Chicago makes a fine appearance when viewed from the water. It has
a light house, fort and barracks in which a garrison is kept, and
many elegant buildings. It is regularly laid out, on the south side
of Chicago river; the streets running parallel with it, and others
crossing them at right angles. The harbor being too much exposed, a
breakwater is building, so as to render it secure and safe for the
shipping. The town is already compactly built, for more than a mile in
length, and about half that distance in width; and there are a dozen
houses on the north side of the river, with which it is connected by
an elegant bridge. It has thirty-six stores, some of which are large
and elegant, and built of brick; and seven large taverns, filled
with guests to overflowing. It is now, about the size of Exeter, in
New-Hampshire, and is rapidly increasing. Vessels and steamboats come
here from Buffalo, laden with goods and merchandize; and it is the
great thoroughfare for travel to the western country. The trade of
all the upper country centres here; and when the canal is completed,
connecting the lake with the waters of the Illinois river, it must
become the largest town in the State. It is built on a level prairie,
open in full view to the lake, and the soil is enough mixed with sand
to prevent its being very muddy. The lake supplies the town with good,
wholesome water, and as far as I could judge, it is quite healthy.
While I was at Chicago, the Pottawattomie tribe of Indians, came there
to receive their annuity from the United States government. I could not
accurately ascertain their number, but probably, there were between one
and two thousand, men, women and children. I had before seen the small
remnants of Indian tribes at the north; but never had I seen such a
large body of western Indians assembled together. I had much curiosity
to see them, and learn something of the Indian character. In this I was
fully gratified.
Those who have formed high notions of the stateliness and chivalry
of the Indian character, might gain some new ideas, by witnessing,
day after day, the actions and movements of the Pottawattomies. It is
painful to state it, but truth compels me to say, their appearance was,
with but few exceptions, that of a drunken set of miserable vagabonds.
They were generally mounted on horseback, men, women and children; some
had small bells for their horses--some had blankets on, and others had
coats and pantaloons, similar to the whites; and many of them, had
jewels in the nose and ears, and the face painted in various colors and
forms, so as to give them either a ludicrous, or a terrific appearance.
To all this, perhaps, no one has a right seriously to object. It is
merely a matter of taste; and if they choose to exhibit themselves
in the various hues of the rainbow, or in the terrific aspect of a
warrior, I am willing they should be gratified. But their actions
were beneath the dignity of man, or of beast. They encamped near the
town, on the border of the lake; and above it, on the margin of the
river. I walked all through their encampment, and saw them frequently
in the streets. I found them, generally, bickering, quarrelling, or
fighting; or running their horses through the town, and displaying all
the antics of madmen. Day after day, and night after night, they were
carousing, shouting and fighting. On the lake shore, one of them killed
his wife, by splitting her head open with a hatchet, and then fled! I
did not learn what became of him.
They are also much addicted to theft. Too lazy to work, they had
rather steal whatever they desire, that comes in their way; and this
propensity and practice has been a fruitful source of the border wars,
between the whites and Indians.
I have seen hundreds of negroes together on their holidays; when they
had free access to intoxicating liquor if they chose; when they gave
themselves up to pastime and pleasure; and I do say, they appeared much
more civil and decent to themselves and to others, than the Indians.
They did not seem, like the Indians, to lose _all_ self respect. The
negroes generally appear to possess amiable dispositions; and are
faithful friends; are much more pliant and teachable; and if I must
dwell with either negroes or Indians, give me the negroes.
If the former mode of paying the government annuity to the chief of a
tribe, were objectionable, the present mode of paying each individual,
seems to me to be equally, if not more objectionable. I was informed
that the gross sum of seventy thousand dollars was paid to them
individually; each one an equal portion of that amount. But after
spending a few days in carousing at Chicago, they left the town as
they will finally leave the world--carrying nothing with them!
It appears to me, some different regulations, respecting the Indians,
ought to be adopted. The money now paid them, upon the whole, seems
to do them more hurt than good. Might not the government pay them
in specific articles, instead of money, such as blankets, clothing,
implements of husbandry, &c. There would not be then quite so much
inducement for speculators to prey upon them.
