Marquette and Jolliet French Exploration of the North American Interior, 1673.

On May 17, 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, a skilled cartographer and fur trader, set out on a four-month voyage that carried them thousands of miles through the heart of North America to explore the path of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi's vastness awe-struck them, and they recognized its potential as a major route for trade and exploration.

sidebar

Louis Jolliet likely met Father Marquette at the Jesuit mission at Sault Ste. Marie. Born near Quebec, Joliet had been destined for the priesthood when he decided to change course and become a fur trader.

 

 

Map of Marquette and Jolliet's exploration of the Mississippi River, 1673.

Their voyage helped to initiate the first non-Indian settlement in the North American interior that introduced Christianity into 600,000 square miles of wilderness, gave French names to cities in Wisconsin and Illinois, transformed traditional Indian cultures, and nearly exterminated the fur-bearing mammals of the Upper Midwest.

The two explorers were an unlikely pair. Father Jacques Marquette was a studious Jesuit two weeks shy of his 36th birthday. His partner, Louis Jolliet, was a 27-year-old philosophy and cartography student who had become a fur trader.

sidebar

The word "Mississippi" comes from the Ojibwe Indian Tribe (Algonquian language family) word "Messipi" or "misi-ziibi," which means "Great River" or "Gathering of Waters." French explorers, hearing the Ojibwe word for the river, recorded it in their own language with a similar pronunciation. The Potawatomi (Algonquian language family) pronounced "Mississippi" as the French said it, "Sinnissippi," which was given the meaning "Rocky Waters."

Marquette and Jolliet did not discover the Mississippi. Indians had been using the "Sinnissippi" for thousands of years, and Spanish explorer Hernan De Soto had crossed it more than a century before them. They confirmed that the native peoples who lived along the route were generally friendly and that the natural resources of the lands in between were extraordinary. Equipped with this information, French officials led by the explorer LaSalle would erect a 4,000-mile network of trading posts to systematically exploit those riches over the next century and a half.

They left St. Ignace at the head of Lake Michigan on May 17, 1673. They crossed Wisconsin between June 1 and June 17, then followed the Mississippi River hundreds of miles south to Arkansas.

sidebar

The five voyageurs (names unknown) were almost certainly of French-Canadian or Métis (mixed French and Indian) heritage. They were knowledgeable in wilderness survival, skilled canoeists, guides, and outdoorsmen, making them essential to the success of the expedition.

Two canoes carried seven, including Marquette and Jolliet, paddled by five unnamed voyageurs.

In June of 1673, Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, and Louis Jolliet, a fur trader and skilled cartographer, entered what is now the state of Illinois during their groundbreaking exploration of the Mississippi River. They began their journey in May from St. Ignace in present-day Michigan, intending to find the river's course and potential route to the Pacific Ocean. While their exact duration within Illinois borders is somewhat debated, they spent a significant amount of time exploring the region, likely staying roughly a month before continuing their trip in July.

As they paddled their canoes down the Mississippi, they made an essential encounter with members of The Illinois (aka Illiniwek or Illini) Confederacy. The Illinois comprised several Indian tribes consisting of the Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Tamarais (Tamaroa, Tamarois), Moingwena, Mitchagamie (Michigamea), Chepoussa, Chinkoa, Coiracoentanon, Espeminkia, Maroa, and Tapouara tribes that were of the Algonquin family. They spoke Iroquoian languages. The Illinois called themselves "Ireniouaki" (the French word was Ilinwe).

These tribes were welcoming, and the explorers learned much about their culture and way of life. Marquette, fluent in several native languages, likely used his skills to communicate and foster peaceful relationships. The Illinois shared vital information about the river's course and warned of potential dangers downstream, including hostile tribes. 

The relationship between the explorers and the Illinois people were mainly friendly; they engaged in trade and shared information. Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, was keen to learn about their customs and languages while also seeking to introduce them to Christianity.

While in Illinois, Marquette and Jolliet meticulously documented the land they traversed. Marquette likely kept detailed journals of their observations, noting the abundance of wildlife, fertile soil, and diverse plant life they observed. As a cartographer, Jolliet would have carefully mapped out the landscape and river, creating valuable records for future French exploration. Marquette's journal is a valuable historical source offering insight into the geography, flora, fauna, and the lives of the Indians they encountered.

Despite the valuable knowledge and hospitality they received from the Illinois people, Marquette and Jolliet eventually decided to turn back. Rumors of conflicts further south and fears of encountering Spaniards convinced them that continuing the journey was too risky. They reasoned that they had discovered enough to confirm that the Mississippi River emptied into the Gulf of Mexico, not the Pacific Ocean. Thus, they began their return journey in July after a relatively short stay within Illinois' boundaries.

A significant part of their Illinois travels involved venturing up the Illinois River, a major tributary of the Mississippi. This fertile river valley was teeming with wildlife and rich agricultural potential. They likely encountered villages along the river banks,  interacting with more members of the Illinois Confederacy.

On September 30, 1673, they arrived at St. Francis Xavier Mission at modern DePere, Wisconsin.

Marquette and Jolliet's expedition solidified French claims to the territory, paving the way for later colonial expansion into the Mississippi River valley and the establishment of Illinois Country.

Additional Reading:

Exploring Seventeenth Century "Païs des Illinois," the Illinois Country.

The Last Two Years of Jacques Marquette, Jesuit Missionary and Explorer. (1673-1675)

The Marquette and Jolliet "Cross" Chicago, Illinois, 1907.

