tory Indians beyond the Mississippi. The result was, the Indian village was destroyed by Illinois volunteers. This and the threatened advance across the river by the United States commander, brought Black Hawk and his followers to terms. They sued for peace-agreeing to remain forever on the west side of the Mississippi. But this truce was of short duration.

Early in the spring of 1832, Black Hawk having assembled his forces on the Mississippi in the vicinity of the locality where Fort Madison had stood, crossed that stream and ascended Rock river. This was the signal for war. The governor of Illinois made a call for volunteers, and in a brief space of time 1,800 had assembled at Beardstown, Cass county. They marched for the mouth of Rock river, where a council of war was held by their officers and Brigadier-General Henry Atkinson, of the regular forces. The Indians were sent word by General Atkinson that they must return and recross the Mississippi or they would be driven back by force. When the attempt was made to compel them to go back a collision occurred between the Illinois militia and Black Hawk's braves, resulting in the discomfiture of the former with the loss of eleven men. Soon afterward the volunteers were discharged, and the first campaign of Black Hawk's War was at an end. This was in May, 1832. In June following a new force had been raised and put under the command of General Atkinson, who commenced his march up Rock river. Before this there had been a general "forting" in the lead region, in Illinois, and including the whole country in what is now Southwest Wisconsin, notwithstanding which a number of settlers had been killed by the savages, mostly in Illinois. Squads of volunteers, in two or three instances, had encountered the Indians, and in one with entire success-upon the Pecatonica, in the present Lafayette Co., Wis.-every savage (and there were seventeen of them) being killed. The loss of the volunteers was three

march up

killed and wounded. Atkinson's Rock river was attended with some skirmishing, when, being informed that Black Hawk and his force were at Lake Koshkonong, in the southwest corner of what is now Jefferson Co., Wis., he immediately moved thither with a portion of his army, where the whole force was ordered to concentrate. But the Sac chief, with his people, had flown. Colonels Henry Dodge and James D. Henry, with the forces under them, discovered the trail of the savages, leading in the direction of Wisconsin river. It was evident that the retreating force was large, and that it had but recently passed. The pursuing troops hastened their march. On the 21st of July, 1832, they arrived at the hills which skirt the left bank of that stream, in what is now Roxbury town (township), Dane county. Here was Black Hawk's whole force, including women and children, the aged and infirm, hastening by every effort to escape across the river. But that this might now be effected it became necessary for that chief to make a firm stand, to cover the retreat. The Indians were in the bottom lands when the pursuing whites made their appearance upon the heights in their rear. Colonel Dodge occupied the front and sustained the first attack of the Indians. He was soon joined by Henry with his force, when they obtained a complete victory. The action commenced about 5 o'clock in the afternoon and ended at sunset. The enemy sustained a loss, it is said, of about sixty killed and a large number wounded.* The loss of the Americans was one killed and eight Hawk made his escape down the Wisconsin. wounded. During the following night Black He was pursued and finally brought to a stand on the Mississippi near the mouth of the Bad Axe, on the western boundary of what is now attacked on all sides by the Americans, who Vernon Co., Wis.; and on the 2d of August soon obtained a complete victory. Black Hawk escaped, but was soon after captured. This ended the war.

*Black Hawk gives a very different account as to his

loss. In this skirmish,' says he, with fifty braves Ide

fended and accomplished my passage over the Wisconsin with a loss of only six men."

The survey of public lands to which the Indian title had been extinguished; the erection of Milwaukee county from the southern part of Brown; the changing of the eastern boundary of Iowa county to correspond with the western one of Milwaukee county; the attaching, for judicial purposes, of all the country west of the Mississippi river and north of the State of Missouri to the territory of Michigan in 1834, and the division of it into the two counties of Des Moines and Dubuque, were the important events following the close of the Black Hawk war. The prospective admission of the State of

Michigan into the Union, to include all that part of the territory lying east of Lake Michigan, caused, on the 1st of January, 1836, a session (the first one) of the seventh territorial council, to legislate for so much of the territory as lay to the westward of that lake, to be held at Green Bay, when a memorial was adopted, asking Congress for the formation of a new territory, to include all of Michigan territory not to be admitted as a State. This request, it will now be seen, was soon complied with by the National Legislature.

The Territory of Wisconsin* was erected by act of Congress of April 20, 1836, to take effect from and after the 3d day of July following.

*Wisconsin takes its name from its principal river, which drains an extensive portion of its surface. It rises in Lake Vieux Desert (which is partly in Michigan and partly in Wisconsin), flows generally a south course to Portage in what is now Columbia county, where it turns to the southwest, and after a further course of 118 miles, with a rapid current, reaches the Mississippi river, four miles below Prairie du Chien. Its entire length is about 450 miles, descending, in that distance, a little more than 1,000 feet. Along the

lower portion of the stream are the high lands, or river hills. Some of these hills present high and precipitous faces toward the water. Others terminate in knobs. The name is supposed to have been taken from this feature; the word being derived from mis-is, great, and os-sin, a stone or rock.

