Door County, Wisconsin - Chapter 5: Early French Explorers in Door County, 1917

Chapter 5: Early French Explorers in Door County

A short time after Nicolet returned to Quebec from his western trip, Champlain, the enterprising governor of the French possessions in America, died. With him also passed away the spirit of exploration for many years. His successor, Montmagny, was not interested in extending the French dominion to remote regions but 'quietly governed the affairs of the colony at home.

Radisson And Grosselliers

About twenty-five years after Nicolet's visit we come to the next visitors to the West. These were Radisson and Grosselliers, two picturesque and romantic soldiers of fortune, who traveled about for many years in this savage wilderness, apparently with no greater object than to seek adventure and "to be known with the remotest peoples." In both of these ambitions they were abundantly gratified. They stayed for a while with an Indian tribe, joined them in their wars, performed wonders of slaughter with their guns and then went on to the next tribe to be worshiped as divinities.

In the course of these wanderings they in the fall of 1658 crossed Lakes Huron and Michigan and arrived in the land of the Potawatomis. These Indians were a very hospitable and generous tribe, quite intelligent and affable, who lived on Washington Island and the neighboring lands. According to all accounts they loved nothing better than to entertain strangers who passed that way. Pressed by their hospitality, Radisson and Grosselliers spent the entire winter with the Potawatomis, thus becoming the first white men who sojourned for any length of time within the limits of Door County. Radisson does not tell much of their experience here but notes that it was a succession of feasts and that the time was spent with "a great deal of mirth." *

"The Potawatomis make their cabins of apaquois (mats) ; these are made of reeds. All this work is done by the women. This na- ~~ 18ee Radisson's Narrative reprinted in W. H. S. Col, XI, page 68.

tion is well clothed like our savages resident at Montreal. The only occupation of the men is to hunt and to adorn themselves. They use a great deal of vermillion. They use many buffalo robes, highly ornamented, to cover themselves in winter; and in the summer they wear red and blue cloth. In summer they play a great deal at lacrosse, twenty or more at each side. Their bat (crosse) is a sort of a small racket, and the ball with which they play is of very heavy wood, a little larger than the balls we use in playing tennis. When they play they are entirely naked; they have only a breech-clout and shoes of deer-skin. Their bodies are painted all over with all kinds of colors. There are some who paint their bodies with white clay, applying it to resemble silver lace on all the seams of a coat; and at a distance one would take it for silver lace.

"They play for large sums, and often the prize amounts to more than 800 livres * * *. They set up two goals and begin their play midway between. One party drives the ball one way, and the other in the opposite direction, and those who can drive it to the goal are the winners. All this is very diverting and interesting to behold. Often one village plays against another, the Poux (Potawatomis) against the Ottawas or the Hurons, for very considerable prizes. The French frequently take part in these games. The women work in the fields, raising very fine Indian corn, beans, peas, squashes and melons. In the evening the women and the girls dance. They adorn themselves liberally, grease their hair, put on white chemises, and paint their faces with vermillion, also putting on all the porcelain beads they possess, so after their fashion they look very well dressed. They dance to the sound of the drum and the rattle, which is a sort of a gourd with pillets of lead inside. There are four or five young men who sing and keep time by beating the drum and the rattle, while the women dance to the rhythm and do not miss a step. This is a very pretty sight and it lasts almost all night. Often the old men dance the Medilinne (medicinedance) ; they look like a band of sorcerers. All this is done at night. The young men often dance in the daytime, and strike at the posts. It is in this dance they recount their exploits. On such occasions they also dance the scout dance.* They are always well adorned

2 Charlevoix describes these dances in his Journal Historique, pp. 296-297. The first of these he calls the 'Calumet dance.'? Each warrior strikes the p th his hatchet, and relates his warlike deeds. Of the Scout dance Charlevoix representation of all that is done in a hostile expedi the savages usually aim mainly to take their enemies by surpri: reson that they have given to this exercise the name of scouting."

when they do this. * * * When this nation goes hunting, which is in autumn, they carry their apaquois with them in order to make their cabins every evening. All the people go - men, women and children; and they (often) pass the winter in the woods and return in spring." *

Nicholas Perrot

It was not until thirty years after Nicolet's visit that the French governor-general at Quebec attempted to resume the work of developing the Western trade begun by Champlain. In 1665 Nicholas Perrot, an interpreter and agent of the governor, was sent to the great lakes to make treaties with them and open up the fur trade. Perrot was a very able and resourceful man. Though small in stature he had a commanding personality and a gift of forceful oratory which prompted the Indians to regard him with the greatest respect. Learning that the Potawatomis at that time were the most important tribe in the region of the lakes, he went to them and for a year or two made his headquarters on Washington Island.

When he first appeared among them he was received like a supernatural being. They offered him incense and praised the sun and the sky that one of the celestial beings had deigned to visit them. "Thou art one of the Chief Spirits," they said, "since thou usest iron. It is for thee to rule and protect all men. Praised be the sun, which has instructed thee and sent thee to our country!" When he wished to walk about they insisted on carrying him in a blanket. Young men were sent ahead to clear the path and break away the limbs, and the women and children fell on their faces to the ground, not daring to look upon him when he passed. While refusing as much as possible this homage, he was able to keep up the respect which inspired it. When he arrived among them most of their young men had started on their first expedition to Montreal to trade with the French of whom they had heard through other tribes. Shortly after they had started war broke out between the Potawatomis and the Menominees who had their village two miles up the Menominee River. The Potawatomis, left defenseless, were therefore much afraid of being attacked by their enemies. But Perrot, hearing of this went to the Menominee village and there by his eloquence

The Potawatomis were very much concerned about the fate of their people who had gone to Montreal. They feared that they might have been overcome by the Iroquois or that the French had ill treated them. They therefore asked Perrot's guide who was a master juggler and medicine man to enlighten them. The juggler built himself a tower of poles and chanted several songs in which he invoked all the infernal spirits to tell him where the Potawatomis were. The reply was that they were at Manistee River three days' journey away and were bringing home much merchandise. This oracle was loudly acclaimed, but Perrot cast a damper on their spirits by calling the man a liar. The old men now begged Perrot to tell them when their people would return. He replied that such knowledge belonged only to God, but made a calculation of the length of the journey and their probable stay in Montreal and said the party could be looked for in about two weeks. There was now much excitement to see which was the better fortune teller, the conjurer or Perrot. Fifteen days later the canoes of the Montreal expedition were seen in the distance, their occupants firing off salvas of musketry with shouts and yells. When they were several hundred feet from the shore the two parties began to harangue each other. 'Those on shore told with no small exaggeration of the exploits of the great Frenchman who was among them. Upon hearing this the boat party all dressed up in their French finery jumped into the water and swam to the shore to welcome him.

Messengers were now sent to all the tribes round about even to the distant Illinois and Miamis living 400 miles away to come to the islands and trade with them and see the great Frenchman. The next year these Indians came, thousands of them and camped at the south end of Green Bay. The Miamis came with no less than three thousand men led by a great chief who ruled over them in great state like a veritable king. There was also a vast number of Indians of other tribes with many great chiefs. Here Perrot met them and was treated with the most profound reverence. Grand banquets, celebrations and ceremonies followed. Perrot made a rousing speech and told them how the soldiers of France would smooth the path between the Algonquins and Quebec; would brush the pirate canoes from the lakes and rivers; would leave the Iroquois no choice between shouted Ho! Ho! with the greatest approval. Treaties of eternal friendship were made, and arrangements were made to promote the fur trade. Perrot then returned to the Potawatomis when he organized an expedition of 900 men, made up in part of other tribes, to go with him to Montreal with a large cargo of peltries.*