The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume 2 (of 3) / To Headwaters of the Mississippi River Through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, During the Years 1805-6-7.

by Zebulon Montgomery Pike; Elliott Coues

4. Corporal Jackson and one man (Private Carter) left on the Rio Conejos to await the coming of the foregoing six. (2.)

5. Dr. Robinson gone ahead to Santa Fé. (1.)

6. Pike therefore sallies forth under escort of the Spanish dragoons with the following: Privates Brown, Gorden, Menaugh, Mountjoy, Roy, Stoute. (7.)

Total 16, present or accounted for.

[IV-1] Chapter IV consists of an article which came first in the App. to Pt. 2 of the orig. ed., pp. 1-18. This had no number among the various pieces of which that Appendix was made up; but as it came first, and the next piece was No. 2, the lack of numeration was a mere inadvertence, and it is to be taken pro formâ as No. 1. It was lengthily entitled: "A Dissertation On the Soil, Rivers, Productions, Animal and Vegetable, with General Notes on the Internal Parts of Louisiana, compiled from observations made by Capt. Z. M. Pike, in a late tour from the mouth of the Missouri, to the Head Waters of the Arkansaw and Rio del Norte, in the years 1806 and 1807; including Observations on the Aborigines of the Country." Such notes as I should otherwise have to offer on the substance of this Dissertation are for the most part already made in the foregoing three chapters of the Itinerary. The present chapter may therefore be passed without remark, excepting in so far as concerns some new points that come up for notice.

[IV-2] Read Missouri—"Mississippi" being the slip of a pen which had so often written the latter word. The clause means that muddy backwater from the Missouri ran some way into the Gasconade.

[IV-3] The river which the Expedition crossed was of course the Neosho, which Wilkinson was correct in stating to fall into the Arkansaw a short distance below the Vermilion or Verdigris—"a quarter of a mile," his Report says. Pike's wrong conclusion is not here animadverted upon, as it has been set right before; but I wish to note that the "White river of the Mississippi" has given rise to much confusion, from the very simple circumstance that it is a branch both of the Mississippi and of the Arkansaw. It runs into the very crotch between these two, and has a sort of a delta of its own, as well as a double debouchment. Various maps consulted on this point, as I have never been on the spot, differ in that some run White r. into the Arkansaw, some into the Mississippi, and some into both these rivers. The latter seems to be the present arrangement; but this may have repeatedly altered in former times.

