WILKINSON'S REPORT ON THE ARKANSAW.[V-1]
New Orleans, April 6th, 1807.
Sir: Agreeably to your order dated in June, 1806, I took my departure
from Belle Fontaine, under the command of Lieutenant Pike, early in
July [15th]. The Missouri being well up, we found the navigation as
favorable as could have been expected. On the 28th of the same month
we reached the mouth of the Osage river, which we found a pellucid,
tranquil stream, with the exception of a few trifling ripples, and a
fall of about six feet in two-thirds of a mile, called the Old Man's
Rapid. The river abounds with various kinds of good fish, especially
the soft-shelled turtle [_Trionyx_ or _Aspidonectes ferox_], which we
took in great numbers. The banks of the river are generally formed by
craggy cliffs, and not unfrequently you perceive stupendous rocks
projecting over the water, out of which issue excellent springs. The
most remarkable natural curiosity which I observed is a pond of water,
about 300 toises[V-2] in circumference, six miles above the Yanga
[Yungar, Nehemgar, or Niangua river], on a rising piece of ground,
considerably above the level of the river, which keeps one continued
height, is perfectly pure and transparent, and has no outlet by which
to discharge.
On the 12th of August the Osages appeared dissatisfied with the
tedious movement of our barges, and expressed a wish to cross the
prairie to their villages, in case an escort were allowed them. I
immediately volunteered my services, and we parted with the boats at
the mouth of Grand river [the branch of the Osage], the spot where our
ransomed prisoners were taken the preceding winter by the
Potowatomies. We reached the village of the Little Osages after a
fatiguing and laborious march of six days across an arid prairie.
When within a mile of the town, the chief Tuttasuggy, or Wind, desired
that a regular procession might be observed; he accordingly placed me
between himself and his first warrior, and the ransomed captives
followed by files. Half a mile from the village we were met by 180
horsemen, painted and decorated in a very fanciful manner; they were
considered as a guard of honor, and on our approach opened to the
right and left, leaving a sufficient space for us to pass through. A
few yards in advance, on the right, I perceived 60 or more horsemen
painted with blue chalk; when the chief observed them, he commanded a
halt, and sent forward his younger brother Nezuma, or Rain that Walks,
with a flag and silk handkerchief as a prize for the swiftest
horseman. At a given signal they started off at full speed, the two
foremost taking the flag and handkerchief, and the rest contenting
themselves with having shown their agility and skill. As I entered the
village I was saluted by a discharge from four swivels which the
Indians had taken from an old fort [Fort Carondelet: see note 41, p.
384] erected by the Spaniards on the river, and passed through a crowd
of nearly a thousand persons, part of whom I learned were of the Grand
village. I was immediately, but with ceremony, ushered into the lodge
of Soldier of the Oak, who, after having paid me some very handsome
compliments, courteously invited me to eat of green corn,
buffalo-meat, and water-melons about the size of a 24-pound shot,
which, though small, were highly flavored.
After Lieutenant Pike's arrival with the boats, we formed our camp on
the bank of the river, equidistant from the villages of the Grand and
Little Osages, and he selected a situation for making his
observations, which he did not complete until the 28th of the month.
The 29th and 30th were devoted to packing as conveniently and
carefully as possible the mathematical instruments and a small
quantity of provisions. On the 1st of September we commenced our march
for the Pawnee Republic, and entered on that vast and extensive
prairie which lies between the Missouri and the Rio del Norte.
We coursed the [Little] Osage river to its source, and almost
immediately crossed some of the small branches of Grand [Neosho]
river, which enters the Arkansaw about 700 miles from the Mississippi.
After passing Grand river, which we found to be 60 or 80 yards wide,
we marched a whole day [week[V-3]] before we reached the waters of the
Kansas, and were agreeably surprised to find ourselves on the bank of
a bold running stream [Smoky Hill fork]. Between this and the village
of the Pawnees we crossed two strongly impregnated salines. We then
passed over a sandy country almost destitute of herbage; and after a
painful march under an oppressive sun, over an irregular and broken
surface, we arrived at the town of the Republican Pawnees on the 25th
of September.
We the day before were met by a number of warriors whom curiosity had
led thus far to see us, among whom was the third consequential
character of the Republican party; for you must know that the village
is composed of the followers of a dissatisfied warrior who first made
this establishment, and the adherents of a regular chief of the Grand
Pawnees who migrated thither some few years since with his family, and
usurped the power of the Republican warrior. To such a pitch does this
party spirit prevail that you easily perceive the hostility which
exists between the adherents of the two chiefs.
Early on the morning of the 25th we were joined by a few more savages
of distinction, headed by the brother of Characterish, or White Wolf,
chief of the nation, who was to act as master of the ceremonies to our
formal entry. Preparatory to our march, we had our men equipped as
neatly as circumstances would admit. About mid-day we reached the
summit of a lofty chain of ridges, where we were requested to halt and
await the arrival of the chief, who was half a mile from us, with 300
horsemen, who were generally naked, except buffalo robes and breech
cloths, and painted with white, yellow, blue, and black paint. At the
word of the chief the warriors divided, and, pushing on at full speed,
flanked us on the right and left, yelling in a most diabolical manner.
The chief advanced in front, accompanied by Iskatappe, or Rich Man,
the second great personage of the village and his two sons, who were
clothed in scarlet cloth. They approached slowly, and when within 100
yards the three latter halted; Characterish advanced in great state,
and when within a few paces of us stretched out his hand and cried,
"_Bon jour_." Thus ended the first ceremony. We moved on about a mile
further, and having gained the summit of a considerable hill, we
discovered the village directly at its base. We here were again
halted, and the few Osages who accompanied us were ordered in front
and seated in rank entire. The chief squatted on his hams in front of
them and filled a calumet, which several different Indians took from
him and handed the Osages to smoke. This was called the horse-smoke,
as each person who took the pipe from the chief intended to present
the Osages a horse. Mr. Pike and Dr. Robinson afterward accompanied
the chief to his lodge, and I moved on with the detachment and formed
our camp on the opposite bank of the Republican fork of the Kansas
river, on a commanding hill which had been selected as the most
favorable situation for making observations, though very inconvenient
on account of wood and water, which we had to transport nearly a
quarter of a mile.
