was appointed teacher for the Ottawas, while McCoy was commissioned to select blacksmiths for the Ottawas and Pottawatomies. In a lengthy paper, dated Detroit, July 16, 1822, and signed by General Cass, instructions to Rev. Isaac McCoy were given. Article 2 of the instructions set forth, that all attempts to ameliorate the condition of the Indians must prove abortive so long as ardent spirits are freely introduced into their country. Their continued introduction is the great obstacle to their civilization. Every hope, feeling and consideration they sacrifice to this passion. It is an absolute mania which they are unable to resist, and which sweeps before it every barrier of self-regard, of moral duty and of natural affection. One fact will place this lamentable evil in a clearer point of view than the most labored discussion. At the treaty of Chicago, Topenebe, principal chief of the Pottawatomies, a man nearly 80 years of age at that time, irritated at the continued refusal of the commissioners to gratify his demands for whisky, exclaimed in the presence of his tribe: "We care

not for the land, the money, or the goods: it is whisky we wantgive us whisky!"

Governor Čass commissioned Charles C. Trowbridge to make definite arrangements with the Indians for the sites of the missionary stations. He passed Fort Wayne July 27, and by agreement met McCoy at the Pottawatomie village a few days later.

Rev.

Sears and his wife, the Indian teachers, arrived at Fort Wayne, Aug. 1, 1822, and on the 15th of that month the site of the Pottawatomie mission was established on the St. Joseph river. McCoy, his family, and a few pupils he was teaching at Fort Wayne removed to the mission on the St. Joseph, Oct. 19, 1822. The location was about 100 miles from Fort Wayne, at which place were the nearest white settlers, about 180 miles from anything like a settled country, and 190 miles from a flouring mill. This station the Board of Baptist Missions denominated Carey," and the station farther north, among the Ottawas at Grand Rapids, "Thomas," in memory of the Baptist missionaries who were the first of that faith to enter Hindostan. In December, 1822, the whole force of Baptists and their Indian pupils, numbering 32 in all, settled at Carey, having moved from Fort Wayne during that month.

After a winter of intense cold and full of intense suffering, the spring of 1823 came to their relief. McCoy started for Grand river May 26, 1823, in company with the French guide, Paget, one of his Indian pupils, and one of the men appointed by the Government as blacksmith at the Ottawa mission to be founded at the Rapids of Grand river.

The members of this party swam their ponies across the St. Joseph river by the side of a canoe, and in a neighboring village a bushel of corn was obtained, and an Indian employed to take it back to the mission, which was on short rations so far as flour and meal were concerned. On the second day it was found that the explorers had taken the wrong trail, and Paget, the guide, became

so bewildered, that he was of little service. The woods then resembled an immense park; there was scarcely any under brush, few grubs,and no small trees. The annual burning of the grass by Indians had left the forests clear of all such obstructions, and the eye dwelt with delight upon the vista that extended before it under the leafy archway of the immense roof that expanded above in every direction, supported by those natural architraves that intertwined with more than Gothic strength and style in graceful confusion above.

All the very early settlers agree in their recollections of those beautiful forests. During the summer the grasses grew in great luxuriance, and in the fall dry up, wither, and bend down, covering the earth with a thick matting of combustible material. The fires would sweep through this mass of decaying grass with great rapidity, clearing everything in the way except the forest trees, making the country free from underbrush, and reducing to ashes old trees and debris which had accumulated since the previous conflagration. A coach and four could have been driven anywhere with safety in those grand old woods, when the ground was hard and no bottom lands to be traversed. The intermitting of the annual fires soon gave the roots of the grubs a chance to shoot up, and the seed of trees to germinate and grow, and thus the face of the wild land was changed. Through the former woods the pioneers of Kent county came hither; through the entanglements of the latter or underbrush era the American pioneers pushed their way.

"Among the Ottawa villages," says McCoy, "was one in which the natives were drinking. All appeared friendly to us except one. The women were drinking in a house by themselves. While I allowed my horse to graze for a few minutes, five or six feet from me, three pigeons which I had shot were stolen from my saddle, where I had tied them with the design of cooking them for our next meal. Unable to bear the loss when we were in want, I demanded the fowls, and they were restored."

