8

THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.

ABSTRACT OF TERRITORIAL TITLE.

ORGANIZATION OF TERRITORIES- -ADMISSION OF STATES, ETC.

The States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and that part of Minnesota lying on the east side of the Mississippi River, came rom the Northwest Territory, which was ceded to the United States by Virginia in 1784. In 1800 Congress deemed it advisable, because of the vast extent of the territory and the difficulty of executing the aws, to divide the territory, and the Ohio Territory, with the boundaies substantially the same as those of the present State of Ohio, was reated. Two years later (in 1802) Ohio was admitted into the Union s a sovereign and independent State.

The act of Congress creating the Territory of Ohio, extinguished the
Northwest Territory, and declared that all the remaining part of the
Northwest Territory should be called the Indiana Territory.

On the 30th day of June, 1805, the Indiana Territory was divided by
he creation of Michigan Territory, with boundaries nearly the same as
he present State of Michigan.

In 1835 a controversy arose between Michigan and Ohio, in regard o their boundary-line and the right to a strip of land to which both aid claim. At first there was danger of an armed collision, but the xcitement passed away without bloodshed. A constitution was dopted and a State government elected in 1835, which were accepted y Congress June 15, 1836, and the State admitted into the Union with he condition that Michigan should accept the boundary claimed by Ohio. This condition was very unsatisfactory to the people of Michian, but it was finally accepted under protest, December 15, 1836, and he State was allowed to record its vote for President that year, although I was not formally declared a State by act of Congress until January 6, 1837.

In 1809 Indiana Territory was again divided, and the Territory of llinois created. On the 11th day of December, 1816, Indiana was ormally declared to be a State of the American Union; and two years ater, in April, 1818, Illinois was admitted to the sisterhood of States. In 1809 Wisconsin was included in the Territory of Illinois, as then ormed. When Illinois was admitted into the Union in 1818, Wisconin was still a wilderness, and was annexed to Michigan for such govrnment as was needed. In 1836 the population had so increased that

art of Dakota When Michigan

e Superior regi was formed in 18 Two sessions ren, lowa, in 183

of Wisconsin
gress passed a c
year, and a cons
itted to the peo
act admitting th

the constitution
er convention was
drafted and subm

1945, and the Sta
May 29, 1848. U
ent of Wisconsin, co
esota lying on th
as called St. Croix
der to complete our
ack and bring up th
much the larger part
ta was derived.
known as the Lo
States of Louisia
Territory, Nebraska,

art of Colorado, the
Habo, Oregon, and W
the reader already k
tributaries, was fir
and his followers we
and to explore the c
DeSoto died and was
Marquette and his C
in 1673, but did

e descended the river

Jame of Louis XIV,

, but it is doubtf

f Dakota lying east of the Missouri and White Earth Michigan was admitted into the Union as a State, part perior region was set off to her; and when the Territory med in 1838, it included all the region west of the Missessions of the Wisconsin Legislature were held at wa, in 1837 and 1838.] The first effort to procure the Wisconsin to the Union, as a State, was made in 1846, passed a conditional enabling act. A convention was and a constitution drafted, which was sent to Congress to the people for their acceptance. In 1847 Congress Amitting the State under this constitution, but the people nstitution on account of some objectionable features. ntion was called December 15, 1847, and another conand submitted to the people and ratified by them in nd the State was admitted to the Union by act of 29, 1848. Under the jurisdiction of the Territorial govsconsin, county organization was extended to that part ying on the east side of the Mississippi River. The ed St. Croix, with Stillwater as the county seat.

omplete our chain of territorial title, it is now necessary bring up the history of the Louisiana purchase, from larger part of the territory included in the State of derived,

n as the Louisiana Purchase, included nearly all the of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, y, Nebraska, the most of Kansas and the Indian Terrilorado, the most of Wyoming, and the whole of Monegon, and Washington Territory.

er already knows, the Upper Mississippi River and its aries, was first discovered and explored by the French. followers were the first to visit the vicinity of New explore the country on both sides of the Lower Missisdied and was buried in the waters of the Great River in te and his Canadians descended to the mouth of the 5373, but did not establish any colony or settlement. Led the river in 1682, and took possession of the country Louis XIV, King of France, and give it the name of ny colony was attempted pre

THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.

rovince, claimed by right of discovery and possession, to Spain, and r thirty-eight years the country remained under the control of the panish government. In 1800, at the treaty of Ildefonso, Spain restored e country to the possession of France, and in 1803 it was sold to the nited States by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France, for 0,000,000 francs, or $11,250,000, and the assumption of what was nown as the "French Spoliation Claims," amounting to $3,750,000, nd making the total cost to the United States of the vast extent of untry described above, only $15,000,000.

In 1804, the southern portion of this great domain was erected into
separate territory, and called the Territory of Orleans. In 1810, that
ortion of the State of Louisiana lying between the Mississippi and the
mite and the Pearl River, which had been ceded by Spain, was
nexed to the territory, and in April, 1812, the Territory of Orleans
as admitted into the Union as the State of Louisiana.

