethren who now lean too
heavily on the shalIy reed of their
antiquity.