Complied by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

A Summary of French Influence in Illinois.

While Cahokia was undoubtedly a significant center of French colonial life in early Illinois, several other villages and settlements thrived beyond its shadow, each with unique stories and contributions to the state's rich history.

French explorers ventured into the Illinois county of Virginia as early as the 17th century, lured by tales of fertile lands and abundant resources. By the late 1600s, permanent settlements began to take root, driven by the fur trade, missionary zeal, and the quest for agricultural and mineral wealth.

sidebar

The state of Illinois became Païs des Illinois (Country of Illinois), when Virginia ceded their County territory in 1778.

 

Early French Settlements

The town of Kaskaskia, Illinois, was founded in 1703. Jesuits established The village as a missionary post and developed it into a French trading post and farming community. Kaskaskia became the capital of French Illinois and a bustling hub for fur trade and agriculture. Jesuit missionaries established a strong presence, and the town boasted a vibrant cultural scene with music, theater, and celebrations.

The village of Prairie du Rocher was founded in 1722; nestled along the Mississippi River, it became known for its skilled farmers and artisans. Residents cultivated wheat, corn, and tobacco and crafted furniture, tools, and other goods. The community also hosted a vital salt trade.

Prairie du Rocher Cemetery. Note the Iron Crosses Grave Markers.

Fort de Chartres was constructed in 1718 between Kaskaskia and Cahokia. This fort served as the French military and administrative center in the region. It played a crucial role in defending against British incursions and overseeing trade routes. The nearby village of St. Anne, established in 1720, grew alongside the fort, with French residents supporting the military engaged in farming and fur trading.

Fort de Chartres Gatehouse. Climbing the 18-foot-high gatehouse provided a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

Village Life and Culture

French colonial architecture had a different building process. Homes were typically built with poteaux-sur-sol (post-on-sill) construction, featuring square-hewn logs and covered porches. This style contrasted with the standard unhewn log cabins among American settlers.

Examples of Poteaux-Sur-Sol Construction:

Cahokia Courthouse, 107 Elm Street, Cahokia, Illinois.

The Martin-Boismenue House, East Carondelet, Illinois.

French villagers relied heavily on farming, raising crops like wheat, corn, and vegetables. They also kept livestock, hunted, and fished, ensuring a degree of self-sufficiency. They engaged in lively trade, exchanging goods with Native American tribes and other European settlements. The fur trade was significant, with furs shipped to New Orleans down the Mississippi.

Strong Community Bonds

The Catholic faith played a central role in village life, with churches serving as social and cultural centers. Residents celebrated holidays and festivals together, fostering a strong sense of community.

Challenges and Transformations

The outcome of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) led to the cession of French territory east of the Mississippi to Britain, significantly impacting French village life in Illinois. Many residents relocated to Spanish Missouri, while others adapted to British rule.

The American victory in the Revolutionary War in 1783 brought about another transition, with Illinois becoming part of the United States. French villagers gradually integrated into American society, preserving their cultural traditions while adapting to new political and social realities.

The French Legacy

The legacy of French village life in Illinois continues to be celebrated and preserved through Historic sites. Many French villages, like Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, are designated historic landmarks, showcasing their original architecture and way of life. Festivals and celebrations like the Prairie French Festival in Prairie du Rocher keep French traditions alive through music, dance, and food.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Winning of the Illinois County of Virginia (1778) from the British in the American Revolution (1775-1783).

The Illinois County was already occupied by settlers, most of whom spoke Algonquian and Siouan languages before the French and English arrived. (Map by Jacques Nicolas Bellin, 1755)

After winning the French and Indian War in 1763, the British controlled forts at Detroit and in what is now Indiana and Illinois.

sidebar

The Illinois County of Virginia (1673-1778) was a political and geographic region, part of the British Province of Quebec, claimed during the American Revolutionary War on July 4, 1778, by George Rogers Clark of the Virginia Militia as a result of the Illinois Campaign. The Virginia-based local government lasted only six years. Illinois County was extinguished when Virginia ceded its claims to the Northwest Territory to the United States in 1784. 

After the American Revolution started, those British bases became a threat to Virginians rather than a source of protection. The British repeated the tactics used by the French in the French and Indian War. Delivery of guns and ammunition to Native Americans enabled them to attack backcountry farms and settlements, with the greatest impact on Kentucky County Virginians. The General Assembly had created Kentucky County in 1776 to counter efforts by Richard Henderson and the Transylvania Company to split that territory off from Virginia.

The British built a new fort on the Wabash River at Vincennes in 1777, enhancing the supply route. The Virginian response to the threat to western settlement during the American Revolution matched the British response in the French and Indian War - capture the supply bases to cut off supplies to the Native Americans, as Fort Duquesne was captured in 1758.

George Rogers Clark, the ranking militia officer in Kentucky County, traveled back to Williamsburg. He convinced Gov. Patrick Henry and other key officials that a military response was necessary. The cost concerned the officials in Williamsburg, but Clark got two sets of orders from Governor Henry.

His public orders authorized him to defend Kentucky, but the secret orders allowed him to launch an attack west into British-held territory. Clark desired to seize Detroit but started by capturing easier targets with no British forces to defend them.

Governor Patrick Henry provided secret orders in 1778 for George Rogers Clark to attack Kaskaskia and Vincennes. (January 2, 1778)

Clark gathered about 175 men to form the Illinois Regiment, recruiting from Carolina to Fort Pitt. In a private letter signed by Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and George Wythe, he was assured that his recruits would be granted a bounty of 300 acres of land in addition to standard pay.

He managed to move by boat downstream from Louisville on the Ohio River by marching cross-country to Kaskaskia on the Mississippi River. The few British officials at Kaskaskia were surprised and offered no resistance. The Roman Catholic vicar there championed the American cause, and the French residents welcomed Clark's force. The residents at Cahokia and Vincennes were equally supportive, and in July 1778, the British lost control of the territory south of Detroit.

George Rogers Clark obtained supplies in Virginia, then traveled to Kentucky and seized control of the future Northwest Territory in 1778-1779.

In December, Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton brought a handful of regular British troops from the 8th Regiment of Foot, Detroit militia, and Native Americans from Detroit and quickly recaptured Vincennes. He chose to upgrade Fort Sackville there rather than attack Clark at Kaskaskia. Because getting supplies to Vincennes was so tricky, Hamilton sent most of his men back to Detroit.

Clark made a middle-of-winter march to recapture Vincennes before Hamilton could strengthen defenses there. Clark led an expedition of nearly 175 men, including French allies recruited at Kaskaskia, 180 miles east through the flooded wilderness, through swamps with water at times as high as their shoulders.

In February 1779, the Virginians marched from Kaskaskia to Vincennes through prairie and forests flooded by seasonal high waters.

The winter march from Kaskaskia to Vincennes required 17 days to cover over 150 miles.

Clark wrote later in his memoirs:

In the spring, we knew that Governor Hamilton would be at the head of such a force that nothing in this quarter could withstand his arms, that Kentucky must immediately fall... We saw but one alternative, which was to attack the enemy in their quarters... the enemy could not suppose that we should be so mad as to attempt to march eighty leagues through a drowned country in the depths of winter, that they would be off their guard and probably would not think it worthwhile to keep out spies that... we might surprise them.

Kentucky County was exposed to raids by Native Americans, which the British supplied from Detroit and other forts.

Hamilton was caught by surprise and lacked adequate manpower to defend the fort. After a brief resistance, he surrendered.

George Rogers Clark recaptured Fort Sackville at Vincennes and imprisoned Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton in 1779.

Clark had Hamilton and the British officers taken 1,200 miles east to Williamsburg. He was imprisoned as a common criminal rather than treated as an officer captured in War. Hamilton was treated harshly because Governor Thomas Jefferson and top Virginia officials thought he was responsible for Native American raids in the backcountry where settlers were scalped. Because the British provided resources for the raiders, Hamilton was called the "Hair Buyer."

Clark lacked the resources to attack Detroit, and the British occupied the fort until 1796.

George Rogers Clark and the Illinois Regiment recaptured Vincennes in 1779.

The Virginia General Assembly asserted its claim to the captured territory by creating the Illinois Country in 1778.

In 1781, it authorized the officers in the Illinois Regiment to identify a 150,000-acre parcel north of the Ohio River where land grants would be awarded for service in that regiment. General Clark was given over 8,000 acres, officers received over 2,000 acres each, and privates were granted just 108 acres each. Clark's Grant of 150,000 acres, including 1,000 acres designated for creating the town of Clarksville, ended up within the state of Indiana.

The General Assembly created Illinois Country on December 9, 1778, after George Rogers Clark captured Vincennes and brought Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton to Williamsburg as a captive.

During the 1783 peace negotiations that ended the American Revolution, American control of the territory was acknowledged. The Northwest Territory was ceded to the United States of America in the Treaty of Paris. The western boundary was drawn from Lake of the Woods, then by a line to be drawn along the Middle of the Mississippi River until it shall intersect the Northernmost Part of the thirty-first Degree of North Latitude.

The British refused to evacuate forts, citing that the Americans were violating the treaty by refusing to allow British lenders to collect on debts owed by Americans. British forces left the fort at Detroit only in 1796, after the British and their Indian allies were defeated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, many tribal leaders signed the Treaty of Greeneville in 1795, and the US Senate ratified the Jay Treaty in 1796.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

The 1730 Arrowsmith Battlefield of the Meskwaki (Fox) and the French in McLean County, Illinois.

Soon after their first contact with the French in Wisconsin, the Meskwaki (Fox Indians) began to develop a feeling of distrust and suspicion, which broke out later in hostilities that proved very detrimental to trade and settlement over a vast area of New France. The Foxes were a sturdy race — self-reliant and revengeful, cherishing their vengeance long and venting it when the moment seemed opportune. After a great many years of unpleasant relations with this tribe, the French authorities were able to secure the assistance of other Indian nations to aid in their destruction.  

A decisive battle between the Foxes and the French (aided by other Indian tribes — enemies to the Foxes) was fought in 1730. This battle, lasting twenty-three days, is recorded on the pages of history, but writers have not been able to definitely locate this fateful struggle. Some historians have said it probably was fought near Starved Rock, while another has it placed (some thirty-five miles to the northeast) not far from Piano in Kendall County, Illinois. These locations have not been satisfactory to historians because of conflict with the official reports. The best authorities have located it on the uncharted prairies with no nearby landmarks. Under such circumstances, only a careful analysis of all available records and situations will reveal the accurate site of the battle. 

