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hoit,he;a;lieib'he 3 a is is to10sano1,-illv-ylieP-,c-110idn,mtyy-Idiisr.icc-•s.it.leillLl-11-wII*«isl-leY,igida-id»ge-sdelmile of the Mississippi river, on the Alton and St . Louis road.My father removed from his residence near Colonel Judy, fttnl settled on the bank of the river, nearly opposite the mouth of the Missouri river, in April, 1817. I was at that time between four and five years of age, and I yet recollect Very distinctly the flrst sight I had of the Mississippi river. I hail a good opportunity, in early life, to witness the pioneer modes of navigating that stream. The vessels employed were mostly keel-bouts, tliitboats, mackinaw boats or bateaux, and Indian canoes. The Indians came down the river in large companies or bands, sometimes to the number of one hundred and fifty canoes, and wich ennoe would contain three or tour men, women and children. They would sometimes pass on to St. Louis, to see Gov. Clarke, one of the Indian agents, at that time, and sometimes would land and halt at my rather’* place, leave their canoes moored to the shore, and Ihen proceed on foot to Edwardsville, to see Gov. Nlnlan Edwards, who held frequent councils and made treaties with them. I have seen the m«n marching along the road in single flic, for a mile in length, on their way to aee Gov. Edwards, The squaws and papooses were generally left at the river to guard their canoes and baggage - until their return. They were of the Sues, Foxes, Fotawatomies mid Winnebago tribes, who then inhabited the country about ltock Island, 111., and Davenport, Iowa, the Galena lead mining country, and also along the Illinois river, at Peoria unci other pointsin the northern portion of Illinois. At that time these tribes were perfectly friendly to the whites.When ft boy, I Imve often traded with the squaws. They usually wanted to barter strings of beads for green com, and 1 would Imdc with them although I had no earthly use for the beads. The men, however, always showed a great fondness for whisky, an article I did not wish to sell then!. Before their return homeward, they would often encamp near u* for several day a at a time, and the men would hunt deer and other wild gume, and that with boiled com would constitute their stock of provisions for the voyage.The keel boats were used for conveying im?r-eh an disc up the rivers to the various trailing points, and returned laden with peltry, honey, bf!i*9WiiX, Ac. The mackinaw boats were used for carry mg’ furs, Ac., from the mountains, nnd up-river posts* down stream, but were never used in going against the current. Flat boats were built and used in floating the stock and produce of the farmers to the New Orleans market, and they, like I he. mackinaw boats, were sold or leJt where the cargo was disposed of. This flatbout-ing to New Orleans was rather a risky business, as the distance was so great, and accidents and casualties Were so numerous, that hilly one-third of all that started 011 the I rip were wrecked or lost in someway before reaching their destination.I recollect having seen my father cut lumber with ft whip-saw for the purpose ol building a Hat boat to convey his produce to New Orleans. 1 have known him to sell his pork in St. Louis Tor $1.50 per hundred pounds net. As lute as 1828-7, my mother, in partnership wit h a man from Ohio, purchased a flat boat loud nf live, hogs, slaughtered them on the river bauk, and shipped them 1o market. The price paid for the lings was $‘2 per hundred forall Weighing over 200 pounds, and lor all under that Weight$1.50per hundred was paid.In 1819 steamboats commenced to navigate the Mississippi nnd Illinois rivers, above the mouth of the Missouri, and a few years afterwards they were able to ascend the Missouri river. In 1821, Col. James Johnson and son, of Great Crossings, near Georgetown, Ky., cnmc out with three or four keel boats, from the Ohio river, loaded with provisions and men, on his way to the Galena I cud mines, where he spent the season mining nnd smelting lead. He was the llrst to smelt lead in that region. He worked about one hundred men, one half of whom were negro slaves of his own. He returned in the full with two bouts loaded with lead in bars. After disposing of the haul ill St. Louis, he purchased horses and he ami his purty traveled across the country, on horseback, through Illinois and Indiana to LouisvUK*, nnd from thence to their home near Georgetown, Ky. At that time this was the cheapest and most expeditious routi;they could take.Just opposite, and immediately below the mouth of the Missouri river, the eastern bank ol tin* Mississippi has, within my recollections, washed away to such an extent that hundreds of acres have been swallowed up. If the exact locality IB where my father1 s old house stood, on the river 2 bank, could now be ascertained, it would certainly be from three-fourths to one mile li'um die present boundary of the river. In early times my S father and Isaac Glllbum purchased ft tract of 4i laud of Jacob Whites idea, containing two hun-dred jmdlifty acres, licinga military claim. Since that time this whole tract, except about live acres,** has been washed away by the force of the annual By Hoods sweeping through the Missouri river. An-y other tract of four hundred acres, adjoining the one ubove mentioned, oil the north, 1ms been abraded to such an extent, that there nosv only re-mains thirty to forty acres. All the land for a ft distance of a mile or more above ami below these tracts has been worn away to a greater or less extent, from the same cause.^ S. B. GriiiiiiiAM, Sr.IC November, 23d, 1874.idf.TIB181-f
Newspaper Details
Weekly Bulletin
Troy, Illinois, US
Thu, Dec 24, 1874
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Cathy B.
IL, USA 12 Oct 2017
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