In 1812, when Louisiana was admitted into the Union, the remaining
rritory was reorganized as Missouri Territory. In 1819, Missouri
ving framed a State constitution, Arkansas and the Indian Territory
ere organized as Arkansas Territory, and remained in that condition
til June 15, 1836, when the State of Arkansas, with its present
undaries, was admitted into the Union as the twenty-fifth State.
[That portion of the Arkansas Territory not included within the
undaries of the State of Arkansas was set up as the Indian Territory,
d is bounded as follows: On the east by the States of Missouri and
kansas; on the south by Texas; on the west by Texas and New
exico; and on the north by Kansas. The territory remains for the
>st part in the ownership and exclusive possession of the Indians, the
erokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Kiowas and Comanches being
strongest in numbers. The last named are untamed and uncivilized,
d still adhere to the customs of their tribal ancestors. The four for-
r tribes or nations, especially the Cherokees, are, for the most part,
;hly civilized and educated. The Cherokees maintain their courts.
1 court buildings; capital (Tahlequa) and capitol buildings; legisla-
e assemblies, schools, churches, colleges, a newspaper, agricultural
ociation, etc. Besides the tribes named, there are remnants of the
randotts, Pottawottomies, Sacs and Foxes, Delawares, Quapaws,
ages, and some others, who inhabit certain parts of the territory. A
od many individuals of these several remnants of tribes-the Qua-
vs and Osages, perhaps, excepted-have entirely abandoned their

hat district north of Missouri and west of the Mississippi ed under the jurisdiction of Michigan Territory. When ritory was organized, in 1836, Iowa was made to form a the seat of government was fixed at Burlington. June ess passed an act which became operative on the 3d lowing, by which Iowa was separated from Wisconsin, day of March, 1845, Iowa [and Florida] was admitted as a sovereign and independent State.

FOOTPRINTS OF FRENCH OCCUPANCY.

atter part of the seventeenth century, says Mr. NEILL, ICHOLAS PERROT was familiar, not only to the men of officers of government at Montreal and Quebec, but ncil fires of the Hurons, Ottawas, Otchagus, Ojibways, hkotahs. He was a native of Canada, and had been n childhood to the excitement and incidents of border certain extent, prepared him for the wild scenes of witness and a participant in his later years.

e of Joliet is worthy of preservation," continues the ch we quote, "the citizens of the Northwest ought not let the name of that man die who was the first of whom account that erected a trading post on the Upper

e launched the Griffin on Lake Erie and commenced his ery, Perrot, at the request of the authorities in Canada, n him as a man of great shrewdness and tact, visited an tribes of the Northwest to prepare them for particirand council or convocation between white men and t Ste. Marie, in May, 1671. That visit made Perrot only with the Indians, their habits and customs, but

; and when the council was held, he became the inter

thug

THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.

nsieur Perrot the wonderful beauty of the Minnesota country, and quenced him to establish himself as a trader among the Dakotas a years later. Referring to the theatre of Perrot's operations, Neill's tory of Minnesota appropriately and truthfully remarks:

One of the most picturesque scenes in North America is the approach
Lake Pepin. For miles the steamboat ascending the Mississippi
des through an extended vista, crowned in the distance by an am-
theatre of hills which define the basin of the lake.

In the summer the islands of the river, luxuriant with vegetation,
1 the banks flanked by abrupt bluffs of limestone, with cedar trees
nding like sentinels wherever roothold can be found, make an im-
ession which the traveler can not erase in a lifetime.
'Occasionally these steep walls of stone recede with their fanciful
tline of castles and battlements, and prairies sufficiently elevated to
secure from the inundations of spring, appear, which were enticing
ots to the ancient voyageur after a long and wearisome day's paddle
his frail canoe.

Just below Lake Pepin, on the west shore, opposite the mouth of
› Chippewa River, is one of those beautiful plateaux, which captivated
cholas Perrot, who had been commissioned by the governor of
nada as commandant of the West"-all of which, at that time, was
imed by France.

There are no records to show that Perrot visited this region previous 1683. Sometime in that year, however, accompanied by twenty her bold and daring Frenchmen, he was voyaging along the Missispi River, and impressed with the peculiar and attractive beauty of e country, they landed their fleet of canoes at the foot of Lake Pepin, termined to make that place the scene of their operations. If Perrot d previously visited Lake Pepin, or any part of the adjacent country, e fact is lost to history, as are the names of his daring companions. that year, however, and immediately after their arrival, they proeded to the erection of a rude log fort, which was the first Europeanshioned structure erected in any part of all that vast region of country cluded in the Louisiana purchase. A generation passed before New leans, "two thousand miles lower down the Mississippi, was founded." Mr. Neill continues: "This primitive establishment, within the aits of the State of Minnesota, on some of the maps is appropriately med Fort Perrot." On a map of the year 1700 it was called Fort

because of his

efects of rum and
rages, and desire
interest in Chris
munication to th

to speak frankl
beavers as o
In 1683 Fr
and soon after ass
that all Frenchme
Mackinaw." I
fort, and it rema
Caty men to its re-oc
daimed the cour
pronunciamento,
esota, and conseque
Perrot, commanding
Marquis Denonville, Go

de interest of commerce eBay,) Nadouession

ner Mississippi, and to has heretofore been and day, the eighth of May the Reverend Father M ; of Monsieur de Bo

Preach in the neighborhoo Esquire, Sieur de Caum

to all whom it may con Lake of the Ouiskonches country of the Nadou of the river St. Pierre to the interior to the 1 awawkawtwawns,) with essiour, who are to the me of the king, of cour ey are proprietors. The scribed."

ond French post w

of September, 1678, Daniel the Assineboines and Dahkot "great village of Nadoues , at Songaskien