Box 3, Folder 3: Typewritten Letters 1840-1844

537 [502] 1843.

Maybe the next halt at Vaughn's, seventeen miles from town where there is a very copious spring of pure water. Such springs are common here. From this place the settlements began to be more scarce and the distance between houses to increase rapidly. All exhibit indubitable evidence of recent construction, indeed one year ago scarcely any improvement could have been found beyond this point.

At two dined at Case's Half Way House, being just thirty two miles from Milwaukee and the same distance from Fond du Lac, agreeably to the road survey made last summer. About eight miles back I passed that belt of hilly and very broken country that passes from "Death's Door," at the outlet of Green Bay across the territory and into Illinois. All roads from Lake Michigan west necessarily pass this belt of uneven country.

Mr. Case only got here last October, he emigrated from Sauk Washington in the eastern part of Washington county, his present location is in Dodge county. It is surprising to see how much improvement has been made in this short space of time. His Entry is in section 2, Town 10 Range 17.

Fourteen miles further brought us to Rock river (where I arrived before the sun had made his exit for the day) at the point entered by Mr. Juneau S.W. 1/4 Sec. 10 Town 12, Range 16. With one or two slight exceptions the country passed over today is covered with forest trees of the same kind that constitute the woods at Milwaukee. A very small prairie is crossed at Case's but hardly large enough to be worthy of notice.

Several places showed where deer had trampled down the snow and dug holes in it to procure acorns in a manner similar to swine, indeed had it been a more thickly settled part of the country

538 [503] 1843.

the hogs would have had the entire credit of making these holes.

As we approached the river, the signs of Indians became more and more frequent and finally I met two squaws. Several abandoned wigwams had been seen during the day consisting of poles bent over and united at the top so as to form, when covered, a hemisphere and towards evening several sugar houses in a state of neglect and decay were seen. These are made of split logs and are of much larger dimensions and have more the appearance of a house than the wigwam. Several scaffolds were seen, made of crotched sticks supporting poles laid horizontally against one or more trees. These are said to be for various purposes, but especially for a hiding place when an Indian lies in wait for the approach of deer that are thus unconsciously brought within reach of his un-erring aim. Dead bodies of their distinguished men are sometimes placed in similar situations.

There is a very common practice here of marking trees, the guide boards consist of marks with red chalk on the smoothed surface of a tree and if a person makes a claim on a tract of land his name usually appears at some conspicuous [conspicuous] place on a tree. This afternoon I passed a place where there was an index or hand pointing down towards a deep hollow and was marked "To H--1"! Probably put there by some person who met with some difficulty in the place and took this method of expressing his ill humor. I felt a satisfaction in knowing that "the straight and narrow road" which I was pursuing did not lead in that direction! This trivial circumstance is well calculated to lead to important reflections. How few of the ways that lead in real life to that place are so well pointed out to the unwary traveler! Many have been led astray and have

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traveled down this broad road for want of a simple "guide board" to show him which road to travel, and fortunate is he whose own judgment will always enable him to decide which is the narrow and which the broad road.

About one hundred Indians constituting one of the twelve bands of the tribe called "Menomonees or 'Wild Rice Eaters'" are now living near this place, subsisting upon venison and fish and preparing to make maple sugar in the spring. During the evening several of these Indians came to Mr. Darling's house where I was stopping in the famous village of Fond du Lac, which consists of two houses, one a blacksmith shop! Among these Indians was the chief of the band whose name is Saugun or "He who scares every body" a tall good looking man except when he smiles and shows his fine row of pure white teeth in a most ludicrous manner.

During our last war with Great Britain this man took an active part against the United States at Mackinac and Chicago. At the latter place he assisted in the horrible massacre of the garrison. He relates, as I am informed by Mr. Narcisse Juneau, that the whites would not have been arrested in their march but for the interference of a "Half Breed." Historians inform us that the for was surrendered with all the public property on condition that the whites should be allowed to go home unmolested that the powder was, contrary to this agreement, thrown into the well and the whiskey thrown away by the soldiers before they left, fearing to trust these things in the hands of the savages, and that as soon as the Indians discovered this want of faith they followed the retiring garrison and killed every one of them! But Mr. Juneau says the Commandant at the Fort had, before leaving, given each Indian a short as a present and

540 [501] 1843.

that the half-breed above mentioned, told them that the small pox was in every shirt and that they were given to the Indians for their destruction. Immediately the war cry was raised and the pursuit commenced. The Commandant was the last to share the fate of his companions. Mounted on a horse with his daughter behind him, he ran from the horrible scene and for some unknown reason, he directed his course back towards the fort. His motive for this was immediately supposed, by the Indiana to be to kill all the squaws, who were left unprotected at the fort, before the men could return, and thus revenge the loss of his own life and that of his companions. His daughter was first shot and fell from behind him, next his horse and finally he was shot by some secret fee. Such was the revengeful feeling entertained towards him in consequence of the false statements of the half-breed, that his heart was taken out and eaten by these savage demons of the forest! This half-breed still lives to brood over his crimes. Many interesting facts might probably be gathered from this aged man relative to the war and the state of the country at the time.

[the following paragraph has five diagonal lines through it]

I saw Indian paintings on the trees which indicated some fact relative to their movements, a turtle shows that they move slowly, and a horse at full speed drawn with much taste and truth shows that they moved fast, a wolf shows who it was. They were on the banks of a small stream. I met two Indians on horseback.

[end of five diagonal line section]

At Juneau's the Indians were under the effect of a barrel of liquor dealt out gratis by a man from Green Lake last Sunday,--the effects could be seen and heart.

[this section is crossed out]: Small Indian boys go barefooted all winter!

Mr. Juneau showed me the horns of two bucks so interlocked that the strongest men have been unable to separate them. They

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were purchased of an Indian who saw them while yet alive and fastened together in this manner. He shot the smaller of the two, the other immediately threw him over his head and could not extricate himself, and was also killed by the Indian. I was shown also a war club with a wolf carved upon it by an Indian. It was more the shape of a lizard than a wolf, Querie, -are not many of the lizard mounds intended for wolves rather than lizards?

Upon asking Mr. Juneau the name of a certain Indian, he declined giving it in his presence as it is not considered polite and decorous to do so, indeed it is usually taken as an insult! This man had a pouch made of the skin of a skunk. Beaver was found in his part of the country until about fifteen years ago. Badger skins are used, and the flesh eaten.

Mr. Juneau resides near the spot where Burnet was murdered in 1836 [1833] by an Indian, while in company with Capt. James Clyman, he was searching for a "water power." Just as he was blowing up the fire to cook their evening meal the fatal aim was taken. Clyman was shot in the arm but succeeded by great exertion in making his escape and arrived at Milwaukee. The murder was committed to revenge the death of a brother-in-law of the Indian, who was shot by a soldier at Fort Winnebago. The body of Burnet was placed in a marsh and covered with sod, a long pole stuck into the ground indicated the spot.

After leaving Darling's I rode three and a half miles across the prairie where I saw Indian Mounds. Found a ridge running parallel to Lake Winnebago to Tacheeda, where there is a store and five or six neatly painted frame houses. Lake Winnebago is covered with ice, I could not see the north coast. I came very