Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/142

 82 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI meut existed there, while it was only a tem- porary trading post, it was called "L'Anse a la Graise." This name, which means the "cove of grease," was given it by those who came there to trade. Just what reason there was for the name is a question. Some have said that it came from the fact that stores of bear meat were kept there for sale to the passing boats; others said that it was named because of the fact that the hunters there killed an abundance of game, among which were many bears. A third suggestion is that the name was applied because of the richness of the soil. Whatever the reason for the early name, the settlement was made by the LeSieurs. It was situated on the east bank of the Cha- poosa creek: this was the early name of St. John's Bayou. The situation was a splendid one for the town; the great ridge which ex- tends from the foot of the Scott county hills to the mouth of the St. Francois river is one of the most fertile and desirable parts of all of Southeast Missouri. This ridge touches the river at several places, among them New Madrid and Caruthersville. In early times it formed a most attractive place for settlers. It had immense quantities of timber of the finest sorts; within a short distance of New Madrid there was a lake of clear, limpid wa- ter ; the woods swarmed with game ; the cli- mate was mild ; the soil was exceedinglj' rich and productive. Those who visited the place believed it to be the most attractive site along the whole course of the river. These advantages had not been overlooked in the early times. The whole country about New Madrid is dotted over with Indian mounds. There are .so many of these that it has been conceived by those who believed the mounds to have been built by a race preceding the In- dians, that New ^Madrid was perhaps the seat of government for the extensive empire which they believed to have been organized at that time. Whatever the truth may be about this, there can be no doubt that great numbers of people lived here at the time the mounds were being built. It was near this place, perhaps, that De Soto camped on his expedition. An Indian village was situated here at that time and even when the French began to come here to trade there seems to have been an In- dian village still in existence. Along this ridge was one of the great Indian roads which led from the crossing at Commerce to the south as far, perhaps, as the mouth of the St. Francois. The LeSieurs lived and traded here for several years and other hunters and traders came, attracted by the advantages of the place, until there was quite a settlement. The most remarkable thing connected with its early histoi-y was the attempt of Colonel George Morgan to found a great city which should be the capital of a principality. JMorgan was an American ; he was fond of the life of the woods ; had an adventurous spirit ; was bold and daring and far-sighted. He visited the West about the time of the transfer from France to Spain, paddled up and down its rivers, selected promising sites for settlements, and doubtless dreamed of an empire which might be established in Upper Louisiana. He took part in the Revolution- ary war and was a man of considerable in- tluence and high position in the L^ited States. However, he became indignant at the treatment accorded him by the government of the United States. He had acquired from the Indians a large tract of land, enough to make him independently wealthy, but the policy of the LTnited States government was