The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-09-03
TALK ON Old Time LORE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEN,
BEERS AT ST. CLAIR
Visit Paid to the Winnebago
Agency; Paper BY e. r.
Hughes

hugneS
Members of the Blue Earth County
Historical society spent a very pleas
ant afternoon last Saturday at the
home Of Clay Boswell, near the oid
Winnebago Indian agency near 81.
Clair. Twelve auto loads OF pleasure
seekers from this city took part IN
q picnic held there IN the evening. A
number Of stories Of the early days
were recounted, and 9 number OF N
Conner of ST. Clair bid the visitors
welcome to the grounds, and spoke
OF the early days there about. Judge
Lorin Cray OF this city gave a short
talk on the W1nnebago Indians and
their customs. william Hall Of st.
Cloud, Florida, a former resident OF
this county. gave q number Of re-
miniscences Of Indian days. Mrs =. w.
Foster of this city spoke Of Angel
Decorta, a daughter OF the old Indian
named. A very intspesting paper was
read by Attorney Raymond Hughes
OF this city on the chiefs Decoria.
after whom Decoria, La, the Decoria
plains Of Wisconsin and Decoria
township in this county were named.
Next Saturday the historians will
go to Garden City, whore they will
listen to q paper on the early history
Of the milling industry in Blue Earth
county read BY George NJ. Palmer OF
this city,
Address on Chiefs DEBORAH.
q. Raymond Hughes, son OF Tho
mas Hughes, read the following his
terical address on Chiefs DEBORAH"
Among the prominent chiefs of the
Wfnnebago tribe, while located here
In Blue Earth county. was Waucon
DEBORAH, also called One Eyed De-
Corah, from having accidentally lost
an eye. 1t seems there were two
other chiefs Of the same family liv-
Corah' and Tall DEBORAH He and
Chief Good Thunder were the only
Winnebagoes who are commemor-
ated In the nomenclature of this
county, the township Of Decoria being
named In his honor
Charles H Sparks in ibis History
Of Winneshiek County, Iowa., Of
which DEBORAH is the County seat.
Has ss 30 sss q . the v Sd chs ao
Of our inland cities are named,
(Waucon and DEBORAH, Iowa) was an
other principal chief BY the Whites
he was more Familiarity called One
Eyed DEBORAH He, too, was a natural
orator, and in his speeches would
frequently boast that he had white
blood in his veins. There were three
brothers Of the DeCorahs, all men Of
distinction in their nation This chief
the Black Hawk War In 1882. At
that time, the Winnebagoes were To-
Gated In Trempealeau county, Wis
consin, on the Black River, where q
high hill with cave In It is called
Decorah Peak In memory OF the old
chief ana Q large fertile valley In the
same locality is named DEBORAH
Plains after HIN. After his defeat,
y . great battle between him and
10 said to have hid ii the cave until
dusk and then to have ran a dis
lance Of ninety miles. swimming the
swollen rivers, to the fort at Prairie
DuChien to procure aid with which
he finally won the day. In the Indian
massacre Of 1862, he proved a firm
friend OF the whites and his influence
had much to do in restraining his
tribe from joining the hostile Sioux.
The DeCorahs were descended
rom good ancestry. Sabrevoir De
Carrie was an officer of the French
army In 1899. and Hopockaw, the
daughter Of q principal Winnebago
Chief, whom he married in 1929. is
spoken Of by Carver, as ~The Queen
OF the Winnebagoes.' Their SON Chon
keha. born about 1870, was known to
the Whites as Spoon DeKaury.' After
being made chief, he led the Winnie
bagoes against the Chippewa during.
the war between these tribes. but he
maintained friendly relations with the
Whites. It was principally through
his influence, that the treaty of June
3, 1916, at st. Louis was brought
about. He died at Portage, Wis. that
same year, leaving six sons and five
daughters. Konoka DeKaury, his ell
dest son and successor, was born in
l147. He is often called old De
kaury. His band usually camped on
lne present site OF Portage, Wis. Mrs
noble, Identified and venerable of his
own or indeed Of any other tribe. He
was always courteous in manner. and
neatly dressed. He signed the treaty
OF Prairie DuChien August 10. 1929
on behalf of the Winnebagoes. and
died on the Wisconsin River. April
20. 1885. Other members of the fam
lily were noted. From Chonkeha's
daughters, who married whftemen,
are descended several well known
families OF Wisconsin and Mime
A subsequent Chief Of the family
probably the father Of Waucon De
Corah) died In DEBORAH, Iowa, when
the Wfnnebagoes lived there.
1t seems that Waucon DEBORAH
was still living In 1877, chief great
ly respected by his tribe, an old man,
considerably bent over with one eve
put out, and his hair very gray He
was probably Of the fourth or fifth
generation frnr, ho &c.,
DeCarrie. 1t Is said he was consid-
erably over hundred years old at
the time Of his death" i