At a council held some few days after our arrival, Lieutenant Pike
explained to them the difference of their present situation and that
of a few years past; that now they must look up to the president of
the United States as their great father; that he [Pike] had been sent
by him [Jefferson] to assure them of his good wishes, etc.; that he
perceived a Spanish flag flying at the council-lodge door, and was
anxious to exchange one of their great father's for it; and that it
was our intention to proceed further to the westward, to examine this,
our newly acquired country. To this a singular and extraordinary
response was given--in fact, an objection started in direct opposition
to our proceeding further west; however, they gave up the Spanish
flag, and we had the pleasure to see the American standard hoisted in
its stead.
At the same council Characterish observed that a large body of
Spaniards had lately been at his village, and that they promised to
return and build a town adjoining his. The Spanish chief, he said,
mentioned that he was not empowered to council with him; that he came
merely to break the road for his master, who would visit him in the
spring with a large army; that he further told him the Americans were
a little people, but were enterprising, and one of those days would
stretch themselves even to his town; that they took the lands of
Indians, and would drive off their game; "and how very truly," said
Characterish, "has the Spanish chieftain spoken!" We demanded to
purchase a few horses, which was prohibited, and the friendly
communication which had existed between the town and our camp was
stopped. The conduct of our neighbors assumed a mysterious change; our
guards were several times alarmed, and finally appearances became so
menacing as to make it necessary for us to be on our guard day and
night.
It was obvious that the body of Spaniards, who preceded us but a few
weeks in their mission to this village, were the regular cavalry and
infantry of the province of Santa Fee, as they had formed their camps
in regular order; also we were informed they kept regular guards, and
that the beats of their drum were uniform morning and evening. The
Spanish leader, further, delivered to Characterish a grand medal, two
mules, and a commission bearing the signature of the governor, civil
and military, of Santa Fee. He also had similar marks of distinction
for the Grand Pawnees, the Pawnee Mahaws, Mahaws Proper, Otos, and
Kanses.
On the 6th of October we made some few purchases of miserable horses
at the most exorbitant prices, and on the 7th, unmoved by the threats
of the chief relative to our proceeding further to the west, we
marched in a close and compact body until we passed their village, and
took the large beaten Spanish trace for the Arkansaw river. We passed
the following day [8th] an encampment of the Spaniards, where we
counted 69 fires. On the 9th, as usual, made an easy march; and about
noon, when we halted to refresh ourselves, were overtaken by 300
Pawnees, on their way to the salines of the Kanses to hunt buffalo.
Their every act showed a strong disposition to quarrel, and in fact
they seemed to court hostility; but, finding us without fear and
prepared, to a man, they offered no outrage. Having grazed our horses
an hour, we parted from this turbulent band, slung our packs,
proceeded to Solomon's Fork of the Kanses, and pitched our tents on an
old encampment of the Spaniards whose trace we were following, as we
found the next morning [10th] many tent-pins made of wood different
from any in that country. At mid-day Lieutenant Pike, Dr. Robinson,
and the interpreter Baroney pushed on to search for water, and I
remained with the troops. I pushed on as briskly as our poor
half-famished horses would permit, but at nightfall could discover
nothing of Mr. Pike, and had not a tree in view. This induced me to
quicken my pace; and, as darkness had rendered my compass useless, I
coursed by the polar star; but the horizon becoming overcast, I halted
on a naked stony prairie, without water or grass for our horses. On
the following morning [11th] I directed my course more to the
southward, and about ten o'clock came to the [which?] creek and
encampment of Lieut. Pike. Late in the evening of the same day [11th],
after passing over a mountainous tract of country, we reached the
Grand Saline, which we found so strongly impregnated as to render
unpalatable corn boiled in it. On the 12th, after a distressing day's
march, we reached the Second or Small Saline, and on the following day
[13th] encamped on the most western [Smoky Hill] branch of the Kanses
river.[V-4]
We were detained, on the morning of the 13th [14th], by a small rain;
but as time was pressing, we marched about noon, crossed the dividing
ridge of the Kanses and Arkansaw rivers, and halted on a small branch
of the latter. For several days past we had been so bewildered by
buffalo paths that we lost the Spanish trace; and this being an object
of moment, we resolved to make search for it. Accordingly, on the
following day [15th] at noon, Mr. Pike and Dr. Robinson struck off
from the party on a due west course, and I marched the detachment for
a copse of wood which we could barely discern in the southwest, and
reached it about midnight. At day-break I was awakened by my old and
faithful Osage, who informed me that we were on the banks of the
Arkansaw river. I immediately arose, and discovered my tent to have
been pitched on the margin of a water-course nearly 400 yards wide,
with banks not three feet high, and a stream of water running through
it about 20 feet in width and not more than six or eight inches deep.
I remained here four days in great anxiety and suspense, as neither
Mr. Pike nor Dr. Robinson made their appearance, nor could be found,
although I had all my hunters out in search of them. But I was
agreeably surprised on the fifth[V-5] day, early in the morning, by
their arrival. It appeared that our apprehensions were mutual, as they
expected I had been cut off, and I believed they had been murdered.
On the 17th it commenced raining and continued for several days,
during which time the river rose so much as to fill its bed from bank
to bank. Lieutenant Pike having determined that I should descend the
Arkansaw, we cut down a small green Cottonwood, and with much labor
split out a canoe, which being insufficient, we formed a second of
buffalo and elk skins.
After the rain had ceased the weather became extremely cold, and on
the 27th, in the evening, a severe snow-storm commenced and continued
nearly all night. In the morning [of the 28th[V-6]] the river was
almost choked with drifting ice; but the sun bursting out at noon, the
ice disappeared, and I took leave of Mr. Pike, who marched up the
river at the moment I embarked on board my newly constructed canoe.
Unfortunately, we had not proceeded more than 100 yards when my boats
grounded, and the men were obliged to drag them through sand and ice
five miles, to a copse of woods on the southwestern bank. I here
hauled up my canoe, formed a kind of cabin of it, and wrapped myself
up in my buffalo-robe, disheartened and dissatisfied with the
commencement of my voyage. The night was severely cold, and in the
morning [29th] the river was so full of ice as to prevent all
possibility of proceeding. The day continued stormy, with snow from
the northwest.
