Page 204 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

200 WISCOW$ IN IIIRTORICAL COLLECTIONS.

dred to six hundred and forty acres each. Like those at St.
Louis, Kaskaskia, Detroit, Prairie du Chien and other early
settlements, these claims were generally "squatted" upon by
traders and early pioneers, but were subsequently, by a series
of acts of Congress, "confirmed" and granted to the occupants
on certain conditions. Their peculiar shape of "all long and
no wide," has often been a matter of wonder to the shrewd
Yankees, who love to have their farms in a square form, and
take it all in at one view. Many laugh at what they deem the
folly and short-sightednefis of the old settlers in thus limiting
their locations. But when apprised of the reasons which
induced this manner of location, they rnay cease to marvel.
In my opinion, the reasons were two-fold: first, security against
hostile attacks to be apprehended from the native Indians, who
were the sole occupants and proprietors of the country in the
early years of its settlement by t,he traders, and whose pas-
sions mere often inflaxiled by jealousy and hatred of the whites
in their encroachn~ents upon the soil and freedom of the origi-
nal owners. It is evident that it would be inuch easier to
repel attack by a speedy union of the mhites thus living in
close proximity to each other, and concentrating their mho!e
force and means of defence, at some eligible point of security
than it viould havc been if living in spots remote and scattered
over a large extent of country. Another reason was, that in
those days the traders or whites who settled in the country
mere not influenced by thc same motive of cupidity that gov-
.
erns the "squatters" or “claimants" of tlie present day, in the
desire to acquire large lancled possessions. But few of those
who camc into the country at that early period, say about one
hundred years ago, designed to make it their permanent abode.
Their principal object was to traffic with the Indians, and to
obtain the rich furs and peltries with which this whole region
then abounded. Agriculture and the cultivation of the soil
were, with them, seconclary considerations. But very small
portions of the small tracts of land thus occupied by the
adventurcrs were cultivated by them. Small patches of Indian