Page 166 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961
P. 166
162 WISCONSIN ~IISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
these claims, it was found that while they varied in extent,
they were very narrow on the river, running back three miles.
The next spring, the President sent out patents for these
claims. Early in the season of 1821, a large delegation of
Oneida and Stockbridge Indians arrived at Green Bay, to
make arrangements with the Menomonee Indians to settle in
the country. The arrangement was made, and the Oneidas
located six miles west of the Bay, and the Stockbridges twen-
ty-four miles above Green Bay on Fox River. The Oneidas
still reside where they first located, but the Stockbridges subse-
quently removed to the east sido of Lake Winnebago where
&hey still remain.
During the winter of 1820-21, I built a store for DANIEL
WHITNEY, three miles above Fort Howard, on the east side of
Fox River; and this was the first one of the kind erected in
the place, all others being mere log shanties used by the
Indian traders. WHITNEY left Green Bay about the first of
January for the East, traveling on foot to Detroit. He
returned in the spring with a lxrge assortment of goods, and
opened the largest store west of the Lakes. The lumber which
I usecl in the erection of this building was all sawed with a
whip-saw .
In 1821 I made a trip to St. Louis in a bark canoe up Fox
River, across the Portage, and down the Wisconsin to Prairie
fdu Chien, and thence down the Mississippi. I was sixteen
days on my journey, and uaw but seven white men in the whole
distance, outside the forts. I met one keel-boat on the Mis-
sissippi bound up for Fort Armstrong at Rock Island. There
was a small garrison opposite the mouth of the Des Moines
River. There were but few Americans and fow Spaniards at
St. Louis; the inhabitants were mostly French. There was
but one brick building in the place, and no buildings were
located on Front street, or where the levee now is. I
encamped on the sand beach, near where the old market is
located. I remained two weeks, did my business, when I was
advised to return by wa,y of the Illinois River.