The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-09-08


understand Radisson's narrative, they
came to this prairie island, on the west
side of the main channel of the Nlissis-
| sippi. between Red Wing and Hastings
about the first of May, 1880, remained
here more than Il year, and started near
the end of June, 1856, on their return to
the French settlements of Lower Can
ada. These men were brothers-in law
Groseillers at that time being thirty
four wears old, an experienced fur trad
er, while Radisson was scarcely more
than Il youth, being only twenty 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 i'll eff
forts to establish the fur trade in the
region of Hudson bay. The narratives
of their travels and discoveries were
written by Radisson in grotesque Eng
| lish to promote their interests when
| they transferred their allegiance and
service from the French to the English
government, becoming, under the latter
the principal agents in founding the
Hudson Bay company.
Radisson's manuscripts remained
more than 200 years unknown to histor-
ians. They had come into possession of
the British Museum in London and the
Bodleian library in Oxford, the two
largest libraries of Great Britain, and
in 1885 were published by the Prince
society of Boston. The edition of this
book, called THE Voyages of Radisson,'
was limited to only $50 copies, two of
which are in Minnesota, one being
owned by the State Historical society
and the other by the Duluth public IL
brary.
Groseilliers and Radisson started on
their first western expedition in August.
1854, and went with small company of
Indians up the Ottawa river, and by
Lake Nipissing and the French river in
to the Georgian bay of Lake Huron.
Then they turned south and coasted
along the shores of the bay and lake.
coming after this long journey of canoe
ing to the Strait of ATackinaw, through
which they passed into the north part
of Lake Michigan and to Green BAY
The late autumn and winter were spent
in visiting many tribes in the neighbor-
hood of Green bay, probably including
a trip to the Oiibways of Lake Super
| Tor.
Very early in the spring of 1865
while the frozen streams forbade canoe
| ing, these two Frenchmen, with about
hundred and fifty Indians, went Oh
snowshoes across a distance of about
fifty leagues, as Radisson says, to Il
river, where they spent three weeks in
making boats. This journey, according
to my studies of the writings of Raids
son and Perrot, later fur trader, eX-
/
tended from the vicinity of Green BAY
III easten Wisconsin, across that state
| to the southeast corner of Minnesota OIL
somewhat farther south, perhaps com
ing by route not far from the canoe
route of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers
Thence they voyaged eight days up the
| which bni, boat,
made, to villages of two tribes, proba-
bly, in the vicinity of Winona, where
they obtained meal and corn. which
supplied this large company until they
came to the first landing isle
The description of Radisson indicates
that the voyageurs passed along Lake
Pepin and upward to the large Isle
Pelee Tor Bald island), now called
Prairie island which derived its names
both in French and English, from its
being mostly prairie. In the writings
of Nicolas Perrot, who came in 1853 to
the Mississippi, by way of the Wiscon-
SIN river, and who was engaged in trade
with the Indians, thence northward to
Lake Pepin during several years, until
1859 or later, we learn that large
number of Huron and Ottawa Indians
! fleeing from the Iroquis, had made a
temporary settlement on this island
and had begun the cultivation of corn.
Radisson says that their harvest the
preceding year, on newly worked land
was small; but much corn would be
needed for food during the long Jour
ney thence to Quebec with beaver skins.
which canoe voyage, requiring month
or more, Groseilliers and Radisson
wished to begin soon after their arrival
at the island. They were obliged to re-
main till the next year, and Groseilliers
| spent the summer on Prairie island and
i'll its vicinity, one of his chief objects
being to make sure of large crop of
corn, and that it should be stored and
saved for the long returning journey.
Meanwhile Radisson went with hunt
ing parties and travelled -four months
without doing anything but 90
from river to river" He was enamour-
ed OF the beauty and fertility of the
country, and was astonished at its
/