JOURNEY FROM ST. LOUIS TO THE CANTONMENT OF LEAVENWORTH, OR TO THE
BORDERS OF THE SETTLEMENT, FROM THE 10TH TO THE 22ND OF APRIL
Departure from St. Louis--The Engages, or Voyageurs--St.
Charles--Gasconade River--Osage River--Jefferson City--Boonville
and Franklin--Arrow Rock--Chariton--Grand River--Battle of the
Missouri Indians--Fire Prairie--Dangerous place and situation of
the vessel--Fort Osage--The Osages--Liberty--Quicksands--Konzas
River--Boundary of the United States--The Konzas
Indians--Pilcher's Expeditions--Little Platte River--Dwelling of
the Joways--Diamond Island--Cantonment of Leavenworth.
On the 10th of April, at eleven o'clock, all our company having
collected, the Yellow Stone left St. Louis; Mr. Pierre Chouteau, and
several ladies of his family, accompanied us to St. Charles.[175] Some
guns were fired, as a signal, on our departure, on which numbers of
the inhabitants assembled on the shore, among them the Saukies and
some half-civilized Kikapoo Indians. Mr. Bodmer made some interesting
sketches of the former, of which the plate gives a specimen.[176]
There were about 100 persons on board the Yellow Stone, most of whom
were those called _engages_, or _voyageurs_, who are the lowest class
of servants of the Fur Company. Most of them are French Canadians, or
descendants of the French settlers on the Mississippi and Missouri.
The appearance of the river above St. Louis did not differ from that
already described. The red-bud (_Cercis Canadensis_) appeared as
underwood in the forests, covered with dark red blossoms before the
appearance of the leaves, which form red stripes along the shore, and
make a pleasing contrast with the young, bright green leaves of the
willows. At noon, Reaumur's thermometer on board was at +17-1/2 deg.
We had soon passed the 16-1/2 miles to the mouth of the Missouri,[177]
but before we entered it, we lay to, on the Illinois side, to take in
wood. The Yellow Stone entered [pg. 113] the Missouri, which, at its
mouth, is about the same breadth as the Mississippi at this place. In
the afternoon we reached, on the S. W. side, Belle Fontaine, a rather
decayed building belonging to the military station established, in
1803, against the Indians, but which was subsequently abandoned. The
current of the river runs here at the rate of five miles an hour; on
the left bank there is a chain of calcareous hills with the same
singular forms of towers, &c. as on the Mississippi. The bushes of
wild plums were covered with snow-white blossoms, and those of the
_Cercis Canadensis_, with their red flowers; and I could not help
remarking that, in this country, most of the trees and bushes have
their flowers before their leaves. On the beach the inhabitants had
fixed fishing rods, which they examined, from time to time, and we saw
them take up a large cat-fish. Towards evening the lofty plane trees,
with their white branches, were beautifully tinged with the setting
sun. We passed several islands, which showed us the usual formation of
these accumulations of sand, which arise rapidly, and are often as
rapidly destroyed. Against the stream they generally have a naked,
sandy point, with layers of thick, heavy timber; young willows grow
first, then poplars, and, lastly, hard timber. In many places in the
forests, and between the willows, we observed the high rushes
(_Equisetum hyemale_) which are said to be injurious to the horses,
unless salt is given them with it.
Next morning we reached St. Charles, on the N. E. shore, one of the
oldest French settlements on the Missouri, consisting of about 300
houses, where the massive church, with its low tower, has a very good
appearance. The environs of this scattered village are rather bare,
but there were many European fruit trees in blossom. Most of the
houses are built of wood, but a modern part of the place is of brick.
On an eminence rising behind it, stands an old stone tower, which
formerly served as a defence against the Indians. We lay to, opposite
St. Charles, where Messrs. Mc Kenzie and Dougherty joined us, and M.
Chouteau and his family took leave, and returned to St. Louis. After
stopping a few hours, we continued our voyage till a storm of wind
filled the air with sand, from the sand banks, and compelled us to
stop after twelve o'clock, above the whirlpool, called Remoux a
Baguette;[178] towards dark, however, we reached Isle au Bon Homme, in
the vicinity of which we passed the night. On the 12th of April, the
original forms of the calcareous rocks again appeared, with the red
cedar, as usual, growing upon them. The hills were covered with
forests, where many trees were putting forth leaves, especially the
very delicate green foliage of the sugar maple. A cavern at this place
is called the Tavern Rock (Taverne de Montardis), and on both sides of
the river were numerous snags, which often prove dangerous to vessels.
