Mercer County, Illinois - Chapter 1: Exploration and Discovery, 1914

Before the era of railroads civilization sought the sea or its navigable affluents, because communication on a large scale was by vessel and not usually overland by wagon, caravans or other land convevance. It thus occurred that whenever new lands were to be explored the projected routes were along water courses where canoes or other boats could be propelled up or down the tedious, tortuous and hazardous channels. In the older settled countries the cities were invariably located on the sea or on large streams which emptied into the sea, where commerce could be carried on with other similar centers of civilization. Here and there caravans crossed overland from city to city, but they were limited both in number and in usefulness.

For several centuries before the discovery of America the merchants and navigators of Europe had sought in vain to find a way to reach India and China by sailing westward instead of eastward. It was known that the world was round and it was believed by many that vessels which sailed westward would thus reach China and India, because civilized man then did not know of the existence of the Western Hemisphere which would prevent commerce from reaching those countries. It was in pursuit of a waterway to reach India that Columbus sailed on his memorable voyage of discovery westward in 1492. This expedition and many others which succeeded did not find a route to China and India, but did find that the two Americas interpose an insurmountable obstacle to the attainment of that object unless a water route through North America could be discovered. So important was such a route to the commerce of Europe with the Orient that as rapidly as possible various expeditions began to penetrate the wilds of the North American interior. Could such a route be found by commerce it would obviate the necessity of its being forced to send vessels around Cape Horn in order to reach the oriental nations, with which trade was enormous for that time and vital to the prosperity of European merchants. Thus after the discovery of the Western Hemisphere commerce continued its endeavors to find a water route to the South Sea, as the Pacific Ocean was then called, across the American continent, believing that if such a result could be accomplished vessels would speedily reach the markets of the Orient.

It was with this object in view that the governor of New France, as Canada was then called, sent Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette in the summer of 1673 to find and explore the large river lying westward of the Great Lakes, which all had heard about from the Indians, but which it was believed no white man had yet seen, though in reality De Soto had discovered it near Memphis in the previous century, but it was not known that the two streams were one and the same. The object of the governor of New France is shown in his letter of instruction to Louis Joliet. It states specifically that a water route to the South Sea was the paramount object of the expedition and that the great river of which the Indians talked so much should be explored with the hopes, if not the expectation, that it would be found to empty into the South Sea, in which case the long sought for water route to the Orient would become a reality instead of a mercantile and maritime dream. Joliet was the commander of the expedition, and Father Marquette was sent along as a means to assist in propitiating the Indian tribes along the way. Joliet was well fitted for the duty, because he was familiar with nearly all the Indian dialects and nearly always commanded the respect of the tribes. The power of Father Marquette over the Indians was fully recognized by the authorities of New France and his selection to accompany the expedition was unanimous. They were accompanied by five other Frenchmen whose names are unknown - seven in all to brave the dangers, hazards and uncertainties of the western wilds. With boats and supplies they left the Strait of Mackinac on May 17, 1673, coasted along the shore of Lake Michigan to Green Bay, passed up Fox River in Wisconsin, carried their boats and supplies across the portage to the Wisconsin River, and rowed down that stream until on June 17th they emerged from its mouth into the water of the Mississippi. Their feelings of delight over the discovery are described in the papers of Father Marquette.

Then began their real task of exploration. With the hope of reaching the South Sea they turned their boats down the river, rowing steadily during the days, but encamping on the shores usually during the nights. They passed by what is now Mercer County and may have encamped or landed on its shores. Finally when near the mouth of the Des Moines River, evidences of the presence of Indians became so numerous and patent that they landed, determined to communicate with the natives in order to learn more of their surroundings and what was ahead of them. They followed a footpath from the Mississippi westward a few miles to the shore of the Des Moines and finally saw spread out before them in the valley of the latter stream a village of wigwams and other abodes. Instantly their presence caused great commotion in the village and soon three chiefs stark naked and with signs of peace and with peace pipes in their hands approached them, stopping often to gesticulate in friendly native style. When they met the Indians showed every indication of submission and friendship. They proved to be members of a branch of the Illinois tribe and welcomed the explorers to their village, or rather a series of villages, along the Des Moines River. The entire tribe turned out and accompanied the strangers, scrutinizing them closely, but keeping at a respectful distance as they passed from village to village. Both Joliet and Father Marquette were given signal evidence of the high estimation in which they were held. In fact the tribe did not want to part with Father Marquette at all and saw him depart with many indications of regret. One of the chiefs gav"e his son, a lad ten or twelve years old, to Joliet for a slave; he accompanied the expedition down the river and back to Canada. Thev were given a great feast where the leading chief declared that the sun never shone brighter, the forests never laughed with greater merriment and the streams were never so free from rapids and rocks as on the day that brought the white man to this spot. The guests were given the great honor of being fed by the hands of the Indian chiefs, the latter taking the choicest portion of the food and placing it in their mouths. The Indians were unable to give the travelers the information sought concerning the course and mouth of the Mississippi, which was the reason for the continuance of the vovage down that stream.

After passing down as far as Arkansas and learning that the Mississippi probably emptied into the Gulf of Mexico and learning further that they would no doubt encounter hostile tribes, they returned up stream to the mouth of the Illinois River, thence up that stream and the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers to Lake Michigan and thence back to Canada. When almost within sight of home thev met with an accident in the St. Lawrence River, by which Joliet lost all his papers containing a full account of the expedition and lost the little Indian slave by drowning. This expedition opened up the Mississippi River to French and English explorations and settlements and showed that the South Sea could not be reached by the Father of Waters. The French used this discovery as a basis of their claims to all the country from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi and thence down that stream on both sides to the French settlements of Louisiana. Mercer County was first a part of New France and then a part of Louisiana.

The French did not sleep on their rights, but sent out various expeditions to cement their claims to this vast tract of country. The expedition of Robert La Salle in 1680 still further secured the Lake Michigan and the Illinois regions to the crown of France. They built forts at St. Joseph, Michigan, and Peoria, Illinois - really built a chain of forts from Canada to Louisiana, and established permanent settlements. Henry Tonti, La Salle's first assistant, remained at the Peoria fort, Creve Coeur, though later was compelled to leave. Father Hennepin and companions later passed down the Illinois and up the Mississippi no doubt seeing what is now Mercer County. Several expeditions from Louisiana passed up to what is now Minnesota, landing perhaps on Mercer County soil at the famous Upper Yellow Banks, now New Boston.

As the years passed the English from the Atlantic colonies pushed their claims westward through Pennsylvania and down the Ohio River and threatened the French possessions on the Mississippi and even on the Great Lakes. The first conflict between the two nations on American soil in the West was at Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburg) in 1753. The English from Virginia established Fort Pitt at that point, but were driven away by the French who named the garrison Fort Duquesne and endeavored to check the movement of the English down the Ohio River and for a time succeeded. The Seven Years'. war resulted, lasting from 1755 to 1762, at the conclusion of which all the territory of France east of the Mississippi River except along the Gulf of Mexico passed to the possession of Great Britain. This splended success of the English was due to the energy and statecraft of William Pitt, who at the crisis of the struggle in the English Parliament fought for a strenuous continuance of the war and though sick was borne to the chamber on a stretcher and there declared that now was the time to despoil France, the ancient enemy of the English, of all her possessions in the New World. His counsel prevailed with the result that France was pushed westward of the Mississippi except in the far South.

Thus it will be seen that what is now Mercer County was the possession of France by right of discovery and settlement and by Great Britain after 1763 bv right of conquest. It remained the property of the latter until 1783 when it passed to the United States as a result of the Revolutionary war. Thus it has remained to the present time.