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. |
| Ojibwe Place Names in Wisconsin, ca. 1890 |
| Menominee Vocabulary, 1893 |
| Indian Versions of Some Early Wisconsin Events |
| Early History of the Brothertown Indians |
| The Oneidas claim land in New York |
| A memoir of Indian agent Joseph Street |
| Gen. Joseph Street, Indian agent to the Ho-Chunk, Sauk and Fox. |
| Essays and speeches by Brothertown and Stockbridge leaders. |
| A participant tells how the Oneida, Stockbridge, and Brothertown came to Wisconsin in the 1820s. |
| John Shaw recalls Tomah, Black Hawk, Keokuk, and other Indian leaders. |
| Speeches of Pontiac (1763) and Souligny (1848) against white incursions. |
| Walking Cloud recounts episodes of the Black Hawk War. |
 | Ojibwe ceremonial pipe given to Gov. James Doty, 1844 |
 | A local historian chats about Prairie du Chien (vol. 2) |
| An Oneida spelling book for children, 1820 |
| The first book printed in Wisconsin, an Ojibwe almanac |
| A local historian chats about Prairie du Chien (vol. 1) |
| Menominee chiefs refuse to give up more land in 1832. |
| Caleb Atwater describes the 1829 talks at Prairie du Chien |
| The language of the Brothertown Indians' ancestors, 1722 |
| The Commissioner of Indian Affairs visits the Ojibwe in 1826. |
| A religious primer in Mohican, 1818 |
| A life of Jesus in Ottawa, 1837 |
| The language spoken by the Brothertown Indians when Europeans arrived in America |
| A guide to the Mohican language, 1789 |
| A speech by Brothertown Indian leader Samsom Occom, 1771 |
| The history and traditions of the Chippewa Valley |
| A Munsee language edition of Methodist hymns, 1874 |
| Stockbridge and Munsee Testimony, 1892 |
| The Stockbridge-Munsee Constitution, 1857 |
| A Ho-Chunk grammar textbook, 1945 |
| Fr. Baraga's 1853 Ojibwe Dictionary |
| Report on the Menominee at Termination, 1958 |
| Memoirs of an Interpreter among the Ojibwe, 1840-1900 |
| An Oneida prayer-book, 1816 |
| A missionary's speech in Oneida, 1815. |
 | The Killing of Chief Joe White (Gishkitawag), 1894 |
 | Wisconsin Indian leaders as they attended treaty councils in the 1830's. |
| 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. |
| Menominee Chief Oshkosh in 1858 |
| Pictures of the Sauk Indians during the 1830's |
| Ojibwe leaders represent their credentials to Washington in a picture |
| Pictures of the Potawatomi from the 1820's to the 1920's |
| Stockbridge Chief John W. Quinney in 1849 |
| Stockbridge Indian leader Austin E. Quinney, 1849 |
| Pictures of the Ojibwe in the 19th and 20th centuries. |
| Oneida Chief Daniel Bread in 1856 |
 | Ojibwe chiefs protest broken treaties to officials in Washington in 1864. |
| The new Indian agent describes tensions in the Lead Region in 1827. |
| The U.S. government deceives the Ojibwe, 1850. |
| The Menominee and Ho-Chunk negotiate with the New York Indians in 1821. |
| A French visitor describes the Menominee's 1838 annuity payment. |
| Chief Oshkosh protests U.S. government treatment, ca. 1848 |
| Brief Potawatomi Language Vocabularies, 1920-1932. |
| Wisconsin soldiers who served in the Winnebago War (1827) |
| A Long Ho-Chunk Vocabulary, 1880 |
| The Treaty of Prairie du Chien, 1825 |
| Wisconsin soldiers who served in the Black Hawk War (1832) |
| Brief Ho-Chunk Language Vocabularies, 1830-1930 |
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