Historic Diaries: James Doty, 1820
June 13, 1820: West from Mackinac
Editor's Note:
Doty's journal resumes with this entry, as the expedition heads west.
Lieut. Pierce was John S. Pierce, brother of future U.S. president Franklin Pierce. During the recent War of 1812, the British had established a fort and trading post just across the U.S. border at Drummond Island. Indian delegates from throughout the Great Lakes were invited there and lobbied to fight against the Americans and bring their furs to the British. The two nations competed to win Indian allies and, as late as the early 1830s, Sauk war chief Black Hawk consulted the British authorities about his plans to resist American incursion into his homeland (see our Black Hawk War diaries pages).
Location: Drummond Island, Mich.
View Doty's handwritten manuscript of this page
View page in the 1895 printed edition
[James Doty's journal:] We left Mackinac at 10 o'clock this morning, accompanied by Lieut. Pierce in a barge with a command of 22 soldiers. The traverse to Goose Island is 12 miles. It is considered dangerous from the waves and wind being generally very high — the wind has a sweep of 200 miles on the lake. Leaving this Island our course was generally east. The whole of this coast appears to be sheltered by Islands. The pilot in the Govs, canoe mistook the mouth of the River St. Mary and led us into a deep bay below the River. We passed the "De Tour" steering N. 10 E. to a small point 3 miles and encamped. It is 45 miles from De Tour to Mackinac. On entering the river, the foot of two Islands appear, one of which is Drummonds. On this the British have fortifications & a garrison. At night we heard their music playing.
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