As to civilization, I am not so sanguine as some are, that it can
be done. The Indians seem to be naturally averse to the restraints
and labor of civilized life. To beg or steal is much more agreeable
to them, than to labor for subsistence. Any thing that looks like
work, they despise. In all cases, where they have come in contact
with the whites, it has been death to the Indian. At the approach of
civilization, they wither away and die; and the remnants of tribes
must flee away to the fastnesses of the wilderness, or perish in the
withering grasp of civilized man. They are to be pitied; but their
unprovoked murders and savage cruelties have steeled the heart against
them. Their cold-blooded murders, in the late war in Illinois, of men,
women and children, and their indecent mutilation and exposure of their
bodies when dead, cannot soon be forgotten or forgiven. Black Hawk, the
cold-blooded instigator and leader in this war, dared not return from
his trip to the East through Chicago, and the theatre of his cruelties.
He probably will never again set his foot on the eastern shore of the
Mississippi.
The country back of Chicago, for the distance of twelve miles, is a
smooth, level prairie; producing an abundance of grass, but too low and
wet for cultivation. The Chicago river is formed by two branches, which
meet at the upper end of the village. The branches come from exactly
opposite directions, and after running some distance, parallel with the
lake, and about a mile from it, here meet each other, and turning at
right angles, flow in a regular straight channel, like a canal, into
the lake. On each side of the town, between these branches and the lake
shore, there is, for some distance, a good growth of wood and timber.
On the lake shore, there are naked sand hills; and these are found all
around the lake.
This world has undergone great changes since its original creation.
In examining the western country, I came to the conclusion, that a
large portion of it was once under water; and that the lakes formerly
discharged their waters into the sea, through the Illinois and
Mississippi rivers.
The lakes Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie, are now about
twenty-five feet lower than lake Superior. The falls of St. Mary, at
the outlet of the upper lake, are nothing more than rapids. The water
descends twenty-two feet in the distance of three quarters of a mile;
and although canoes can pass them either way, yet they are impassable
to steamboats and vessels. Some years ago, a large vessel did go down
them in safety. It was built on lake Superior, by the north-western Fur
Company, but was found to be too large to be useful in their trade. It
was taken to the falls of St. Mary, and some Indians were hired to take
it down the rapids. They happened to go down in safety; and the vessel
was afterwards sold at Buffalo. Now, the probability is, that these
lower lakes were once nearly on a level with lake Superior; and their
outlet was at the south end of lake Michigan, instead of the Niagara
river.
Eight or ten miles from the present limits of lake Erie, there is
a regular, well defined shore, once washed by the water; plainly
indicating that the lake was once about twenty feet higher than it now
is. If lake Michigan were ten feet higher than its present level, its
waters would flow into the Illinois river. The Oplane, a branch of the
Illinois, approaches within twelve miles of the lake; and the land
between is low and level. When the water is high, boats now pass from
the lake to the river. At a time of high water, a steamboat attempted
to pass from the Illinois to the lake. After running a day from Ottawa
up the river, the water began to subside, the captain became alarmed,
lest his boat might run aground, and returned.
The valley of the Illinois river, plainly indicates that a much larger
stream once run there. Had its channel been formed by its present
quantity of water, it would have been not more than forty rods wide;
but now, it carries a breadth of from fifty rods to more than a mile;
it is, therefore, full of shoals and sand bars. The high banks all
along down the stream, are about two miles apart; and the space between
them not occupied by the river, is either a low marsh or a narrow lake.
When the lakes were high, aided probably by a strong west wind, the
water broke through in the direction of Niagara river; and in process
of time, wore a deep channel, drained the lakes to their present level,
and dried up their outlet, at the south end of lake Michigan. This is
my theory; and whoever will examine the country around the lakes, may
not deem it so wild and extravagant a one, as has been advanced and
believed by mankind.
Many of the inhabitants of Chicago are from the eastern part of
the country--civil, enterprising and active. I found good society
here--much better than I had expected in a place so new, and of such
rapid growth.
House rent is high, and provisions are dear. Last spring, potatoes were
sold for a dollar and a half a bushel; and this fall the current price
is a dollar. All this is owing to the rapid increase of the place, and
the immense travel through it. When more houses are built, and the
country back of it becomes settled, living will, undoubtedly, be cheap.
To the man of enterprise and business, it affords as good a location as
any in the western country.