Near some habitations the European peach trees were in blossom; among
the strange forms of the rocks, I saw one flattened at the top like a
table, on a thin stem, and quite isolated. The country is here pretty
well peopled, and game is rather rare in the forests, at least we were
told that stags, bears, and wild turkeys were not often found there.
The people settle on the eminences, rather than below on the bank of
the river, where the air is [pg. 114] said to be less salubrious. The
inundations of the river form marshes on the low grounds, which, being
protected from the sun by the surrounding trees, produce fevers.
Flint, in his History and Geography of the Mississippi Valley,[179]
gives a very good account of the climate and diseases of this country.
We passed Isle and Riviere au Boeuf, as well as the village of
Pinkney;[180] observed very picturesque rocky scenes, climbing plants,
which twined round overthrown broken trunks of trees, and gloomy
ravines, which were now full of the bright green young leaves that
were everywhere sprouting forth. The Yellow Stone had several times
struck against submerged trunks of trees, but it was purposely built
very strong, for such dangerous voyages. This was its third voyage up
the Missouri. The Fur Company possess another steamer called the
Assiniboin which had left St. Louis to go up the Missouri before
us.[181] At night-fall we lay to on the right bank, where a cheerful
fire of large logs was soon made, round which our _engages_ assembled
and chatted incessantly in French. We spent part of the night with
Messrs. Mc Kenzie, Dougherty, and Sanford, under the canopy of the
starry heavens, while a couple of clarionets, on board the vessel,
played Scotch airs and the famous "Yankee-doodle."
On the morning of the 13th of April, the weather was serene and cool,
the thermometer, at eight in the morning, +5 deg. Reaum., and at noon,
+9 deg. We had lain to, for the night, near Otter Island,[182] and soon
saw before us the country about Gasconade River. There were extensive
sand banks on the left hand, picturesque hills, many pleasing
gradations of tint in the forests; an island, on the surface of which
we distinctly saw the layer of black mould, six feet thick, with sand
beneath it; further from the left bank a chain of hills, valleys, and
eminences, covered with high trees, which were just beginning to put
forth leaves, all illumined by the beams of the brightest morning sun.
Near the Gasconade, where we took in wood, many interesting plants were
in blossom. The Gasconade, which is an inconsiderable river, and rises
not far from the source of the Merrimack, in the State of Missouri,
expands behind a high, bold eminence, the summit of which is covered
with rocks and red cedars. The hills near it are frequently covered
with the white and the yellow pine, which supply St. Louis with boards
and timber for building. Its mouth, which is reckoned to be 100 miles
from that of the Missouri, is picturesquely situated in a lofty forest.
Near it, our hunters fired unsuccessfully at a flock of wild turkeys.
We soon passed the village of Portland; then the mouth of Little-Au-Vase
Creek, where we observed, in the woods, the young leaves of the
buck-eye trees (_Pavia_) which grew in great abundance.[183] A little
further on, the Osage River appears between wooded banks: it is a
small stream, in which, according to Warden, many soft-shelled
tortoises are found: we came then to Cote-Sans-Dessein, an old French
settlement of six or eight houses, celebrated for the brave defence
made by a few men against a numerous body of Indians. It must have
been formerly much more considerable, since Brackenridge calls it a
beautiful place.[184] The river has destroyed it, and it is now quite
insignificant. Opposite to it, on the left bank, further up the
country, there [pg. 115] are many originally French families, and
half-breeds, descendants of the Osage Indians, who formerly dwelt in
these parts. While Mr. Bennett, the master of our vessel, landed to
visit his family, who lived here, we botanized on the opposite
bank, where oaks of many kinds were in blossom, and where the
Monocotyledonous plant is found, which is called here Adam and Eve.
Its roots consist of two bulbs joined together, of which it is said
that, when thrown into the water, one swims and the other sinks. It is
held to be a good cure for wounds. The flower was just beginning to
appear.
