Having recruited my health during the last winter, in recreation and
amusements on the Coast of Florida, like a _bird of passage_ I started,
at the rallying notes of the swan and the wild goose, for the cool and
freshness of the North, but the gifted passengers soon left me behind.
I found them here, their nests built—their eggs hatched—their offspring
fledged and figuring in the world, before I arrived.
The majestic river from the Balize to the Fall of St. Anthony, I have
just passed over; with a high-wrought mind filled with amazement
and wonder, like other travellers who occasionally leave the stale
and profitless routine of the “Fashionable Tour,” to gaze with
admiration upon the wild and native grandeur and majesty of this
great Western world. The Upper Mississippi, like the Upper Missouri,
must be approached to be appreciated; for all that can be seen on the
Mississippi below St. Louis, or for several hundred miles above it,
gives no hint or clue to the magnificence of the scenes which are
continually opening to the view of the traveller, and riveting him to
the deck of the steamer, through sunshine, lightning or rain, from the
mouth of the Ouisconsin to the Fall of St. Anthony.
The traveller in ascending the river, will see but little of
picturesque beauty in the landscape, until he reaches Rock Island; and
from that point he will find it growing gradually more interesting,
until he reaches Prairie du Chien; and from that place until he arrives
at Lake Pepin, every reach and turn in the river presents to his eye
a more immense and magnificent scene of grandeur and beauty. From day
to day, the eye is riveted in listless, tireless admiration, upon the
thousand bluffs which tower in majesty above the river on either side,
and alternate as the river bends, into countless fascinating forms.
The whole face of the country is covered with a luxuriant growth of
grass, whether there is timber or not; and the magnificent bluffs,
studding the sides of the river, and rising in the forms of immense
cones, domes and ramparts, give peculiar pleasure, from the deep and
soft green in which they are clad up their broad sides, and to their
extreme tops, with a carpet of grass, with spots and clusters of timber
of a deeper green; and apparently in many places, arranged in orchards
and pleasure-grounds by the hands of art.
The scenes that are passed between Prairie du Chien and St. Peters,
including Lake Pepin, between whose magnificently turretted shores one
passes for twenty-two miles, will amply reward the tourist for the
time and expense of a visit to them. And to him or her of too little
relish for Nature’s rude works, to profit as they pass, there will be
found a redeeming pleasure at the mouth of St. Peters and the Fall of
St. Anthony. This scene has often been described, and I leave it for
the world to come and gaze upon for themselves; recommending to them at
the same time, to denominate the next “Fashionable Tour,” a trip to St.
Louis; thence by steamer to Rock Island, Galena, Dubuque, Prairie du
Chien, Lake Pepin, St. Peters, Fall of St. Anthony, back to Prairie du
Chien, from thence to Fort Winnebago, Green Bay, Mackinaw, Sault de St.
Mary, Detroit, Buffalo, Niagara, and home. This Tour would comprehend
but a small part of the great “Far West;” but it will furnish to the
traveller a fair sample, and being a part of it which is now made
so easily accessible to the world, and the only part of it to which
_ladies_ can have access, I would recommend to all who have time and
inclination to devote to the enjoyment of so splendid a Tour, to wait
not, but make it while the subject is new, and capable of producing the
greatest degree of pleasure. To the world at large, this trip is one of
surpassing interest—to the artist it has a double relish, and to _me_,
still further inducements; inasmuch as, many of the tribes of Indians
which I have met with, furnish manners and customs which have awakened
my enthusiasm, and afforded me interesting materials for my Gallery.
To give to the reader a better idea of the character of the scenes
which I have above described, along the stately shores of the Upper
Mississippi, I have here inserted a river view taken about one hundred
miles below this place (+plate+ 228); and another of “Dubuque’s Grave”
(+plate+ 229) about equi-distant between this and St. Louis; and both
fairly setting forth the predominant character of the shores of the
Upper Mississippi, which are every where covered, as far as the eye can
behold, with a green turf, and occasional forest trees, as seen in the
drawings.