At that time, distance and directions could only be given approximately. Yet, they are definite enough to be of great value in locating this battle site when other official reports and local records are examined and compared. The location is plainly designated in a statement made by Hocquart, Intendant of New France, who was at. Quebec. On receiving the messengers direct from the scene of action, he reported to the French minister as follows: "I have no doubt, Monseigneur, that you have learned, by way of the Mississippi, of the defeat of the Renard savages that happened September 9, 1730, in a plain situated between the River Wabash and the River of The Illinois, about sixty leagues (270 miles) to the south of the extremity or foot of Lake Michigan to the east, southeast of Le Rocher (French for "the Rock"), in the Illinois country." (Fort St. Louis du Rocher on Starved Rock)

This story and the facts are given here conclusively fix the scene of this battle at the long unidentified "mysterious battlefield" in eastern McLean County.

On the Jacob Smith farm, two miles southeast of the village of Arrowsmith, McLean County, Illinois, are a few scattered trees. This is the remainder of what was formerly known as Little Grove and is now known as Smith's Grove. The headwaters of the Sangamon River flow along the south and southeast of this group of trees. To the north and northwest, a hill rises to an elevation of about twenty feet above the level of the river. The first settlers of this community noticed that there were many depressions and ridges on the top of this knoll, and they were then supposed to be remains of Indian pits or caches. These were said to be irregularly shaped and irregularly placed with the greatest depth not over two and one-half feet from the tops of the ridges to the deepest part of the depressions. 

The following is an excerpt from a discussion of "The Arrowsmith Battle Ground" written by Captain John H. Burnham and published in the Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society in 1908:

"One beautiful day in May, 1897, a party consisting of several pioneers of eastern McLean County and a few of the members of the McLean County Historical Society made a very interesting exploration of the central attraction of the grove, and we shall never forget our intense interest as we made our discoveries. We dug into four or five of the dozen or fifteen of the pits or depressions, which were scattered irregularly over the acre of land at the top of the little knoll, and found the apparent bottoms of these pits at depths not exceeding three feet, and mostly two feet from the apparent average natural level of the ground. Bones were found in nearly all of them, but they nearly all appeared to be bones of animals."

On several occasions, Captain John H. Burnham and Judge H. W. Beckwith of Danville had together investigated places that appeared to be of historical significance. Thus, it was only natural for Captain Burnham to write to his friend at Danville, telling him of the 1897 expedition to the Arrowsmith battlefield, and Judge Beckwith answered as follows. Dated December 3, 1897:

Dear friend Burnham,

I am glad to hear of the finds over on the Sangamon. This may be the missing link in Illinois history. I trust the search will continue until relics are found that will prove conclusively whether the combatants were French or Anglo-Americans. Expeditions were sent out from Fort de Charters prior to 1735 against the Fox Indians. Also forays were made from Kentucky into that region around 1812.

The Illinois State Historical Society was organized in 1899 with Judge Beckwith as president. At the first annual meeting, Judge Beckwith outlined the great work to be done by historical societies in Illinois: Your chairman cannot too forcibly urge the necessity there is to localize many of the recorded events in our early State history. To illustrate: 

Among the expeditions sent out from Fort de Charters to chastise the Sauk (Sac) and Meskwaki (Fox) Indians, always enemies of the French, was one that foimd and defeated these savages entrenched towards the soinces of the Sangamon river. Now if otu' zealous friend, Captain Burnham, and his industrious associates, can identify this battle ground in McLean county, as your chairman hopes they may, it will be an ample reward for the historical society at Bloomington.

Judge Beckwith passed away in 1903, and Captain Burnham, busy with other activities, did not follow the details to a definite conclusion.

Some articles collected from the above site, either during the 1897 expedition or by community residents over previous years, were presented to Captain Burnham and given to the McLean County Historical Society in Bloomington. They included two hundred bullets; three knife blades (which may have been scalping or dirk knives [a long-bladed thrusting dagger]); various copper ornaments; a piece of pistol barrel; parts of nearly straight deer-horn prongs (deer antler points); part of a link of an iron chain; a peculiar piece of iron (flat-scraper for deer skins); a part of a gun barrel which had also been flattened, probably for use as a scraper; a gun lock; a steel blade (possibly the blade of a dirk knife, but more likely a razor blade on which the maker's name, Pierre Minan, could be read.) 

Another interesting fact in connection with this "battle site" is this: About fifty rods to the northeast, on the downward slope from the hill, early community settlers noticed what appeared to be rifle pits. They were laid out in the manner of an old-fashioned rail fence. These earthworks were built in haste, for they were not dug to a great depth. Though plainly visible before the cultivation of the prairie effaced them, they can no longer be seen on the ground's surface. Pits similar to these were found across the river to the south and southeast of the grove. 

The Section of "New France" Involved in the Conflict.

Many bullets were found during the years in which the surrounding land was cultivated. Most of them were discovered near the grove, outside of the location of the pits, and in the direction of the trenches to the northeast and to the south. However, bullets have been picked up in great numbers for a distance of a nearly one-half mile in the southern direction. The shots are large, and many appear to have been hammered into a form from bar lead. The type of these bullets suggests a remote date, and their surface coating of the patina indicates prolonged exposure to the elements. It is also interesting to note that on some occasions, when wood from this grove was being burned in an open grate, melted lead was observed trickling from the fire. In 1906, while a large oak tree from this grove was being sawed into lumber, the saw cut through a shot of the above type. The bullet was near the heart of the log, which was four feet in diameter. We greatly regret that no one, at that time, thought to count the rings of growth to the surface.

