Part 9 (1/2)

The obtaining of information for the solution of these proble officer of the regular aromery Pike, then a first lieutenant and payiment of Infantry Pike was of military stock, as his father, Zebulon Pike, had served as a captain in the war of the Revolution, and even then a ieneral officer The son, born at Lamberton, N J, aspired early to h the grades regularly

I THE SOURCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI

In 1805 the governor of Louisiana was Jaeneral in, and commander-in-chief of, the army of the United States, as then stationed at St Louis Pike appears to have been considered by Wilkinson as an officer well suited to obtain definite information about this vast territory, and consequently Lieutenant Pike, with twenty enlisted men, was furnished provisions for four months, and, under orders to visit the sources of the Mississippi, left St Louis in a large flat-boat, at about the worst season of the year, on August 9, 1805

The first experiences were not encouraging, for the crew, through inexperience or ill-luck, developed a faculty of picking up sawyers, or subed trees, which on one occasion stove the boat so badly that, half-sinking, she was dragged with difficulty on a shoal where the baggage could be dried and the boat repaired

[Illustration: General Z M Pike]

Here and there along the river were seen se of the Sacs was reached at the head of the Des Moines rapids The Sac chiefs, assereat and new father had sent one of his young warriors to their nation, in the lately acquired territory of Louisiana, to inquire as to their wants, to give the to their wishes and needs, trading establishments and posts

The Indians answered acceptably, but appeared to appreciate the presents of knives, whiskey, and tobacco ue rumors obtained as to the value and importance of the lead mine near, below Turkey River, but Mr Dubuque, the proprietor, was too shrewd for the young officer, and to his inquiries said that inforrant, etc, was in St Louis, that he ave equally indefinite answers to other questions A journey of four weeks froht Pike to Prairie-du-Chien, then the only place settled by white men in the whole valley of the Mississippi above St Louis Originally occupied by three Frenchmen, Giard, Antaya, and Dubuque, in 1783, it was now a scattered settlement of thirty-seven houses, with about three hundred and seventy whites The Wisconsin River, which here joins the Mississippi, was yet the great line of coreat lakes and the entire valley fro to and fro over the route first traced by Joliet in his adventurous voyage of discovery in 1673 At Prairie-du-Chien the Indians assembled each autu the Indian traders here paused in their western journey before plunging into the savage wilderness Both these occasions, it is needless to say, furnished frequent scenes of violence and dissipation

Unable to get his large barge above the rapids at Prairie-du-Chien, Pike hired other boats above the falls and proceeded, his party augmented by an interpreter, Pierre Roseau, and Mr Fraser, a trader as going to the Falls of St Anthony on business

A short distance above Prairie-du-Chien, Pike had a council with the Sioux, who evidently were recovering froious puff dance, ”the performance of which was attended with many curious manoeuvres Men and woayest manner; all had in their hands a small skin of some description, and would frequently run up, point their skin, and give a puff with their breath; when the person blown at, whether man or woreat agony; but would recover slowly, rise, and join in the dance This they called their great medicine”

Tobacco, knives, verallons of whiskey being more show than reality; for it appears from the context to have been three-fourths water, and probably was of the kind which Pike elsewhere called ”made whiskey”

The uncertain weather of Lake Pepin nearly shi+pwrecked the boats, which reached the Sioux village at the junction of the Mississippi and St

Peters, or Minnesota, on September 11th Here a council was held with the Sioux, wherein two of the chiefs forue of land at the Falls of St Anthony The true value of their signatures may be estimated from Pike's letter to General Wilkinson, wherein he says: ”I had to fee privately two (doubtless the signers) of the chiefs, and besides that, to make them presents at the council” In addition to the transfer of land Pike pledged to have a trading post established there, and urged that the Sioux maintain peaceful relations with the Chippeways

It is so to read Pike's address, where in one breath he states that ru yourselves

For this reason your father has thought proper to prohibit the traders fro the situation, adds, ”before ive you some liquor to clear your throats”

There were two hundred and fifty warriors present, and it appears to have taken sixty gallons of liquor to effect the clearing operation, while peace with the Chippeways assumed an indefinite phase

The Falls of St Anthony were passed by land portage These being the first boats toof relief that he saw his boats in the upper river, loaded for the journey, on Septe, for as he says, ”I had not acco; war existing between the reatly diminished, and but a poor prospect of an additional supply Many of my men sick, and the others not a little disheartened; our success in this arduous undertaking very doubtful, and about to launch into an unknoilderness”

Rapids and shoals iht them to an island where the interpreter had wintered with another Frenchman in 1797 Pike made every exertion to hasten, for he was very desirous of reaching Croing River, the highest point ever attained by trappers in birch canoes The bad weather, snow, injury to his boats, and the breaking down of several of his men, combined to render further advance impossible, and on October 16th he fixed his winter quarters at the mouth of Pine River, 233 miles above the Falls of St Anthony Pike's intentions were far fro the winter hin to such isolation and inactivity as the place promised

Elsewhere he adds: ”It appears to me that the wealth of nations would not induce me to remain secluded froe and unproductive wilderness, without books or other sources of intellectual enjoy mind of the civilized fair”

Huts were built, canoes reat difficulty and hardshi+p, for every burden fell on Pike, without the aid of a doctor or assistant as his second in coame country, and under conditions where his insufficient food-supply must be eked out by the rifle, he was such an indifferent hunter that he did the maximum of ith the e three canoes, of which one sank, wetting and injuring his supply of ammunition, with the result that finally he blew up his tent in drying out the powder

Occasionally s parties of Sioux or of Menominees came to the ca post sixty miles to the south, visited Pike and cheered hiraphical information about the western country, and in addition to useful directions as to the best route for Pike to follow, expressed his confidence in its fullest success

It would seem doubtful if the h an unknown country filled with savages and where game must fored to split a canoe which their commander relied on for the journey Pike was dissatisfied, but not discouraged, and on December 10th started northith eleven men, a boat, and five sleds

At the stockade there were nine iven detailed written instructions as to his duties Mindful of the possible dangers to his own party, Pike also gave orders as to the course to be pursued if his own party did not return to the canton

A boat was taken along, which the freezing river soon obliged Pike to abandon and intrust to a young Indian for the winter The journey was practically ed by men harnessed up two abreast Often the sleds broke down, e, but they were greatly encouraged by ca River, the farthest point ever reached by canoe