THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Memoir by M. La Salle (1678-death),
Sieur de Tonty (1678?-1691)
Tonty, Henri de in "Memoir sent in 1693, on the discovery of the
Mississippi,
and the Neighboring Nations by M. de la Salle, from the year 1678 to
the time of his death, and by the Sieur de Tonty to the year 1691"
in: B. F. French, Historical Collections of Louisiana, pt. I, 1846, pp. 52-78.
pp. 59, 60.
"The wind lulling we set off, and on
entering Sturgeon's Creek we saw a fire made by savages who had just gone away.
We thought they were gone to their village, and determined to go there; but the
creek having frozen in the night we could not proceed in our canoe. We made
shoes of the late Father Gabriel's cloak, having no leather. We were to have
started in the morning, but one of my men being very ill from having eaten some
parre-Fleche in the evening, delayed us. As I was urging our starting,
two Ottawas savages came up, who led us to where the Poutouatamis were. We
found some Frenchmen with them, who kindly received us. I spent the winter with
them, and the Father Zenoble left us to pass the winter with the Jesuits at the
end of the bay. I left this place in the spring (1681) for Michilimakinac,
hardly recovered from the effects of what we had suffered from hunger and cold
during thirty-four days. We arrived at Michilimakinac about the fête Dieu
in October. M. de la Salle arrived with M. Forest some days afterwards, on his
way to seek us at the Illinois. He was very glad to see us again, and
notwithstanding the many past reverses, made new preparations to continue the
discovery which he had undertaken. I therefore embarked with him for Fort
Frontenac, to fetch things that we should want for the expedition. The Father
Zenoble accompanied us. When we came to Lake Frontenac, M. de La Salle went
forwards and I waited for his boat at the village of Tezagon. When it arrived
there I embarked for Illinois. At the Miamis River I assembled some Frenchmen
and savages for the voyage of discovery, and M. de la Salle joined us in
October. We went in canoes to the River Chicagous, where there is a portage
which joins that of the Illinois. The rivers being frozen, we made sledges and
dragged our baggage thirty leagues below the village of Illinois, where,
finding the navigation open, we arrived at the end of January at the great
River Mississippi. The distance from Chicagou was estimated at 140 leagues. We
descended the river, and found, six leagues below, on the right, a great river,* which comes from the west, on which there are numerous nations.
We slept at its mouth. The next day we went on to the village of Tamarous, six
leagues off on the left. There was no one there, all the people being at their (page 60) winter quarters in the woods. We made marks to
inform the savages that we had passed, and continued our route as far as the
River Ouabache,* which is eighty leagues
from that of Illinois. It comes from the east, and is more than 500 leagues in
length. It is by this river that the Iroquois advance to make war against the
nations of the south. . .
__________________________
*Ohio
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