The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-05-16

The NadOuessiOux, or Sioux, ma
ton dates back beyond any history
we have of it. These Indians were
first spoken of by the early Jesuit
fathers in 1910. They are mentioned
then as a tribe who came from the
shores of the sea, but whether they
came from the east or up the Missis-
sippi river remains a mystery. They
then consisted of seven tribes of
council fires, who from some cause
afterward separated, and we're then
known as Assiniboines and Crees in
the east and north, and in the west as
Dakotahs, which distinguished those
living in the timber from those on the
plains. The Iowas, Cheyennes and
Winnebagos all seem to have sprung
from the same race as the Sioux, and
they believe they we're created where
they were first discovered, in the re-
gion about Kathio or the thousand
lakes. The Ojibways, or Chippewas,
as we know them, were known to oc-
cupy a strip of country along the
shores of Lake Superior as early as
1860, but seemed to be in continual
war with the Sioux and were at times
compelled to live on the adjacent
islands. The origin of the Chippewa
tribe was on the Atlantic. and they
have been traced from the mouth of
the St. Lawrence. Their migratory
trail can be traced accurately to the
west, although it occu pied a long per-
iod of time. They seem to have kept
north of all the lakes, keeping in the
heavily timbered country until they
reached where the 500 canal connects
the great lakes of Michigan, Huron
and Superior. Here they remained
for a great many years and spread
out over northern Michigan, Wiscon-
sin and along the shores of Superior.
The first authentic account of the
present band of Chippewas on what is
now Minnesota soil dates back to
1884, when Father Duluth claimed
they had made an alliance with the
Assiniboines in a war against the
Sioux, who at that time occupied the
whole country from the st. Croix to
the west. The Assiniboines occupied
the Lake of the Woods country, and
the headquarters of all the Sioux was
then at Kathio, or what was known at
that time as M'de-Wakan Esprit
Water), although the Oldest maps give
it as Lake Beuda.
The first Intelligent history of the
existence of Mile Laos lake dates
from 1859, when Pierre Esprit Raids
son and his brother-in-law, Medard
Chouart, were made prisoners and
taken to KathiO, which was situated
at the outlet of the lake that formed
Rum river. These two we're members
of large party sent by the Hudson
Bay Fur company to establish trad
ing posts. They followed along the
shores of Superior until they reached
the Apostle Islands, then the majority
Of them split up into parties of two
and were sent out in different direc-
tions into an entirely unknown >coun-
try TO trade with the Indians and To-
cate trading posts. Radisson and
Chouart crossed the divide between
Superior and the St. Croix river and,
as near as can be ascertained from
the meager records, they must have
established themselves for winter near
where the Snake river empties into the
St. Croix. The loads of fine furs
brought in by the Indians from the
west aroused their curiosity and by in
quiry and signs they learned there
was large body of water about three
days journey west and a large SETTLE
ment of Indians. This prompted them
to make the journey in the spring to
discover where all the fur came from.
They must have followed the Snake
river up to where the old portage trail
crosses to Diminishing bay, near Ma
lone's, where Isle is now situated.
The old trail is about four miles
across. Somewhere near there a
party of Indians who had never seen a
white man took them prisoners and
marched them to Kathio. It seems
the Indians used them we'll and
viewed with superstitious awe
Medard Chouart, who assumed the
title of Sieur des Groseilliers and
seemed to have had light faxen hair,
something they had never seen before.
The Indians felt of and examined it
closely to see if it was real or colored.
According to Radisson's account,
they were questioned closely by signs
to find out who they were and where
they came from, their numbers and so
forth. They were furnished with
tepees and each given squaw. They
were both armed with old-fashioned
>Hiptlook r,,pe conooth;no +ho T,a: