Marathon County, Wisconsin - Chapter 1, 1913

Chapter 1

The Value of History - Marathon County, a Part of the Old Northzvest - The Ordinance of I'/Sj - Conquest of the Northzvest Territory - George Rogers Clark - Ozvnership of the Territory - Charter Granted bv Louis XIII to French Merclmnts - The Search for Gold - The Fur Trade - Explorations - Missionaries and Missions.

Introductory

History is a narrative of events, and of the life and acts of families, of tribes and nations, the study of which is of great value to the human mind, because by these recorded facts we judge of the past, and guide our future.

The first form of history is tradition, orally handed down from generation to generation by uncultured people to whom the science of letters is still unknown; but as soon as savage tribes emerge out of that state, and learn to understand letters and thus acquire a written language, they also begin to write their history. The sculptured inscriptions on monoliths, ancient temples and monuments, which may be seen more or less all over the world, including our own continent, are the first attempts at written history, and from those inscriptions so hewn into stone, we obtain some knowledge, scant though it may be, of nations and empires which have disappeared from the face of the earth and left us nothing to remember them by, except those architectural ruins. When writing became a familiar art, among learned men at least, it was not long before suitable material was invented on which to record the great achievements of men and nations, and history became written, from the^study of which we learn of the mode of life of nations, ancient as well as modern, their religion, their accomplishments, their uses and customs, their advance in art and science, and we learn of their progress and of their decay.

The. study of history is therefore a valuable attainment for any one, for all the world loves the study of Man. It may seem presumptuous to style a narrative of events such as occurred in Marathon county since its formation, a history in the common accepted sense of the word, and the simple word "story" might perhaps better apply. There are no world-changing actions to be recorded in this book (so far as Marathon county is concerned), no devastating wars, no act nor acts of men, who have, either as statesmen or military commanders, made a lasting impress upon our nation as a whole.

Nevertheless the people of this county are interested in knowing how, and when it was that it first arose out of the wilderness; who were the pioneers that hewed out a path to a territory where now 60,000 people (80,- 000, including Lincoln county, which was a part of Marathon county for 24 years) live in comparative comfort, nearly very family having a house or home of their own, most of them being the owners of extended and flourishing farms; they may wish to be acquainted with the character of those pioneers, with the hardships endured by them, their perseverance, their trials and tribulations, and their final triumphs over the forces of nature and adverse circumstances. People have eagerly listened to their tales, but little has been written down for the enlightenment of coming generations. The first pinery men have run their race, and they have almost disappeared from the stage of life, and even the ranks of the second generation are thinned in part by death, in part by removal. The tongues of the last of them will soon be hushed in eternal sleep, and it becomes almost a necessity, if we wish to preserve among us a fairly accurate picture of early life in Marathon county for the use of the present and coming generations, that the narrative, now mainly living in tradition, be put down in writing while a few of those pioneers can still be consulted. This book is written with the intention to enable younger generations to see the county where they were born, and those who have come to live here, as it was in its original state, to enable them to see and understand the causes which have changed the grim, dark forest, majestic and forbidding though it looked, long supposed to be unfit for the habitation of the white man, because of its supposed unfitness of the soil for agricultural purposes, into the present state, teeming with culture, with commerce and manufactures.

It took the hardest kind of manual work, muscular exertion for many years, a cutting loose from the ties which bind the cultured man to civilized life, exposed to the frosts of winter, braving the dangers of getting to market over the falls and rapids of an untamed wild river, to bring up Marathon county to its present flourishing state, and yet it is still in its infancy, and is destined to become the richest part of our state, wliicli is rapidly forging ahead in the sisterhood of states. But inasmuch as our state, of which Marathon county is a considerable part, was formed out of the Old Northwest Territory, it is appropriate to give a short account of that territory, and show how it was won for the Union in the Revolutionary war, and how the history of our state, including our county, was influenced by the great Ordinance of 1787.

The Old Northwest

By the celebrated Ordinance of 1787 the territory "northwest of the River Ohio" was to be divided into not less than three nor more than five sections or states. By the same law it was provided that "whenever any of the said states shall have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such states shall be admitted, by its delegates, into the Congress of the United States, on equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever; and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and state government. (Article V, Ordinance of 1787.)

Wisconsin was the last of the five states carved out of the Old Northwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan having been admitted prior into the Union), the whole area of these five states being 250,000 square miles, nearly as large a territory as the state of Texas. At the time of the passage of the Ordinance of 1787 it is probable that there were not more than sixty thousand "free inhabitants" in the entire territory. Today there are more than seventeen millions. In this section we find the largest lakes, joined by silvery rivers and canals, the richest mine deposits, the most fertile soil in North America, if not in the world, and what seemed to be an inexhaustible supply of forest products. Here are the longest rivers, and upon their banks sit in pride and majesty the noble cities from whose factories and mills come the clothing and food that help to feed and to protect the hungry millions of the earth, and from the two states of Michigan and Wisconsin came the thousands of millions of . feet of lumber which were used in building- the innumerable houses of the cities and hamlets, and the countless farm buildings of the prairies of the treeless West.

The citizenship of this section is among the most enlightened and progressive; it has furnished a number of presidents of the United States, senators and congressmen who were in the front ranks of American statesmen, great engineers, inventors, artists, orators, authors, and scholars.

For many years after the coming of the white men, the American Indians - the original owners of the soil - made Hfe a burden for these white men, who were often forced to bare their breasts upon "upland glade or glen" to the tomahawk, the poisoned arrow, and the faggot. The soil was redeemed for the white men by the veterans of three wars. It was reddened by the blood of the Indians, the French, the English, and the American. It was consecrated by the death of many a noble son.

But the great ordinance did more than to provide for the admission of states - it had strong provisions in regard to slavery and education. "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted," and "no person demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship, or religious sentiments, in the said territory."

No such expression had yet been seen in any document; and this is all the more wonderful and noble, when we recall the fact that, at that time, all the original states had slaves, and the last clause meant religious liberty, not merely toleration, as in most of the states of New England.

From this can be traced the liberty-loving sentiment ever afterwards found in the people of the Northwest. But this is not all. The great document resounded throughout the wilderness as with a mighty trumpet blast, the cause of religion and education.

"Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." The sixteenth section of every township of 36 sections was set aside for the maintenance of common schools in each of these five states. This generous grant on the part of the general government gave to these five states five million acres. The spirit of this section of the ordinance spread to all the western states, and they have now magnificent school funds. The enabling act of 1846 furthermore gave two whole townships of 72 sections for the maintenance of a university.

The conquest of the Northwest Territory was the great work of George Rogers Clark; without his successful expedition this territory would have remained in British possession during and at the end of the Revolutionary war, and consequently would not have been ceded to the United States in the treaty of Paris, 1783; and, not having acquired any territory from England since, this splendid area would in all probability be now a part of the British empire, together with the Canadian Northwest, and the history of the United States would in all human probability be written differently from what it is now. It is one of the most interesting chapters in the history of the War of the Revolution, and therefore deserves a place in this book, because had George Rogers Clark been unsuccessful, or had not undertaken his expedition, Wisconsin and Alarathon county would not be a part of this Union of States, but an integral part of the British empire.

This great man was born in Virginia in 1752, and was a brother of Capt. William Clark, whose great journey of 8,cxx) miles into the Oregon country from 1804-06, in company with Capt. Merriwether Lewis, a grateful nation commemorated in the year 1905 by a world's fair at Portland, Oregon. George Rogers Clark was made a brigadier-general in 1781, but is generally known in history, especially during the campaign in the Old Northwest, as Colonel Clark. He was as fine a rifleman as ever entered the forest. He was only twenty years old when he plunged into the unbroken wilderness of Ohio, as a soldier and surveyor with Lord Dunmore's expedition. He was skilled in all the knowledge of woodcraft. As a soldier he was brave and manly; as a commander he was sagacious, patient, and fearless. The Indians respected and feared him alike, and gave him and his men the name of "The Long Knives."

In 1785, at the close of Dunmore's war, Clark went to Kentucky, where he assisted Daniel Boone to fight Indians and to build a new commonwealth in the wilderness. On his return to his old home in Virginia he learned that the war for liberty had actually begun betw-een the colonies and England, the mother country. One year later we again find him in Kentucky, aiding the settlers on the border in many ways. He was chosen by them to command the rude militia of that country, and it proved a wise choice. Every settlement was in constant danger of attack by the bloodthirsty Indians, and Clark knew full well how to resist them. But Virginia was claiming ownership of this country of Kentucky - "the dark and bloody ground" - and the hardy settlers thought they should have some protection from Virginia.

At last two delegates, Clark being one, were chosen to go to Virginia and see the governor - then the noted Patrick Henry, and they forcefully showed him their needs and the necessity of immediate action. They petitioned for the formation of their country into an independent county, and that they might be allowed to assist the colonies in their struggle against the tyranny of England. They also asked for 500 pounds of gunpowder and a supply of rifles. The governor at first was inclined to refuse these requests on the ground that Virginia had all she could manage in the defense of the colonies. But Colonel Clark told him plainly that a country that was not worth defending was not worth claiming. The delegates obtained their desired arms and ammunition, and when the legislature next met. the county of Kentucky was formed, with almost the identical boundaries that now mark the state of Kentucky.

General Hamilton, the British commander at Detroit, had set a price upon every settler's head in the Ohio valley, and in the spring of 1777 the Indians had been so incited to cruelty and bloodshed by the promise of pay on the part of the British, that they made constant raids upon the settlements across the Ohio. Hiding in the dense forest, they boldly attacked the unprotected and helpless pioneer while at work in his field, burned his cabin, destroyed his cattle and his crops and carried his wife and children into hellish captivity. Not a single life was safe, for there was always a hidden dusky foe on every hand. Unless relief could be obtained soon, all the whites in the valley would be destroyed. Relief came - and under the guiding hand of the brave young Clark. He conceived the plan of not only protecting the settlements but of saving the great Northwest. But to carry out his plans he must have more men, and he therefore hurried back and laid his plans fully before Gov. Patrick Henry. He was duly commissioned to raise seven companies of forty men each among the settlers west of the Allegheny moimtains. As an incentive each soldier was promised 300 acres of land, to be selected from the richest valleys of the conquered territory. Thus originated the Virginia Military Reservation, between the Scioto and Miami rivers in Ohio, and the reser\'ation, now in the state of Indiana, for Clark and his soldiers.

In May, 1778, Clark started on the famous expedition from Redstone Old Fort (Brownsville, Pennsylvania) with only about 150 men. But the band increased in size as it marched on to old Fort Pitt (Pittsburg) where it embarked upon the Ohio. \Vhen Colonel Clark left the governor of Virginia he was entrusted with two specific commands. One was to protect the settlers in Kentucky, and the other - not yet to be made public - authorized him to enter Kaskaskia, a British post on the Kaskaskia river, one mile east of the Mississippi river. Governor Henry also gave him $1,200 and an order on the commandant at Fort Pitt for all the powder he might need.

From this fort the little band of men, without unifomis. fresh from the cabin, the forest, and the mountain, began their perilous journey to conquer what proved to be as rich a country as can be found on the globe. A motley crowd they were! Clad only in garb of the hunter, and armed with the clumsy flintlock rifle, the tomahawk, and the long knife. But each man felt that he had a mission to perform, and under the leadership of the "Hannibal of the West" he knew not defeat.

Gen. Arthur St. Glair And Representative Citizens 29

At the falls of the Ohio the army of backwoods men halted and camped on "Corn Island," opposite the present site of Louisville. Here the settlers who had accompanied the expedition decided to remain and build their homes. Colonel Clark drilled his soldiers here, then boldly informed them of his secret commission from Governor Henry to attack the British post at Kaskaskia. Cheers from the soldiers followed the announcement. Clark wisely decided to make the last part of the journey by land, and therefore hid his little flotilla near the mouth of the Tennessee, and from there began his journey through the tangled forest. This journey was filled with dangers and difficulties, but on the night of July 4, 1778, he surprised the garrison and captured the fort and the town. By a masterful management he brought all the inhabitants to take the oath of allegiance to the United States - and that without shedding blood. The British colors were lowered, and in their place the "Old Blue Flag" of Virginia was hoisted. Without fighting, the garrison of Cahokia, a few miles up the Mississippi, also surrendered. Then quickly followed the surrender of Vincennes, on the Wabash, 240 miles distant.

Vincennes at this time was deserted by most of the British, as the governor. General Hamilton, had returned to Detroit. But on learning of its capture by Colonel Clark and his backwoodsmen, and also that Kaskaskia and Cahokia were in his possession, Hamilton hastened to Vincennes with a large body of British regulars and Indian allies.

When he arrived there with his force the fort was in possession of just two men - Captain Helm and a soldier. The captain placed a cannon at the open gate and demanded the honors of war if the fort was to be surrendered. Hamilton, fooled in the belief that there was a force sufficient for a strong defense, granted the request, and the two men marched out between rows of British soldiers and Indians.

Hamilton again took command of the fort, but it being now winter, decided to await the coming of spring before attacking Kaskaskia. But Clark having been informed by his faithful Spanish friend. Colonel Vigo, who had loaned Clark nearly $20,000 to aid him in the campaign, that Hamilton had sent most of his men home for the winter, with the intention of recalling them in the spring for an attack on Kaskaskia, at once marched against Hamilton. The journey was long and dangerous ; the streams were filled with floating ice, the meadows and valleys were full of water, and the ground was swampy and irregular. Often the men had to wade four or five miles at a stretch through the water to their waists. Food became scarce, and the men were falling from sickness. But fortunately for them they captured a canoe from some squaws, and in it they found a goodly quantity of buffalo meat, corn, tallow, and kettles. This revived the weak and gave them all added courage to press on to the attack.

At last they camped on a small area of dry ground within sight of Vincennes. Hamilton was not aware of an approach of an enemy, and consequently felt secure in his stronghold. When night fell upon the camp, Colonel Clark led his men in a bold rush upon the town. The people of Vincennes were most heartily tired of British rule, and they welcomed the Americans. After some sharp fighting Hamilton agreed to meet Clark in a church and arrange tenns. The valiant Clark would listen to no proposition from this "murderer of defenseless women and children" but unconditional surrender. The next day Hamilton's men, 79 in number, marched out and laid down their arms. The American colors were again hoisted over "Old Vincennes," and the fort was baptized with a new name, "Fort Patrick Henry." To the good name of George Rogers Clark also belongs the great work of the invasion of the rich country of the Shawnees, and the defeat of the Miamis. This successful campaign gave to Clark undisputed control of all the Illinois country and the rich valley of the Wabash. In fact, he was the unquestioned master of the country from Pennsylvania to the "Fathers of Waters" and from the Ohio to the Great Lakes.

By the treaty of Paris, 1783, at the close of the Revolutionary war, this great area, now consisting of five states, was transferred from Great Britain to the United States. To the hero of this expedition America owes an enduring monument. But we have not always rewarded our great men In due measure. It is said that George Rogers Clark was allowed to pass his last years in poverty and neglect. His death came in 1818.

Ownership Of The New Territory

For a long time it was doubtful to what state this newly acquired region belonged. Virginia claimed nearly all of it, and certainly her claim was a strong one. Massachusetts, New York, and Conrlecticut each laid claims to parts of this territory. But Delaware. New Jersey, and Maryland absolutely refused to enter the Union unless all the other states gave up their claim to congress. Their contention was this : Should Virginia, or any other state, be given the whole or even a great part of this vast area, she would then have too much power. Therefore, all claims, they said, should be surrendered by these states to congress for the general good. This firm stand on the part of these three small states finally prevailed, and all claims, save certain reser\'ations, were given up to the general government.

Thus was acquired the "Old Northwest Territory"' from the mother country, but it took three more wars with the Indians, the last one being the so-called "Black Hawk War" ending in 1832, in which Abraham Lincoln served as captain of the militia, and from that time on, the settlements of the white men became secure from Indian molestation.

It is not generally known that the Northwestern Territory, including Wisconsin and a large part of Minnesota, was claimed in succession, first by Spain, then by France, then England, before it became an integral part of the United States.

Based upon the discovery of Florida by Ponce De Leon, Spain claimed all the Atlantic coast as far as the Newfoundland bank, thence west to the Mississippi with the Great Lakes as a northern boundary, thence south on the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico and east to Florida. That claim was entirely vague and remained a mere paper claim, except as to the southern portion thereof, which Ferdinand De Soto had traversed from Florida to the Mississippi. France had a better claim. As early as 1627, a charter was granted by Louis XIII, king of France, to a number of French merchants, organized by the Duke of Richelieu, giving them a monopoly of the trade of the whole of, the St. Lawrence basin, and the rivers flowing directly into the St. Lawrence gulf.

This company entered into Canada for the purposes of trade, and was the forerunner of the Hudson Bay Company. France, having at the same time taken military possession, extended its power by explorations and discoveries in the next 100 years, by the establishments of military posts and trading points as far west as the Great Lakes and down south, including nearly the whole of the Mississippi valley to the north boundary of Spanish Florida. The incentive of all this early explorations was chiefly the impulse for adventure, for conquest, and mainly the lust for gold.

