|
MICHIGAN AS A PROVINCE 1 - 5
After a delay of a few days La Salle sailed on across the foot of Lake Michigan to Green bay where he found some of his party who had preceded him. These had secured a valuable lot of furs and La Salle decided to ship them at once to the east to satisfy the claims of those to whom he had become
indebted. The pilot was intrusted with the navigation of the vessel to Niagara and return. In a storm which followed shortly after, the vessel with all on board was lost. At least, such is the inference, since she was never heard of again.
La Salle himself with Hennepin and a party of Frenchmen proceeded in canoes up the west shore of Lake Michigan and circled around the upper end of the lake until they came to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, which he called the Miamis. Here he disembarked and erected a fort. Here Tonty was to have joined him with a number of men, coming on from Mackinac by the eastern shore of the lake. When at length Tonty arrived with a portion of his men, the others, owing to scarcity of provisions, having taken to the land to subsist by hunting, December was here and the winter was on. The party embarked in canoes and ascended the river to the site of the present city of South Bend. Here they debarked and shouldering their canoes started on the portage to th'e Illinois river. They passed on to Fort Crevecoeur on that river where they established themselves for the winter. Early in the spring La Salle, leaving Tonty behind, set out to return to Fort Frontenac. He followed the route by which he had come and after encountering many difficulties reached Fort Miamis, which he had built the autumn before at the mouth of the St. Joseph river. Here he found two men whom he had sent to Mackinac for news of the Griffon. They knew nothing of her fate. Ordering them to rejoin Tonty, La Salle set out on foot
on his journey eastward.
MICHIGAN
Page 21
|
|
Thank you for visiting. If you have found the information here interesting please consider making a donation.
|
