Page 540 (unnumbered in text)

CHAPTER VI.

TREATY OF 1836

AN ACCOUNT OF AN EYE-WITNESS AS GIVEN AT THE TIME.

COL. John H. Sullivan was one of the pioneers of Rockingham, in Scott county, and was present at the treaty by which the Sacs and Foxes relinquished their title to "Keokuk's Reserve," in 1836. Under date of October 2nd, 1836, Col. Sullivan wrote to his father, then residing at Zanesville, Ohio, giving among other things, an account of the treaty. In one of the issues of the Zanesville Gazette, in October of that year appeared the following:

"We have been permitted to make the following extract from a letter for publication, from our talented and enterprising friend, Col. John H. Sullivan, of Rockingham, Wisconsin territory, to his father of this place, dated October 2, 1836, after visiting the treaty grounds where the Sacs and Fox chiefs, with a few hundred of their braves and principal men were assembled on the west side of the Mississippi, opposite Fort Armstrong, on Rock Island, for the purpose of selling to the U. S. government the whole of the reserve on the Iowa, containing 265,000 acres, and which were disposed of at 75 cents an acre.

Page 541

TREATY OF 1836.

The two bands of Foxes under Poweshiek and Wapello were encamped on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi, opposite and about half way up Rock Island. The encampment was on a slope of the bluff, and at a little distance looked quite picturesque, as the Indians flitted about the bulrush and bark tents, arrayed in their showy green or red blankets, looking for all the world, when you gave a glance at their horses browsing on the bluff tops, like a picture of an Arab encampment, glowing with the bright and gorgeous colors of Orientalism; but when you came nearer, all the glory vanished. Your eye would go to scrutinizing the tents, with all the dirty paraphernalia of skinning and jerking meat and general cooking operations.

About half a mile above this encampment lay the far more neatly arranged tents of the Sacs--which was Black Hawk's band, but is no more. It is called his; but alas, poor old man; the scepter has passed from Judah. He has no voice in council--no authority in the tribe. This encampment was made immediately on the bank of the river, on a kind of promontory, and the tents were arranged around in the form of a crescent. Above them, and fronting the hollow of the crescent was erected the council lodge. At one end was placed Governor Dodge, Captain Boon and Lieutenant Lea--the commissioners--together with General Street, Indian agent; and the Indian traders fronting them--and on each side of the council house were arranged the tawny warriors decked out in the most imposing finery. The mass of the warriors and braves were standing; the chiefs and head men sitting in front of the standing phalanxes, all listening with dignified attention to the propositions of the governor, and as each sentence

Pages 542 - 543

Index

Introductory Page| Portrait of MA-KA-TAI-ME-SHE-KIA-KIAH (Black Hawk)| Title Page| Page 2|

Preface (pages 3 - 6)| Illustrations (page 7)| Contents (pages 8 - 17)

Chapter One| Chapter Two| Chapter Three| Chapter Four| Chapter Five

Chapter Six| Chapter Seven| Chapter Eight| Chapter Nine| Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven| Chapter Twelve| Chapter Thirteen| Chapter Fourteen| Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen| Chapter Seventeen| Chapter Eighteen| Chapter Nineteen| Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One| Chapter Twenty Two| Chapter Twenty Three| Chapter Twenty Four

Appendix, Chapter 1| Appendix, Chapter 2| Appendix, Chapter 3| Appendix, Chapter 4| Appendix, Chapter 5

w3c validation logo HTML Validation Results

Bobby approval logo Bobby's Home Page

This is a genuine MOM (Mother of Michael) site estone@yawp.com
Michael A. Stone, Owner, janitor, and chief data rancher for YAWP (Yet Another Webservice Provider...)
revised 8 December 1999