[IV-4] The route from the Missouri, at or near the mouth of the Kansas—that is, from old Westport (now Kansas City), Mo., and Independence, Mo.—to the great bend of the Arkansaw, near the mouth of Walnut cr., was established as an overland highway during the '20's, when it began to be regularly taken by the traders' caravans en route to Santa Fé. The trade attained such proportions that some years merchandise of the value of $250,000 and $450,000 was hauled over this road: see Gregg's statistics for 1822-43, Comm. Pra., II. 1844, p. 160. Pack-animals or wagons were used, 1822-25, but after that wagons only; and these soon wore a road as plain as a turnpike. It will be interesting to go over this road, and identify the camping-grounds of those hardy pioneers by the modern names of the places on and near their route; especially as no railroad now follows this primitive trace exactly. It held a pretty straight westward course, bearing all the while southward; the distance from the usual starting place (Independence, Mo.) was called 300 m. roundly, but is somewhat less than this. The most noted point on the route was Council Grove, so called since 1825, when the U. S. Commissioners Reeves, Sibley, and Mathers, who there treated with the Osages, gave the place its present name. In the most general terms, the road followed the divide between Kansan waters on the N., or right hand going W., and on the other, first those of the Osage (a branch of the Missouri), then those of the Neosho (a branch of the Arkansaw), and finally those of the Arkansaw itself. But the route was nearly everywhere in the latter water-shed; after the first few miles, every stream crossed ran to the left. In some places, the divide between the two sets of streams had little breadth; one place was called The Narrows, the approximation was so close. The wagon-train that started from Independence usually left "the States" the first day out, and entered "the Indian territory"—that is, it went from the present State of Missouri into the present State of Kansas; and all the rest of the way to Great Bend was through the latter. Let us look up some maps and itineraries of half a century ago—say Gregg's, pub. 1844; Wislizenus', of 1846; and Beckwith's, 1853—to see what sign-posts they set up. These point to such places as the following, in regular order from E. to W.: Independence and Westport, Mo.—Big Blue camp—Round Grove, Lone Elm, The Glen—Bull cr., Black Jack cr. and pt., Willow springs, and The Narrows—two Rock creeks in succession—One Hundred and Ten Mile cr.—Bridge cr.—Dwissler's or Switzler's cr.—five creeks to which the names First Dragoon, Second Dragoon, Soldier, Prairie Chicken, Elm, and One Hundred and Forty-two Mile attach in some itineraries and are to be collated with Fish and Pool, or Fish and Pleasant Valley, of others—Bluff cr.—Big Rock cr.—Big John spring and cr.—Council Grove, on its own cr.—another Elm cr.—Diamond spring and cr.—Lost spring and Lost or Willow cr.—Cottonwood cr.—two or three Turkey creeks in succession—Little Arkansaw r.—several Little Cow creeks, among them one called Chavez or Charez and Owl—Big Cow cr.—approach to the Arkansaw r. at Camp Osage—up the Arkansaw to Walnut cr. and thus to Great Bend. From such indicia as these it may not be difficult to reopen the road in terms of modern geography. 1. Independence maintains its independence as the seat of Jackson Co., Mo., 2 or 3 m. S. of the Missouri r., and about the same E. of Big Blue cr.; but Westport is practically absorbed in the suburbs of Kansas City, Mo. Starting from Independence, the first halt on the prairie, after crossing Big Blue r., was likely to be "Big Blue camp." This was about the heads of Brush cr., a small tributary of the Big Blue from the W., and in the vicinity of present Glenn. Being nearly on the present inter-State boundary, it was the "jumping-off place" from "the States," where the traveler entered "the Indian territory." The military road between Forts Towson (on Red r.) and Leavenworth passed by. A little to the N. W. was the Shawnee agency and mission, on a branch of Turkey cr., the first tributary of the Kansas from the S.; Shawnee is there now, and other places on Turkey cr. are called Merriam, South Park, and Rosedale; the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Gulf R. R. meanders Turkey cr. into Kansas City. The position is about lat. 38° 59´ N. and long. 94° 35´ W. 2. About 5 m. further S. W. the road passed by Lenexa, Johnson Co., and a camp could be made on a head of Indian cr., which is a small stream joined by Tomahawk cr. before it reaches the Big Blue. The road continued S. W., approximately by the present S. Kan. R. R., and thus past Olathe, now seat of Johnson Co., where six tracks diverge in various directions. This is in the center of the county, near the head of Indian cr., on the head of Mill cr., a tributary of the Kansas, and near the head of a branch of Cedar cr., another Kansan affluent. 3. "Round Grove," "Lone Elm," or "The Glen" was a camping-place on one of the heads of Cedar cr., between Olathe and the village of Gardner; it was reckoned 15 m. from Big Blue camp, and 22 m. from Westport. Thus far the Santa Fé route coincided with the even more celebrated "Oregon trail." But at a point beyond Gardner, in the direction of Edgerton, and 6 or 8 m. from Round Grove, the road forked—that is, the Oregon trail struck off to the right in the N. W. direction of the Kansas, while the Santa Fé trail kept on the left-hand fork westward. 4. Bull cr. is still so called, or specified as Big Bull cr. to distinguish it from Little Bull cr. which, with other tributaries, such as Rock, Ten Mile, and Wea, it receives before it falls into Marais des Cygnes (main Osage) r. This is the creek on which is Paola, seat of Miami Co., near the junction of Wea cr., and it was the first of the Osage waters which the road crossed. The crossing was high up on its main course, between Gardner and Edgerton, whence the road continued W. from Johnson into Douglas Co. 5. From the crossing of Bull cr. it is 9 m. to Black Jack cr. and pt., so called from the kind of oak (Quercus nigra) which grows there. Black Jack is still the name of a place between the heads of Captain cr. (tributary of the Kansas) and Rock cr. (a branch of Bull cr.); it is 3 m. due E. of Baldwin City. 6. "Willow springs" was a noted camping place W. of Baldwin City, on one of the heads of Ottawa cr., which flows southward into the Marais des Cygnes r., a little below Ottawa, county seat of Franklin. The distance of Willow springs from the crossing of Black Jack cr. is 10½ m. Willow springs seems to be the same place that was called Wakarusa pt., or was at any rate very near it. Here the approximation of Kansan and Osage waters is very close, and this is the place which consequently