DAVENPORT PAST AND PRESENT

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CHAPTER II

Saukees and Musquakees - BlackHawk - Character, &c. - Treaties of 1804 - Successive Treaties - Spirit Caveon Rock Island

It would, perhaps, be well to devote a short space to theearlier history of this section, and collateral occurrences, before prosecutingthe more direct objects of the present work.  The relations of theAborigines are so intimately interwoven with the pioneer history of every placein the West, and the character, doings and reverses of those remarkable men whoonce held an undisputed right to this vast continent, that a short digression,having bearing upon them, is pardonable, if not strongly desirable.

The "trail" of the Indian bearing Westward - toPoverty, Starvation - to Death - to Annihilation, runs broad and hard-beatendirect through the scenes which adjoin our homes.  The funeral march ofonce powerful tribes has but just passed the grounds covered with the monumentalmasonry of the Pale Faces - and their mournful tramp is scarcely stilled yet inour ears, although filled by the shouts of a new and strange multitude.

The recent occurance of such events, and their close alliancewith this and adjacent portions of our country, give them a claim to ourattention - although it must be necessarily but brief.

In 1804, the Sauks, Saukees, or Sacs,* and Musquakees or Foxes,ceded to the United States, through General Harrison, all their lands lying onRock River, and much elsewhere.  The principle Sac village ws at the pointof land between the junction of the Mississippi and Rock River - a point justbelow the present site of Davenport, on the Illinois side.  There accordingto tradition, had been a village for one hundred and fifty years.  Theentire country belonging to the tribes, bordered on the Mississippi, andextended about seven hundred miles down the river from the mouth of theWisconsin, reaching very nearly to the Missouri river.  In 1820, theynumbered about three thousand persons in all, of whom, perhaps, six hundred werewarriors.

The Sac village alluded to was commanded by the celebrated BlackHawk, alias the pleasant verbal agglomeration- Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak - who,as a warrior, is as well or better known than Tecumsah, or Phillip of NewEngland.  The Musquakees, or Foxes, lived further north, and had, near thelead mines, their principal village.  Still, notwithstanding the separationof the Sacs and Foxes, they were, in reality, but one tribe, as they huntedtogether, had similar customs, and so far as unity of purpose was concerned intheir enmity to the Sioux, and other nations, they were indissoluble.

Black Hawk was the most celebrated "brave" of hisnation.  He had been in the service of England in 1812; had been anintamate friend of Tecumseh; was ranked among the braves at the early age ofsixteen, and at the age of twenty, or thereabouts, succeeded his father aschief, the latter having been killed in a bloody battle with the Cherokees. With such a life - scarcely if ever defeated in battle - proud, imperious,and with a deep tinge of melancholy in his later years - venerated by hisbraves, and feared by his enemies, he was no common man, nor would his natureadmit of such treatment as might be endured patiently by ordinary or lessstrongly marked men.

Of his personal appearance, the editor of the United StatesLiterary Gazette thus speaks, as he saw him in Philadelphia in 1833:

"He is about sixty-five, of middling size, with a head thatwould excite the envy of a phrenologist - one of the finest that Heaven ever letfall of the head of an Indian.

* See A, end of Chapter III.          

 *               *                 *                  *                   *                      *

"The son of Black Hawk is a noble specimen of physicalbeauty - a model for those who would embody the ideal of strength.  He waspainted, and had his hair cut in a strange fantasy."  It was remarkedby many in the same city at that time, that Black Hawk's "pyramidalforehead" strongly resembled Sir Walter Scott's, while others found in itspeculiar outlines a very striking similarity to those of the well-known StephenGirard.  Washington Irving, writing concerning him from Jefferson Barracksin December, 1832, says:  "He has a fine head, a Roman style of face,and a prepossessing countenance."  Many of our older citizens, whoknew him personally, describe him as embodying in his countenance an expressionof deep cunning, and as rather lacking in intellectuality.  He was however,extremely superstitious, and it is more than probable that the war in which heengaged in '31 and '2 was owing largely to the influence of a half breedWinnebago and Sac prophet, named Wabo-kieshiek, (White Cloud,) although hisconstitutional hatred of the Americans, and the unwarranted aggressions of thelatter in many cases, undoubtedly materially assisted precipitating the matter. In all, however, he was, with many failings, a great man - possessing adepth of character, a reach of means, energy, and patriotic feeling which,developed under the promotive and powerful influences of civilization, wouldhave elevated him to the proud rank of those whom the world recognizes as"Great."