_Dubuque’s Grave_ is a place of great notoriety on this river, in
consequence of its having been the residence and mining place of the
first lead mining pioneer of these regions, by the name of Dubuque, who
held his title under a grant from the Mexican Government (I think), and
settled by the side of this huge bluff, on the pinnacle of which he
erected the tomb to receive his own body, and placed over it a cross
with his own inscription on it. After his death, his body was placed
within the tomb, at his request, lying in state (and uncovered except
with his winding-sheet), upon a large flat stone, where it was exposed
to the view, as his bones now are, to the gaze, of every traveller who
takes the pains to ascend this beautiful, grassy and lilly-covered
mound to the top, and peep through the gratings of two little windows,
which have admitted the eyes, but stopped the sacrilegious _hands_ of
thousands who have taken a walk to it.
At the foot of this bluff, there is now an extensive smelting furnace,
where vast quantities of lead are melted from the ores which are dug
out of the hills in all directions about it.
[Illustration: 228]
[Illustration: 229]
[Illustration: 230]
[Illustration: 231]
The _Fall of St. Anthony_ (+plate+ 230), which is 900 miles above St.
Louis, is the natural curiosity of this country, and nine miles above
the mouth of St. Peters, from whence I am at this time writing. At this
place, on the point of land between the Mississippi and the St. Peters
rivers, the United States’ Government have erected a strong Fort, which
has taken the name of Fort Snelling, from the name of a distinguished
and most excellent officer of that name, who superintended the building
of it. The site of this Fort is one of the most judicious that could
have been selected in the country, both for health and defence; and
being on an elevation of 100 feet or more above the water, has an
exceedingly bold and picturesque effect, as seen in +plate+ 231.
This Fort is generally occupied by a regiment of men placed here to
keep the peace amongst the Sioux and Chippeways, who occupy the country
about it, and also for the purpose of protecting the citizens on the
frontier.
The Fall of St. Anthony is about nine miles above this Fort, and the
junction of the two rivers; and, although a picturesque and spirited
scene, is but a pigmy in size to Niagara, and other cataracts in our
country—the actual perpendicular fall being but eighteen feet, though
of half a mile or so in extent, which is the width of the river; with
brisk and leaping rapids above and below, giving life and spirit to the
scene.
The Sioux who live in the vicinity of the Falls, and occupy all the
country about here, West of the Mississippi, are a part of the great
tribe on the Upper Missouri; and the same in most of their customs,
yet very dissimilar in personal appearance, from the changes which
civilized examples have wrought upon them. I mentioned in a former
Letter, that the country of the Sioux, extended from the base of the
Rocky Mountains to the banks of the Mississippi; and for the whole of
that way, it is more or less settled by this immense tribe, bounding
the East side of their country by the Mississippi River.
The Sioux in these parts, who are out of reach of the beavers and
buffaloes, are poor and very meanly clad, compared to those on the
Missouri, where they are in the midst of those and other wild animals,
whose skins supply them with picturesque and comfortable dresses. The
same deterioration also is seen in the morals and constitutions of
these, as amongst all other Indians, who live along the frontiers, in
the vicinity of our settlements, where whiskey is sold to them, and the
small-pox and other diseases are introduced to shorten their lives.
The principal bands of the Sioux that visit this place, and who live in
the vicinity of it, are those known as the Black Dog’s band—Red Wing’s
band, and Wa-be-sha’s band; each band known in common parlance, by the
name of its chief, as I have mentioned. The Black Dog’s band reside but
a few miles above Fort Snelling, on the banks of the St. Peters, and
number some five or six hundred. The Red Wing’s band are at the head of
Lake Pepin, sixty miles below this place on the West side of the river.