From Cote-Sans-Dessein, you soon come to Jefferson City, on the south
bank of the Missouri, the capital, as it is called of the State of
Missouri, where the governor resides.[185] It is at present only a
village, with a couple of short streets, and some detached buildings
on the bank of the river. The governor's house is in front, on the top
of the bank, and is a plain brick building of moderate size. The
gentle eminences, on which the place was built about ten years ago,
are now traversed by fences, and the stumps of the felled trees are
everywhere seen.
The morning of the 14th of April was clear but cool; at 8 o'clock +8 deg.,
a thick mist rising from the river. On a wooded eminence, on the left
hand, at some distance from the bank, is a high, isolated rock, which
stands like a tower in the forest. Major Dougherty, once passing this
place with some Joway Indians, was told by them, that there was a
tradition among their ancestors, that this rock was formed of the dung
of a race of bisons, which lived in heaven, but they themselves no
longer believed this fable. The Manito rocks, two isolated blocks,
about fifty feet high, which have been mentioned by many travellers,
appear below, on the bank of the river. They are mentioned in the
account of Major Long's Expedition, which contains much information
respecting the Missouri, as far as Council Bluff, to which I refer. We
learn from that work, that almost all these calcareous rocks of the
Missouri contain organic remains, encrinites, &c. On the rocks, which
are divided by ravines into broad rounded shapes, like towers, the
Virginia red cedar grows, and falcons build their nests. We see here
on the rocky walls red spots, strokes and figures, remaining from the
times when the Indians dwelt here: two towering overhanging rocks, in
which there are several caves, put me in mind of the ruins of the
castle of Heidelburg. Just before dinner we reached Rockport, a
village founded two years ago, on the Manito River, six miles up which
river Columbia is situated.[186] Near this place there are again many
red figures on the rocky walls, among others that of a man with
uplifted arms; not thirty years have elapsed since this whole country
was in the possession of the Indians. After passing Manito and Bonne
Femme Creek, we stopped at the village of Boonville on the left bank,
opposite which is Old Franklin.[187] As this place was threatened by
the river, and is besides in an unhealthy situation, the people
founded New Franklin, rather further inland, now a thriving village,
near which salt springs have been discovered. We afterwards passed the
mouth of La Mine River, which is about equal to the Lahn, and lay to
for the night at Arrow Rock (Pierre a fleche), a chain in which
[pg. 116] flint is found, of which the Indians formerly made the heads
of their arrows. In a ravine, before Arrow Rock Hill, there is a new
village, which was called New Philadelphia, though the inhabitants did
not approve of this name.[188]
On the following morning (April 15th), proceeding on our voyage, we
passed little Arrow Rock, and found a very fertile and rather populous
country. Near the mouth of Chariton River, there are several islands,
covered with willows, poplar, and hard timber. The river here makes a
considerable bend; the numerous sand banks did not permit us to
proceed in a direct line, but compelled us to take the narrow channel,
at the outer edge of the bend, and to take soundings continually,
being in great danger of striking against the snags. Some parts of the
banks were rent in a remarkable manner by the rapid stream, when the
water was high. In many places, large masses, fifteen or eighteen feet
in height, had sunk down, with poplars thirty or forty feet high, as
well as entire fields of maize, and piles of timber, which form
together a wild scene of devastation, to which the broken poplars not
a little contributed.