In June 1932, Mr. Frank W. Aldrich, who was present with the party that had investigated this site with Captain Burnham thirty-five years before, and several young men, visited this spot hoping to gain further information. There was no trace of anything unusual on the surface at this time. Our excavations on the hill revealed numerous workings of the soil to a depth of about two and one-half feet. Charcoal, bones, teeth, an arrow, and a bullet were found, but we could not locate the outline or extent of the early pits or fortifications. It was interesting, however, to visit with the members of the Smith family, who have resided there and tilled the soil since the prairie sod was broken. In the regular farming routine, they have gathered quantities of bullets and recently unearthed numerous relics, including six traders' axes and a gun barrel. Nothing was of as much interest to me as a statement from one of the young men relative to a zigzag ridge that had been visible until recent years. He stated that this ridge approached the hill from the northeast but that continuous soil cultivation had obliterated it.

The McLean County Academy of Science became interested in the battlefield. On May 12, 1934, a large group of members and friends visited the site and made excavations. A more systematic investigation than any in recent years was planned. One trench dug across the hill in a northern direction revealed the definite locations of ten of the pits. Worked soil, bones, and charcoal were the indications in each of these pits. Other objects of interest found at this time were several shots and a short section of a gun barrel. With the historical facts before them, the party contemplated the local setting and returned home feeling satisfied with their efforts.

The silent remains of this field speak perfectly with this story which is made up of the historical records of the events.

The Foxes were continuing their depredations against the French and their savage allies. The overt act was burning the son of the principal chief of The Illinois tribe. The chief's followers immediately arose against the offenders. The Kickapoos, Mascoutins, and Illinois of Le Rocher (the Rock) made themselves masters of the passes to the northeast. As a result of this careful guarding, the Foxes, who had planned to find refuge for their women and children among the Iroquois, were forced to give up the northern route leading to the east. They then built a fort near the Rock, a league below the enemy. This fort would, undoubtedly, have been the location of the final battle had the Foxes not decided to take the southern route to the east  — the trail which followed the Bloomington moraine. Leaving the fort near the Rock, they started southward with their women and children. The Illinois warriors followed and harassed them at every opportunity. When the Foxes paused and built a fort (near the present site of Arrowsmith), The Illinois, with others, dug in on a hill on the prairie where they could watch and have protection. Messengers were sent out by these watchers to the various French posts.

St. Ange was notified at Fort de Charters. He put himself at the head of the French there and started in the direction of Fort Fox. On August 10, 1730, they joined the three or four hundred savages who had preceded them by a few days. On the 12th, scouts who had been sent ahead reported the location of the Fort at St. Ange. The march continued mainly through a wooded country, and at daybreak, on the 17th, they came in sight of Fort Fox. According to the report: "This was a small grove of trees surrounded by a palisade situated on a gentle slope Rising on the west and northwest side of the bank of a small river, in such manner that on the east and southeast sides they Avere exposed to our fire. Their Cabins were tiny and Excavated in the earth Like the Burrows of the Foxes from which they take their name." St. Ange's men opened fire at once. After the firing began, The Illinois and others watching from the nearby hill joined them. The Foxes made t^vo unsuccessful sorties during the day. St. Ange camped southeast of the Foxes on the opposite side of the river, where trenches for fortification were dug that night. Later redoubts were constructed Avithin two pistol shots of the enemy. These were designed to prevent the enemy from obtaining water, but the Foxes clearly excavated underground passages leading to the river. 

De Villiers, commander at the post on the St. Joseph River (Niles, Michigan), reports: "I had the honor of sending you a report on my first journey to Le Rocher, with the nations to prevent the Renards (The Fox) from passing over to the Iroquois." On August 6, two Mascoutin messengers came to De Villiers and stated that the Renards had struck the Indians of Le Rocher. The Illinois, seeking revenge, pursued them. After a day's battle, the Renards, with their families, took possession of a small grove of trees and fortified themselves. Mention is also made in De Villiers report of "Watchers" who dug in on a hill on the prairie. "On the following day, they parleyed Avith one another to gain time and to obtain assistance. During these parleys, the Pouatoutamis (Potawatomi) sent Papissa (an Indian runner), with a young man to the Ouyatanons (near Lafayette) to ask the aid of the tribes and the French at that post." Fox messengers were also there trying to bribe the Ouyatanons to help their people by keeping the road to the East open. The Ouyatanons promised to assist the Foxes and assured them they would soon see them.

De Villiers, having sent word to the French at Detroit and De Noyelle of the Miami post (near Fort Wayne, Indiana), left his post on August 10, 1730. He took the French and Indians of that locality and proceeded toward the Fox Fort. On the way, he was joined by the Kickapoos and Mascoutins (of Le Rocher). He arrived at the encampment of the Renards on August 20 and took charge of the combined forces. His description of the fort is as follows:

Fort Renards was in a small Grove of trees, on the bank of a little river running through a vast prairie, more than four leagues (4 miles) in circumference, without a tree, except Two groves about 60 arpents (2.2 miles) from one another."

The Ouyatanons arrived the same day, but it was soon apparent that they were unwilling to completely break their promise to the Foxes. They tried many times to persuade the enemy to spare the lives of the Foxes. 

De Noyelle, with the French and Indians from the Miamis, arrived on the scene on September 1. He joined De Villiers' men on the right of the Fox Fort. The governor of Canada sent a message by De Noyelle that forbade making any treaty with the Foxes.

Altogether the French and Indian warriors now numbered about fourteen hundred. Much privation and suffering on the part of both the Foxes and the enemy forces caused some desertions. However, the siege lasted twenty-three days. 

