Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/84

 24 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI than Louis Joliet. He was a Canadiau by birth, was educated at the Jesuit school at Quebec and intended for the life of a priest ; but was so attracted by the wild country about him that he abandoned the idea of the church and began the adventurous life of a voyageur. Previous to 1672 he had made several expe- ditions to the west, having explored a part of the western shores of Quebec and been pres- ent when that country was taken possession of in the name of France. He had also explored a part of the Hudson Bay territory, and was looked upon by those who knew him well, as a hardy, daring, and reliable man. To him Froutenac intrusted the command of the ex- pedition to the great river. He had instruc- tion to take Father Marquette with him. iIarquette was a Jesuit priest who had long contemplated a visit to the Indians of the Mississippi, and was assigned to accompany Joliet in accordance with the usual policy of the French in sending priests to accompany expeditions into the wilds. Joliet was com- missioned to proceed to the river, to make a voyage down its course, at least far enough to determine into what body of water it emptied, and to its mouth if possible. Joliet began his voyage from Point St. Ig- nace on May 17, 1673. The expedition con- sisted of Joliet himself. Father Alarquette, and Ave other Frenchmen. They had two canoes and a somewhat scanty stock of provisions. They made their way along the shores of Lake Michigan to Green Bay, passed up the Fox river to Lake Winnebago then the limit of French explorations, secured here Indian guides, made their way through lakes and streams to the height of land separating streams flowing into the lakes from those which empty into the Mississippi. Here they carried their canoes across the divide, which is narrow at this point, and launched them again on the Wisconsin, and on the 17th day of June they entered the Mississippi. After proceeding down its current for some distance they came to a settlement of Indians where they lauded and were kindly received. Then they came to the mouth of the Illinois and saw on the face of the great rocks which line the stream on the eastern side, painted mon- sters, described by Marquette as dreadful in appearance and suggestive of the devil. These were two specimens of the art of the Indians and represented manitous or gods. While they meditated on these they came to the mouth of the IMissouri. They seem to have reached it during flood time and were amazed and frightened at the tremendous flood of water, bearing on its tide trees and logs and all the debris common to high water in the great and turbulent Missouri. With difficulty they passed safely through. They next observed a place where the river was nar- rowed by rocks, part of it pouring into a nar- row gorge and then returning with fury on it- self. Doubtless this is the first description of the narrows at Grand Tower. The descrip- tion is not quite accurate for the present con- dition there, but the place has doubtless changed in appearance in the years that have passed. Day after day' the voyagers pursued their way, floating tranquilly down the tide of the great river. They passed the mouth of the Ohio, which they called Ouabouskiaou, or the Beautiful river. Sometimes they cgme to the camps of Indians, and, on displaying the calu- met which one of their Indian friends had given them, they were kindly received. What a scene was presented to their eyes — the wide expanse of the majestic river, the boundless forests that lined its course unbroken by the dwellings of men, and peopled only by the wild and savage life of the woods. The nights