The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-11-06
SHOWS EARLY INDIAN WARFARE
New History Gives Many Interesting
Facts in Regard to the Early Indian
Wars in Wisconsin and Takes up
Many Phases of Early Life Here.

The University of Chicago Press has
just published a book on the early his
tory of Chicago and the Northwest
which upsets many traditional notions
and gives by far the dearest picture
of the first development of the region
that has yet been constructed This is
(" Chicago and the Old Northwest,
1673-1835," by Milo M. Quaife, profess
sor of history in Lewis Institute.
Wisconsin readers will find much
that will be of special interest to them.
For example, the author has made a
new study of the terrible wars between.
the Fox Indians of Wisconsin and the
French in the first half of the eigh-
teenth century. He represents the
Foxes as not inferior, in martial quail
ties, to the better known tribes of the
Iroquois confederacy, and shows that
the fifty years struggle they waged
with the French was, through it's drain
upon the resources Of New France, a.
potent factor in the downfall of the
French in their final decisive struggle
with the English (the French and In
dian War;. Quite appropriately, there
fore, this great contest, which was to
wrap the world in flames and cost a
million lives, was inaugurated by the
descent of Charles de Langlade, the
young Wisconsin half-breed, sometimes
called the "Fdther of Wisconsin, y
with a band Of dusky followers, upon
Pickawillany, in Ohio, the center Of
English interest and influence in the
Ohio Valley.
The book describes the part played
by Wisconsin in the revolutionary war,
tracing in detail the intricate series OF
campaigns waged between the Ameri
cans and Spanish in Southern Illinois
and st. Louis on the one hand, and the
British at Detroit and Mackinac on
the other. In these campaigns, as al
ways in the frontier period, the Fox
Wisconsin waterway was one of the
most important highways between the
Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.
Probably it will surprise most Wiscon-
sin people to learn that force of one
thousand men, British and Indians,
gathered at Prairie du Chen, in 1850,
and descended the Mississippi River to
attack St. Louis. Sacs and Foxes,
Sioux and other tribes were represents
ed in the motley band, and the plan
was, after taking St. Louis and the IL
linois towns, to descend the Mississippi
to the gulf, sweeping the Spanish out
of all the Mississippi Valley.
Others matters Of local interest Gin
wisconsin, are the account Of Fort
Winnebago; a spirited narrative of the
Winnebago War; Of 1927, whose
principal seat was in Wisconsin, but
which terrorized the mining settle
ments of Southern Illinois and the in
FAINT settlement at Chicago; the story
of the Black Hawk War, which began
in Illinois and ended in Wisconsin with
the destruction of Black Hawks band
at the battle of Bad Axe 1t is inter
esting to note that the flight of the
hard-pressed followers of Black Hawk
led them through the beautiful Four
lakes country and the site of the future
capitol of the state. On the very
ground over which the troops of Dodge
and Henry pressed in hot pursuit of
the fleeing quarry, stands today one of
the world IS greatest universities. Yet
there are still living men and women
who remember clearly the events of
that far-a away war-like time.
In general it may be said that large
part of the book applies as directly to
Wisconsin as to Chicago itself. In the
French period, and indeed until much
later time, the history of the North
west knew nothing Of state boundaries;
the contest between savagery and
civilization was common to the whole
Northwest. This is well illustrated by
the author IS chapter on the Indian
trade, and the government trading
house system. Although writing with
especial reference to the Chicago Fac
tory, the author gives a comprehensive
account of the Indian trade in general.
No one familiar with Wisconsin history
need be told of Professor Turner'S bril-
liant essay on this subject, which was
first printed as one of the annual ad-
dresses before the Wisconsin State
Historical Society many years ago.
Professor Quaifes work in an effort to
present concrete picture of the evolu-
ton of the frontier from savagery to
civilization in the Northwest, and he
accords adequate recognition to the i'm
portant part played by Wisconsin in
working out this important process.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Crmaney of