Toward a Good Land
Father Jacques Marquette and his little band, paddling
southward along the west coast of Lake Michigan in 1674, stopped at a river the natives called “Milouakik.”
Nov. 23. After embarking at noon, we experience some difficulty in reaching a river. Here the cold begins, and more than a foot of snow covers the ground and remains. We are delayed for three days. During this time Pierre kills a deer, three bustards [geese] and three turkeys, which are very good. The others proceed to the prairies. A savage discovers some cabins, and comes to get us. Jacques goes there the following day. Two hunters also come to see me. They are Maskoutens, to the number of eight or nine cabins, who have separated from the others to obtain subsistence. With fatigues almost impossible to Frenchmen, they travel throughout the winter over bad roads, the land abounding in streams, small lakes and swamps. Their cabins are wretched, and they eat or starve according to the places where they happen to be. Being detained by the wind, we noticed that there are great shoals out in the lake, over which the waves break continually.
Nov. 23. After embarking at noon, we experience some difficulty in reaching a river. Here the cold begins, and more than a foot of snow covers the ground and remains. We are delayed for three days. During this time Pierre kills a deer, three bustards [geese] and three turkeys, which are very good. The others proceed to the prairies. A savage discovers some cabins, and comes to get us. Jacques goes there the following day. Two hunters also come to see me. They are Maskoutens, to the number of eight or nine cabins, who have separated from the others to obtain subsistence. With fatigues almost impossible to Frenchmen, they travel throughout the winter over bad roads, the land abounding in streams, small lakes and swamps. Their cabins are wretched, and they eat or starve according to the places where they happen to be. Being detained by the wind, we noticed that there are great shoals out in the lake, over which the waves break continually.
Father Louis Hennepin in 1679 found the route along
the west coast of Lake Michigan to be a trying one.
We set out the same day, October 2nd, and paddled for four days along the shore. It was bordered by great hills, running abruptly down to the lake, so there was scarcely a place to land. We were forced every evening to climb to the summit, carrying our canoes and cargoes, so as not to leave them exposed by night to the waves. Violent headwinds forced us to land with great hardship. To embark again it required that two men go waist high into the water, and hold the canoe head-on to the waves, pushing it ahead or drawing it back as each wave rolled in or ran out, until it was loaded. Then it was pushed out, to wait till the others were loaded in the same way. The Indian corn we ate sparingly, as provisions failed us. Good old Father Gabriel had several fainting fits. In a whole day we ate only a handful of Indian corn, cooked under the ashes, or boiled in water, and during all this time we were obliged to keep on toward a good country, and to paddle with all our strength. Our men often ran for little haws and wild fruit, which they ate avidly. Several fell sick, and thought the fruits had poisoned them. The more we suffered, the more God seemed to give me strength, and I often outstripped the other canoes in paddling. During this scarcity, He who cares for the smallest birds allowed us to see several crows and eagles on the lake shore. Plying our paddles with redoubled zeal toward the birds, we found half a deer, which the wolves had killed and half eaten. We restored ourselves on the flesh of the animal, blessing Providence, which had sent us such timely aid. Thus our little fleet advanced toward the south, where we found the country always finer and more temperate. |
When Father Jean Buisson de St. Cosme stopped at Milouakik in October, 1698, he found broad marshes of wild rice teeming with waterfowl.
After being wind-bound for two days, we started again, and after two days of heavy wind we reached Milouakik on the 9th. On this river there is a village, which once was large, consisting of Mascoutins, Renards [Fox] and some Pous [Potawatomi]. We stayed here two days, partly on account of the wind, and partly to recruit our men a little, for there was an abundance of duck and teal in the river.
After being wind-bound for two days, we started again, and after two days of heavy wind we reached Milouakik on the 9th. On this river there is a village, which once was large, consisting of Mascoutins, Renards [Fox] and some Pous [Potawatomi]. We stayed here two days, partly on account of the wind, and partly to recruit our men a little, for there was an abundance of duck and teal in the river.
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