Alexander Robinson was a Pottawattomie chief, much respected by the whites. He long lived at Casenovia, on the Desplaines River, about twelve miles north-west of Chicago.
Shaubena (Shabonee, Shaubeenay, etc.), was an Ottawa by parentage, being born on the Kankakee River in what is now Will County, Ill. He married into the Pottawattomie tribe, and became its principal chief. He aided Tecumseh, and was in the Thames battle; but thereafter devoted his energies to preserving peace between the races. As a consequence, he greatly angered hostile chiefs, and in 1827 was for a time a prisoner in the camp of Big Foot, the Pottawattomie chief at Big Foot Lake (now Lake Geneva). During the Black Hawk War, Shaubena was successful in keeping the majority of the Pottawattomies and Winnebagoes from active participation, thereby rendering very valuable service to the white settlers. He frequently visited Washington on business for his tribe, and always received marked attention both there and in the West. Shaubena died at his home on the Illinois River, two miles above Seneca, July 17, 1859, aged eighty-four years.
70 (page [page 200]).—Reference is here made to the treaty concluded at St. Louis, August 24, 1816, with “the united tribes of the Ottawas, Chippewas, and Pottawattomies, residing on the Illinois and Melwakee rivers and their waters, and on the southwestern parts of Lake Michigan.”
71 (page [page 200]).—Treaties were held with the Pottawattomies in 1836, at Turkey Creek (March 26), Tippecanoe River (March 29 and April 11), Indian Agency (April 22), Yellow River (August 5), and Chippewanaung (September 20-23). The principal object of all was to secure the emigration of the tribe to the west of the Mississippi within two years.
72 (page [page 200]).—In 1827, Congress granted alternate sections of land for six miles on each side of the line to aid in building the canal between Lake Michigan and the Illinois River. One of these alternates was section 9, town 39 north, range 13 east, embracing what is now the Chicago business center. In 1830, the canal commissioners—Doctor Jayne, Edmund Roberts, and Charles Dunn—proceeded to lay out a town site upon this section; they employed for this purpose James Thompson, a St. Louis surveyor; his plat covered about three-eighths of the square mile. These commissioners named the original streets. The north and south streets they called State, Dearborn, Clark, La Salle, Wells, Franklin, Market, Canal, Clinton, Jefferson, and Desplaines; the east and west streets named by them were Kinzie, Carroll, Water, Lake, Randolph, Washington, and Madison. Many lots were sold at auction in the first year, prices running from sixty to two hundred dollars. The section immediately south was No. 16—-the section granted by the general government in every township as an endowment for public education. Many wise citizens desired this school section reserved from sale until neighboring settlement had brought up the price; but land speculators secured the early sale of the lots, and the resulting educational endowment was meager.
73 (page [page 202]).—Martin Scott was born in Vermont, and entered the army as a second lieutenant in 1814. In 1828 he was commissioned captain of the Fifth Infantry, the post he was filling at the time of which our author speaks. He was made major of his regiment in June, 1846, in recognition of gallant conduct at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma; in September following he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for notable services in the several conflicts at Monterey, and was killed September 8, 1847, in the battle of Molino del Rey. Captain Scott was an eccentric character, of the misanthropic type, well known throughout the country as an expert marksman; he had obtained his training among the sharpshooters of the Green Mountains. His devotion to the chase partook of the nature of a craze. At the various posts where he was stationed, he maintained numerous kennels for his blooded dogs; those at Fort Howard were pagoda-shaped, and presented so striking an appearance that the little village of dog-houses was popularly styled “Scott’s four-legged brigade quarters.”
74 (page [page 211]).—Sir John Johnson, son and heir of the celebrated Sir William. When a mere boy, during the Revolutionary War, he led the Mohawks in forays against the New York settlers. After the war he was made superintendent-general of Indian affairs in British North America, and a colonel in the militia of Lower Canada. He died at Montreal, January 4, 1830, with the rank of major-general.
75 (page [page 227]) The troops were withdrawn from Fort Dearborn May 20, 1831; the post was re-occupied June 17, 1832, on account of the Black Hawk uprising.
76 (page [page 238]).—This is the Fox River of the Illinois; not to be confounded with the Fox River of Green Bay.
77 (page [page 246]).—Amos Foster was born in New Hampshire, and was appointed second lieutenant in the Second Infantry, July 1, 1828. While stationed at Fort Howard he was killed by a private soldier named Doyle, February 7, 1832. The details of the tragedy are given by our author upon [pp. 341-343], post.