On September 8, an hour before sunset, a violent storm arose. The night was very dark and foggy, and the Foxes, taking advantage of this, started off across the prairie towards the southwest. The French, hearing the crying of the children, was aware of this attempt, but they could not follow them until the next day when the Foxes were overtaken and almost completely destroyed. 

De Villiers prepared his report and sent his son, Coulon, and Pierre Reaume, a Fox interpreter, who had been in the West many years, to carry the message to Hocquart at Quebec. Hocquart states that he questioned the son on all the facts of the report and got some details that had been omitted. He also gathered the expressions of Reaume, which were according to Canadian usage. Chaussegros de Lery, the chief engineer in building the walls of Quebec under the direction of Vauban, was called in. He drew up a battle plan from the report with notes on the same.

In the description of this battle, many interesting details have necessarily been omitted. However, we have included incidents and conditions that definitely aid in determining the location of this conflict. To that end, a summary of our findings, with the conclusions, follows:

1. Notes on De Lery's map state that the battle scene was east by southeast of Le Rocher. Two reliable messengers, Coulon de Villiers and Pierre Reaume, said the battlefield was between The Illinois and Wabash Rivers and about sixty leagues (270 miles) south of Lake Michigan. This is the approximate location of the Arrowsmith field. 

2. Observations of the early settlers of Arrowsmith point to the following facts on De Lery's map: the pits on the hill and the trenches to the northeast and the southeast. The Sangamon River flows east at this place, as shown on De Lery's map. The trench opened by De Villiers to approach the hill showed for many years as a zigzag ridge from the northeast. The complete confirmation of the character and location of the pits on the hill has been brought about by three investigators interested in getting the exact facts.

3. The two sorties against St. Ange left many bullets for some distance south of the fort, and this has been verified by the finding of many shots in this area. Hundreds of crude patina-coated shots were found, and they compare precisely with the type that belongs to the period of this battle.

4. The Foxes wished to go east to the Iroquois. The passes to the northeast were held by enemies, and to avoid the swamps, they sought the regular trails along the higher ground. This search brought them along the route near the Arrowsmith field.

5. When the distance traveled and the length of time taken by each of the armies to arrive at the battlefield is considered, there is added evidence that this is the site of the battle. 

6. The two following statements of St. Ange and De Villiers are facts about the natural setting of the Arrowsmith field: "A small grove of trees on the bank of a little river running through a vast prairie" and "On a gentle slope rising to the west and northwest on the bank of a small river."

7. Confirmatory to our findings is a letter from the French Commander at Detroit in 1752, which states that certain tribes had built a fort on the prairies of the Mascoutins at the place where De Villiers had attacked the Foxes about twenty years before. This location is, without a doubt, the hill five miles southwest of the Arrowsmith field where The Illinois and other tribes dug in and watched the Foxes, and Messengers were sent out from there. It is positively known that a stockaded fort was located on this hill as late as 1812.

8. There is no evidence that the battle was fought elsewhere.

There were indications of a battleground near Piano. John F. Steward's boyhood home was near the location, and he became intensely interested in identifying it. Sending to France, he secured several manuscripts in 1901. He, at once, interpreted them to show that the unlocated Battle of 1730 was fought there. A few years later, Mr. Steward received copies of De Lery's battlefield maps but found difficulty applying them to the Piano site. 

By discrediting the official reports, Stanley Faye recently placed the battle site east of Lowell on the Vermillion River. This location deserves about the same consideration as Steward's Maramech Hill.

The Battle Site After Two Hundred Years.

With landmarks remote, with the passing of many years, and with the changing ownership of the "Illinois country," the site of this battle was lost. Indeed, when we realize the horrible scenes of bloodshed enacted here, the human suffering and untold agony, it might have been well to have made no effort to remove the veil that has so long obscured the horrors of this field. Yet, to the historian, there is a specific lure for complete records, and the sentiment is abandoned for the truth. It has been a pleasure to gather from various sources the evidence that so conclusively brings to light a complete story of this long-mysterious battleground. There in the bosom of the "grand prairie," had been hidden a secret that the ages might never have disclosed.  

An engraved boulder was unveiled Sunday on the Roy Smith farm near the Village of Arrowsmith, Illinois, marking Etnataek, the site of a bloody Indian-French battle in 1730. Etnataek is Algonquin for “where fight, battle or clubbing took place.” After the extensive historical study, William Brigham of Bloomington (above), Historian and former superintendent of schools, established the battle site in the Arrowsmith area. Modern historians and archaeologists no longer use the French term Etnataek to describe the site. 1951

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Lost Towns of Illinois - Sag Bridge, Illinois.

Sag Bridge was a village that is now part of the Village of Lemont. It had a hotel and its own post office, a number of businesses, a railroad station, a stop on the electric line between Chicago and Joliet, and a port on the I&M canal.

Photo of farmland where the Cal-Sag Channel now is. The town of Sag Bridge is behind the buildings in the background on the left. On the right, the land rises to St. James Church on the bluff. 1910

Joshua Bell, who came to Sag Bridge in the 1830s, was the postmaster and owner of the saloon/hotel. Although the town soon found it too expensive to continue as a village, it had a school district composed of one of the last one-room schoolhouses in the state, which did not close until 1961.

When the glaciers retreated from Northern Illinois, Prehistoric Lake Chicago remained, which eventually receded, leaving Lake Michigan. As it receded, it left two valleys, the Des Plaines River Valley and the Sag Valley, on either side of an elevated triangle of land called Mount Forest Island.

