Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
Treaty Councils, from Prairie du Chien to Madeline Island
During August 1825, thousands of Indians representing all the Wisconsin tribes gathered in Prairie du Chien. Territorial governors William Clark of Missouri and Lewis Cass of Michigan facilitated discussions that produced a general treaty of peace among all the tribes. Henry Schoolcraft left a long account of this seminal event in chapter 23 of his memoirs (see below), and painter J.O. Lewis captured the scene and dozens of Indian leaders in color (all included here).
Although it granted no land to the United States, the Prairie du Chien treaty of 1825 opened the door for talks with individual... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
 | A trader relates his family history and personal adventures, 1745-1857. |
| Ho-Chunk chief Spoon Decorah looks back over a long life. |
| Walking Cloud recounts episodes of the Black Hawk War. |
| Speeches of Pontiac (1763) and Souligny (1848) against white incursions. |
| John Shaw recalls Tomah, Black Hawk, Keokuk, and other Indian leaders. |
| A participant tells how the Oneida, Stockbridge, and Brothertown came to Wisconsin in the 1820s. |
| Essays and speeches by Brothertown and Stockbridge leaders. |
| Gen. Joseph Street, Indian agent to the Ho-Chunk, Sauk and Fox. |
| A memoir of Indian agent Joseph Street |
| The Oneidas claim land in New York |
| Early History of the Brothertown Indians |
| Indian Versions of Some Early Wisconsin Events |
| Menominee Vocabulary, 1893 |
| Ojibwe Place Names in Wisconsin, ca. 1890 |
 | Ojibwe ceremonial pipe given to Gov. James Doty, 1844 |
 | Menominee chiefs refuse to give up more land in 1832. |
| Caleb Atwater describes the 1829 talks at Prairie du Chien |
| The Commissioner of Indian Affairs visits the Ojibwe in 1826. |
| The history and traditions of the Chippewa Valley |
| Memoirs of an Interpreter among the Ojibwe, 1840-1900 |
| Fr. Baraga's 1853 Ojibwe Dictionary |
| A Ho-Chunk grammar textbook, 1945 |
| A speech by Brothertown Indian leader Samsom Occom, 1771 |
| A guide to the Mohican language, 1789 |
| The language spoken by the Brothertown Indians when Europeans arrived in America |
| A life of Jesus in Ottawa, 1837 |
| A religious primer in Mohican, 1818 |
| An Oneida prayer-book, 1816 |
| A missionary's speech in Oneida, 1815. |
| An Oneida spelling book for children, 1820 |
| The first book printed in Wisconsin, an Ojibwe almanac |
| The language of the Brothertown Indians' ancestors, 1722 |
| A Munsee language edition of Methodist hymns, 1874 |
| Stockbridge and Munsee Testimony, 1892 |
| The Stockbridge-Munsee Constitution, 1857 |
| Report on the Menominee at Termination, 1958 |
| A local historian chats about Prairie du Chien (vol. 1) |
| A local historian chats about Prairie du Chien (vol. 2) |
 | The Killing of Chief Joe White (Gishkitawag), 1894 |
 | Ojibwe leaders represent their credentials to Washington in a picture |
| Wisconsin Indian leaders as they attended treaty councils in the 1830's. |
| Menominee Chief Oshkosh in 1858 |
| Oneida Chief Daniel Bread in 1856 |
| Stockbridge Chief John W. Quinney in 1849 |
| Stockbridge Indian leader Austin E. Quinney, 1849 |
| Pictures of the Ojibwe in the 19th and 20th centuries. |
| Pictures of the Menominee in the 19th and 20th centuries. |
| Pictures of the Ho-Chunk in the 19th and 20th centuries. |
| Pictures of the Meskwaki (Fox) Indians in the 19th century. |
| Pictures of the Potawatomi from the 1820's to the 1920's |
| Pictures of the Sauk Indians during the 1830's |
 | Ojibwe chiefs protest broken treaties to officials in Washington in 1864. |
| The Menominee and Ho-Chunk negotiate with the New York Indians in 1821. |
| A French visitor describes the Menominee's 1838 annuity payment. |
| The new Indian agent describes tensions in the Lead Region in 1827. |
| The U.S. government deceives the Ojibwe, 1850. |
| Wisconsin soldiers who served in the Winnebago War (1827) |
| Wisconsin soldiers who served in the Black Hawk War (1832) |
| The Treaty of Prairie du Chien, 1825 |
| Brief Ho-Chunk Language Vocabularies, 1830-1930 |
| A Long Ho-Chunk Vocabulary, 1880 |
| Brief Potawatomi Language Vocabularies, 1920-1932. |
| Chief Oshkosh protests U.S. government treatment, ca. 1848 |
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