The party crossed the Grand river, May 30, 1823, by the help of an Indian and his canoe. Entering the village they found that Keyway cooshcum was absent. The locality for the site which Trowbridge and the teacher Sears had selected the previous fall, for the Ottawa station, was described to McCoy, so that he believed he could recognize it at sight; but following the directions as he understood them he could find no place in any degree answering the description given him. He searched down the river nine miles, and the next day returned to the village of Keywaycooshcum, where he found the inhabitants stupid from the results of drunkenness.

The principal chief had not yet arrived, but the sub-chief desired the missionary to stay a few days. He told them he should speak in council the following day. Then he reconnoitered the country in order to select a building place, and during this time lodged at a trading house. On returning to the Indian village he was in

formed that Keyway cooshcum had not arrived, but that he sent a message requesting the visitor to remain a few days until he should come. This McCoy did not wish to do, as he had business at the Carey mission; added to this he saw that the Ottawas looked upon him with distrust. They were not satisfied with the Chicago treaty, and many denied having authorized the sale of their lands, and cast the blame on Keywaycooshcum, who was thus afraid to take any more responsibility in the matter. The tribe consid ered the sale of their country illegal, insisted upon its illegality, and determined to hold possession of their country. They esteemed the offer of furnishing them with schools, blacksmith, farmer, and implements as a stratagem to get them to act upon some of the provisions of the treaty, and therefore make all the articles of such treaty binding upon them. They further believed they would be made to pay in the future for the educational advantages. Under those circumstances Mr. McCoy, his teacher, and his blacksmith determined to return at once to the Carey mission, and bestow their labors on the Pottawatomies, thus failing in the first attempt to introduce themselves to the Grand River Indians. Just as the party was leaving the village, a company of squaws was seen carrying kettles of food to the grave of a child, who had died a short time previously. After swimming their horses across Grand river, the missionary party found that provisions were exhausted. On Grand river they obtained corn, but scarcely any meat, except a meal of a ground-hog. They hired an Indian to beat a little corn in a mortar (a log hewn out hollow, and hardened by fire), and from this crude meal made a cake.

The return to Carey was accompanied by many accidents. Paget's horse failed him after a few hours' ride, and he was left in the woods. The next night McCoy's horse made an escape, having broken his hobbles, and was not found till 10 o'clock next morning. During the absence of the men in search of the horse, McCoy was employed in boiling sweet corn, a little of which he purchased from the Ottawas; there was no vessel to boil it in larger than a pint cup, and as the corn softened a little it was poured out on birch bark, and more placed in the cup to undergo a similar boiling process. In this manner the morning meal was prepared. At the house of Goza, on the Ke-ken-a-maz-00, now known as Kalamazoo river, the travelers were hospitably entertained by the natives. Here they were given meat, but no bread. One of the men, unable to proceed further, owing to sore feet, was left in the care of Goza until better. The party reached Carey mission June 5, 1823.

+

The second journey to the village of the Ottawas was entered upon Sept. 30, 1823, when McCoy and one of his assistants, or rather a Government employe, set out with the intention of entering the Ottawa country at the Kalamazoo river, where prejudices existed that might prevent the immediate commencement of operations among them on Grand river. In order, therefore, to secure a foot

ing among the Indians without delay, it was proposed to begin by establishing the smithy, or blacksmith shop, on the line between the Ottawa and Pottawatomie districts. The Ottawas visited McCoy and seemed well pleased with the proposition, so that by the end of November the forge was built at Kalamazoo, and means provided for putting it in operation. The following spring a ship was loaded with articles for the Baptist mission at Carey. This vessel made the voyage of the lakes, and entered the river at St. Joseph, where the cargo was transferred to canoes, and brought thence to Carey.

Polke, the newly appointed teacher to the Ottawa village, set out for the scene of his labors from Carey, June 29, 1824. He was accompanied by the blacksmith and two of McCoy's Indian pupils. They took a wagon drawn by two yokes of oxen. This party arrived at the first Ottawa village, where the teacher left two laborers at work for the Indians, and returning, reached Carey, July 9, 1824. His reception was very cool indeed. Five days later five chiefs and a number of warriors assembled at McCoy's house to have a council. July 15 a party of Ottawas visited McCoy for the purpose of telling him that the smith, laborers and other white men sent to their villages were going on satisfactorily. Of course the Indians received both presents of peltries and money, and returned to their homes. About Sept. 1, 1824, the smith of Kalamazoo was sent to Grand river by McCoy. He was accompanied by two Indian boys who interpreted the message entrusted to the blacksmith. This visit resulted in obtaining an Ottawa girl, seven years old, for the school at Carey.