The drift wood on the sand bank, consisting of the trunks of large
timber trees, forms a scene characteristic of the North American
rivers; at least I saw nothing like it in Brazil, where most of the
rivers rise in the primeval mountains, or flow through more solid
ground. On the banks which we now passed, the drifted trunks of trees
were in many places already covered with sand; a border of willows and
poplars was before the forest, and it is among these willow bushes
that the Indians usually lie in ambush, when they intend to attack
those who tow their vessels up the river by long ropes. At five
o'clock in the afternoon we reached the mouth of Grand River, which
was then very shallow, almost as broad as the Wabash. The Yellow Stone
nearly run aground at the mouth of this river, and stirred up the sand
so as to discolour the water. The Joway Indians dwelt on the Grand
River till 1827, when they removed to Little Platte River.[189] They
continue, however, like the Saukies and Foxes, to hunt in the prairies
at its source, where buffaloes, elks, and stags, are said to be still
pretty numerous. The first of these Indians called the Grand River,
Nischna-Honja; and the Missouri, Nischna-Dja:--Ni, in their language,
means water, and Nischna, the river.[190]
We lay to, for the night, beyond Waconda Creek.[191] Our hunters
dispersed into the neighbouring woods and plantations, but they only
shot some parrots. On the 16th, in the morning, we had, on the left
bank, undulating hills, thinly covered with trees, and on the bank
were strata of limestone. Here is the mouth of the stream, the Bonnet
de Boeuf, which, doubtless, has its name from the caps, with ox
horns, which the Indians, who formerly dwelt here, wore in their
dances. Some highly dangerous submerged snags left only a very narrow
channel open for our vessel. At ten [pg. 117] o'clock we came to some
excessively dangerous parts, where our vessel frequently struck, and
we were obliged to stop the engine, and to push by poles. The vessel
stuck fast in the sand, and it was necessary to fasten it to the trees
on the bank till it could be got afloat again. At this point the great
forests begin to be interrupted by open places, or prairies, and we
were at the part called Fox Prairie, where the Saukie and Fox Indians,
and, perhaps, some other nations,[192] formerly attacked, and nearly
extirpated the tribe of the Missouris. The remainder of the people
saved themselves among the Otos, on the southwest banks, where their
descendants still live, mingled with the natives. The Missouris came
down the river in many canoes, and their enemies had concealed
themselves in the willow thickets. After the Missouris, who suspected
no evil, had been killed or wounded with arrows, the victors leaped
into the water, and finished their bloody work with clubs and knives:
very few of the Missouris escaped.[193]
To-day we saw, for the first time, from the deck of our vessel, the
prairies of the Lower Missouri covered with luxuriant young grass, but
the air was misty, and bounded our prospect. In the afternoon we took
in fuel at Webb's warehouse; the river was here again covered with
wood, which so greatly impeded our progress, that we were obliged to
lay to for the night, seven miles above Webb's warehouse. In the
morning of the 17th we saw only an uninterrupted forest; in the course
of the day we again encountered much danger from the quantity of
snags, which, in some places, scarcely left a channel of ten feet in
breadth; but our pilot steered, with great dexterity, between all
these dangers, where many a smaller vessel had been wrecked. During
this hazardous navigation, we were all on deck, anxiously expecting
the result, but everything went off well. We afterwards sounded,
sought another channel, but proceeded very slowly, so that we only
passed Fire Prairie,[194] and lay to for the night, five miles below
Fort Osage.
Our engine was broken, so that we could not proceed till the next
morning (18th April). On that morning I had the misfortune to break my
last Reaumur's thermometer, so that, henceforth, all the observations
of the temperature are according to Fahrenheit's scale. Some of my
people, attracted by the cries of the wild turkeys, were tempted to
land, but returned without having met with any success. I happened to
have taken no piece with me, which I much regretted, for a wild
turkey-cock came out of a bush about ten paces from me, and stood
still, looking at me, while his splendid feathers shone in the sun.
Vegetation was rather backward. A large flock of sandhill cranes,
taking their course to the north-east, filled the air with their
cries; their note is very similar to that of the European crane. After
the people had returned on board, at the repeated summons of the bell,
we proceeded on our voyage, but were soon obliged to take soundings,
and to saw off some dangerous snags; we then landed twenty men on a
sand bank, to tow the [pg. 118] steamer, but their efforts broke the
rope, and they all tumbled one upon another, to the great amusement
of those on board. By way of precaution, our vessel was fastened to a
large tree, which proved our safety, for the rudder was soon
afterwards deranged, and rendered unserviceable. It was repaired about
two o'clock, but we soon run aground on a sand bank, where we were
obliged to remain all night, in a rather unsafe situation, for the
current, on the bank, was very strong, and we could not fasten the
vessel to anything, so that we might easily have been carried down the
stream; the river, however, continued to subside. On the morning of