On the 30th the river was frozen up, and toward evening the water had
run off and left the bed of the river covered with ice. This
circumstance determined me to leave my canoes and course the river by
land. Accordingly, on the 31st of October, after having thrown away
all my clothing and provision, except half a dozen tin cups of hard
corn for each man, I slung my rifle on my shoulder, and with my
buffalo-robe at my back and circumferentor in my hand, I recommenced
my march with a light and cheerful heart. My only apprehension was
that I might meet with detached bands of the Pawnees, who, I am
confident, would have brought me and my five men [Ballenger, Boley,
Bradley, Huddleston, Wilson] to action; and what the consequence of
this would have been is very obvious.
On the 1st, 2d, and 3d of November I marched over high and barren
hills of sand; at the close of each day passed strongly impregnated
salines, and perceived the shores of the river to be completely
frosted with nitre. The face of the country, as I descended, looked
more desolate than above, the eye being scarcely able to discern a
tree; and if one was discovered, it proved to be a solitary
cottonwood, stinted in growth by the sterility of the soil. The
evening of the 3d instant I encamped on the bank of the river, without
a tree or even a shrub in view. On the 4th we experienced a heavy
rain; but hunger and cold pressed me forward. After marching 10 miles
I reached a small tree, where I remained in a continued rain for two
days [5th, 6th], at the expiration of which time, having exhausted my
fuel, I had again [7th] to push off in a severe storm, and formed my
camp at the mouth of a bold running stream [probably Cow creek[V-7]],
whose northern bank was skirted by a chain of lofty ridges.
On the 8th, in the morning, it having cleared up, I began my march
early, and it appeared as if we had just gotten into the region of
game; for the herds of buffalo, elk, goat [antelope], and deer
surpassed credibility. I do solemnly assert that, if I saw one, I saw
more than 9,000 buffaloes during the day's march.
On the 10th, in the evening, after a severe day's march, I encamped on
the bank of a large creek [probably Little Arkansaw[V-8]], and
discovered for the first time on the river a species of wood differing
from the cotton tree. I assure you the sight was more agreeable than
a person would imagine; it was like meeting with an old acquaintance
from whom I had been separated a length of time. I even began to think
myself approximating civilized settlements, although I was just
entering on the hunting-ground of the Osages.
The buffaloes and goats disappeared on the 12th, or rather we had
passed their range and entered that of the deer only. Our marches were
through rich narrow bottoms from 150 to 200 yards wide.
On the 15th, discovering timber sufficiently large to form canoes, I
felled a couple of trees, and commenced splitting out. I would have
proceeded further by land, but as my men were almost worn out with
fatigue, and as the game grew scarce, I conceived it most advisable to
rest for a short time, and kill my winter's store of meat. This I
effected by the 24th, and on the same day completed the canoes. On the
25th I again attempted the navigation of the river, but was as
unfortunate as at first; for my boat grounded, after floating a few
hundred yards, and the men were consequently compelled to ply with
their shoulders instead of their paddles.
The following day I passed the Negracka [read Ninnescah[V-9]], at
whose mouth commence the craggy cliffs which line a great part of the
shores of the Arkansaw.
On the 28th the provision canoe overset, and I lost nearly all my
stock of meat; this accident was rendered the more distressing by an
almost total loss of my ammunition, which unfortunately was in the
same canoe.
On the 30th, I fell in with a band of Grand Osages, who were in
pursuit of buffalo cows; the chief of the party insisted on my
remaining with him a day, and sent out his young men to hunt for me.
In the afternoon two Indians of the Osage nation joined us, with a
horse and mule, and brought me a message from Tuttasuggy, or Wind, who
it appeared was lying very ill, about 20 miles across the prairie, and
wished to see me. As he was a particular favorite of mine, I left my
canoes in charge of the men, and passed with a guide to the chief's
temporary village. I found him extremely unwell, with what I conceived
to be a dropsy, for his abdomen was very much swollen. He seemed
gratified at the sight of me, and observed that he was poor and
pitiful, for the reason that he was a friend to the Americans. He said
that Chouteau, upon arrival at their villages last fall, had treated
him like a child; had taken on to Washington his younger brother
Nezuma, or Rain that Walks, and intended making him [Nezuma] chief of
the nation; that Chouteau told him he [Tuttasuggy] was a "bad man,"
and an "American" [_i. e._, a friend of the Americans]; that the
Spaniards were going to war with America, and in a short time would
claim all this country again; and that he [Chouteau] prevented the
traders from allowing credit, whereby his [Tuttasuggy's] family were
much distressed--as I clearly perceived, for they were even destitute
of a whole blanket.
This Nezuma, whom Chouteau took on to Washington last fall with his
wife, I am better acquainted with than perhaps Mr. Chouteau himself.
In the first place, I marched with him from St. Louis to his town, and
he started with us to visit the Pawnees; but the mean and pitiful
wretch got alarmed and sneaked off without even advising us of his
departure. He has no more command in the village than a child, is no
warrior, and has not even the power to control the will of a single
man of his nation. Whether this youth is entitled to a grand medal,
you may judge from the foregoing statement. Indeed, Sir, our grand
medals have become so common that they do not carry with them the
respect which they should. I recollect that one of the deputation who
was at the seat of government, the year before last, came out with a
large medal and an intermediate-sized one. On our arrival at the
villages, I calculated on his acting a conspicuous part; but, to my
utter astonishment, he was not permitted to sit among the chiefs, or
even the warriors, at the council.
You well know, Sir, how particular the Spaniards, and the British
especially, have been in their distribution of medals; and if I
mistake not, an Iowa chief, who had been to the seat of government and
there received a small medal, returned it in preference to giving up a
large British medal which he valued more, because it was a certain
distinguishing mark of a chief.
You gave to Mr. Pike an intermediate-sized medal for one of the Pawnee
chiefs; this he presented to Iskatappe, who, having remarked the
medals pendent from the necks of the two Pawnee young men who had been
to Washington, demanded of what utility it would be to him. The only
Spanish medals in the Pawnee nation are those worn by Characterish, or
White Wolf, and his son.
