Chapter 11 cont. A PICTURESQUE PERSONALITY "One of the picturesque personalities that will lend charm to the history of Davenport," said the Democrate in its issue of June 17, 1899, "will be Antoine LeClaire, the Indian's friend, companion, protector, incorporator of Davenport and for a quarter of a century one of its most public-spirited citizens, esteemed and loved by redmen and white till the day of his death.  The banished tribesmen no longer make their annual pilgrimage here to seek his counsel and companionship, his activity no longer contributes to our civic life or his benevolence to the good works that others are carrying on in his stead, but his memory continues fresh in the minds of those who knew him.  That his name lingers all over our city map in addition after addition, attaches to one of our streets and to a city at the head of the rapids is because he faithfully served the friends of his childhood, the Indians, who years ago made their abode in this vicinity, counted by them, as it may still lay claim to be, the garden spot of the west.  In connection it may be noted that the removal of the Indians from this neighborhood onto a reservation further west did not prevent them from showing, their affection for and remembrance of LeClaire in after life.  For years large delegations of the tribesmen came here every fall, whole villages at a time, and camped near his house and enjoyed the hospitality of the family.  When Colonel Davenport was murdered on the island here Indians came back from interior Iowa to guard the LeClaire home.  Yearly the delegations grew smaller as the lines of civilization drew tighter about the Indian reservations, pushing the redmen farther west, while death thinned the ranks of those whose hunting grounds had been here and who owned to having a friend in the government interpreter of former days.  Their pilgrimages hither continued, however, up to the time of LeClaire's death, and his widow received visits from many of the Indians afterwards.  Before Antoine's death it had been agreed that the surviving relatives of himself and wife should take their property in equal shares and fifty-seven of their kindred therefore shared equally under his will after the decease of his widow." Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L