Indian Versions of Some Early Wisconsin Events

William Powell's Recollections


The son of a Green Bay fur trader, William Powell grew up at Butte des Morts where his father had built a permanent home in 1827. His childhood was spent on intimate terms with the Menominee; he knew their chiefs Grizzly Bear, Souligny, Oshkosh and Iometah, and he accompanied some of them to Washington, D.C., to protest the tribe's removal. He records here their traditions of some key events in early Wisconsin history, such as the 18th-century Fox Wars and the War of 1812, as well as his own experiences in the Black Hawk War, at treaty negotiations, and in the fur trade.


Related Topics: Explorers, Traders, and Settlers
Immigration and Settlement
The French Fur Trade
Colonialism Transforms Indian Life
The War of 1812
Early U.S. Settlement
The Black Hawk War
Treaty Councils, from Prairie du Chien to Madeline Island
Creator: Powell, William.
Pub Data: Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its 60th annual meeting held Oct. 24, 1912. (Madison, 1913): 146-179
Citation: Powell, William. "William Powell's Recollections." Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its 60th annual meeting held Oct. 24, 1912. (Madison, 1913): 146-179 Online facsimile at:  http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1612; Visited on: 4/19/2024