And Wa-be-sha’s band and village are some sixty or more miles below
Lake Pepin on the West side of the river, on a beautiful prairie, known
(and ever will be) by the name of “Wa-be-sha’s prairie.” Each of these
bands, and several others that live in this section of country, exhibit
considerable industry in their agricultural pursuits, raising very
handsome corn-fields, laying up their food, thus procured, for their
subsistence during the long and tedious winters.
The greater part of the inhabitants of these bands are assembled here
at this time, affording us, who are visitors here, a fine and wild
scene of dances, amusements, &c. They seem to take great pleasure in
“showing off” in these scenes, to the amusement of the many fashionable
visitors, both ladies and gentlemen, who are in the habit of reaching
this post, as steamers are arriving at this place every week in the
summer from St. Louis.
Many of the customs of these people create great surprise in the minds
of the travellers of the East, who here have the first satisfactory
opportunity of seeing them; and none, I observe, has created more
surprise, and pleasure also, particularly amongst the ladies, than
the mode of carrying their infants, slung on their backs, in their
beautifully ornamented cradles.
The custom of carrying the child thus is not peculiar to this tribe,
but belongs alike to all, as far as I have yet visited them; and also
as far as I have been able to learn from travellers, who have been
amongst tribes that I have not yet seen. The child in its earliest
infancy, has its back lashed to a straight board, being fastened to
it by bandages, which pass around it in front, and on the back of the
board they are tightened to the necessary degree by lacing strings,
which hold it in a straight and healthy position, with its feet resting
on a broad hoop, which passes around the foot of the cradle, and the
child’s position (as it rides about on its mother’s back, supported
by a broad strap that passes across her forehead), that of standing
erect, which, no doubt, has a tendency to produce straight limbs, sound
lungs, and long life. In +plate+ 232, letter _a_, is a correct drawing
of a Sioux cradle, which is in my Collection, and was purchased from a
Sioux woman’s back, as she was carrying her infant in it, as is seen in
letter _d_ of the same plate.
In this instance, as is often the case, the bandages that pass around
the cradle, holding the child in, are all the way covered with a
beautiful embroidery of porcupine quills, with ingenious figures of
horses, men, &c. A broad hoop of elastic wood passes around in front of
the child’s face, to protect it in case of a fall, from the front of
which is suspended a little toy of exquisite embroidery, for the child
to handle and amuse itself with. To this and other little trinkets
hanging in front of it, there are attached many little tinselled and
tinkling things, of the brightest colours, to amuse both the eyes and
the ears of the child. Whilst travelling on horseback, the arms of
the child are fastened under the bandages, so as not to be endangered
if the cradle falls; and when at rest, they are generally taken out,
allowing the infant to reach and amuse itself with the little toys
and trinkets that are placed before it, and within its reach. This
seems like a cruel mode, but I am inclined to believe that it is a
very good one for the people who use it, and well adapted to the
circumstances under which they live; in support of which opinion, I
offer the universality of the custom, which has been practiced for
centuries amongst all the tribes of North America, as a legitimate and
very strong reason. It is not true that amongst all the tribes the
cradle will be found so much ornamented as in the present instance; but
the model is essentially the same, as well as the mode of carrying it.
[Illustration: 232]
Along the frontiers, where the Indians have been ridiculed for the
custom, as they are for everything that is not _civil_ about them, they
have in many instances departed from it; but even there, they will
generally be seen lugging their child about in this way, when they have
abandoned almost every other native custom, and are too poor to cover
it with more than rags and strings, which fasten it to its cradle.
The infant is carried in this manner until it is five, six or seven
months old, after which it is carried on the back, in the manner
represented in two of the figures of the same plate, and held within
the folds of the robe of blanket.
The modes of carrying the infant when riding, are also here shewn, and
the manner in which the women ride, which, amongst all the tribes, is
_astride_, in the same manner as that practiced by the men.