The following sarcastic remark was made by the son of Bel Oiseau, a
chief of the first standing among the Grand Osages while living, who
unfortunately was killed by the Sacs on his way to Washington with the
first deputation. The son of White Hairs, with Shenga Wassa, or
Beautiful Bird [Bel Oiseau], was to accompany us to the Pawnee
village; but the former proved recreant, and at the crossing of Grand
[Neosho] river said he would return home. "Shame on you!" said the
latter; "what a pity it is so great and honorable a medal should be
disgraced by so mean a heart!"
You will pardon this digression, but I would wish to convince you,
from what I have seen of Indians, how very requisite it is to use the
utmost caution in the distribution of our presents and marks of
distinction.
Before I set out to visit Tuttasuggy, the ice had commenced drifting
in large sheets, and on my return I found it running from shore to
shore. However, I pushed off and drifted with it.
The night of the 2d of December was intensely cold, but hunger obliged
me to proceed, and we fortunately reached the mouth of the Neskalonska
[Salt fork of the Arkansaw[V-10]] river without accident or injury,
excepting that one of my men got frosted. This day we passed two
salines which enter on the southwestern side.
The severity of the weather increased, and the river froze over on the
morning of the 3d. This circumstance placed me in a situation truly
distressing, as my men were almost naked; the tatters which covered
them were comfortless, and my ammunition was nearly exhausted. The men
solicited me to hut, but I was resolved by perseverance and exertion
to overcome, if in my power, the obstacles opposed to my progress.
The Neskalonska is about 120 yards wide, shoal and narrow at its
mouth, but deepens and spreads after you turn the first point. On
this stream the Grand and Little Osages form their temporary fall
hunting-camps, and take their peltries. When the severity of winter
sets in, the Grand Osages retire to Grosse Isle, on the Verdigrise or
Wasetihoge;[V-11] and the Little Osages to one of its small branches
called Possitonga, where they remain during the hard weather, and
thence return to their towns on the Neska or [Little] Osage river.
On the 6th the ice began to drift, and I immediately pushed off with
it; but as my evil stars would have it, my boats again grounded. Being
in the middle of the river, my only alternative was to get out and
drag them along for several miles, when we halted to warm our benumbed
feet and hands. The next day several large cakes of ice had blocked up
the river, and we had to cut our way through them with axes; the boats
as usual grounded, and the men, bare-legged and bare-footed, were
obliged to leap into the water. This happened so frequently that two
more of them got badly frosted.
On the 8th one of my canoes was driven on a bank of ice during a
snow-storm, and did not overtake me until the evening of the 9th, in
so shattered a condition that she could hardly be kept above water,
and the poor fellows who were in her were almost frozen.
On the 10th, about noon, I passed the Grand Saline or Newsewketonga
[Cimarron river[V-12]], which is of a reddish color, though its water
is very clear. About two days' march up this river, you find the
prairie grass on the S. W. side incrusted with salt, and on the N. E.
bank, fresh-water springs, and lakes abounding with fish. This salt
the Arkansaw Osages obtain by scraping it off the prairie with a
turkey's wing into a wooden trencher. The river does not derive its
name from its saline properties, but from the quantities that may
always be found on its banks, and is at all seasons of the year
potable.
On the 20th, in the afternoon, we passed another Saline [river[V-13]]
with water equally as red as that of the Newsewketonga, and more
strongly impregnated with salt.
After encountering every hardship to which a voyage is subject in
small canoes at so inclement a season of the year, I arrived on the
23d inst., in a storm of hail and snow, at the wintering-camp of
Cashesegra or Big Track, [or Big Foot] chief of the Osages who reside
on Verdigrise river.
On the following day I gave him your talk and received his reply,
which it is unnecessary to recount fully, as it was merely a
description of his poverty and miserable situation. He however said
that he had been informed the United States intended to erect
factories on the Osage river, and that he was anxious to have one near
to his own village; and for that purpose he was willing to give the
United States the tract of country lying between the Verdigrise and
Grand [Neosho] rivers. A factory, with a garrison of troops stationed
there, would answer the double purpose of keeping in order those
Indians, who are the most desperate and profligate part of the whole
nation, more fully impressing them with an idea of our consequence,
and gaining more firmly their friendship. It also would tend to
preserve harmony among the Chactaws, Creeks, Cherokees, and Osages of
the three different villages, who are in a constant state of warfare;
further, it would prevent the Osages making excursions into the
country of the poor and peaceably disposed Caddoes, and might have
some effect in confining the Spaniards to their own territorial
limits.
On the 27th I passed the mouths of the Verdigrise and Grand
[Neosho[V-14]] rivers, the former being about 100 and the latter 130
yards wide; those streams enter within a quarter of a mile of each
other. Below the mouth of Grand river commence the rapids, which
continue for several hundred miles down the Arkansaw.
About 58 or 60 miles up the Verdigrise is situate the Osage
village.[V-15] This band, some four or five years since, were led by
the chief Cashesegra [Big Foot] to the waters of the Arkansaw, at the
request of Pierre Chouteau, for the purpose of securing their trade,
the exclusive trade of the Osage river having at that time been
purchased from the Spanish governor by Manuel Lisa of St. Louis. But
though Cashesegra be the nominal leader, Clermont, or the Builder of
Towns, is the greatest warrior and most influential man, now more
firmly attached to the interests of the Americans than any other chief
of the nation. He is the lawful sovereign of the Grand Osages; but
his hereditary right was usurped by Pahuska or White Hair [Cheveux
Blancs], while Clermont was yet an infant. White Hair, in fact, is a
chief of Chouteau's creating, as well as Cashesegra; and neither has
the power or disposition to restrain their young men from the
perpetration of an improper act, fearing lest they should render
themselves unpopular.
On the 29th I passed a fall [Webber's] of near seven feet
perpendicular. At evening I was visited by a scout from an Osage war
party, and received from them a man by the name of M'Farlane, who had
been trapping up the Pottoe [Poteau]. We passed about noon this day
the mouths of the river des Illinois,[V-16] which enters on the N. E.
side, and of the Canadian[V-17] river, which puts in from the S. W.
The latter river is the main branch of the Arkansaw, and is equally
large.
On the 31st I passed the mouth of the Pottoe,[V-18] a deep though
narrow stream which puts in on the S. W., and also the river au
Millieu [Milieu[V-19]], that enters from the N. E.
On the evening of the 6th of January I reached the plantation of a Mr.
