having been appointed Indian agent. The next year he brought his family, which was the first one settled at that place that made a profession of religion in the Protestant faith.

THOMAS P. BURNETT was appointed sub-Indian agent in October, 1829, under Gen. STREET, and came to Prairie du Chien in June, 1830.

By a proclamation of Gov. CASS, dated October 26, 1818, by virtue of the ordinance of 1787, the county of Michilimackinac was laid out, the southern boundary of which

was

"The dividing ground between the rivers which flow into Lake Superior, and those which flow south."

By another proclamation of Gov. Cass, of the same date, all of the Territory of Michigan, south and west of the county of Michilimackinac, was divided into two counties which were separated

"By a line drawn due north from the northern boundary of the State of Illinois through the middle of the portage between the Fox river and Ouissin (Wisconsin) river, to the county of Michilimackinac."

The eastern county was called "Brown" in honor of the then commanding general of the army; the other was called "Crawford" in compliment to the then Secretary of War.

The following day, Oct. 27th, the following appointments were made by Gov. CASS:

For Brown county, MATTHEW IRWIN, Chief Justice, Commissioner and Judge of Probate; CHARLES REAUME, Associate Justice and Justice of the Peace; JOHN BOWYER, Commissioner; ROBERT IRWIN, Jr., Clerk; and GEORGE JOHNSTON, Sheriff. For Crawford county, NICHOLAS BOILVIN and JOHN W. JOHNSON, Justices of the Peace.

The following appointments for Crawford county were made by Gov. CASS May 12th, 1819, viz.: JOHN W. JOHNSON, Chief Justice; MICHAEL BRISBOIS and FRANCIS BOUTHILLIER, Associate Justices; WILFRED OWENS, Judge of Probate; NICHOLAS BOILVIN, JOHN W. JOHNSON and JAMES H. LOCKWOOD, Justices of the Peace; THOMAS MCNAIR, Sheriff; JOHN L. FINDLEY, Clerk; HYACINTH ST. CYR and OLIVER SHARRIER, Supervisors of Roads; and JOHN P. GATES, Register of Probate and ex-officio Recorder of Deeds. Gov. CASS sent by Col. LEAVENWORTH, when on his way to the St. Peters River, blank commissions for the different

officers of Crawford county, to be filled up with such names as should be selected by the inhabitants. They assembled and selected the persons above named.

The first court held in Brown county of which any record is preserved, was a special session of the county court, held July 12, 1824, JACQUES PORLIER Chief Justice; JOHN LAWE and HENRY B. BREVOORT, Associates. These judges had superseded those first appointed in 1818.

In 1828, JOHN W. JOHNSON and FRANCES BOUTHILLIER having removed away, JOSEPH ROLETTE was appointed Chief Justice and JEAN BRUNET, Associate Justice. Subsequently in 1830, the county court was re-organized and General JOSEPH M. STREET was appointed Chief Justice and JAMES H. LOCKWOOD and HERCULES L. DOUSMAN Associate Justices.

The first term of the county court of Crawford county was held at Prairie du Chien, May 12, 1823, FRANCES BOUTHILLIER and JOSEPH ROLETTE, Judges. A grand jury was impaneled but no indictments were found. No criminal business and but little civil business was done and after granting two tavern licenses and making a decree that "the proceedngs" of JAMES H. LOCKWOOD are legal and proper, adjourned.

The next year, May 11, 1824, the court, composed of the same judges, met and adjourned until the 17th of the same month "for want of juries."

On the 17th a grand jury was impaneled and returned an indictment against J. B. MAYNARD, who was duly called but came not, and the court ordered that

"On his arrival at this place, he do enter in recognizance for his appearance at the next term of this court to answer and plead, etc."

No other term of the court was held until May, 1826, and after that, no other until 1830. In November, 1830, a term was held with JOSEPH ROLETTE as Chief Justice and JEAN BRUNETT, Associate Justice.

THOMAS P. BURNETT, a lawyer from Kentucky, was admitted to practice in the court.

A grand jury was impaneled and found eight indictments for selling liquor by " small measure."

The court adopted rules of practice and thereafter the business in court was transacted more systematically.

The next term of the court was in November, 1831, when JOSEPH M. STREET was Chief Justice and JAMES H. LOCKWOOD and JEAN BRUNETT were Associate Justices. It seems

that Mr. DOUSMAN, who had been appointed, did not accept the position.

The history of the settlements at Green Bay and Prairie du Chien is now brought down to a time when they cease to have a purely local interest. As settlements were now beginning to grow up in other parts of the Territory, especially in the lead mines, the subsequent historical events connected with these two principal settlements form a legitimate part of the history of the whole.

CHAPTER IX.

CHEQUAMEGON-PORTAGE-MILWAUKEE.

CHEQUAMEGON.

