Page 252 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

248 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.

of Magdalene Island, called La Pointe. The traders from
Canada accompanied the garrison, or soon followed them : the
Chippewas having probably preceeded them a short time. But
there was no increase of the whites, other than traders, mis-
sionaries, and government officials, until since the extinction of
the Indian title to the country in 1842 : nor has it greatly en-
larged since that period.
The third place visited and settled by white men, in what is
now Wisconsin, is Prairie du Chien. But at what time the
first visit or permanent settlement was made, is in the dark, and
rather uncertain. MARQUETTB and JOLIET descended the
Wisconsin river into the Mississippi, June 17, 1673. But as
they sailed down the river, and this Prairie lying above the
junction, and being entirely hid from view at the mouth of the
Wisconsin by the timber on the bottoms, I think it extremely
doubtful whether they ascended the Mississippi to this point,
and such a landing not being mentioned by them, it is not pro-
bable that they did so. Furthermore, as this Prairie was then
claimed by the Sioux, whose villages were over one hundred
miles above, there could have been no Indians at the place, un-
less by accident, to call their attention to it.
In 1680, seven years later, HENNEPIN ascended the Missis-
sippi, a prisoner to the Sioux. He could hardly have passed
this beautiful place without noticing and stopping at it : nor is
it at all probable that his captors, who were the owners of the
soil, would have passed it unnoticed. But as he makes no
mention of it, it is not probable that any trader or Indian vil-
lage occupied the place at that date.
But, as he was released fiom captivity the next year, 1681,
through the interposition of a trader, and returned to Quebec
by the way of the Wisconsin river, it is probable that the tra-
der lived at Prairie du Chien. I should infer, from the circum-
stances, that tho trader could not have been there when
HENNEPIN ascended the river, or he would have procured his
release at that time, and sent him home. This was probably