Labomme, and was more inhospitably treated than by the savages
themselves.
On the 8th I passed the two upper Arkansaw or Quapaw[V-20] villages,
and on the 9th, after passing the lower Quapaw town, and a settlement
of Chactaws, arrived at the post of Arkansaw.[V-21]
The surface of the country between the Osage towns and the Pawnee
village is generally broken and naked; the soil sterile, and abounding
with flint and lime stones. As you approach the waters of the Kanses,
it becomes hilly and sandy. The same may be said of the country
between the Pawnee village and the Arkansaw; but after passing the
ridge which separates the waters of the Kanses and Arkansaw, the
surface becomes more regular and less stony.
Below the Verdigrise the shores of the Arkansaw are generally lined
with cane [_Arundinaria macrosperma_], and consequently rich bottoms.
I was informed by the Indians that the country to the northwest of the
Osage village abounds with valuable lead mines, but I could make no
discovery of any body of mineral.
The survey from the Arkansaw post to the Mississippi I fear is not
correct, as I was so ill when I descended that part of the river as to
be confined to my blanket.
The chart which accompanies this report, of the course of the
Arkansaw, I hope will prove satisfactory, not only to yourself, but
the president.
I have the honor to subscribe myself,
Your faithful and obliged,
Humble and obedient servant,
[Signed] JAMES B. WILKINSON,
1st Lieut. 2d U. S. Regt. of Infantry.
His Excellency
GENERAL JAMES WILKINSON,
Commander-in-Chief of the U. S. Army.
FOOTNOTES:
[V-1] The following Report was written by Lieutenant Wilkinson at a
time when it was expected I had been cut off by the savages. It
consequently alluded to transactions relative to the Expedition
previous to our separation, which I have since corrected. But the
adventures of his party, after our separation, are given in his own
words.--Z. M. P.
The above explanatory note by Pike stood alone on p. 19 of the App. to
Pt. 2 of the orig. ed. Wilkinson's Report, of which Chapter V. now
consists, formed Doc. No. 2 of that Appendix, running pp. 20-32. It
rehearses the movements of Pike's party to Oct. 28th, 1806, when the
two officers separated at Great Bend, and Wilkinson started down the
Arkansaw. It thus serves to some extent to check Pike's narrative, but
is chiefly notable in this respect for some discrepancies which I have
been unable to adjust. Lieutenant Wilkinson's health was not good
during his descent of the Arkansaw, and he endured much hardship; to
which causes is doubtless due in part the lack of anything very
notable in his Report. James Biddle Wilkinson was the son of General
James Wilkinson of Maryland. He entered the army as a second
lieutenant of the 4th Infantry, Feb. 16th, 1801; was transferred to
the 2d Infantry, Apr. 1st, 1802; became first lieutenant Sept. 30th,
1803, and captain Oct. 8th, 1808, and died Sept. 7th, 1813.
[V-2] The toise is an old French measure of length equal to six French
feet or 1.949 meter, and therefore to about 6.4 English feet.
[V-3] The party reached and crossed the Neosho Sept. 9th, and struck
the Smoky Hill fork of the Kansas r. on the morning of the 16th: see
those dates in Pike's itinerary, and notes there.
[V-4] There are material discrepancies between Wilkinson's and Pike's
accounts of the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, not easy to reconcile,
even supposing the two officers were separated a part of the time.
Pike comes first to what he calls "Little Saline" r., and then to
Great Saline on the 11th; Smoky Hill r., 12th; 7 m. beyond it to head
of a branch of it, 13th; over the divide, 14th, to Cow cr.; and is
lost on Walnut cr., 15th. His map puts a camp-mark on Little Saline,
date uncertain; one on Great Saline, 11th; one on Smoky Hill r., 12th;
and none for 13th, 14th, or 15th. Wilkinson comes first to Grand
Saline, 11th; "Second or Small Saline," 12th; Smoky Hill, 13th; over
divide and on to a branch of the Arkansaw, also on the 13th; reaches
Arkansaw 14th, about midnight. We have here a day miscounted; reverse
sequence of the two Saline rivers; and several camp-marks misplaced or
missing. All this adds to the trouble we found in trying to follow
Pike's itinerary, and I do not see how the difficulty can be adjusted.
What seems certain is: 1. Great Saline r. reached or crossed on the
11th; Smoky Hill r. reached or crossed on the 12th; divide crossed and
camp on Cow cr., 13th, 14th; Wilkinson on the Arkansaw at midnight of
the 15th, when Pike and Robinson were lost on Walnut cr.
[V-5] Again a discrepancy from Pike. According to his diary he left
the party at 5 p. m., 15th, with Dr. Robinson; was lost, 16th and
17th; found and brought to Wilkinson's camp on the Arkansaw, 18th; so
Wilkinson could have remained but two days in suspense, which was
relieved on the third day. As Pike himself informs us that he
"corrected" Wilkinson's Report for the time they were together, yet
evidently failed to make it fit his own, we may be excused if we do
not succeed in the attempt. On some points I suspect Wilkinson came
nearest the facts. He did not lose his notes and supplement from
memory, as Pike was forced to do; he was not hunting for the Spanish
trail, nor for buffalo; and he did not get bewildered on Walnut cr.
[V-6] Both accounts fortunately agree on this notable date--the day on
which Pike started up the Arkansaw and Wilkinson down the same river.
The distance made by the latter on the 28th sets him about the mouth
of Antelope cr., a small run that makes in on the right or south a
mile above the mouth of Walnut cr. Here he remained on the 29th and
30th. There is obviously no possibility of following him closely
through his benumbed voyage; we can only check his course at the most
notable points.
[V-7 and *] Wilkinson's, "bold running stream" and his "large creek"
are probably identifiable by the above data; but in my ignorance of
these details I can only presume, without knowing, that he means Cow
cr. and the Little Arkansaw, these being the two principal tributaries
of the Arkansaw in Kansas below Great Bend. Cow cr. is the same stream
whose headwaters Pike and Wilkinson came upon before they reached
Great Bend: see note 10, p. 424; but it falls in much lower, at
Hutchinson, Reno Co., Kas. The Little Arkansaw is that river at whose
mouth is Wichita, seat of Sedgwick Co., Kas. Both these streams course
very obliquely to the Arkansaw, from the N. W., and fall in on the
left bank.