In regard to the treaty of 1804, there are two accounts. One regards it as a bona fide transaction, whereby the lands of the Sacsand Foxes were sold by responsible men of the tribes; and that it was furtherratified by a part of the tribe in a treaty with Gov. Edwards and AugusteChoteau in September 1815, and by another with the same commissioners in May1816.  These further allege, that the United States allowed the Indians toremain upon any portion of this land so long as it remained the property of theGovernment, and that the lands occupied by the Sac village at Rock River, hadbeen surveyed and sold, and hence could no longer be justly occupied by theIndians.*  

The other account, which is that of Black Hawk himself, statesquite a different story.  It is, that an Amerian having been killed by oneof Black Hawk's men, the murderer was arrested and imprisoned at St. Louis. Four Indians were dispatched by the tribe to St. Louis to release theincarcerated Indian. "by paying for the person killed" - according totheir custom.  The return of the four is thus described by Black Hawk:

"Quash-qua-me and party remained a long time absent. They at length returned, and encamped a short distance below the village -but did not come up that day - not did any person approach their camp! They appeared to be dressed in fine coats, and had medals.  Fromthese circumstances, we were in hopes that they had brought good news. Early the next morning the Council Lodge was crowded - Quash-qua-me andparty came up, and gave the following account of their mission:

'On their arrival at St. Louis they met their American father,and explained to him their business, and urged the release of their friend. The American Chief told then he wanted land - and they had agreed to givehim some on the west side of the Mississippi, and some on the Illinois side,opposite the Jeffreon.  When the business was all arranged, they expectedto have their friend released to come home with them.  But about the timethey were ready to start, their friend was let out of prison, who ran a shortdistance, and was shot dead!  This is all they could recollect of what wassaid or done.  They had been drunk the greater part of the time they werein St. Louis!'

"This is all myself of nation knew of the treaty of 1804. It has been explained to me since.  I find, by that treaty, that allour country east of the Mississippi, and south of Jeffreon, was ceded to theUnited States for one thousand dollars a year!"

It may be questioned whether the treaty at St. Louis was oneconcluded by authority of the tribes - although it is not in the least doubtfulthat, on the part of the Commissioners, the proceeding was concluded in allfairness, and with the belief that the Indians who signed the treaty wereinstructed to do so by the Sac and Foxes.  Black Hawk is mistaken in somepoints of his statement.  The treaty was signed by five Chiefs instead offour, one of whom, Pah-she-pa-ho, was a head chief among the Sacs.  It wasalso made before Lieut. Pike ascended the Mississippi, instead of after, asstated by Black Hawk, as Pike did not leave St. Louis till August, 1805, on hisexpedition.

In September 1815, both Sacs and Foxes concluded a new treaty,wherein the treaty of St. Louis was ratified, among other matters.  Thistreaty was held at Portage des Sioux, and was a finale to the war with Englandof 1812, in which a part of the tribes, headed by Black Hawk, had fought againstthe Americans.  This treaty was not signed by Black Hawk or his band,although signed largely by Chiefs of both tribes, who were fully empowered so todo.  In May, 1816, another treaty was held at St. Louis, in which that of1804 was recognized, and was signed by Black Hawk.

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One cannot doubt that these successive treaties were bindingupon the Sacs and Foxes, although the renumeration was contemptibly small. All this rich extent of land was made over for the pittance of some twothousand dollars (in goods,) down, and an annuity of one thousand, also ingoods. That such treaties should also be held among the tribes, and not adistance, is obviously no more than fair. All complaint would thereafter beprevented.

In 1816, Fort Armstrong was erected upon Rock Island.  Itwas a measure distasteful to the Indians, for reasons which we give in BlackHawk's own words:

"We did not, however, object to their building the fort onthe Island, but we were very sorry, as this was the best Island on theMississippi, and had long been the resort of our young people during the summer. It was our garden, (like the white people have near their big villages,)which supplied us with strawberries, blackberries, plums, apples, and nuts ofvarious kinds; and its waters supplied us with pure fish, being situated in therapids of the river.  In my early life, I spent many happy days on thisIsland. A good spirit had care of it, who lived in a cave in the rocksimmediately under the place where the Fort now stands, and has often been seenby our people.  He was white, with large wings like a swan's, but ten timeslarger.  We were particular not to make much noise in that part of theisland which he inhabited, for fear of disturbing him.  But the noise ofthe Fort has since driven him away, and no doubt a bad spirit has taken hisplace!"

Not a few Davenport readers will recognize in this the base ofthe legend of Black Hawk's Cave, and his going thither to consult with the goodGenius of the place.  A fit place, truly, was it, for the dwelling of theRed man's tutelar spirit!  Facing the glorious river, which, fair as theEridanus of Elysium, rolled before it, - with the music of its flow softlyfilling the recesses of his retreat - with the poetry of moving waters everdramatized before his eyes - on either side the prarie rolling back like anocean of green, frozen to rigidity in some long, gentle swell - the shadyisland, with its lucious fruits, and a domain as fair of the Garden ofHesperides - with the long, winding bluffs on either side, rolling away in thedistance till, uniting above and below, they walled in as glorious a landscapeof plain and hill, curve, rounding outlines of surface, water, foliage and sky,as ever artist-hand sketched, or artist brain imagined - with all thesecircumstances, we do not wonder that the imaginative Indian located in thisparticular spot his Guardian Genius!

*Gov. Ford's history of Illinois.