became known as "The Narrows." The interlocking is between several heads of the Ottawa cr. just said and some tributaries of Cole cr., a branch of the Wakarusa. Camp could also be made at a place called Hickory pt., short of Willow springs by 3 or 4 m. 7. Two "Rock" creeks were passed at distances given as 9 and 12 m. from Willow springs by some writers, and quite differently by others; some also mention but one "Rock" cr. Eight Mile cr. was headed if not crossed by the road; and beyond this the road crossed one or both heads of Appanoose cr. These creeks are tributaries of the Marais des Cygnes, falling in a mile apart at Ottawa and just beyond. Part of the uncertainty about these "Rock" creeks arose from the fact that they often ran dry, were woodless, and thus ineligible for camping-grounds; hence they would often be passed without remark. The names seem to me to apply rather to the two forks of the Appanoose than to the main fork of the latter and to Eight Mile cr. 8. One Hundred and Ten Mile cr., which still floats its long name, was so called because it was taken to be 110 m. from Fort Osage, our earliest establishment of the kind on the Missouri. This was built in Sept., 1808, at Fort Point (present Sibley: see L. and C., ed. 1893, p. 30), and was sometimes called Fort Clark. The creek in mention was crossed at a point taken to be 24 m. from Willow springs, and thus in the vicinity of present Scranton, Osage Co. It is a branch of the Dragoon cr. we have next to consider. 9. Continuing nearly due W., the road crossed several heads of present Dragoon cr., in the vicinity of Burlingame, Osage Co. This is a comparatively large creek, which runs southeastward to fall into the Marais des Cygnes near Quenemo. That one of the several heads of Dragoon cr. on which Burlingame is situated is now called Switzler's cr.; the next beyond is the main source of Dragoon cr., into which a branch called Soldier's cr. falls, about 2 m. W. of Burlingame. But none of the older itineraries I have consulted speak of either "Dragoon" or "Soldier's" cr.; instead of which, they give a certain Bridge cr., as crossed 8 m. W. of One Hundred and Ten Mile cr. This is precisely the distance given by Beckwith for his "Dwissler's" cr. No doubt "Switzler" and "Dwissler" are the same person's names; but whether this has always been applied to the same creek may well be doubted. The "First Dragoon" cr. is now Dragoon cr.; the "Second Dragoon" cr. is now Soldier's cr.; these were passed near their confluence. 10. In the next few miles the road crossed in rapid succession several heads of the Marais des Cygnes itself, thus finishing with the Osage water-shed. Three of these are now known as Onion, Chicken or Prairie Chicken, and Elm; the latter is the main head, and seems to be the one which appears as "Fish" cr. in the early narratives—the name by which it is mapped both by Gregg and by Wislizenus. A fourth head of the Marais des Cygnes which the road crossed is that now known as One Hundred and Forty-two Mile cr., which joins the main stream much lower down than the other three. This is mapped by Gregg as Pool cr. and by Wislizenus as Pleasant Valley cr. All four of these streams are crossed in Lyon Co., the boundary between this and Osage Co. having been passed at long. 95° 50´ 57´´ W. nearly. 11. The road continued across Big Rock cr., having first passed its branch, Bluff cr. This is a tributary of the Neosho. It is probable that the Bluff cr. of early writers refers to the main Big Rock rather than to the branch now called Bluff, as it is the last one they give before coming to—12. Big John cr., another tributary of the Neosho, which was crossed immediately before Council Grove was reached; on which account, as well as for its beautiful spring and eligible camping-ground, it early became noted under the name it still bears. 13. Council Grove, now the seat of Morris Co. This was always the most marked place on the route—a sort of halfway station between the Missouri settlements and the great bend of the Arkansaw. Its area was indefinitely extensive along the wooded bottom-land of the Neosho, or, as it was called here, Council Grove cr.; but as the situation became peopled, settlement was made chiefly on the W. or right bank of the stream, at the mouth of Elm cr., a tributary from the W. This is not far from the center of a tract about 45 m. square known as the Kansas Trust Lands, of which the Kansas Diminished Reserve is a southwestern portion. Council Grove is only some 8 m. from the boundary between Lyon and Morris Co., which runs on a meridian close by the course of Big Rock cr. 14. The road continued W. up the left or N. bank of Elm cr. for about 8 m., crossed it at or near present station Milton of the Topeka, Salina, and Western R. R., and went on S. W. to Diamond spring, about 8 m. further. This was a camping place high up on the waters of Diamond or, as it is also called, Six Mile cr., a branch of the Cottonwood. 15. Hence W. about 16 m. to Lost spring, on Lost or Clear cr.—that branch of the Cottonwood which falls in at Marion. This place is a little over the border of Marion Co., and a town or station Lost Spring perpetuates the name, at the point where the Chicago, Kansas, and Nebraska R. R. crosses a branch of the A., T., and S. F. R. R. 16. From Lost spring the route turned S. W. 17 m. to the Cottonwood, approximately by the present railroad line, and struck that river at or near Durham, Marion Co. 17. Continuing S. W. and then bearing more nearly W., the road passed by or near Canton and thence to McPherson, both in the county of the latter name. Both are situated among the heads of Turkey cr., a branch of the Little Arkansaw; two or three of these were crossed. When two were noted, it used to be by the names of Little and Big Turkey creeks; map names are now Running Turkey, Turkey, and West Turkey; McPherson is on the last of these, some 25 m. from the crossing of the Cottonwood. The Turkey creeks vary very much in character with season and the weather. 18. The road continued about 20 m. to the crossing of the Little Arkansaw, in the vicinity of the place now called Little River. 19. In 10 m. the road reached one of the tributaries of Cow cr., and it was 10 more before all of these were passed; there are five or six of them, and some hardly ever run water. One of them is now called "Jarvis" cr.: see [note¹⁰, p. 424]. Another is known as Long Branch; between this and Little Cow cr. is Lyons, seat of Rice Co., and beyond this Big Cow cr. is crossed. 20. The road now makes for the Arkansaw on a due W. course, and comes on to that river at a place which was known as Camp Osage, in the vicinity of present Ellinwood, Barton Co. This town is only 3 m. from the mouth of Walnut cr., and the city of Great Bend is a mile or two beyond that.

