Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-10-04
MOSINEE.
Named After Big Injun Who Roamed
This Region.

/ 1t is quite probable that few people
living in the peaceful village of Mosi-
nee know the origin of the towns
name. Certainly few of the younger
generation do. The village is very
old, and Jos. Dessert, now living in
Milwaukee, and Steve Poquette, still
living in the village, are perhaps the
only ones familiar with the very
earliest scenes. Just when the first
log shanty was built there, the PILOT
is not ina position to say, but it wasin
the late 30'S or early 40's. All teams
passing up and down the river had to
go through there, it being sort of
resting point, and village sprung
up. 1t was first known as Fall City,
and later was changed to Mosinee. 1t
was customary in an earlier day to
give towns, rivers, ETC., Indian names,
and so when the early settlers got
tired of Fall City and cast around for
another name, they settled upon one
which has preserved the memory of
an Indian who once roamed this val
ley-Mosinee. Mosinee was familiar
figure to the early whites who settled
in this territory. He was giant in
stature, quick to quarrel, and was ter
ror to both whites and Indians when he
was full of liquor, which was fire.
/ quently the case. Mosinee, in his
time, killed several of his own tribes
men, and made several attempts on
the lives of whites. Still there was
some honor in him, and it can be said
that he never made murderous at
tack without giving his intended vic
tim a chance to defend his life.
He often visited the settlements
for the purpose of begging. One of
these expeditions took him to what is
now the city of Grand Rapids, and New
Years day, 1847, he spent among the
villagers of that burg. In some way
or another he acquired load Of squir-
rel whiskey and then, as his white
brother usually does under similar
influence, started out to look for
trouble. A boy of the name j. L.
Cotey, still a resident of Wood county,
had a few weeks previously arrived in
the village. He was but fifteen years
of age. Mosinee met this boy, and,
grasping him by the coat sleeve, pro
ceed to kiss him. After kissing him
three times the Indian held up three
fingers and said ''Three-ten cents"
meaning that he demanded ten cents
each for the three kisses. Young
Cotey did not take kindly to the
osculatory act, inasmuch as the
Indian was suffering from a severe
cold in the head, and had no handker-
chief, and by a quick jerk he freed
himself from Mosinee, but left the
latter in possession of coat sleeve.
While Mosinee stopped to pick up
his blanket, which had fallen off his
shoulders, young Cotey made his es-
cape, running to nearby store.
Frank Gardepee also under the in
fiuence of New Years celebration, on
learning what had occurred, picked
up raftsman's grub stake, with the
intention of going out and killing
Mosinee, but friends took the grub
stake away from him. Next night
Mosinee was found lying by the road
side, half frozen, his head and face
covered with ugly wounds, his nose
broken and presenting sickening ap-
pearance. He went to his tepee and
for three weeks was not seen. When
he next appeared in Grand Rapids he
wanted to see Gardepee, but the lat
ter had gone into logging camp.
Mosinee said, "Me kill EN- by and by"
The Frenchman was informed of the
) Indians threat and kept out of his
way, but one day in the spring, while
running lumber down the river, he
ran right into the big Indian. The
latter had a gun on his shoulder, and
the Frenchman was unarmed. There
was no backing up. Gardepee barred
his breast to the Indian and invited
to him shoot MoSinee made remark,
which sifted down into plain English
was that he would not shoot anyone
who could not defend himself, and
thus the incident closed.
it is said that he held half breeds
in contempt. Many of the early
French married squaws, and their
offspring to him was like red shirt
is to bull. He called them "burnt
sticks"
1t is said that he did not know the
meaning of the word fear, and several
incidents of his bravery have been
related.
1t is claimed that in hunting game
he followed the same policy he die
while hunting men-he never took
advantage of beard or beast. Ii ht
saw deer and the deer did not set
him, he would make noise to scare
it and give it chance for its life, be
fore shooting. 1.-THE coward shoots
with shut eyes was q precept ht
never followed.
Mosinee and his followers made
many excursions up the river, passing
in the spring through Wausau to th'
maple forests north of here, for tht
purpose of making sugar. AT times
his tribe would pitch their tepee'
near this city along the river, anC
most every raftsman on the rive
knew him.
He has been dead these many years
but his name has been preserved b!
the whites in the naming of the little
village TO our south.
Walter BrookinS, Barney Oldnelt
. and & q Pier are the most talked o