Moses M. Strong in his "History of Wisconsin Territory" says : "As early as 1690, one Philippe Francois Renault was appointed as director general of the mines of Louisiana, who arrived in the Illinois country with 200 miners and artificers. They made fruitless explorations for mines as far as the sources of the St. Peter, the Arkansas, the tributaries of the Missouri, and even to the Rocky Mountains."

All these mining explorations failed, and no attempt was ever made by France for a permanent settlement, except those on and along the lower Mississippi and up as far as Kaskaskia in Illinois, all of which decayed in after years, excepting only those in the neighborhood of New Orleans and along the Great River in the present Louisiana. Eastern Canada, however.

The distance between Europe and America with navigation and ship building in its infancy as well as the frequent, almost uninterrupted wars .between the nations on the old continent which prevented overpopulation, prevented also the emigration of actual settlers, tillers of the soil.

But the fur trade began to flourish. The French succeeded in establishing a large trade with the natives, exchanging arms and ammunition, blankets and trinkets for their fur and pelts. The traders usually resided at a military post, at all events safe from hostile attacks, and sent their employees, called "voyageurs" far into the interior to do the bartering with the Indians. These voyageurs took their merchandise with them, and after a season, or sometimes two seasons, returned with the fruit of their trade. The "sang froid" of the Frenchman, his natural love of freedom from personal control, and his desire for adventure and inborn capacity to adjust himself to newsurroundings and conditions, when they were not forced upon him, but rather of his own choice, made them willing to enter into this employment and capable of giving excellent service.

After spending several years in the wilderness, communicating only with nature and the natives, they accommodated themselves to their mode of life, their fare and most of their habits; they had no longer any taste for civilized life and preferred the carefree life in the forests to the orderly regulated life of European settlements with its customary observances; they frequently married Indian women in the Indian fashion, were adopted in the tribe of the wife, and upon the whole were looked upon by the Indians as their friends. It was the influence of these voyageurs more than any other, which established the friendly feeling between the French and Indians, which caused many of the North American tribes to ally themselves with the French in their wars with the English, to the great detriment of the English- American colonies.

The Missionary

Simultaneously with the Indian trader, or at all events closely following him, came the missionary, whose appearance among the savages was prompted from the highest, most elevated and unselfish sentiments ; whose sole purpose was to preach the gospel, to bring the religion of peace and love to the untamed sax^age, to cultivate in his breast the sentiments which adorn human life. This missionary work was begun by the Jesuits, only occasionally assisted by a monk of the Order of St. Francis. They were carefully trained for that work, spending years in preparation ; they led an austere, blameless life, used to hardships of all sorts, learned the language of the people which they intended to visit, to enable them to communicate with them, and act as teachers and advisers for them ; they stayed with the tribes, shared their privations, and sought to teach them the cultivation of the soil. Many suffered tortures among the Indians and died like martyrs, after devoting a whole life to their service. They accomplished much good in their way; they succeeded in raising some tribes for a time out of the wholly savage state, induced them to prefer a life of peace to the warpath and cultivate the soil, as, for instance, among the Indians on Lake Superior. But their work was not permanent. Wars would still break out from time to time and destroy the seed so carefully planted and nourished by them, before it could fully ripen and bear fruit, and when the territory was ceded by France to England, the missionary institutions, failing to receive that aid from France which theretofore they had obtained, declined, and most missions ceased.

The first white man who entered the present area of Wisconsin was M. Nicollet, who came to the region of Green Bay as early as 1634; from there he penetrated west, reaching the southern course of the Wisconsin river, which he descended, but not far enough to reach the Mississippi.

In 1 64 1 the Jesuit Fathers Raymboult and Joquet, the first missionaries, came to the Falls of (Soult) St. Mary; their coming having become known to the natives, they were met there by about 2,000 Indians.

In 1668 Fathers Dablone and James Marquette founded a mission at St. Mary, which is the oldest European settlement in Michigan, and in 1670, Dablone and Allouez, another Jesuit missionary, founded the mission of St. Francis at Green Bay.

