Story of a White While Man a Red Man And Father of Wafers Wai a R River ver Ono Hundred Years Ago Died Gen Gon William Clark Clar Explorer Indian Agent and Governor y I And Black H Hawk w Fated III-Fated Chieftain of tho the Sacs and Foxes Closely Associated with the tho Careers Careen of Both Was the tho Stream Which Both Loved The Loved The Mighty Mississippi e C Western Newspaper Union By ELMO SCOTT WATSON N f SEPTEMBER 1 1838 ON lU Gen William Clark lay dying in his St. St Louis home whose wide verandas looked out over the sparkling waters of a mighty river raver My children I want to sleep in sight and sound of the Mississippi he whispered whispered whispered whis whis- to his sons gathered at his Ws bedside Perhaps in those last moments moments moments mo mo- ments there spread out before before before be be- fore him the memory of a n song long and eventful a life life life-a a rich tapestry through which ran the shining thread of the Father of Waters It had first been woven into the pattern of his career when he was living in retirement on his estate in fn Kentucky after having served against the Indians in the army of Mad Anthony Wayne In 1803 1603 President Thomas Jefferson Jeffer Jeffer- son directed his secretary Capt Meriwether Lewis to organize an expedition to explore the vast territory territory ter ter- ter of Louisiana which he had bought from Napoleon Bonaparte of France Given his choice of an associate in the enterprise Lewis immediately named his boyhood friend William Clark I I When the two men met in Louisville Clark was placed in charge chargo of the expeditions expedition's supplies sup plies which were to be taken in boats down the Ohio and then up the Mississippi to St. St Louis while Lewis went overland to that capital capital cap cap- ital of Upper Louisiana That winter the two young officers om cers established their camp on the eastern shore of the Mississippi Mississippi sippi opposite the mouth of the Missouri there to await the formal formal for for- mal transfer of the Louisiana territory territory ter ter- ter before setting out for the West That ceremony took place on March 9 1804 In the presence of ot Don Carlos de Hault de Las- Las BUS IUS Spanish commandant of Upper Upper Up Up- per Louisiana Ma Maj Amos Stoddard Stoddard dard commander of the American Ameri Amerl can troops at Kaskaskia and Capt Meriwether Lewis the banner banner ban ban- ner of Spain was lowered from the flagstaff and replaced by the lilies of France for 12 hours The next morning the Fleur Lys came down and the Stars and Stripes were run up never up-never-to never to be lowered there Two months later later on on May 14 1804 Lewis 1804 Lewis and Clark with their force of 25 men crossed the Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- entered the mouth of ot the Big Dig Muddy and started on their magnificent adventure The story of that epic journey of more than miles is too fa fa- nillar liar a story to need repeating OM tf jId t. t O l y i r f r rt t v ir lq t i f i 5 5 1 R V f 1 1 t 11 J f l t t t t E ft J m t l t I tx 1 r f t- t tI I M l j r d' d M- M X it J h i e e x r i J I I et I CHIEF BLACK HAWK OF TilE THE SACS AND FOXES I lt l Y I From rom the painting by George CaUIn iiii here After nearly two and a rF's lt half years the daring explorers J returned and the nd-the the Father of Waters Wa- Wa t. t tens brought them back to St St. StLouis J Louis and to the acclaim of their fellow Capt William Clark immediately immedi- immedi forwarded his resignation x to the President but Jeffersons Jefferson's reply was to bestow upon him ice the commission of gen brigadier eral of ot the standing army of ot the rib cl Territory of Louisiana and super super- x t. t of Indian affairs During Dur Dun ing lag the next two years G General Clark and his friend Gov Meriwether Meri Merl- wether Lewis of the Territory of r R I J J b E W 3 k d P F 4 tBt s f I k e fit fitTa Ta 1 Iy w mow c A b bv v I GEN WILLIAM I CLARK I From the painting by Charles harles' Willson Wilson Peale reale Louisiana were busy administering administer administer- ing th the affairs of that vast region Then Clark made a journey to his old home in Virginia and when he came back down the Ohio he was accompanied by JuHa Julia Ju Ju- Ju lia Iia Hancock his boyhood sweetheart sweetheart sweet sweet- heart now his bride Thus he established his home in St. St Louis on the banks of the sippi To it came many a distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis visitor visitor the the Marquis de Lafayette revisiting the country country coun coun- try for whose freedom he had fought Daniel Boone Doone still seeking seeking seek seek- ing elbow room farther west John Colter telling tales of that lien Hell which future generations generations generations gen gen- would know as Geyser land in Yellowstone National park and Prince Maxmilian of Wied and the Swiss artist Charles Bodmer After Thomas Jefferson left the White House Clarks Clark's commission as general brigadier-general was renewed renewed re reo re- re by President Madison who also appointed him governor overn t- t of the new territory of Missouri an office which he held until 1821 when Missouri became a state Nominated against his will as a candidate for governor of the new state he was defeated and retired retired retired re re- re- re tired to private life But the next year President Monroe again made him superintendent of Indian Indian Indian In In- dian affairs a position which he held until his death On the May day in la 1804 the two American army officers crossed the Mississippi to witness witness wit wit- ness the transfer of Louisiana a ayoung ayoung ayoung young chief of the Sac and Fox Indians named Black Dlack Hawk was in St St. Louis to visit his Spanish Father Commandant de Las- Las sus Here comes your American fathers said De Lassus to the the I Indian I do not want two declared Black Hawk and as the Americans entered one door he I and his retinue of chiefs and warriors war war- warriors I glided out of another An hour later the Indians were paddling pad dung up the Mississippi headed for their village near the present site of Rock Island Ill Nor did Black Hawk ever become become become be be- come reconciled to the rule of this new white father Always Alwa's more friendly to the British than to the Americans he joined with Tecumseh the great Shawnee leader in fighting