[V-9] "Negracka" is here an error; Wilkinson means the Ninnescah,
Nenescah, or Nenesquaw r., which falls in from the W. on the right
hand; town of Whitman, Sumner Co., Kas., at its mouth. This is the
only instance I have ever known of the misapplication of the name
Negracka, which belongs absolutely to, and was long the current name
of, the Salt fork of the Arkansaw: see next note. Thus, we read in
Morse's Gazetteer, 1821, p. 499: "Negracka River ... falls into the
Arkansaw from the N. W. It is 100 yards wide." The Nenescah is a
smaller stream than this. It is lettered "Ne-ne-sesh, or Good Riv." on
a map of the Indian Terr., etc., Engineer Bureau, War Dept., Oct.,
1866. Between his Negracka or the Nenescah r., and his Neskalonska or
the Salt fork of the Arkansaw, Wilkinson passes the following streams:
1. Slate cr., from the N. W., traversing Sumner Co. obliquely; 2.
Walnut cr. (formerly Whitewater r.), from the N., with an average
course nearly due S., through Butler and Cowley cos., Kas., to fall in
at Arkansaw City; 3. Grouse cr., from the N. E., in Cowley Co., its
mouth nearly on the boundary between Kansas and Oklahoma; 4. Chilockey
or Chilocco cr., over the Oklahoma line, school reservation there; 5.
Deer cr., from the W., very small; 6. Beaver cr., from the N. E.,
whose mouth is at the Kaw or Kansas Agency; 7. South Coon cr., from
the N., but falling in on the right, very small; 8. Turkey cr., from
the N., but mouth on the right, between Cross and Ponca stations of
the Arkansaw branch of the A., T., and S. F. R. R.
[V-10] "Neskalonska" is a name I have failed to find elsewhere, but
fortunately there is no question of the river to which Wilkinson
applies it. This is Salt fork, the third largest branch of the
Arkansaw from the W.--the Cimarron being second, and the Canadian
first in size. Wilkinson's "Neskalonska" and his "Grand Saline or
Newsewtonga" are respectively Salt fork and Cimarron r. of present
nomenclature. Notwithstanding their great size and importance, and the
fact that they fall into the Arkansaw about a degree of latitude and
of longitude apart, they have been completely confused by geographers,
on whose maps almost every name of each has been misapplied to the
other. Salt fork is the upper and smaller one of the two, which falls
in through the Ponca Reservation, at or near Ponca P. O. and Ponca
Agency, in Oklahoma. Cimarron r. is the lower and larger one of the
two, which falls in through the Indian Territory at a point on the
boundary of Oklahoma. Salt fork has been called: Salt fork; Salt r.;
Salt cr.; Saline fork; Saline r.; Saline cr.; Red fork; Red r.; Little
Arkansaw r. (duplicating a name: see note 8, p. 548); Nescutango r.;
Negracka r. (its usual name for many years); Semerone, Cimarone,
Cimmaron, Cimarron r.--the last four variants of the same word, and
like Nescutango, properly belonging only to the next, viz.: Cimarron
r. This has been called: Red fork; Saline r.; Grand Saline r.;
Jefferson r.; Nesuketong, Nesuketonga, Nesuhetonga, Nescutanga,
Newsewketonga r.; Cimmaron, Cimarron r. On analyzing the comparative
applicability of these names, I find that "Salt" or "Saline" belongs
most properly to the upper and smaller stream, for which we now use
it, and when applied to the lower is usually qualified as Grand
Saline; that "Red" is misapplied to both indifferently; that "Little
Arkansas" is only applied to the upper, and "Jefferson" only to the
lower stream; that "Negracka" is absolutely the name of the upper one
alone; that "Nesuketonga" and its variants are almost entirely
confined to the lower one; and finally that "Cimarron" in its
variations is equally common to both, though in present usage it is
absolutely restricted to the lower one.
These data rest upon the examination of a large lot of old maps with
special reference to the points involved, with the assistance of Mr.
Robert F. Thompson of the Indian Bureau at Washington. These maps show
a curious reversal in the _size_ of the two rivers, the earlier and
poorer ones making the upper stream the larger of the two, and
conversely. Furthermore, the tendency has always been to call the
_larger_ one "Cimarron" and "Red," no matter which its position. Aside
from this, the most sharply contrasted pairs of names are "Salt" and
"Negracka" for the upper stream, and "Red" and "Nesuketonga" for the
lower one. Thus, to be more specific: 1. John Melish's map of the U.
S., engr. by J. Vallance and H. S. Tanner, pub. Philada., 1820, has
Negracka, upper, larger; Jefferson, lower, smaller. 2. H. S. Tanner's
map of N. Amer., in the New American Atlas, pub. Philada., 1823, map
dated 1822, has Negracka or Red r., upper, larger; and Nesuhetonga or
Gr. Saline, lower, smaller. 3. The American Atlas, pub. Philada., H.
C. Carey and I. Lea, 1823, has a map of the U. S., with Negracka or
Red Fork, upper, larger, and Grand Saline, lower, smaller; also, a map
of the Arkansaw, etc., drawn by Major S. H. Long, with Negracka or Red
Fork, upper, larger; and Nesuketonga or Grand Saline, lower, smaller;
also, a map of Mexico, etc., based on Humboldt, etc., by J. Finlayson,
with these very same names. 4. A. Finlay's map of North America, pub.
Philada., 1826, has upper larger stream Negracka or Semerone R.; lower
one, very small, Grand Saline. 5. A map of Mexico in Anthony Finlay's
Atlas, pub. Philada., 1830, has Negracka, upper and larger; the lower
smaller one unnamed. 6. A map of North America in Tanner's Atlas, pub.
Philada., Carey and Hart, 1843, has Negracka, upper and larger; Gr.
