Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-08-18
N|COLET'S DARING
TRIP TO GREEN BAY
DR.. INMATES DETAILS THE
ROMANTIC STORY AT HIS
ToRIcAL MEETING.
ROYAL JEALOUSY, RELIGION, FUR
TRADING, ALL FIGURE IN
THE TALE.

bration of the 275th anniversary OF
the discovery of Wisconsin by Jean
Nicolet was an address last evening
by DR.. Reube~ Q, Thwaites, superin-
tendent of site Historical society.
VINO pictured wildly the romance OF
the French discovery of Wisconsin.
DR.. Thwaites said that Wisconsin Is
particularly fortunate in that its his
tory begins with one OF the most PIC
turesque if not dramatic events IN
American history. 1t was picturesque
in its conception, in its movement,
and in its scene, he declared.
France, then foremost among Euro
uean nations in enterprise and en-
lightenment, had planted in the
wilds of lower Canada the seeds OF
New France Various motives haG
contributed to the establishment OF
New France; the king, jealous OF the
attempts of England to COLOMBO the
new world, was moved by a passion
for territorial conquest. The church
of Rome, then dominant In france,
was eager at any hazard of martyr
dom. to convert the heather savages
of America. 1t was time when furs
were eagerly sought as wearing APP
parel by the rich and luxurious
classes of Europe Merchant explor-
ers were everywhere seeking them,
and found in America an abundant
harvest of peltries. 1t was a time,
too, when the area of the known
world was being rapidly enlarged by
the .plorations of Europeans, and in
every civilized land popular mag
nation was readily kindled by tray-
ellers' tales. Seized by the lust of
noble adventure, hundreds of young
Frenehmen hailed with enthusiasm
the founding of New France and were
not slow to cast their lot in the new
dominion over seas.
Champlain had founded Quebec as
the capital of New France in 1908,
and had himself explored the wilder
ness as far west as the shores of Lake
Huron. He heard that strange-6p-
pearing tribe of men inhabited the
land around the upper great lakes,
and that they had come from a salt
sea to the westward. He jumped at
the conclusion that the salt sea must
be the Pacific, and the men probably
Cinnamon, for in Champlain's day
Europeans supposed that America
was only peninsula jutting out from
Asia, and that it was about third
the width of what we in our day know
it to be. In 1854, therefore, Cham
plain dispatched to the upper lakes
one of his trained explorers. Jean
Nicolet, man of great daring and en-
terprise, who had spent many years In
Indian camps east of Lake Huron and
knew many of the native languages.
Nicolet set out from Quebec in
company with some Jesuit mission
aries whom he accompanied as far as
the Huron country Here he engaged
seven Huron Indians to paddle his
large canoe, and in due time found
the strange tribe on Red Banks, a
cliff of red clay rising sharply for
the water, on the east shore of Green
Bay, twelve miles north of the pres
ent city of Green Bay. Thinking to
engage their favor, in case they
proved to be Cinnamon, Nicolet had
attired himself in long. flowing gown
of China damask, decorated with
birds and flowers, and advanced up
the beach at the foot of the cliff firing
off the two pistols which he held In
his hands.
The strange tribesmen proved, how
ever, to be only naked Winnebago In
dams, an outcast branch of the Da
kota stock, most of whom lived then
as now, west of the Mississippi
river. The unusual speech, manners
and appearance of the Winnebagoes
had excited the wonder of the Menom
inee and others of their neighbors in
Wisconsin, hence the curious stories
about them that had reached the ears
of Champlain. Their name was de
rived from inc word Winnipeg. and
ethnologists think that once theil
trfoe, ages ago. may have dwell
around some salt marshes in thai
northern region; which would account
for the story that they came from q
salt sea.
But although they were only Whine
bago, attired IN breech clouts, they
made Nicolet welcome at the Red
Banks fort and he tarried for some
weeks among them. attending feasti
and dances given in his honor. anC
making with their chiefs treaty o
peace. In later years, Nicolet ownet
the great Antieosii island, In th'
Gulf of st. Lawrence. served as {
government interpreter among nan.
tribes of Indians, and lost his lif
while trying to save that of frien,
who was threatened with drowning
We count Nicolet the discoverer o
Wisconsin. said DR. Thwaites, becaus
we know of no other explorer havin
previously landed upon our shores
From the time of his arrival Their
has been continuous stream O
civilized men within the boundarie
Of this state. Radisson. Perrot. an
Allouez soon followed. Some thirt,
FIVE years after his coming, a Jesul
mission was established at De Pert
the French fort at Green Bay 500
followed. and said DIR. Thwaftes /
1rr..1,vzsr,Y, ssyI-fQcouefn bfSfr,.,- he