About the year 1826 there was great excitement in regard to the lead mines of the upper Mississippi.  In 1827 I thought I would try my luck one season at the mines.  I passed Rock Island on my way up the river, about the last of March, returning late in the summer.  This practice of going up the river in the spring and coming down in the fall was so generally observed by the first settlers of Illinois that they were called "Suckers."  In the fall of 1828 I removed to Morgan county, about twelve miles from Jacksonville, on the Beardstown road.  Mr. Rinnah Wells, in passing from the mines to the southern part of the state, stopped with me over night.  In the course of the evening he told me that the Indians had left their old village at Rock island.  Having seen the country along the Rock Island rapids, in passing to and from the mines, and being much pleased with it, in less than a week, accompanied by Loudon Case, Sr., I was on my way to ascertain if the Indians had left.  When about ten miles from Rock river we met a Mr. Prince, who had brought  a load of corn from his farm near Peoria, to feed Judge Pence's team, who was just then moving to the old Indian village at Rock river.  Princeville, on the Peoria railroad, bears his name.  We reached Rock river on the 9th of December.  The river seemed alive with ducks.  I do not think I have ever seen as many at one time since.  Getting on the track of Judge Pence's wagons we crossed to the Big island.  Here we found Judge Pence looking for a place to ford, which we found about sundown, between the upper bridge and milldam on the main stream.  Here we found several wigwams and took shelter in a large one for the night.  Early in the morning Judge Pence started out and returned about breakfast time, saying he would not unload his wagon here, as he had found a better wigwam which proved to be Black Hawk's.  These wigwams are very much the shape of a New England barn, sixteen or eighteen feet wide, and from twenty to fifty or sixty feet long.  The largest were calculated for from two to four families.  They were built by setting posts in the ground and siding with bark from elm trees.  This bark, cut about seven feet long, varied in width from two to four feet, according to the size of the tree taken from.  They had rafters and on these were laid small poles, upon was placed the bark making a roof that turned rain very well.  These wigwams made a very comfortable summer house.  Their wigwams for fall and winter use were very different, being of flags woven into matting, which could be rolled up and enough to cover a wigwam carried on one horse.  They made a frame of small poles, one end sharpened and stuck in the ground, the other bent over so as to form a circle of ten or twelve feet.  They then placed the matting around and over the poles, leaving a small opening in the top for the smoke.  A little fire in the center would keep the wigwam warm.  The Indians say "the white man makes a great fire, and stands a great way off, the Indian makes a little fire and gets very near it."  On our arrival here we found no Indians, it being the season of the year when they were absent on their winter's hunt.  The settlers, as well as the officers of the garrison, thought they would not return.  We found here two white families, near where the Farnham house stood, one of them Captain Clark, father of Captain Louis Clark, of Buffalo, Scott county, Iowa, the other a discharged soldier by the name of Haney; Judge Pence at Rock river; and at the rapids, where Rapids City now stands, were John and Thomas Kinney, George Harlan, Conrad Leak and Archibald Allen.  This constituted all the white settlement of the main land.  North about seventy miles, on the Plumb river, was a family by the name of Davidson; two miles below New Boston was a family by the name of Dennison, and on the lower rapids was old Jim White.  At this time they only had an occasional mail here, which was got by sending two soldiers on foot to Galena.  Soon after I came, having business at Galena, and the officers of the garrison being anxious to hear who had been elected president, in November, it being now the 20th of December, it was arranged that I should carry the mail to Galena, and bring one in return, for which I was to recieve $5.00. This trip had to be made on foot, as I had sent my team home.  So they fitted me out with a knapsack and taking apair of skates I started on my trip, stopping the first night at the head of the rapids.  From this point to Mr. Davidson's, the first house, was about fifty miles, and the days being the shortest of the year, it required some energy to reach this house, which would make a good stopping place for the night.  In the course of the day I met a large party of Winnebagoes, who were moving and were traveling across my track.  I was not then much acquainted with the Indians, and hardly knew what would be the best course to pursue, but concluded it was best to pass right along among them, as though I was not at all disturbed.  They gathered around me and all I could understand was that they wanted bread.  I was 'skating along, at that time, on a large pond and the Indian boys followed after me, very much pleased with this, to them, novel way of going.  