Saline, lower and smaller; the map of Mexico and Guatemala, in this
atlas, represents the two as Red Br. and Saline. 7. On Josiah Gregg's
map of the Indian Territory, etc., in Morse's N. A. Atlas, pub. N. Y.,
Harper and Brothers, 1844, also accompanying Gregg's Commerce of the
Prairies, the two rivers are represented of about the same size, the
upper one being lettered Cimarron R. and Salt Fork; the lower, Red
Fork of the Arkansas R. This is a notably good map for its date, and
in the matter now under examination may be taken as the turning-point
to a better understanding of the facts in the case. 8. On a map of
Texas, etc., pub. Philada., S. Augustus Mitchell, 1846, the upper and
still larger river appears as Cimarone or Salt Fork; the lower, as Red
Fork. 9. On a map of Mexico issued by H. S. Tanner, 3d ed., 1846, the
upper, larger stream is given as Semerone, Negracka, or Red River; the
lower, as Saline. 10. On a map of the U. S. in Harper's Statistical
Gazetteer of the World, by J. Calvin Smith, pub. N. Y., Harper and
Brothers, 1855, the upper stream is called Cimarron or Salt Fork; the
lower, Red Fork of Arkansas. 11. Emory's beautiful map of the Western
U. S., pub. 1857-58, has Salt Fork for the upper and much smaller
stream, and Red Fork of the Arkansas for the other. 12. A map of
Kansas, etc., in Mitchell's Atlas of 1861, represents the upper stream
as Cimarron River, the lower as Red Fork of the Arkansas. 13. The map
of N. A. in Johnston's Family Atlas, pub. N. Y., Johnston and Ward,
1864, shows the two in a peculiar manner, and calls the upper one
Semerone, the lower one Nesuketong. 14. The Office of Indian Affairs
has on file a very fine map of the Indian Territory, drawn by Ado
Hunnius from the reconnoissance of Lieutenant J. C. Woodruff in 1852,
and from a War Dept. map of 1866, on which the upper and now _smaller_
river appears as Salt Creek or Nescutanga, or Salt Fork of the
Arkansas, and the much larger lower one as Cimarron River or Red Fork
of the Arkansas. 15. The War Dept. map of the Indian Territory,
Engineer Bureau, Oct., 1866, letters for the smaller upper stream
Nescutango R. and Little Arkansas R.; for the other, Cimarron River
and Red Fork of Arkansas River. 16. A manuscript map by John C. McCoy,
on file in the Office of Indian Affairs, has Red Fork for the upper,
and Ne se ke tonga for the lower one. 17. On a cabinet map of the U.
S., pub. Chicago, Rufus Blanchard, 1868, the upper one is called
Little Arkansas River, the lower one being styled Red Fork of Arkansas
River. 18. A map of the U. S. in Mitchell's Atlas of 1874 shows the
upper and larger stream as Cimmaron or Salt Fork, and the smaller
lower one as Red Fork; the map of Texas in the same atlas shows only
the latter, given as Red Fork of Arkansas. 19. The General Land Office
map of the Indian Territory, 1879, letters for the upper river Salt
Fork of Arkansas R., and for the other Red Fork of the Arkansas or
Cimarron River; the same Office's map of Oklahoma, 1894, has Salt Fork
of Arkansas River for the one, and Cimarron River for the other.
The consensus of the above, aside from the eccentricities and errors
involved, is reducible to Salt fork or Negracka r. for the upper one,
and Red fork, Nesuketonga, or Cimarron r. for the other one, of these
two important streams. One of the curiosities in the matter is the
constancy of the form of the word Negracka, as well as its restriction
to a single river.
[V-11] The Verdigris, Vermilion, or Wasetihoge r. has been already
noticed, when Pike's party reached its headwaters in Kansas: see note
58, p. 400. The present nomenclature of its principal branches is: 1.
Hominy cr., in the Osage and Cherokee countries of the Indian
Territory, with a main fork, Bird cr., site of the Osage Agency; 2.
Caney r., or the Little Verdigris, falling in by the Blue Mounds in
the Cherokee country, and formed of two main forks known as Big and
Little Caney creeks, both of which head in Kansas; 3. Elk r., heading
in the Kansan county of that name, and falling in above Independence,
in Montgomery Co., Kas.; 4. Fall r., one of the terminal forks of the
Verdigris, and on which is Fredonia, Wilson Co.
[V-12] See note 10 for synonymy. The Cimarron is a very large river,
which drains from the eastern slopes of the great mountains in New
Mexico and runs thence through southwestern portions of Kansas, loops
into Oklahoma Territory from Meade Co., Kas., loops back into Kansas
in Clarke Co., and thence through the S. W. corner of Comanche Co.
into Oklahoma again, traverses this Territory, and joins the Arkansaw
between the Osage and Creek countries, at a certain point on the line
between Oklahoma and the Indian Territory.
In passing from Salt fork to the Cimarron, we have first, Red or Red
Rock cr., a sizable stream from the W. or right; places called Redrock
and Otoe on it; second, Buck cr., left, from the N., once known as
Suicide cr.; third, Gray Horse cr., small, left, from the N. E.;
fourth, Black Bear cr., large, from the W., on the right. The Pawnee
Agency is on this stream, which some maps wrongly run into the
Cimarron instead of the Arkansaw.
[V-13] This is not easily determined, as there are several small
streams of similar character between the Cimarron and the Verdigris,
among them those called Polecat, Snake, Cane, and Caney (or Pocan)
creeks.
[V-14] For these two rivers, see back, notes 53, 55, pp. 397, 398, and
following to p. 402; also, note 11, p. 555.
[V-15] This was the so-called "Arkansaw band" of Osages, the
circumstances of whose secession from the Osage village on the Little
Osage r. are mentioned by Pike elsewhere, as well as by Wilkinson in
the present instance. The faction seems to have been fomented by
Chouteau through jealousy of Lisa's exclusive right to trade on the
Osage r. The affair must have been notorious at the time, as various
authors speak of the settlement of this Osage band on the Verdigris
or, as it was also called, Vermilion r. Among them are Lewis and
Clark: see ed. 1893, p. 12.
[V-16] This Illinois r., still so called, heads in Washington and
Benton cos., Ark., crosses the W. border of the State N. of 36°, and
runs through the Cherokee country in the Indian Territory, to fall
into the Arkansaw a short distance above the mouth of the Canadian.
Between the Illinois and Canadian rivers, on the E. side of the
Arkansaw, opposite the mouth of Elk cr., is a place called Webber's
Falls, with reference to the falls of which Wilkinson speaks.
[V-17] The main fork of the Arkansaw, and scarcely a lesser stream.