the 19th a flat boat was procured, to lighten our vessel, by landing a
part of the cargo, which was piled up in the wood, on the bank, and
covered with cloths. Mr. Bodmer made a faithful sketch of this
scene.[195]
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the crew had got the steamer off the
sand bank into deeper water, on the right, a little below the mouth of
Fishing Creek.[196] Here our anchors, boats, &c., were taken on board,
and three men left to take care of the landed goods, which consisted
of the presents for the Indians in Major Dougherty's agency. The flat
boat was sent back to its owner, on Fishing Creek, under the care of
thirty men, who had to wade in the water to keep it afloat. After
taking in fuel, for which the wood of the red mulberry and the ash is
preferred, we proceeded slowly, and reached, at dusk, the hill, on the
right bank, where Fort Osage, built, in 1808, by Governor Lewis,
formerly stood. The ridge on which it was situated is free from wood,
and cultivated, and the last posts and beams were taken away by the
people in the neighbourhood. This part of the country was the chief
abode of the Osages. Only ten years ago they were still at
Cote-Sans-Dessein. They are peaceably disposed towards the Americans;
and the Fur Company have trading posts in their territory. The whole
tract, from the Osage River, through which we have passed, was
formerly theirs, but they sold a part of it to the United States, and
they are now entirely forced back into the prairies, on the river
Arkansas.[197]
We lay to, for the night, a short distance below Fort Osage. On the
20th, in the morning, Blue Water River was hid from us, by a long
island, on the steep banks of which large snags, covered with sand and
earth, projecting very far, formed a threatening point.[198] We had
scarcely passed it, when we run aground on a sand bank. The engine was
immediately backed; but the current carried the vessel so close to the
above point, that it tore away our side gallery with a great crash.
The carpenter soon repaired it, and our progress was now more
favourable. At noon we had 68-1/2 deg. Fahrenheit. At this time a
thunder-storm arose, accompanied with hail and rain. The rain
continued to fall in torrents till we reached the landing-place of the
village of Liberty, which is at some distance from the river.[199]
Some buildings and detached houses were situated on the bank, in front
of the wooded mountains, where the vigorous vegetation, refreshed by
the rain, was very brilliant. The tall, slender, forest trees, grow
among picturesque rocks; the beautiful flowers of the red bud tree,
bright green moss, and a thick carpet of verdure, chiefly consisting
[pg. 119] of the leaves of the May-apple (_Podophyllum_), everywhere
covered the mountains. The papaw trees were just opening their buds.
This is about the northern limit for the growth of this tree. Some
keel-boats were lying here, belonging to the Fur Company of Messrs.
Ashley and Soublette, which was just established as a rival to the
American Fur Company.[200] In the pay of these gentlemen, there were,
in the boats, about ten Germans, who had engaged in this service, for
which they were not well qualified, and were, besides, wholly
inexperienced in the mode of trading with the Indians. We next reached
the mouth of the Blue Water River, the clear blue waters of which
formed a great contrast to those of the Missouri.[201] We were here
joined by a couple of canoes, with some Canadian _engages_ from the
Upper Missouri, who brought to Mr. Mc Kenzie news from Fort Union, at
the mouth of the Yellow Stone River. Their half Indian costume, which
is usually worn, was new to us. One of them, named Defond, a tall,
slender, brown man, was a half-breed Indian, and one of the best and
most experienced pilots of the Missouri. Mr. Mc Kenzie had sent for
him to steer our vessel up the river, and he fully justified his
reputation. He was likewise a sportsman, and brought us several
turkeys which had been lately shot. Before evening we became
acquainted with the quicksands of the Missouri. These are sand banks
which are so soft that one immediately sinks in them. We saw an ox,
which went deeper at every motion, while nobody could afford it any
assistance.
On the next morning (21st April), we reached the mouth of the river
Konza, or Konzas, called by the French, Riviere des Cans, which is not
quite so broad as the Wabash, and was now very shallow. Its clear
green water was distinguished by a well-defined, undulating line, from
the muddy stream of the Missouri. The steam-boat has navigated the
Konzas about seven miles upward, to a trading-post of the American Fur
Company, which is now under the direction of a brother of Mr. P.
Chouteau.[202] It is said that this country formerly abounded in
beavers, but their numbers are much diminished. At the point of land
between the Konzas and the Missouri, is the boundary which separates
the United States from the territory of the free Indians. It runs
directly from south to north, comes from the territory of the Osages,
passes the Osage River, and goes northward from the Missouri, parallel
to the Little Platte River, to Weeping Water River, which falls into
the Missouri, whence it runs eastward to the Des-Moines and the
Mississippi. About 500 or 600 paces from the mouth of the Konzas, the
banks of the river consist of high yellow clay walls, in the forest;
and near it live the remnants of several Indian tribes, which were
driven or dislodged from the States to the east of the Mississippi, to
whom land was assigned in these parts. Among them were the Delawares,
Shawnees, Miamis, &c., &c.
