EARLY SETTLEMENT OF CEDAR RAPIDS.

[The following article is a part of two chapters from "Pioneer Life in and about Cedar Rapids, from 1839 to 1849," by Rev. Geo. R. Carroll, that part of it entitled "The Indian Visitors" being written by Mrs. Elizabeth H. Jones, in a letter to her niece.]

LTHOUGH the strip of country which includes Linn county had been purchased by the Government from the Indians, a year previous to our arrival, yet they lingered about their old hunting grounds in great numbers apparently loath to turn their backs upon the beautiful country that had been their home so long, and whose ample hunting grounds had afforded them such abundant supplies of game. There are few, if any, people in this country who are not familiar with the fact that the habit of the Indians is to travel in single file, so that when a company of one or two hundred passes over any region of country for the first time, it is sufficient to make a well beaten trail by the time the last one comes along. But I think there are not many who can realize what a strange sight it is to see these long drawn out caravans moving along mounted on their ponies. The old chief or leader riding in advance followed by his warriors and hunters; the squaws riding on the right instead of the left side of the pony; the papooses stowed away in baskets or bags that were swung over the backs of the ponies; the tents and rush mattings covering up some of these little pack horses so that you could scarcely see them, all following on one after another in a string that would seem almost interminable.

One of their trails passed over the mound, and it was indeed a picturesque sight to which we were often treated to see these long caravans passing over on their way to some new camping ground.

The Indians are very fond of making maple sugar, and even after they had been removed to their new home further west, they would return in the spring to engage in their old occupation of sugar making.

Fraternally Yours,
GEO. R. Carroll.

I remember that one time when visiting one of the sugar camps the older men and Indians got up a wrestling match between us boys and the young Indians of our size and age. I found the one that I had the contest with as quick and active as a kitten and a hard one to handle. I do not remember who came out best, but I presume the Indian did, otherwise I would have remembered it, had I been victor. At any rate, it afforded fine sport for the onlookers, and we found that even

a stoical Indian could relax his countenance into a broad smile and sometimes could break out into quite a hearty laugh.

This meeting with an Indian boy was a new experience to me but that experience was not without its beneficial results. For one thing I made the important discovery at that time that the Indians had not yet learned the use of the fine comb. For some time after that close contact with the Indian boy my head felt quite uncomfortable, but with the careful attention which I received, I soon recovered my normal condition. I could never rid myself, however, of the salutary impression made upon my mind, at that time, that it was not best to be on too familiar terms with these red-skinned youngsters. And so that one experience was enough to last me a lifetime. I have never wrestled with one from that day to this.

The Musquakie Indians who occupied this country, were made up of two weaker tribes, the Sacs and Foxes. They were always peaceable, and I do not remember that they ever did us any harm, except perhaps to annoy us a little by begging. But all we had to do at such times was to say "Pucka-chee," which means go away, and they would generally retreat in good order and without complaint.

There was one winter a camp of Indians on the slough, and among them there was one who owned a remarkably fine iron. gray mule. He was probably worth two or three common ponies, and so of course the dusky owner was very proud of him. One night the mule was stolen, and the poor old Indian was nearly heart broken over his loss. He came the next morning quite early to our house, and tried to tell us of his great loss. He had made the discovery that it was a white man and not an Indian that had perpetrated the deed.

He saw a pair of father's shoes and he went and picked them up to show us that the tracks in the snow were made with shoes and not moccasins such as the Indians wore. These facts being brought out in the interview, father wrote them down together with a description of the mule, and directed the Indian to go on to Marion to see what could be done about it.

The result was that a company of men was soon organized and set out in hot pursuit of the thief. In a few days they returned with both the mule and the thief, the former being delivered over to the owner, and the latter being confined in jail to await his trial. They found the thief in Wisconsin and at the next term of court he was duly tried and sentenced to the penitentiary, where he had ample time to reflect on the fact that although there were a few horse-thieves in Linn county, the majority of the people were law-abiding citizens and were determined that crime should be punished, even though it had been committed against a poor old Indian.

Sometimes we would hear reports that the Indians were on the war-path, and of course there would be a good deal of uneasiness among the settlers, until the reports proved to be without foundation, which was always the case.

It is said that on one occasion one of the denizens of the village on the Cedar river had some business at Marion which detained him till after dark. Approaching his home late in the evening, he heard a great noise and confusion that filled him with alarm. There was no mistaking those fearful yells and that ominous noise and confusion. Of course it was the Indians who were murdering the people and devastating the town. Thus mused the lonely night traveler; and so, turning his horse he rode back to Marion with all possible speed, and' spread the news of the wholesale massacre of the people at Cedar Rapids.

Later it was discovered that there had been a wedding that evening and the boys were indulging in a little sport in the way of a charivari. It was a long time before our frightened fellow-citizen heard the last of the Indian scare.

There is one thing that is worthy of note in regard to the Indians of those early days, and that is their honesty in the matter of paying their debts. The merchants traded with them quite extensively, and often trusted them to considerable. amounts, for which they would take their notes. They would take hold of the pen in a very awkward way and make their

mark while the merchant would write down their long, jawbreaking names which they would pronounce in his hearing. Sometimes the payments were long delayed, but the Indians never failed to come at last and pay their debts and take up the notes.

One peculiarity of their doing things was that they wanted to go to the very spot where they bought the goods and then pay for them article by article as they purchased them.

Mr. Hook changed his place of business at one time before the Indians were ready to pay their debts, and so he always had to go back to the old stand before they were ready for business, and then they would recall the articles one by one and pay for them separately.

It was said of one Indian who traded with Greene & Bros., that he died before the debt was paid, but his friends came and brought a pony which they turned over to their creditors, and so settled the account.

"THE INDIAN VISITORS.

"I had never seen any Indians save a few of the civilized Senecas near Buffalo and I expressed so great a desire to see some of the wild Indians of the West, that your father promised when some encamped near enough, he would take me to their camp.

"In the late fall, one bright, beautiful morning, when I was just getting up, your father called to me to hurry and come out doors for he had something for me to see.

"I hurried on my dress and rushed out and saw a sight that delighted me. Just below the house crossing the river, was a company of Indian warriors on horses, dressed in full war-like costume, armed with knives and tomahawks, which glittered in the morning sun's rays as did bead wrought helmets and moccasins, while their stately and tall piumes nodded gracefully in the breeze.

It was a gay and striking cavalcade which came dashing past us as we stood gazing, I in great wonder and interest.