Lake Butte des Morts | Wisconsin Historical Society

Historical Essay

Lake Butte des Morts

Lake Butte des Morts | Wisconsin Historical Society

Fritsie Park, Menasha, Winnebago County

 In 1730 the French government decided to destroy the Fox village on the shore of this lake because of the depredations of the Foxes on the fur traders. Capt. Morand came up the river with a large force of French soldiers and Menominee warriors. The soldiers were concealed under canvas until they were opposite the Indians gathered on the shore. Then they rose and fired into the crowd. The Menominees, meanwhile, attacked the village from the rear. The village was destroyed and its inhabitants slaughtered. The bodies were piled in a heap and covered with earth, forming the Hill of the Dead. In 1827 Governor Cass held a council here with the Winnebago, Chippewa, and Menominee tribes to fix their tribal boundaries. At this council Oshkosh was made chief of the Menominees.

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[Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).]