Proceeding 90 or 100 miles up the river, you come to the villages of
the Konzas (Cans, of the French), the best accounts of whom are given
by Mr. Say in the narrative of Mr. Long's travels.[203] These people
formerly lived nearer to the Missouri, but have gradually retired from
it. Their language is entirely the same as that of the Osages, and the
language of these two people [pg. 120] is only a dialect, originally not
different from that of the Omahas and Puncas, being distinguished only
by the pronunciation, and not by its roots. At present the Konzas
inhabit the tract on both sides of the river of the same name, and its
tributaries, and they make excursions into the prairies of the
Arkansas.
We were now in the free Indian territory, and felt much more
interested in looking at the forests, because we might expect to meet
with some of their savage inhabitants. We examined the country with a
telescope, and had the satisfaction of seeing the first Indian, on a
sand bank, wrapped in his blanket; but our attention was soon called
to the obstacles on the river: we avoided one dangerous place, where
the Missouri was so full of trunks of trees that we were forced to put
back; but at noon, when the thermometer was at 75 deg., we got among
drift wood, which broke some of the paddles of our wheels, so that it
was necessary to stop the engine. Forty-two of our men, most of whom had
been out with their fowling-pieces, came on board. Among them was Dr.
Fellowes, a young physician, going to the cantonment at Leavenworth.
The underwood of the forest consisted chiefly of _Laurus benzoin_ and
_Cercis Canadensis_; the ground was covered with _Equisetum hyemale_,
from one and a half to two feet high. Limestone everywhere stood out;
large blocks of it were on the bank. The Little Platte River here
falls into the Missouri. On the northern bank, seven miles up that
river, are the villages of the Joway Indians, who speak the same
language as the Ottowas.[204] They inhabit and hunt the country about
the Little Platte, Nadaway, Nishnebottoneh Rivers, together with a
band of the Saukies, who have settled in this neighbourhood. A couple
of Shawnee Indians stood on the high bank, and made us friendly signs.
We halted, for the night, near Diamond Island; our people cut down
some trees, and kindled a large fire, which illumined the tall
forests.
The next morning, 22nd of April, was warm and cheerful, the
thermometer being at 64-1/2 deg. Fahrenheit, at half-past seven o'clock.
About six, we passed several islands, separated by narrow channels,
where our pilot steered so close to the left bank that the hens which
we had on board flew to the land.[205] We soon came to a place where
most of the trees were cut down, and we were not a little surprised at
the sight of a sentinel. It was the landing-place of the cantonment
Leavenworth, a military post, where four companies of the sixth
regiment of infantry of the line, about 120 men, under Major Ryley,
were stationed to protect the Indian boundary.[206] There were also
100 rangers, who are mounted and armed militia, who are well
acquainted with Indian warfare.
We were stopped at this place, and our vessel searched for brandy, the
importation of which, into the Indian territory, is prohibited;[207]
they would scarcely permit us to take a small portion to preserve our
specimens of natural history. Major Dougherty rejoined us here, and
brought with him several Kickapoo Indians who had come from St. Louis
to receive land in these parts.[208] The [pg. 121] Kikapoos, and
Delawares, and some other Indians, are settled at no great distance
from this place; the officers of the garrison were on board the whole
day, and our hunters rambled about the surrounding country. We saw, in
the neighbourhood, the beautiful yellow-headed _Icterus
xanthocephalus_. The black oak and other trees were in blossom, and
many interesting plants. Near the bank, where the vessel lay, the beds
of limestone were full of shells, of which we kept some specimens.
Between these limestone strata there were, alternately, thin layers of
dark bluish clay slate, which was not yet very hard.
FOOTNOTES:
[175] Other travellers of our series made their way up the
Missouri--Bradbury (volume v), and Brackenridge (volume vi), in 1811,
in a barge; Long's party (our volumes xiv-xvii) in 1819, 1820 in a
steamboat; Townsend (our volume xxi), in 1834, partly by land and
partly by river. Such places as they mention will not here be
specifically noticed, a general reference to these earlier volumes
being considered sufficient.--ED.