This is one of the six or seven large rivers which have shared the
name "Red" or its equivalent, though less frequently than some of the
others. This is because the Mexicans called it Rio Colorado at its
headwaters, which they knew very well; and because, down to 1820,
these were supposed to be those of the true "Red river of
Natchitoches," a branch of the Mississippi. The discovery that this
Rio Colorado or Red r. was the source of the Canadian was made by
Major Long, who followed it down, thinking he was on the Red r. of
Natchitoches, and was not undeceived till he found its confluence with
the Arkansaw. This is noted in 1844 by Gregg, and in 1855 by Warren;
it was the third attempt made by the United States Government to
discover the sources of the true Red r., Captain Sparks having been
first, in 1806, and Pike second. "Canadian," as applied to the main
fork of the Arkansaw, has no more to do with the Dominion of Canada in
history or politics than it has in geography, and many have wondered
how this river came to be called the Canadian. The word is from the
Spanish Rio Cañada, or Rio Cañadiano, through such a form as Rio
Cañadian, whence directly "Canadian" r., meaning "Cañon" r., and
referring to the way in which the stream is boxed up or shut in by
precipitous walls near its headwaters. These drain from E. slopes of
the Raton and other great mountains in New Mexico E. of Taos and Santa
Fé, by such streams as the Vermijo (Bermejo), Little Cimarron, Pouñel
or Poñi, Rayado, and Ocaté, which join above the cañada, and the Moro,
which falls in further down. Leaving New Mexico the great river
courses eastward through Texas, enters Oklahoma at long. 100° W. (near
lat. 36° N., vicinity of Antelope hills), traverses this territory to
about long. 98° W., separates it from the Indian Territory to beyond
long. 97° W., and runs in the latter to join the Arkansaw near long.
95° W., in the vicinity of Webber's falls, at a point on the boundary
between the Cherokee and Chocktaw countries, about 40 m. E. of the
Arkansaw State line. Its principal branch is the North fork, which as
far as it goes is a parallel stream, skirting the Canadian for
hundreds of miles at no great distance northward of the main stream.
[V-18] Poteau or Potteau r. marks a notable point in this barren
itinerary, as it falls in on the boundary between the Indian Territory
and Arkansas, immediately above the important and well-known Fort
Smith. This is situated on the right bank of the Arkansaw, in
Sebastian Co., which the river divides from Crawford Co. Poteau is F.
for post, and the name may refer to some early landmark of that sort:
see note 33, p. 378. Small tributaries of the Arkansaw between the
Canadian and Poteau rivers are Vine cr., left; Sans Bois and Cache
creeks, right; Sallison and Skin creeks, left--in the order here
named.
[V-19] Wilkinson's "river au Millieu" is apparently that now called
Lee or Lee's cr., which makes in between Fort Smith and Van Buren,
seat of Crawford Co. It courses mostly in Arkansaw, but loops into and
out of the Indian Territory. Four of its branches are called Cove,
Brushy, Webber, and Garrison. The F. phrase Rivière au Milieu,
equivalent to "Middle" or "Half-way" r., does not seem to have been
much used anywhere in the U. S., though it is a still current
voyageurs' designation of several different streams in British
America.
[V-20] For the Quapaw or Kwapa Indians, see L. and C., ed. 1893, pp.
12 and 98, notes. Together with the Kansas, Osages, Omahas, and
Poncas, they constitute a division of the Siouan stock called
Dhegiha--a word equivalent to "autochthon." Dr. Sibley gives the names
of the three Kwapa villages as Tawanima, Oufotu, and Ocapa: London ed.
1807, p. 53. Quapaw, Kwapa, Ocapa, Oguoppa, Quappa, Kappa, Ukaqpa,
etc., are all forms of their name of themselves, meaning "those who
went down river." Our knowledge of the village is traced back to
Joliet and Marquette, July, 1673; the name Akansa, adopted in some
form by the French, is what the Kwapas were called by the Illinois
Indians, and the origin of our Arkansas or Arkansaw. The form Acanza
is found on Vaugondy's map, 1783. About 230 Kwapas still live in
Oklahoma and the Indian Territory.
[V-21] Arkansas Post perpetuates the name of the oldest establishment
of whites in the lower Mississippi valley. The present village is on
the N. bank of the Arkansaw r., in the county and State of Arkansas,
73 m. S. E. of Little Rock, the capital. Though never a locality of
much importance, its place in history is secure and permanent. Early
in the year 1685, Henri de Tonti, the famous trusty lieutenant of La
Salle, was reinstated in command of Fort St. Louis of the Illinois,
with titles of captain and governor, by order of the French king Louis
XIV. Tonti learned that La Salle was in trouble somewhere in New Spain
(Texas), and organized an expedition for his relief. On Feb. 16th,
1686, he left Fort St. Louis, with 30 Frenchmen and 5 Indians,
descended the Illinois and Miss. rivers to the Gulf, and scoured the
coast for miles, but saw no sign of his great chief. He wrote a letter
for La Salle, which he committed to the care of a chief of the
Quinipissas for delivery, should opportunity offer, and retraced his
way up the Miss. r. to the mouth of the Arkansaw, which latter river
he ascended to the village of the Arkensa Indians. There, on lands
which La Salle had already granted him, he stationed six of his men,
who volunteered to remain in hopes of hearing from the distant
commander. This was the origin of the Poste aux Arkansas. La Salle was
murdered by the traitor Duhaut, one of several ruffians among his own
men who conspired to his foul assassination, some say on one of the
tributaries of the Brazos, at a spot which has been supposed to be
perhaps 40-50 m. N. of present town of Washington, Tex.; the date is
Mar. 19th or 20th, 1687. Seven of the survivors of La Salle's
ill-starred colony at Fort St. Louis of Texas, reached Arkansas Post
after a journey computed at the time to have been 250 leagues, in the
summer of 1687, and found Couture and De Launay, two of the six whom
Tonti had stationed there the year before. (See Wallace, Hist. Ill.
and La., etc., 1893.) This Tonti (or Tonty), b. about 1650, died at
Mobile, 1704, was the son of Lorenzo Tonti, who devised the Tontine
scheme or policy of life insurance. Arkansas Post was the scene of
Laclede's death, June 20th, 1778. The place was taken by the Unionists
from the Confederates, Jan. 11th, 1863.