Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-03-19
INTERESTING COIN.
Some Ole History of Marathon Coun-
ty-Tke Ked Men of Other Days.

i Believing that anything which relates
to the early history of Marathon county
is of interest to our people-aS least to
i the studious element-we herewith pub
lish the story of a few incidents deal
ing with the red men of this county In
an early day. To some. Indian stories,
no matter of what nature, are always
interesting, but when they bear upon
happenings in ones own county they
are, or should be, doubly so. The
silent man of the forest has no written
history, and being of reticent nature
it is extremely hard for the whites to
get from him any of the legends handed
down from his forefathers. There are
still number of Indians located in the
southwestern portion OF this county
and many evidences of their former
life in that section are still visible.
The Pilot hopes to be able from time
to time to publish number ofinterest-
ing facts regarding the red man of
Marathon and we will be very pleased
to receive any contributions along this
line from any of the old settlers.
The story here given deals with the
old Saunders farm which comprised
the 81 SET Sec 81, the swt sw4 Sec. 80,
town 26, range 4, in what is known as
the town of Day, the farm being located
a short distance from the Little Eau
Pleine river. There was an old Indian
village on this farm. 1t will be neces-
sary first to state how and when the
Indians came there
According the congressional record
of the 57th congress, the government
invited the Chippewa, Fox, Sac, Me-
nominee, Iowa, Sioux, Winnebago and
portion of the Ottawa and Pot
tawatomie tribes of Indians to meet in
Prairie du Chem Aug. 10, 1926, for the
purpose of meeting its commissioners,
VIM. Clark and Lewis Cass, to establish
treaty and boundary claims. The
government later established a num-
| Der of reservations. TIE Menominees
were assigned l.nds iG .ilat is now
| Shawapo county and it was required
that each Indian should register before
entering the reservation. Part of the
band refused to fill this requirement
and moved into this county and built
village on what was afterwards the
Saunders farW; another band moved
near to where the village of Auburn.
dale is located. The country along the
Eau Pleine rivers was especially attrac-
tive to them because it afforded good
fishing, plenty of wild fowl and game
and forests of sugar trees. There were
upwards of 500 Indians located on this
farm summer and winter.
| In the silent, somnolent forests they
built round, bark houses, as the Hebrew
of old constructed the beautiful temple
$50 that there was neither hammers nor
AK nor any other tool of iron heard
while it was in building" A frame
work of poles and branches was made
and bound together and entirely
covered with large pieces of bark
firmly held in place by tough, pliable,
rope-like straps of Jgwood bark. Usu-
ally they had a low platform con-
structed around the walls of their huts,
which was used as lounging place by
day and as bed by night. In the
centre was an open space with dirt floor.
In winter and on stormy days they
cooked their meals in this open space,
the smoke vending its way upward
through an aperture left in the roof.
On cross pieces, suspended near the
roof, were hung various roots and herbs,
of which the Indian knew the medicinal
properties and which were compounded
into medicines in time of sickness. The
Menominee had one trait distinguishing
him from other tribes, in the fact that
he was generally pretty clean Indian.
AS rule, he washed his dishes after
meals and the ground in and around
the hut was generally swept clean and
things kept in order.
Here he lived the life of his forefathers,
employing his time in hunting and fish
ing, and occasionally giving battle to
other Indians who trespassed on his
lands, though he was generally peace
able.
One of the legends of this band, which
is related by remnant of the tribe, is
that the Indian came into possession of
the land in this locality over 5000 years
ago. This does not quite agree with
the deduction of those who claim the
Aztecs and Moundbnilders were on this
continent before the Indians, and not
so many years ago either. When the
Great Spirit summoned one of their
number to the Happy Hunting Grounds
they laid him away with tribal rites in
a shallow grave, which was covered
over with cordwood-like sticks. There
was large burying ground on the
Saunders farm just east of the house,
which was plowed over about fifteen
years ago. There are also number OF
other burying grounds in that section,
of which we may have more to say at
some future time.
Thirty odd years ago, Otto Saunders
purchased the land where this large
Indian camping ground was located,
and while the Indians had no legal title,
he paid them 5000 for their clearing, to
get rid of them. After receiving and
spending the money, part of them
still refused to move, and held out in
spite of threats and coaxing. Finally,
Saunders set fire to their wigwams, and
IL IL
leave and was dragged out of her burn
ing hut. From this place the village
moved to a point on the Little Eau
Pleine river, southeast of RozeIleville.
Tie bulk of them long ago left the
county. but the springs on the Saunders
farm which quenched their thirst are
still flowing and from their lands in
Kansas, the hills, rocks and stream-cut
valleys are forever beckoning them to