[IV-5] This wild notion was a pet of Pike's, which he indulged to the extent of embodying it in the title of his book, and making his map fit it. No man can go, afoot or on horseback, in anything like one day, from any possible position, to the sources of all those rivers. It can be taken as an indication of the really close approximation of certain pairs of rivers, which drain from opposite sides of the same range, or made elastic enough to suit the situation about Mt. Lincoln, where some heads of the Grand, the Arkansaw, and the South Platte approximate; but the other rivers are entirely out of the question. Owing to Pike's ignorance of the existence of the North Platte, all that he says in various places of his hypothetical Yellowstone comes nearer the facts in the case of the Platte. "La Platte" he only knew from the sources of the South Platte.

[IV-6] This "Mr. M'Cartie" was Le Chevalier Macarty, Makarty, etc., who in 1751 succeeded Le Sieur de St. Clair as major-commandant of the Illinois. He was by birth an Irishman, became a major of engineers, and served about nine years in the position indicated. The far-famed Fort Chartres is called by Wallace "the only great architectural work of the French in the entire basin of the Mississippi, over which, in succession, had proudly floated the flags of two powerful nations." Old Fort Chartres, or De Chartres, supposed to have been so named for the Duc de Chartres, son of the then Regent of France, was built in 1719 and 1720, under the direction of Pierre Duqué de Boisbriant, the king's lieutenant for France, at the expense of the Company of the West; it at once became military headquarters and the center of authority, and was long prominent in the French history of Illinois. It was rebuilt in 1753-56 during Major Macarty's incumbency, upon the plans of the French engineer Saucier, at an estimated cost of 5,000,000 livres; and this "new Chartres" is described as a "huge structure of masonry, an object of wonder and curiosity to all who ever beheld it"—some of these being antiquarians of the present day. The historic fortress suffered encroachments of the Mississippi for several years; it was finally dilapidated during a freshet in 1772, then evacuated by the British garrison, which removed to Fort Gage, and never reoccupied. We have many memorials of the progress of its decay, as well as of the period of its greatness: see Wallace's Illinois and Louisiana under French rule, 1893, pp. 270, 271, 313-318, which include various important references, notably to Pittman, whose description of the fort as it was in 1766 is transcribed, and to Beck's Gazetteer, giving a plan of the fort from observations made in 1820. The name stands for a steamboat landing near Prairie du Rocher, Randolph Co., Ill.