The early settlement at Chequamegon, on Lake Superiorif it can be called a settlement-earlier, even, than Green Bay, is not especially noticed for the reason that, although it was the field of the first missionary labors within the limits of Wisconsin, as early as 1665, yet its growth was confined to missionary work, which was quite limited, and it has never, until a very recent period, acquired any importance in any other respect.

Very soon after the conquest of Canada by the English, a company of adventurers from England undertook to work the copper mines of Lake Superior. They, however, met with but little success, and soon relinquished their scheme. They had long been preceded by others, as there is abundant evidence of the working of these mines at some far distant period, and by some unknown people. In some cf the old mines not only stone hammers have been found, but a copper gad, much battered; a copper chisel, with a socket for the handle; a copper knife, fragments of a wooden bowl, numerous levers of wood, remnants of charcoal, and pits have been sunk following the course of veins extending in continuous lines, and upon a mound of earth thrown out of one of them, grew a pine tree ten feet in circumference, and upon another a hemlock tree was cut, the annular growths of which counted 395 years. These evidences of a prehistoric people excite our curiosity without satisfying it.

PORTAGE.

The settlement at the "Portage" was so nearly contemporary with that at Green Bay and Prairie du Chien as to be worthy of notice in the same connection. The first white men to visit the "Portage" were JOLIET and MARQUETTE, and their guides and companions, five in number, who "made the portage" in June, 1673, and reached the Mississippi river on the 17th of that month, although NICOLET was at Green Bay in 1634, and ascended the Fox river some distance, probably as far as the portage. Seven years later (1680) HENNEPIN and DU LUTH reached the portage on their return from the falls of St. Anthony. LE SUEUR and his party made the portage in 1683, on his way to the Mississippi.

The first settler at the portage was LAURENT BARTH. He was a trader from Mackinaw. Returning in the spring of 1793, with his family, from the St. Croix river, where he had traded the previous winter in company with JACQUES PORLIER and CHARLES REAUME, of Green Bay, he stopped here and purchased from the Winnebagoes the privilege of transporting goods over the portage. This was the commencement of the settlement at that point. The Indian habitations near there increased immediately, but the settlement was not augmented much by white men for many years. BARTH first built a house on the low ground, but it became overflowed, and he removed the next year to the high ground half a mile above.

The next settler was JEAN L'ECUYER, who went there in 1798, and who also obtained permission to transport goods over the portage. The goods were hauled over in carts. BARTH had at first only a single-horse cart, but when L'ECUYER came he had several teams and carts, and had also a heavy wagon with a long reach, and so constructed as to transport barges.

About 1803 BARTH sold to Mr. CAMPBELL, who was appointed a few years later the first American Indian agent at Prairie du Chien, all his right of transportation, and then removed to Prairie du Chien, where he died before the war of 1812.

CAMPBELL Soon after sold out his fixtures to L'ECUYER, who supposed that CAMPBELL intended to relinquish the business; but he placed his two sons, JOHN and DUNCAN,

there, and had several teams to convey goods and a large wagon to transport barges. CAMPBELL is the same man. who was killed at Mackinaw in a duel with one CRAWFord, soon after which his business was closed up. In about two years afterwards L'ECUYER sickened and died leaving several children.

After L'ECUYER'S death his widow employed LAURENT FILY to carry on the business for her, and he continued it till about 1812, when FRANCIS ROY married a daughter of Mrs. L'ECUYER and took charge of the business and continued it many years.

Sometime after the war with England JOSEPH ROLETTEcarried on the transportation business at the portage employing PIERRE PAUQUETTE to manage it for him. The usual charge for transporting goods across the portage was forty cents per 100 pounds, and ten dollars for each boat, but extortions were often practiced upon those who would submit to them.

There was always, after BARTH went to Portage, a considerable Indian trade there. He sold the remnant of the stock which he brought from the St. Croix; and L'EcUYER always kept a large assortment of goods, as did his widow and her son-in-law, ROY. CAMPBELL had goods one year. LAURENT FILY who had been a clerk for L'ECUYER was located there several years as a trader, and died at Grand Kau-kau-lin in 1846, at the age of eighty-three years. AUGUSTIN GRIGNON spent two winters in trade there from 1801 to 1803 and JACQUES PORLIER early spent two or three winters there.

For thirty-five years after BARTH went there, the number of white settlers at the portage did not increase, there being no business except the transportation across the portage and a small Indian trade; but the location and erection of Fort Winnebago at that point effected a very great change.

Previous to the Indian War of 1827, it had been common for RED BIRD's band of Winnebago Indians to levy contributions on the traders while crossing the portage. In consequence of this, and for the protection of the now increasing population from the hostility of the Indians, Major (afterwards General) DAVID E. TWIGGS, was ordered to the portage in the summer of 1828 with three companies of the 1st Infantry to build a fort. The officers of his command were Capt. Brevet Maj. BEALL; Capt. SPENCER; Capt. (af