Letter _b_ in the same plate is a _mourning cradle_, and opens to the
view of the reader another very curious and interesting custom. If the
infant dies during the time that is allotted to it to be carried in
this cradle, it is buried, and the disconsolate mother fills the cradle
with black quills and feathers, in the parts which the child’s body had
occupied, and in this way carries it around with her wherever she goes
for a year or more, with as much care as if her infant were alive and
in it; and she often lays or stands it leaning against the side of the
wigwam, where she is all day engaged in her needle-work, and chatting
and talking to it as familiarly and affectionately as if it were her
loved infant, instead of its shell, that she was talking to. So lasting
and so strong is the affection of these women for the lost child, that
it matters not how heavy or cruel their load, or how rugged the route
they have to pass over, they will faithfully carry this, and carefully
from day to day, and even more strictly perform their duties to it,
than if the child were alive and in it.
In the little toy that I have mentioned, and which is suspended before
the child’s face, is carefully and superstitiously preserved the
_umbilicus_, which is always secured at the time of its birth, and
being rolled up into a little wad of the size of a pea, and dried,
it is enclosed in the centre of this little bag, and placed before
the child’s face, as its protector and its security for “_good luck_”
and long life. Letter _c_, same plate, exhibits a number of forms
and different tastes of several of these little toys, which I have
purchased from the women, which they were very willing to sell for
a trifling present; but in every instance, they cut them open, and
removed from within a bunch of cotton or moss, the little sacred
_medicine_, which, to part with, would be to “endanger the health of
the child”—a thing that no consideration would have induced them in any
instance to have done.
My brush has been busily employed at this place, as in others; and
amongst the dignitaries that I have painted, is, first and foremost,
_Wa-nah-de-tunck-a_ (the big eagle), commonly called the “Black
Dog” (+plate+ 234). This is a very noted man, and chief of the
_O-hah-kas-ka-toh-y-an-te_ (long avenue) band.
By the side of him _Toh-to-wah-kon-da-pee_ (the blue medicine—+plate+
233), a noted medicine-man, of the Ting-tah-to-a band; with his
medicine or mystery drum, made of deer-skins; and his mystery rattles
made of antelopes’ hoofs, in his hands. This notorious old man was
professionally a doctor in his tribe, but not very distinguished, until
my friend Dr. Jarvis, who is surgeon for the post, very liberally dealt
out from the public medicine-chest, occasional “odds and ends” to him,
and with a _professional concern_ for the poor old fellow’s success,
instructed him in the modes of their application; since which, the
effects of his prescriptions have been so decided amongst his tribe,
whom he holds in ignorance of his aid in his mysterious operations;
that he has risen quite rapidly into notice, within the few last years,
in the vicinity of the Fort; where he finds it most easy to carry out
his new mode of practice, for reasons above mentioned.
In +plates+ 235 and 236, there are portraits of the two most
distinguished ball-players in the Sioux tribe, whose names
are _Ah-no-je-nahge_ (he who stands on both sides), and
_We-chush-ta-doo-ta_ (the red man). Both of these young men stood to
me for their portraits, in the dresses precisely in which they are
painted; with their ball-sticks in their hands, and in the attitudes of
the play. We have had several very spirited plays here within the few
past days; and each of these young men came from the ball-play ground
to my painting-room, in the dress in which they had just struggled in
the play.
It will be seen by these sketches, that the custom in this tribe,
differs in some respects from that of the Choctaws and other Southern
tribes, of which I have before spoken; and I there showed that they
played with a stick in each hand, when the Sioux use but one stick,
which is generally held in both hands, with a round hoop at the end, in
which the ball is caught and thrown with wonderful tact; a much more
difficult feat, I should think, than that of the Choctaws, who catch
the ball between two sticks. The tail also, in this tribe, differs,
inasmuch as it is generally made of quills, instead of white horsehair,
as described amongst the Choctaws. In other respects, the rules and
manner of the game are the same as amongst those tribes.
Several others of the _distingués_ of the tribe, I have also painted
here, and must needs refer the reader to the Museum for further
information of them.
[Illustration: 233]
[Illustration: 234]
[Illustration: 235]
[Illustration: 236]
LETTER—No. 51.