Page 251 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

EARLY HISTORY OF T~ISCONSIN. 247

Fox River, five miles from the Bay, where Depere now stands.
Nor do I find any reliable authority for anything more at
Green Bay than a mission and a trading post, till 1726, when,
according to "the CASS papers," a French fort was established
there. But no permanent settlement of others, occurred until
1745. In that year, says GRIONON, AUQUSTIN and CBARLES
DE LANGLADE ';migrated to Green Bay, where they became
the principal proprietors of the soil."
This settlement grew but alowly, and appears to have been
made up of discharged voyagers and employees of traders, who
took '' the daughters of the land " for wives. After the fall
of Quebec into the hands of the British, in 1759, a few emi-
grants came from Canada to the Bay, being drawn there by
their relatives or friends who had got there through the Fur
Trade. After the late war with England, in 1812 and '15, a
few Americans tried their fortunes by emigration to the Bay.
But the settlement continued to be small till after the Black
Hawk war in 1832, when it advanced more rapidly.
In 1660, Father MEXARD visited La Pointe, and established
a mission at the head of the Bay south of it, called Chagoua-
migon.* This mission being in the Sioux country, and draw-
ing, as it did, the straggling bands of Algonquins then afloat
in the country about it, as we have seen, the Sioux drove both
missionaries and Algonquins from the country in 1670.
We hear no more of either mission or other settlement at
that point until 1726, when the French Government, being
fearful of the Sioux, and yet wishing to encourage trade at the
place, and protect both traders and missionaries, sent a small
garrison, about thirty men, who built a Fort on the south end
-
* "This first n~ission in the West," suys SHEA, in his Hirtory qf American
Catholic fissions, speaking of MENARU'B labors, bL was situated, as the date of
his letter tells us, one hundred lengues west of Sault St. Mary's ; in all pro-
bability at Eineween~w.~' But the next year, Father MBNARD perished on his
wny to the Noquet Islands, in the mouth of Green B3y. It mas not till Octo-
ber lst, 1665, that Father CLAUDE ALLOUEZ estr1,blished a mission at Chagoua-
migon, henceforth c:illed La Pointe du Saint Esprit, and began to g~ther his
Indian Church. see Jeauit Relations, SHEA'B two works, BANCROFT, SMTTH~B
fiat. Wia. L. C. D.