[176] See Plate 10, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv. The
Kickapoo are briefly noticed in Croghan's _Journals_, in our volume i,
p. 139, note 111. They removed to the west of the Mississippi after
the treaty at Edwardsville, Illinois, in 1819.--ED.
[177] Schoolcraft justly observes that the course of the Missouri is
much more considerable than that of the Mississippi, and that it would
have been more proper to leave the name Missouri to the river, and not
call it the Mississippi.--MAXIMILIAN.
[178] Still called Ramrod Eddy, about five miles above St. Charles.
See Missouri River Commissioners' map, made by United States engineers
in 1878-79, and published 1883-84.--ED.
[179] See our volume xviii, p. 25, note 1.--ED.
[180] The stream is now called Buffalo Creek, in Warren County, with
the town of Dundee at its mouth.
Pinckney was a small village, the seat of Montgomery County (1818-24),
but now in Warren County, where a township still retains the name, the
site of the town having long since been washed away.--ED.
[181] The success of the steamboat "Yellowstone," in the fur-trade
business, was so great that the company ordered a somewhat larger
craft, which was built at Cincinnati in the winter of 1832-33, and
christened the "Assiniboine." This was its initial voyage. The next
year it ventured too far above the Yellowstone River, was caught by
low water and obliged to winter near Poplar River. The "Assiniboine"
was lost by fire near Bismarck, North Dakota, June 1, 1835, having on
board a large cargo of furs, the year's supply, as well as all of
Maximilian's collection. See preface, _ante_ p. 17.--ED.
[182] Otter is more commonly known as Loutre Island; see Bradbury's
_Travels_, our volume v, p. 47, note 18.--ED.
[183] Au Vase (now Auxvasse) Creek took its name from the miring of a
party under charge of Lilburn W. Boggs. It is in Callaway County; and
Portland, a hamlet on the north side of the stream, was laid off
therein in 1831.--ED.
[184] The defense of this place is detailed in our volume xiv, pp.
139, 140. For Brackenridge, see our volume vi.--ED.
[185] In 1820 a commission was chosen to select a site for the state
capital, somewhere near the centre of the state. The place selected
was in Cole County, but it did not actually become the capital until
about 1826. On Long's map it is marked as "Missouriopolis."--ED.
[186] These two places are noticed in our volume xxi, p. 133, note 8
(Townsend.)--ED.
[187] For Boonville see our volume xxi, p. 89, note 59 (Wyeth). For
Franklin, volume xix, p. 188, note 33 (Gregg).--ED.
[188] Probably the settlement now known as Arrow Rock, in Saline
County.--ED.
[189] The treaty of cession was signed in 1824, whereby the Iowa
Indians relinquished all lands in Missouri, agreeing not to hunt
therein after January 1, 1826. See _Indian Treaties_ (Washington,
1837), p. 316.--ED.
[190] None of the Indian languages of these parts, of which Major
Dougherty spoke thirteen or fourteen, have any general plural; thus,
for instance, they never say, in general, _horses_, but always mention
a number, as expressive of many horses; nor is there any real
article.--MAXIMILIAN.
[191] Wakenda Creek, the largest stream in Carroll County, is named
from an Indian term meaning "divinity" or "worshipped."--ED.
[192] Some accounts say that the Osages were the assailants, but I
believe the above statement to be correct, because it was given me by
Major Dougherty.--MAXIMILIAN.
[193] This defeat of the Missouri, once the most powerful tribe on the
lower reaches of the river, occurred toward the close of the
eighteenth century. Small-pox completed the destruction of the tribe.
See Bradbury's _Travels_, in our volume v, p. 56, note 26.--ED.
[194] Fire Prairie is on the south bank of the Missouri, in the
present Lafayette County, a creek of the same name entering the river
at this point. It is said to take its name from the death there of
several Indians in a prairie fire.--ED.
[195] See Plate 37, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[196] Fishing Creek (or River) rises in Clinton County and flows south
and southeast into the Missouri through Clay and Ray counties.--ED.
[197] An historical notice of old Fort Osage is given in Bradbury's
_Travels_, our volume v, p. 60, note 31. The Osage Indians, _ibid_, p.
