Highland creek and good settlements--Carthage--Wabash island--Wabash
river--Shawanee town--Saline river and salt works--Remarkable
cavern--The Rocking cave.
Seven miles below Diamond island, we came to Straight island, and nine
miles further, to Slim island, which is three miles and a half long,
with a settlement on its upper end.
Highland creek, the mouth blocked up with drift, is three miles below
Slim island on the left, and opposite on the Indiana shore are three
families of Robinsons, the first settlements in that distance. There is
a fine landing just below Highland creek, and two beautiful settlements
owned by Messrs. Cooper and Austin, and a framed house rented by a Mr.
Gilchrist, a temporary settler.[177] We observed several boats laid
up here, which had lately brought families down the river, which are
all settled in the neighbourhood, and a mile lower down, we passed the
scite of an intended town called Carthage, but where there is yet but
one house.
Two miles and a half below, we entered the Indiana sound of Wabash
island, in a west direction, leaving the Kentucky sound (forming a
beautiful coup d’œil with a small island and clump of trees directly
in the centre) running S. W. on the left.
{245} We would have gone through the latter sound, but for a wish to
see the Wabash,[178] the largest river in Indiana, and upon which its
capital Vincennes is seated. Its mouth is overlapped from three miles
above to two below by Wabash island, which is five miles long and
contains three thousand acres.
The Wabash is a noble river, about three hundred yards wide at its
mouth, but its banks are so low, that they are overflowed up to the
eves of two cabins which are just above its embouchure, at every high
fresh. The inhabitants had their cattle all drowned last spring, and
were obliged to save themselves by going some miles from the banks.
The cabin next the point where the two rivers join, is large and has a
tavern sign.
About three miles below the end of Wabash island, leaving Brown’s
island, and the two uppermost of the Three Sisters on the right, we
rowed to the Kentucky shore, and moored for the night just under the
cabin and well improved farm of Peter Lash, who has been here four
years, and informed us, that there was a fine populous settlement of
several families behind us.
May 17th, we cast off at the dawn of day, passed the third Sister, and
a lake on the right which extends about ten miles into the country, and
abounds in fish, and at seven miles from Lash’s we rowed in among some
trees, and moored and landed at Shawanee town.[179]
This was formerly an Indian settlement, the only vestiges of which
now remaining, are two barrows for interment at the upper end, and
a growth of young trees all around the town, which evince that the
land has been cleared, at no great distance of time back. The town
now contains about twenty-four cabins, and is a place of considerable
resort on account of the saline salt-works about twelve miles distant,
which supply with salt all the settlements within one {246} hundred
miles, and I believe even the whole of Upper Louisiana.
The United States’ general government having reserved to itself the
property of the scite of this town, the salt licks, and all the
intermediate tract from Saline river, the inhabitants have no other
tenure than the permission of the governour of the territory to reside
there during his pleasure, so they make no comfortable improvements,
although they appear to be in a very prosperous situation from their
trade; so much so, that they say, that it would immediately become
one of the most considerable towns on the river, if they could
purchase lots in fee simple.--There were several trading boats at
the landing, and more appearance of business than I had seen on this
side Pittsburgh. We walked to the Indian burying ground, where we saw
several human bones, and picked up some of the small copper bells, used
by the natives as ornaments, which had been interred with them, and
which had become as thin and light as paper.
May 18th, proceeded nine miles to Saline river on the right. This is a
fine stream, fifty yards wide, navigable for keels and batteaux. The
salt-works are about twenty miles up it with the turnings of the river,
though not over ten in a right line. There is a considerable hill on
the right, on the lower bank of this river where it joins the Ohio.
Five miles from Saline river, we passed Battery rock, which is a
very remarkable point of rocks on the right, with a cabin and farm
beautifully situated on the hill above. We now began to see river
hills again, rising to a moderate height, from a little behind the
banks on each side.
Four miles from hence we left Flinn’s ferry, where is a very handsome
settlement on the left. Three miles and a half farther brought
us to the upper end of Rocking cave island, just above which the
river is {247} a mile wide, and in another mile we saw on the right
Casey’s farm, where the landing abounds in curious loose limestone
petrifactions. Two thirds of a mile from hence, we thought we saw the
Rocking cave, when we observed a cavern forty-five feet deep, three
wide, and nine high, the floor ascending gradually to the vault at the
end, where it is terminated by a petrifaction, like the hanging pipes
of a large organ.--The sides which meet at the top, forming a Gothick
arch, are of limestone, with several large nuclei of flint, which seem
to have been broken off designedly to smooth the inside of the cavern.
Rowing along shore with the skiff, we were soon undeceived as to that’s
being the Rocking cave, as a third of a mile lower down, one of the
finest grottos or caverns I have ever seen, opened suddenly to view,
resembling the choir of a large church as we looked directly into it.
We landed immediately under it and entered it. It is natural, but is
evidently improved by art in the cutting of an entrance three feet wide
through the rock in the very centre, leaving a projection on each hand
excavated above to the whole breadth of the cavern, the projections
resembling galleries. The height of the mouth is about twenty-two,
and that of the rock about thirty. It is crowned by large cedars and
black and white oaks, some of which impend over, and several beautiful
shrubs and flowers, particularly very rich columbines, are thickly
scattered all around the entrance. The length (or depth) of the cavern
is fifty-five paces, and its breadth eleven or twelve.
Standing on the outside, the appearance of some of the company at the
inner end of the cave was truly picturesque, they being diminished
on the eye to half their size, and removed to three times their real
distance.
On advancing twenty paces within, the path or aisle gradually ascending
has risen to the level of the {248} galleries, and from thence to the
end is a spacious apartment of the whole breadth, ascending until it
meets the rocky vault, which is of bluish grey limestone. Twelve paces
from the end is a fissure in the vault, to which is fixed a notched
pole, to serve for a ladder, but the cavity has the appearance of
nothing more than a natural cleft in the rock, large enough to admit
the entrance of a man, and perhaps extending some little distance
sloping upwards.[180]
There is a perpendicular rocky bluff, just opposite the lower end of
Cave island, about two hundred yards above the cave, where the river
narrows to less than half a mile wide, forming a fine situation for a
fortification.
FOOTNOTES:
[177] This was the settlement that later developed into Uniontown,
Kentucky, a place of some importance on the lower Ohio.--ED.
[178] On the early history of the Wabash River, see Croghan’s
_Journals_, vol. i of this series, p. 137, note 107.--ED.
[179] On the early history of Shawneetown, see Croghan’s _Journals_,
vol. i of this series, p. 138, note 108.--ED.
[180] This is now known as Cave-in-Rock, from a large cave (Hardin
County, Illinois) in which a band of robbers hid themselves (1801).--ED.