Compare Shea's Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi, pp. 6 (note) and 268; Foster's Mississippi Valley, D. 2 (note); Schoolcraft's Thirty Years with the Indian Tribes, p. 2'0 and note.

Two definitions of the word are current-as widely differing from each other as from the one just given. (See Wis. Hist. Soc. Coll., Vol. I, p. 111, and Webster's Dic., Unabridged. p.1632.) The first-the gathering of the waters"has no corresponding words in Algonquin at all resembling the name; the same may be said of the second-wild rushing channel." (See Otchipwe Dic. of Rev. F. Baraga.

Since first used by the French the word "Wisconsin" has undergone considerable change. On the map by Joliet, recently brought to light by Gravier, it is given as "Miskonsing." In Marquette's journal, published by Thevenot, in Paris, 1681, it is noted as the Meskousing." It appeared there for the first time in print. Hennepin, in 1683, wrote Onisconsin" and "Misconsin:" Charlevoix. 1743, Ouisconsin" Carver, 1766, "Ouisconsin" (English-"Wisconsin"); since which last mentioned date the orthography has been uniform.-Butterfield's Discovery of the Northwest in 1634.

It was made to include all that part of the late Michigan territory described within boundaries "commencing at the northeast corner of the State of Illinois, running thence through the middle of Lake Michigan to a point opposite the main channel of Green bay; thence through that channel and the bay to the mouth of the Menomonee river; thence that stream to its up head, which is nearest the lake of the Desert; thence to the middle of that lake; thence down the Montreal river to its mouth; thence with a direct line across Lake Superior to where the territorial line of the United States! ast touches the lake northwest; thence on the north, with the territorial line, to the White Earth river; on the west by a line drawn down the middle of the main channel of that stream to the Missouri river, and down the middle of the main channel of the last mentioned stream to the northwest corner of the State of Missouri; and thence with the boundaries of the States of Missouri and Illinois, as already fixed by act of

Special session, first Legislative Assembly, William B. Sheldon, Milwaukee county.

First session, second Legislative Assembly, John W. Blackstone, Iowa county.

Second session, second Legislative Assembly, Lucius I. Barber, Milwaukee county.

Third session, second Legislative Assembly, Edward V. Whiton, Rock county.

Fourth (extra) session, second Legislative Assembly, Nelson Dewey, Grant county.

First session, third Legislative Assembly, David Newland, Iowa county.

Second session, third Legislative Assembly David Newland, Iowa county.

upon as the seat of government; and nine counties were erected east of the Mississippi: Wal worth, Racine, Jefferson, Dane, Dodge, Washington, Rock, Grant and Green. West of the river six counties were set off: Lee, Van Buren, Henry, Louisa, Muscatine and Cook. The Legislature adjourned sine die, Dec. 9, 1836. The first term of the supreme court was held at Belmont on the the 8th day of December, of that year. The appointment of a clerk, crier and reporter, and the admission of several attorneys to practice, completed the business of the first term. The following persons served as clerks while Wisconsin was a territory:

John Catlin, appointed at December term,

Second session, fourth Legislative Assembly, George H. Walker, Milwaukee county.

Third session, fourth Legislative Assembly, George H. Walker, Milwaukee county. Fourth session, fourth Legislative Assembly, Mason C. Darling, Fond du Lac county.

First session, fifth Legislative Assembly, William Shew, Milwaukee county.

Special session, fifth Legislative Assembly, Isaac P. Walker, Milwaukee county.

Second session, fifth Legislative Assembly, Timothy Burns, Iowa county.

Each of the three branches of the infant government was now (October, 1836) in working order, except that it remained for the Legislative Assembly to divide the territory into three judicial districts, the number required by the organic act, and make an assignment of the judges. This was speedily done. Crawford and Iowa constituted the first district, to which the chief justice was assigned; Dubuque and Des Moines the second, to which judge Irvin was assigned; and Judge Frazer to the third, consisting of Milwaukee and Brown counties. The principal matters engaging the attention

1839; La Fayette Kellogg, appointed at July term, 1840. Gov. Dodge, appointed Dec. 8, 1836, Henry S. Baird, as attorney general. His successors were as follows:

Horatio N. Wells, appointed by Gov. Dodge, March 30, 1839; Mortimer M. Jackson, appointed by Gov. Dodge, Jan. 26, 1842; William Pitt Lynde, appointed by Gov. Tallmage, Feb. 22, 1845; A. Hyatt Smith, appointed by Gov. Dodge Aug. 4, 1845. Upon the organization of the territory in 1836, it was necessary that it should be represented in the National Legislature; so on the day of the election of the territorial Legislature, George W. Jones, of Iowa county, was chosen a delegate in Congress. His successors were:

James Duane Doty, elected Sept. 10, 1838; James Duane Doty, elected Aug. 5, 1840; Henry Dodge, elected Sept. 27, 1841; Henry Dodge, elected Sept. 25, 1843; Morgan L. Martin, elected Sept. 22, 1845; John H. Tweedy, elected Sept. 6, 1847.

At the close of the year 1836, there was no land in market east of the Mississippi, except a narrow strip along the shore of Lake Michigan, and in the vicinity of Green bay. The residue