Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1935-10-02

press, then something Of novelty in Europe.
| Two of it's faculty, Matthias Ringman and Martin
| Waldseemuller, were busy with new edition of
Ptolemy's "Geographia." Before publishing it,
| however, they printed an essay called "Cosmo-
graphiae Introducto" or an Introductory geog-
raphy," to which they added Vespucci's letter.
| In this essay, published in May 1907, Waldsee-
muller wrote "And the fourth part of the world
| having been discovered by Americus it may be
called Amerige, that is, the land of Americus or
America"
Colombo, Cabato (or Cabota), Vespucci-they
were the leading Italian immigrants in the
first era of New World exploration. Another was
to join the little band of immortals when the
French began penetrating the interior of the
northern continent. He was Henri de Tonti born
about 1850, the son of Lorenzo Tonti, banker
of Naples, who, because of the political disturb
ances in that city, had taken refuge in France.
When the younger Tonti reached the age of
eighteen, he entered the military service of
France as cadet and continued thus for, year.
Next he served for four years as a midshipman
at Marseilles and TOulOn, taking part in four
campaigns on ships of war and three in galeys
Then he became lieutenant of horse and cap
tain at Messina. During a battle at LibissO his
right hand was torn away by a grenade and he
was taken prisoner. Sent to MetasSe, he was
held prisoner for six months before being ex-
cnanS6u lot ILG governors son. Alter d WISH 10
France he returned to Sicily as a volunteer in
the galleys but when the troops were discharged,
Tonti, having no other occupation returned to
Paris. There he was introduced to Robert Cave
lier, Sieur De La Sale, who was dreaming of
vast empire to be called New France in North
America When La Sale sailed for America in
1878 Tonti accompanied him as his lieutenant
and from that time on until the death Of the
great French explorer and colonizer the Italians
IL. .sSI.Aa
stories in American history.
After the death of La Sale in 1857, Tonti con.
tinued in command at Fort st. Louis, which La
Sale had built on Starved Rock in Illinois, and
there he carried on profitable fur trade for sew
eral years. In 1902 he was ordered to join DIb-
ervile in Lower Louisiana and Iberville sent him
to Mobile to win the allegiance of 1.-THE Chiclasaw
Indians to the French. He died of the yellow
fever there in 1704. According to one historian
"Tonti may be called the Father of Louisiana.
being the first man after La Sale to urge the
of the lower Mississippi. 1t was
through him that English control of that part of
our country was postponed for over hundred
years, or until the purchase of Louisiana. France
under Providence, the guardianship of
Louisiana, not, as it proved for it's own benefit.
but rather as a trustee for the infant nation by
which it was one day to be inherited"
If Henri de Tonti was an important factor in
securing the Mississippi valley for this infant ma
tion then it owes an even greater debt of graft
tude to another italian immigrant who helped
keep that inland empire under the American flag
He was francesca Vigo,~ born December 3, 1747.
at Mondovi in the Italian Piedmont, the son of
Matteo and Maria Maddaena Vigo.
AS youth Vigo enlisted in the Spanish army
for service in the colonies as a muleteer. Sent
first to Havana, Cuba, his first appearance on
American soil was in New Orleans as a "fusilero"
IN the militia of the Spanish colony of Louisiana.
Next he became member of body of irregular |
troops and made his way up the Mississippi to
st. Louis, where he became the secret partner of
Don Fernando de Leyba, Spanish governor of
Upper Louisiana, in the fur trade.
When George Rogers Clark captured Kaskas-
lia from the British in 1778 Vigo, known now as
the Spanish merchant" was one of the wealth.
'st men in the whole Mississippi valley. He be-
'ame Clark's friend and when Clark needed a +
'py to find out the strength of the garrison at
Tincennes before he dared attack that post, Vigo
nade the dangerous journey for him and brought