Sag Bridge was located on the south side of the Sag Valley. The historic St. James at Sag Bridge, the oldest continuously operating Catholic Church in Cook County, was built on the north bluff in the forests at the western edge of Mount Forest Island. The cornerstone of the church was laid in 1853. It took six years to haul the quarried rock up the bluff to complete the building.

Before permanent settlement, Mount Forest Island had been inhabited by Indians who valued the land for its vantage point and strategic location.

St. James Catholic Church and Cemetery, aka Monk's Castle and St. James at Sag Bridge Church, is a historic church and cemetery in the Sag Bridge area of the village of Lemont, Illinois. It is claimed to have been built on the site of an Indian village, possibly over an Indian mound, and later a French fortification building. Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet stopped there during their exploration.

Many immigrants to Sag Bridge came from Ireland to find jobs digging the I&M canal in the 1840s, and when the canal was finished they stayed to farm or work in the local quarries. In the 1890s, the sanitary canal, the waterway that reversed the flow of the Chicago River, brought more Irish to Sag Bridge and Lemont, as well as the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago.

What does “Sag” mean, and what was the bridge? The answers are speculative. The term Sag probably derived from a Potawatomi Indian word, Saginaw, which may have meant “swamp.” The Sag Valley was a low-lying swampy area, and it is presumed that a bridge may have provided transport across it. The name could also refer to the geographic coming together of the two valleys. When one considers that recorded history relates that the first white settlers to arrive in the area came in 1833 and that the oldest grave at St. James Cemetery is that of Michael Dillon, buried in 1816, further fuel is added to doubts about the accuracy of the history.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Ghosts of Sag Bridge, Illinois.

The late 1890s seems to be when ghost activity peaked in the area of Sag Bridge, Illinois, now the northeast corner of Lemont. Many ghostly tales, some well documented, began here.

In late December of 1897, a rash of new sightings and hauntings was stirred up. Some said it was due to the discovery of the skeletons of nine Indians, well documented by scientists from Chicago. Professor Dosey determined the skeletons were several hundred years old, one being over seven feet tall. This was not the first time: skeletons had been turning up in and near Sag Bridge for years. But now villagers began reporting phantom Indians on horseback riding through the town at night and other visions of roaming spirits. Some felt this was due to the fact that the skeletons had been disturbed and demanded they be reburied. Some were reburied, but some were sent to the Field Museum in Chicago.

Not only Indians haunted the area. There were tales of a horse-drawn hearse traveling along Archer Avenue, pulling an infant’s casket, which was seen to glow through the viewing window. A county policeman reported chasing several figures in monk-like robes until they vanished before his eyes. A priest is rumored to have seen the ground rise and fall as if it were breathing.

Much of this activity seems to have been near St. James at Sag Bridge, a church in the middle of the forest, surrounded by a cemetery dating back to the early 1800s, years before the church was built. It is said that the site was originally an Indian village and an ancient Indian burial ground. Even in the daytime, the property gives off an eerie atmosphere.

A story told about St. James at Sag Bridge also happened in 1897. Two musicians, Professor William Looney and John Kelly, had provided entertainment for a parish event, which went on until 1 am. Not wanting to return to their homes at this late hour, they slept overnight in a small building on the property. Looney was awakened during the night by the sound of galloping hoofs on the gravel road and looked out the window. He could see nothing to account for the sound, and gradually it faded.

Looney woke Kelly to tell him what had happened, and as they spoke, the sound returned. Both men looked out, and as the sounds again faded, the form of a young woman appeared in the road. The sounds again approached, and this time horses and a carriage were seen coming partway up the drive. The woman danced in the road until she entered the shadow, and the horses and carriage disappeared, only to start again a short time later. Each time they appeared, something new was added to the scene, and the woman began to call, “Come on!” as she disappeared.

The men reported the incident to local police the next morning, and it was verified that NO drinking had taken place to account for the tale. Since that time, similar sightings have continued to be reported by respectable residents. It is said the ghosts were the spirits of a young parish helper and housekeeper from the church, who fell in love and decided to elope. The man told his young lover to wait partway down the hill while he hitched the horses, but they were startled and bolted as he was coming for her. The wagon was overturned, and both were killed.

By Pat Camalliere, "The Mystery at Sag Bridge."

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle's ship, the 'Le Griffon' reportedly found in Lake Michigan."

In the 17th century, Europeans came to what they called the 'New World' and started divvying it up and parceling it out under the rubric of ‘exploration.’ One particular Frenchman was explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (Sieur du La Salle is a title translating to "Lord of the Manor") from a middle-class family. 

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687)

He built a ship named the 'Le Griffon' (the first ship built in America), sometimes spelled Griffin, launched on August 3, 1679, to explore Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River in search of a western passage to China. The Griffon was lost that same year.

The Le Griffon.

When La Salle (1643-1687) first came to New France (Canada) in 1666, he landed in Montreal, where the St. Sulpice Seminary was located. The priests were 'granting' their land to settlers upon easy terms. But La Salle was more fortunate than the ordinary settler because Gabriel Thubières de Levy de Queylus, superior of the seminary (a Sulpician priest from France who was a significant leader in the development of New France), made him a gratuitous grant of a large tract of land at a place subsequently named 'Lachine,' a settlement was located southwest of Montreal, above the great rapids of that name, and about nine miles north of Montreal (founded in 1642), just at the foot of what has since been called Lake Saint-Louis (Québec, Canada).