McCoy, accompanied by Sawyer, blacksmith, Mettiz, laborer, and Goza, a friendly Indian, set out on a journey to the Ottawas' country, Nov. 24, 1824. At Kalamazoo they found that in the absence of the blacksmith, the shop was fired by Indians and almost burned up. November 27 the party encamped at Gun lake, and on the 28th had an interview with Naoqua Keshuck, or NoonDay, of Grand Rapids, who was camped with some members of his band on the other side of the lake. On the 29th the party, with Noon-Day and the Indians, raised camp and proceeded on the Grand Rapids trail. December 1, Grand river was reached and a crossing made in diminutive canoes belonging to the chief. The same day McCoy selected a site for the Baptist mission, some distance lower down the river than that selected two years previously by Trowbridge, the U. S. Commissioner, which, as inferred, must be in the vicinity of Ada. The location was subsequently approved by Gen. Cass and confirmed by the Secretary of War. McCoy returned from this partly successful visit Dec. 2, 1824, having been accompanied by Noon-Day a portion of the way. Noou-Day pointed out to him a salt spring and a bed of gypsum. A small stream of water having washed the bed, produced. an unevenness similar to that made on salt-banks by animals. The guide said it was supposed that spirits fed there. This was probably the gypsum bed,

subsequently worked at the old plaster-mill where the Grandville road crosses Plaster creek. The salt spring was in the vicinity where the State salt well was bored. On the evening of Dec. 4, 1824, McCoy arrived at Goza's shanty. He learned that an attempt was made by Goza and a Frenchman to remove the blacksmith's modus operandi to Grand river, which attempt failed on account of floating ice. Mr. McCoy arrived at Carey, well pleased with the result of his late travels.

December 17, 1824, Sawyer, the blacksmith, and two laborers, were dispatched to Grand Rapids, with instructions to improve "Thomas Station," the name given to the Indian mission here. Supplies were sent forward to them before the close of winter.

Polke, the teacher, a blacksmith, an Indian apprentice to that official, and a laborer, together with the Indian Goza, set out from Carey toward Grand Rapids, March 10, 1825. The party arrived and met with anything but a welcome. A few Indians, however, were inclined to treat the travelers hospitably, but the great majority were maddened by their presence. This will be apparent from Polke's own story of his escape.

"The blacksmith, his apprentice and Goza were on the margin of the river, while I was standing on the river bank, near our door, looking at some canoes of fishermen in the river, when more noise than usual occurred in an Indian camp close by. At this instant the fishermen in the canoes, who could perceive what was going on in the camp, hallooed lustily to us on the bank. I could not understand them, but Goza, who did, rushed up the river bank toward me. On turning my eyes toward the camp, I discovered an Indian running toward me with a gun in his hand. I I apprehended that his intention was to shoot me, and I resolved, as he raised his gun to fire, I would save myself by a sudden leap down the bank. He approached within 15 yards, when he abruptly halted to fire. In the attempt to raise his gun he was seized by Goza. The fellow made a violent effort to effect his purpose. The Indian apprentice boy came to Goza's assistance, and they disarmed the wicked man, who was taken away by some people of his camp."

This is the schoolmaster's story; but the fact remains that the whole business was plotted by Goza, for his own good, to win a higher estimation in the minds of Rev. Mr. McCoy and the teacher, and obtain a few dollars above the average weekly largesses which he received.

Polke returned from Grand Rapids, May 17, 1825. On Sept. 5 following, McCoy and his entire corps of assistants left Carey for Grand Rapids, and reached their destinat on on the 10th. They brought with them plows, yokes, chains farming implements, mechanical tools and cattle, together with a thousand peltries; but even all this attention was ineffectual, and Mr. McCoy was forced to acknowledge his energy and z u nable to combat the Indian's stubborn character and skepticis