A congress of Indians was held at St. Mary's in 1671 ; the two last mentioned missionaries raised a cross there with great ceremony, to make an impression upon the hearts of the assembled Indians, and then a French officer, Lusson, caused a huge pole to be erected, upon which were carved the lilies of the Bourbons, and made the announcement that the natives were placed under the protection of the king of France, Louis XIV, in whose honor all that territory and south to Spanish Florida was named Louisiana. Two years afterwards, in 1673. Joliet and Marquette started from St. Mary's on their famous voyage which resulted in the discovery of the Mississippi. They arrived at Green Bay on March 13th; thence followed the course of the Fox river up to its source, which brought them within onehalf mile to the Wisconsin river. With the aid of accompanying Indians they portaged over in the Wisconsin river, leaving the portage on June loth, and in a short time reached the Mississippi. Going steadily down stream they went as far south as the ^^° latitude to an Indian village called Akansea, where they rested a short time, and returned.

On their return trip they entered the sluggish Illinois river, which favored their passage up stream, until they came in close proximity to the Chicago river, portaging over and descending that river to Lake Michigan, and before the end of September, they were safely back again in Green Bay. They had spoken to many Indian tribes on their trip, and gave a glowing description of the fertility of the country which they had traversed.

The upper Mississippi from the mouth of the Wisconsin upwards, was explored by Hennepin and Career a few years later. Hennepin returned to Green Bay by the \\'isconsin-Fox route, which in that early day had become quite a highway and artery of commerce.

In 1689 Green Bay had a military post, a chapel and mission house for the Jesuit Fathers who did missionary work among the Sacs and Foxes and Pottowatamies.

But the first missions in point of time, though not so pemianent as the one in Green Bay, were on Lake Superior, which Father Allouez founded as early as 1685. He had set out from St. Mary's, traveling west on the Great Lakes, until he reached the great village of the Chippewas at Chequoigon, in the immediate neighborhood of the present city of Ashland. Here he met a large assembly of Sacs, Foxes, Hurons, Sioux, and Chippewas. He founded two missions, one for the Ottawas, and one for the Chippewas, whose villages were separated by a river. Here he baptized Indians, taught the catechism to the children, and the squaws to cultivate the land. In 1689 a mission was established by Father ^larquette on La Point, on one of the Apostle Islands.

But the enmity between the Sioux and the Chippewas broke out afresh in 1780: their war broke up the missions, and the Indians returned fully to their original savage state, except that there are traces which show that long afterwards the ground was tilled at La Point, and also at Lake View Desert. A mission was re-established long afterwards at La Point, and it became an important trading point.

These first explorations by fur traders and missionaries were followed up by many in quick succession. The Fox and Wisconsin routes became the highway to the interior. At the portage there was another trading point, and it is said that the Winnebagoes levied a tariff on the trade at the portage, claiming the privilege to portage it over from one river into the other, exacting a stipulated price therefor.

The war between France and England, and later the Revolutionary war, did not interrupt the trade, because this far off territory was not invaded by the contending forces. It was thoroughly known to the voyageur at the time of its cession to congress, and the trade which had been carried on mainly by the Hudson Bay Company while in British possession, was continued by the American Fur Company, or perhaps it should be said, by the proprietor of the same, J. J. Astor. JL480955

The efforts of the missionaries, so full of promise in the beginning, turned out failures in the end. The causes of the failure were the continuous hostilities between the tribes, which interfered with a peaceful settlement of the Indian, and partly by the utter lack of support of the missionary work by the mother country or government after this vast area had been ceded to England.

When it is remembered that the northern route from (Soult) St. Mary to Ashland by following the shores of the lake was traveled in 1666; that Indians assembled there from all parts of the present territory of Wisconsin; that Green Bay and its eastern shore and the streams emptying into it were known ; that the Fox and Wisconsin had become a regular commercial artery connecting the Mississippi with Lake Michigan and the Great River explored up from Prairie du Chien as far as Minneapolis ; that the voyageur paddled or poled his bark canoe upstream wherever an opportunity for trade offered itself, with permanent trading points at Green Bay, the portage, at Prairie du Chien and La Point, it seems indisputable that at the end of the Revolutionary war Wisconsin was as well known to the Indian trader and voyageur at least as some of the eastern and New England states. The French occupation ended in 1763; the English occupation in 1783, although Great Britain arbitrarily held possession until 1795, when it passed under the control of the American congress.

By the treaty with England in 1783, the right of the Indians to the land was acknowledged by the United States. The government obligated itself to acquire title from the Indians only by purchase, but on the other hand, the sale or cession of lands by the Indians to anybody else than the United States was forbidden.