Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-01

/ abode of man, for here those strange
people known as Mound Builders,
have left evidence of their occupancy
in defensive entertainments, sacred
enclosures, sepulchral and sacrifcial
mounds, in pottery, textiles and other
craftsmanship, in tablets which have
challenged the world of science. He
was cunning artificer, this Mound
Builder, trader, an agriculturist, a
warrior, a member of a government
which could undertake public works
or great Importance. Withal this an
Gent dweller in our cities was most
interesting individual and nowhere on
this continent has he left more of his
works to judge him by than here.
The man who dispossessed the
Mound Builder and drove him to other
regions was probably the American
Indian and here again this communi-
ty is exceptional, for here was located
| village which was probably the
largest Indian settlement on this con-
tinent. 1t was begun about 1870, was
| located on the Rock river to the west
of the Rock Island and Peoria bridge
and lay in struggling stretch toward
the Mississippi river. Another vii
lage of smaller size was on the Rock
Island bank of the great river and
another on the location Of Davenport.
In these villages, Black Hawk, Keo
luk, Wapello, Poweshiek and Ma-que-
pra-um or Morgan were conspicuous
citizens.
Indian Occupancy.
This season of Indian occupancy Is
a most interesting one in the history
of the tri-cities and from It's allure
ment of stirring and romantic Incl
dent it is difficult to turn away. It
! ended with the last of the wars in
which the red men resisted the ad-
vance of the white people, or within
a few years after the end of the an
Inhalation of the Sac strength in the
Black Hawk war. Here the American
Indian made his last violent protest
against the coming of the race which,
swept him from his lands, his home
and the graves of his fathers. 1t was
on the Davenport side that Black
Hawk fingered, brooding over the loss
issippi, his Rubicon, throwing discre-
ton to the winds and knowing nothing
but resistance so long as there was a
brave to follow him upon the war
path.
After defeat came capitulation and
the sale of lands. Two of the treaties
were held within the limits of Day.
export. The one OF Sept 81, 1882,
was negotiated by General Winfield
Scott and Governor Reynolds. A tract
of land of 100000 acres known, as
the Black Hawk purchase, was trans
ferred by the Indians. In 1886 in the
other treaty negotiated by Governor
Henry Dodge of Wisconsin territory
the lands known as the Keokuk re-
serve were relinquished. The first
was held near the corner of Fifth and
Farnam streets, the second where
Prospect park now makes beautiful
that portion of East Davenport. There
were other treaties made at Fort
Armstrong upon the western end of
Rock Island and conferences innum.
cradle.
The First White Men.
The first white men who saw the
beautiful location of the tri-cities
were Marquette and Joliet and there
is much to commend the theory held
by various historians that Davenport
is the site of the Iliini town Peou-
area, where the Frenchmen first made
landing after reaching the great river.
The arguments are too extended to
rehearse. Their visit to this locality
was in 1878. From that time to the
purchase of Louisiana in 1903 the only
white men who came to this locality
were Frenchmen bent on the salvation
of the aborigines or their exploitation
as hunters and trappers.
When the empire of the west, the
Louisiana purchase, by which Napol-
con hoped to strengthen Americas
hands against the British, had been
taken over, Zebulon Pike and party
left st. Louis on voyage of explora-
ton to the upper Mississippi. Pike
was a lieutenant in the regular army
and to him were delegated many du-
ties, the pacification of the Indians,
the selecting of location for possible
fortifcation, the espionage of the
British traders and their machina-
tions and many other things. He
camped in the tri-cities, going and
returning, took a greenhorn's chance
on running the rapids under a full
sail and stiff breeze and won out. In
his autobiography Black Hawk tells
of Pixies visit to his village on Rock
river, of Pixies f1inging to the breeze
the first flag raised in the Mississippi
valley. Of the efforts of this military
diplomat to bring into allegiance this
British band who fought the United
States consistently and with courage
through three wars. Black Hawk
gives naive recital of this incident:
He then requested as to lower the
British colors which were waving in
the air, and to give him our British
medals. promising to send US others
on his return to ST. Louis. This we
declined to do, as we wished to have
two fathers"