against the Americans during the War of 1812 When the inrush of settlers settlers set set- tiers into Illinois showed him the futility of trying to resist these land-hungry land people he reluctantly reluctantly reluctantly signed a treaty in 1831 by which he agreed to give up his lands on the Rock river and join his people who had already moved to Iowa One of the provisions of the treaty was that the Indians were to be given a supply of corn to replace the grain they had left in their fields along the Rock river However the amount was wasso wasso wasso so meager that they began to suffer suffer suf suf- fer and in this emergency Black BlackHawk BlackHawk BlackHawk Hawk led a party back across the Mississippi as he phrased it to steal corn from our own fie fields Ids Immediately there was an outcry outcry outcry out out- cry among the settlers that Black Dlack Hawk has gone on the warpath 1 There was a concentration concentration concentration concen concen- of troops troops regulars regulars and Illinois militia militia and and the Black BlackHawk BlackHawk BlackHawk Hawk war was on After several several several sev sev- eral small skirmishes it reached its tragic climax on August 2 1832 at the battle of Bad Dad Axe river There Black Dlack Hawks Hawk's people people peo pea pie who were trying to escape across the Mississippi were attacked attacked attacked at at- tacked by the regulars under General Atkinson and the blood of nearly Sacs and Foxes Foxes- men women and children dyed children dyed red the Father of Waters Three weeks later Black Dlack Hawk surrendered to General Street at Prairie du Chien Wis He lie was sent as a prisoner of war down the Mississippi to Jefferson Barracks Barracks Bar Bar- racks near St. St Louis and the of officer om ricer ri- ri who had charge of him and won his lasting friendship by his kindness to the fallen leader was wasa a young lieutenant named Jefferson Jeffer Jeffer- son Davis For a time Black Dlack BlackHawk Hawk Ha was confined in Fortress Monroe then after a visit to Washington and other Eastern cities he was sent to his new home heme in Iowa On the Fourth of July 1838 he was Invited to attend a big Independence Independence Inde Inde- Day celebration at Fort Madison Iowa There in response response response re re- re- re to a toast honoring our illustrious guest Black Dlack Hawk be made a speech in the course of ol which he said I m have looked upon the Mississippi river since I was a child chUd I love the great river I have dwelt near its banks from the tho time I was an infant infantI I look upon it now He lIe little realized that this was the last time tune he would look upon it For on October 3 1833 just 1838 just justa a month after the passing of another another another an an- other man whose last words re reo reflected fleeted his love for that river- river death claimed Black Dlack Hawk chieftain chieftain chief chief- tain of the Sacs and I Foxes per i i egg t hi hii i 1 r. r t tx x Black Hawk Statue on Rock River III I According to a letter written to I Ithe the Burlington Iowa Hawkeye by Capt James Ii H. H Jordan a I trader among the Sacs and Foxes who vho was present at the I chiefs chief's funeral Black Hawk was buried burled near the northeast corner of Davis county Iowa on the Des Moines river bottom about 90 rods from where he had lived on the north side of the river He lie was buried right where he sat the year before when in council with the Iowa Indians and wore a suit of military military mili mill tary clothes made to order and given to him when in Washington Washing Washing- ton by President Jackson with hat sword gold epaulets etc The Annals of Iowa of 64 1863 state that the old chief was buried buried burled bur bur- led by laying his body on a board his feet 15 inches below the surface surface surface sur sur- face of the ground On his left side was a sword presented him by General Jackson on his right side a cane presented him by Henry Clay and one given him by a British officer and other trophies Three medals hung about his neck from President Jackson President ex-President John Quincy Quin- Quin cy Adams and the city of Boston respectively The body was covered with boards on each side six feet long which formed a ridge the gables being closed by boards the whole was covered with bluegrass blue blue- grass sod sad Near the flagstaff some 20 feet high on which was a silk American flag was the usual hewn post inscribed with Indian characters representing his warlike warlike warlike war- war warI wari I i like exploits etc Enclosing all I Iwas was a strong circular picket fence 12 feet high His body remained there until July 1839 when it was carried off by a certain Dr Turner then i living at Lexington Van Buren county Iowa Captain Horn says I the bones were carried to Alton Ill to be mounted on wire Mr I Barrows says they were taken to Warsaw Ill Black Hawks Hawk's sons when they I heard of this desecration of their fathers father's grave were very indignant indignant indig indig- indig-I indig nant and complained of it to Governor Lucas ol ot Iowa and his excellency caused the bones to I a I JEFFERSON DAVIS be brought back to Burlington Inthe in inthe inthe the fall of 1839 or spring of 1840 18 When the sons came to take possession of them finding them safely stored in a good dry place they left them there The bones were subsequently placed in the collections of the Burlington Geological Geological Geological Geo Geo- logical and Historical society and it is thought that they perished perished perished per per- in the fire which destroyed the building and all the society's collections in 1855 though the editor of the Annals says there is good reason to believe that the bones were not destroyed by the tire fire and he is credibly informed that they are now at the residence residence resi rest dence dente of a former officer of said society and thus escaped that catastrophe Although the last resting place of Black Dlack Hawk is unknown his fame is perpetuated in the huge figure of an Indian on the banks of the Rock river near Oregon Ill Even though its sculptor the late Lorado Taft repeatedly stated stated stated stat stat- ed that this figure was meant to symbolize the race that once ruled over this region popular opinion regards it as the Black Dlack BlackHawk Blackhawk Hawk statue and will probably continue to do so as long as it en dures dunes