50, note 22. The cession by which the Osage were forced back was made
at St. Louis in June, 1825, under General William Clark's
superintendency.--ED.
[198] Now known as Little Blue Creek, rising on the southern borders
of Jackson County and flowing nearly north into the Missouri.--_Ed._
[199] Liberty, the county seat of Clay, was settled in 1822, but up to
1826 had only about a dozen houses; it was incorporated in 1829.
During the Mormon troubles of the fourth decade of the nineteenth
century, Liberty rose into prominence. The town is set back about six
miles from the river, on the high, salubrious uplands. Liberty
Landing, on the river, was in the days of the Santa Fe trade of some
commercial importance.--ED.
[200] Maximilian's remarks are misleading in regard to the operations
of these traders. Ashley began his fur-trading ventures in 1822; four
years later he sold out to Smith, Jackson, and Sublette; they in turn
relinquished their business to younger traders in 1830. So the Rocky
Mountain Fur Company had for about eleven years been an efficient
rival to the American.
For a brief sketch of Sublette see our volume xix, p. 221, note 55
(Gregg).
General William Henry Ashley was born in Virginia in 1778. Soon after
the beginning of the nineteenth century he went to Missouri, settling
first at Ste. Genevieve, later in St. Louis, and embarking in various
mercantile enterprises. In 1816-17 he surveyed in the state, and the
knowledge thus obtained permitted him to make heavy investments for
some English capitalists, which laid the foundation of his fortune. In
1820 he was elected lieutenant-governor, and during his term (1820-24)
began his fur-trading exploits, from which he derived profit and fame.
His title came as leader of the state militia, in whose development he
was much interested. In 1831 he was appointed to a vacant seat in
Congress, being re-elected thereto two successive terms. He died at
St. Louis in 1838.--ED.
[201] The Big Blue rises in Johnson County, Kansas, and flows
northeast and north through Jackson County, Missouri, until it joins
the Missouri six miles below Kansas City.--ED.
[202] This trading post was on the south side of the Kansas, opposite
Muncie, in what is now Wyandotte County, built about 1828. It was for
many years in charge of Cyprian Chouteau (1802-79), half brother of
Pierre, jr. Fremont set out thence on his journey (1842).--ED.
[203] See our volume xiv, pp. 183-198.--ED.
[204] These villages of the Iowa, on the Little Platte, appear to have
been temporary. Probably the tribe had fled in this direction after
the troubles of the Black Hawk War (1832). In 1836 they ceded this
strip--which was added to Missouri as the "Platte Purchase"--and
removed to Kansas. The author cannot intend that the language of the
Iowa resembled that of the Ottawa; the former is of Dakota stock, the
latter of Algonquian. The Sauk and Foxes, at this time intimately
commingled with the Iowa, spoke Algonquian.--ED.
[205] For these islands, see our volume xiv, p. 174, note 141.--ED.
[206] Fort Leavenworth was founded to supersede two smaller
posts--Forts Osage and Atkinson--the latter near Council Bluffs. The
site was chosen because of the increasing interest in the Santa Fe
trade, and because of the removal of large tribes of Indians west of
the Missouri border. On March 7, 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth was
ordered to proceed from Jefferson Barracks and choose the site for an
establishment on the left bank of the Missouri, within twenty miles of
the mouth of Little Platte. He selected instead Rattlesnake Hills on
the right bank, a site later approved by the government. Fort
Leavenworth has been an important military post throughout the history
of the West. It was called Leavenworth Cantonment until the name was
officially changed to "Fort," about 1832.
For Major Bennett Riley see our volume xix, p. 185, note 25
(Gregg).--ED.
[207] This law was passed in the first session of the twenty-second
congress, and was merely a portion of an act to create an Indian
commissioner. It caused but little debate, and apparently was fathered
by General Ashley and others cognizant of conditions in the fur-trade.
For the consternation it created among the traders consult Chittenden,
_Fur-Trade_, index.--ED.
[208] According to the treaty held at St. Louis in 1832, with the
Kickapoo chiefs, a deputation was to visit the new territory in Kansas
and agree to the lands chosen. This was accordingly done in November,
and this would appear to be among the arrivals early in the spring of
1833 to take possession of the new reservation.--ED.