Historic Diaries
The Wisconsin Historical Society possesses thousands of historic diaries in manuscript or printed form. We offer a selection of these day-by-day with brief explanatory notes, light editing, images of the original pages, and links leading to more information. We started with the handwritten journal of the only member of the Lewis and Clark expedition to die en route, Sgt. Charles Floyd, which he kept from May 14 to August 18, 1804.
Also included here is the journal and other documents from Marquette and Joliet�s 1673 voyage across Wisconsin and down the Mississippi. The sources quoted here include Marquette's 1673 journal of the voyage, manuscript notes of a 1674 interview conducted with Joliet after he returned, a 1674 letter Joliet wrote describing the trip, and the first published account of their voyage, issued in 1681 in Paris. All are given in English, though you can see the original French versions at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. We also provide short notes on each entry, and include links to original maps, pictures and other contemporary accounts as appropriate.
This summer we present regular excerpts from the 1834 Diary of Presbyterian missionary Cutting Marsh (1800-1873), kept during his tour across Wisconsin and into Iowa.
Marsh was sent to investigate the conditions of the Sauk and Fox Indians following the Black Hawk War, and met with the great Sauk chief more than once. His manuscript diary is a 300-page treasure-trove of information on Indian life and terrritorial Wisconsin. The original diary is included at Turning Point in Wisconsin History.
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