Some Iroquois Indians told La Salle of a great river, which they called the Ohio River (which turns out to be the Mississippi River), far to the west, which La Salle thought must flow into the Gulf of California and would thus give him the western passage to China he was seeking.

He ran out of money and sold some of his lands to make the journey to the western Great Lakes, where he spent some time. He later journeyed east again and returned to France in 1674, where King Louis XIV (b. Louis Dieudonné), known as 'Louis the Great' or 'The Sun King', granted him Fort Frontenac where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario.

Fort Frontenac at Cataraqui (the original townsite of today's downtown Kingston, Ontario), 1685.

For thousands of miles around, on the American continent and in the Caribbean, had been the territory of the indigenous people before the arrival of Europeans.

La Salle went to Lake Erie in January of 1679 and began building his ship, the Griffon. While the ship was under construction, Seneca Indians planned to burn it. La Salle thwarted the plan, having received intelligence from an Indian woman. He launched the ship and began a journey across the Great Lakes from New York to Lake Michigan.

La Salle's expeditions routes. The exact course of some portion of his travels is unknown.

When La Salle arrived, later in 1679, at what is now Wisconsin, he decided to turn his ship and the furs aboard it over to the six crewmen, with the idea that they’d return to Frontenac to satisfy his creditors (as a Jesuit, La Salle was denied his inheritance by French law). He left the ship and men at Washington Island at the north end of the peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. LaSalle intended to visit the Illiniwek tribe.

The Griffon set sail for Niagara on September 18th. A favorable wind bore her from the harbor, and with a single gun, she bade adieu to her enterprising builder, who never saw her again. She carried a cargo valued with the vessel at fifty or sixty thousand francs (in furs pelts), obtained at great sacrifice of time and treasure. She was placed under the pilot's command, Luc, assisted by five good sailors, with directions to call at Mickili-Mackinac and, from there, proceed to the Niagara. Nothing more was heard of the Griffon.

It’s unknown if the ship sank or was burned by Indians, the Jesuits, or fur traders or how she was actually lost. However, La Salle thought Luc and the crew had sunk the Griffon.

After leaving the Griffon, La Salle went south to Louisiana on the Mississippi River. He later returned to France and then returned to Louisiana in 1682 on four ships with 228 colonists and claimed Louisiana. The text that follows is a translation of his proclamation, which utterly denies any ownership by the people whose ancestors lived there for millennia before the French arrived.

I, René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, by virtue of His Majesty’s commission, which I hold in my hands, and which may be seen by all whom it may concern, have taken and do now take, in the name of His Majesty and of his successors to the crown, possession of the country of Louisiana, the seas, harbors, ports, bays, adjacent straits, and all the nations, peoples, provinces, cities, towns, villages, mines, minerals, fisheries, streams and rivers, within the extent of the said Louisana.

By February 1687, the 228 recruits were reduced to 36 people by sickness, shortage of supplies and clean water, and desertion. An article at the Canadian Museum of History website describes La Salle as “bad-tempered, haughty and harsh,” adding that “he alienated even those who had remained faithful to him to the end.” In what is now Texas, one of his party shot him at point-blank range, killing him. “It was the nineteenth of March, 1687. Three of his companions had been murdered just before him. The conspirators who committed the murders then set about killing one another,” the article says.

La Salle founded a settlement near the bay, which they called the 'Bay of Saint Louis' (St. Louis Bay is northeast of the Gulf of Mexico along the southwestern coast of Mississippi), on Garcitas Creek in the vicinity of present-day Victoria, Texas. By February of 1687, the 228 recruits were reduced to 36 people by sickness, shortage of supplies and clean water, and desertion. La Salle is described as bad-tempered, haughty, and harsh. He alienated even those who had remained faithful to him to the end. Some of La Salle's remaining 36 men mutinied, and on March 19, 1687, La Salle was shot at point-blank range by Pierre Duhaut during an ambush while talking to Duhaut's decoy, Jean L'Archevêque. Duhaut was killed to avenge La Salle. The remaining men in the party, afraid of retribution, killed each other, except for two. The settlement lasted only until 1688 when Karankawa-speaking Indians killed the 20 remaining adults and took five children as captives. Henri de Tonti sent out search missions in 1689 when he learned of the settlers' fate but failed to find survivors. The children of the colony were later recovered by the Spanish.

In 2006, Steve Libert of Muskegon, Michigan, announced that he thought he had located the Griffon.

In 2011, Frederick Monroe and Kevin Dykstra of Michigan seeking the treasure of $2 million in gold bullion," which legend says fell off a ferry in rough waters in the 1800s and sank. They located a shipwreck in northern Lake Michigan, announcing their find in December 2014. They speculated the ship was the Griffon but agreed more information was needed before it could be verified.

The shipwreck in Lake Michigan, which is claimed to be the Griffon.

“Other experts aren't convinced that the wreck is the Griffon. Rather, it may be the remnants of a tugboat that was scrapped after ‘steam engines became more economical to operate,’ said Brendon Baillod, a Great Lakes historian who has written scholarly papers on the Griffon,” according to LiveScience Magazine.

A mass on the shipwreck’s bow, which Monroe and Dykstra thought might be the Griffon's figurehead, was probably zebra mussels, an exotic shellfish with no natural predators in the Great Lakes and amass in huge numbers on any available surface.

Some 1,500 shipwrecks have been found in the Great Lakes. The Griffon is believed to be the first European-type ship to sail the Great Lakes.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.