The Irish standard., 1915-09-01
Continued From Page 179.)

for the east, as was related before.
The principal object of Father Hen
nepin, as he states himself, was to
preach the faith to the savage In
dams and convert them to Christianity
and civilization. While with the 1ssati
near Mile Lacs he baptized an in
FAINT, whom he thought in danger of
death; he gave to the child the name
of Antoinette in honor of the great
saint of his order, Saint Anthony Of
Padua.
Only few years after the departure
of Hennepin and Duluth for the east
several French traders visited various
parts of what is now Minnesota, chief
of whom were Nicolas Perrot and
Pierre Charles lie Sueur. Nicolas
Perrot, an explorer of great renoWn,
made many journeys to the west, to
the regions around the Great Lakes
and the Mississippi, in the interests OF
the French government IN Canada and
of the French trade with the Indians.
He established several forts or posts
along the Mississippi; one of these,
called the Fort Perrot, was erected
about the year 1886 on the western
side of the Mississippi, not far from
the outlet of Lake Pepin and near
where is now the city of Wabasha,
MINI. On May 8, 1889, he was at the
Fort St. Antoine, located on the north
eastern shore of Lake Pepin, and there
in the presence of number OF his
countrymen issued a proclamation, by
which he submitted to the jurlsdic-
ton of the king of France all the
country lying to the northwest along
the course of the upper Mississippi
river, i. e., large section of the pres
ent state of Minnesota. A copy OF
this proclamation was sent to the Mar
quis de Denonville, then governor of
Canada, and from there it was for
warded to the government of France.
Pierre Charles lie Sueur was con-
temporary of Perrot, and often in the
latter's company during the expedi-
tions to the west. In 1859 he was with
Perrot at the Fort St. Antoine, and
signed his name to the proclamation
spoken of before. Either shortly be-
fore this or shortly afterwards he
made canoe journey along the upper
Mississippi, and reached point about
hundred leagues above the Falls of
St. Anthony, which was probably in
the neighborhood of Sandy lake. He
explored also extensively the course
of the Minnesota river, at least as far
as the site of the present city of Man
kato; said river was formerly called
the St. Peter river, most likely from
lie Sueur's first name. In 1896 he es-
tablished a trading post or fort on
Prairie island in the Mississippi
river, where Groseilliers and Radisson
had been forty years before. An
other fort, known as the Fort pHuil-
lier, was erected by him in 100 on
the banks of the Blue Earth river,
about three miles from its junction
with the Minnesota. lie Sueur re-
mained there for some time, and in
the spring of the following year, 1901,
he mined in that neighborhood large
quantity of what he thought was cop
per ore and shipped it to France.
There was also missionary among
the Sioux at that time, the Reverend
Father Joseph Jean Marest, of the
Society of Jesus, who accompanied the
explorers and sought to bring about
the conversion of the natives to Chris
tianity. In 1859 he was with Perrot
at the Fort ST.. Antoine, and, like lie
Sueur, signed his name to the above
proclamation. Mention of his pres
ence among the Sioux occurs again in
1902.
With the growth of the French
possessions in the west it became
necessary to establish more perma-
nent posts in these regions.
One of these posts was erected
in 1727 on the western shore of
Lake Pepin, on or near the site
where is now located Villa Maria, the
convent and academy conducted by
the Ursuline Sisters, not far from the
present town of Frontenac, MINI. The
post was called Fort Beauharnois, in
honor of the Marquis Charles de