Before reaching Plum river it was dark and as the house I wanted to reach was a mile on the other side, the river must be crossed.  I tried the ice and found that it would not bear me, and concluded to camp for the night.  It being a prairie and no wood near, I remembered to have seen some driftwood about a half mile back, and returned there to camp for the night. Now came the feat of making a fire in a dark night.  I put my hat on the ground, with the top up, putting some cotton on the hat and sprinkling some powder on the cotton; then took my knife and flint and tried to make fire.  Not succeeding very well, I poured a little more powder on the cotton; it being very dark and cold, and feeling a little uncertain about my success in making a fire, and knowing the great importance of having a fire in camping in winter, I repeated the operation two or three times.  At last, getting very anxious, I got my face down very near the hat and with my knife and flint succeeded in igniting the powder.  I thought at first my eyes were nearly put out, but it being very necessary to save my fire, I succeeded in doing so. In the morning I followed up the river until I found a place so narrow that I made a crossing.  This took me so far out of my way that I did not stop at Mr. Davidson's at all going up.  I reached Galena safely, exchanged the mails, transacted my other business and about noon, on Christmas day, started on my return.  Traveling about twenty miles I came to a wood chopper's camp and stayed all night.  The next morning I breakfasted at Mr. Davidson's at Plum river.  This was a very excellent family, but I found only Mrs. Davidson at home.  After breakfast I asked her how much I owed her - she replied "a quarter."  I gave her a half dollar but she could not change it and refused to deep the whole of it.  Meeting with her husband in 1832 I told him I was indebted to him.  He said he did not know it.  When I related the circumstances he remarked, "You are a pretty honest fellow." Leaving Plum river I camped two miles or more this side of the Meredosia.  All night I could hear the wolves walking about me, and could hear the Indian dogs barking, as there were Indians on an island in the river.  The next day I reached the fort at Rock island, delivered the mail, and bringing the news of the election of General Jackson. In coming into the village when I first came here I noticed a number of poles standing, from twenty to thirty feet high.  Some of these poles had branches or limbs left on them, on which were hung small gords.   *       *     *  I have seen, when the Indians returned from their winter hunt, a dead dog tied up to one of these poles, by winding a rope several times around the pole and dog, the head being up.  I always supposed this to be a religious ceremony.  Every time they succeeded in battle and none of their number was killed, a new pole was erected and upon the pole was hung some of the trophies of the victory, and around it the successful warriors and women danced.  But if in the battle they lost any of their number, even if they had killed a great number of the enemy, there was no dancing or any demonstrations of joy. The first season I lived here, about forty of our Indians swam the Missouri river in the night, broke into an encampment of 100 of the Sioux lodges and killed fifteen of them with their knives, losing two of their own number.  On account of their loss there was no dancing or any rejoicing, but when they came home they blackened their faces and mourned the loss of their two braves.  The same season three of our Indians, on a scout on the Missouri, discovered an Omaha Indian on the prairie.  They told me they got into a low, bushy tree and bleated like a deer, bringing the man near, then they shot and killed him.  This Indian had a gun and bridle with him; these, with his scalp, they brought home with them. Now was explained to me the use of these poles.  A new one was erected and the gun and bridle hung on the pole.  They began to dance around it - that is, the three men who killed the Indian and several of the squaws.  At these dances none of the men except those who actually participated in the battle danced; but the young men, gaily painted, stood looking on.  One of the squaws carried the scalp on a stick, about four feet above her head.  For music they had a drum made by taking out the head of a powder keg and stretching a raw hide over it.  Some one of the old men, with one drum-stick, such as is used on a bass-drum, beat with a slow, measured stroke, while several old men, sitting on the gournd, accompanied the drum by singing.  This music, in a still night, could be heard three or four miles.  The dancers kept up the entertainment for two or three days, until entire exhaustion ensued.  At intervals during the rejoicing the music and dancing would stop and a man would step forward - usually an old man - with a tomahawk or some other instrument of war in his hand, and make a little speech, telling of some war exploit, the Indians all responding with a general shout.  Then the music and dancing were again resumed.  I witnessed this performance several times while the Indians were here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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