Portage - Portage Lakes, Ohio

Marker -Brule/St. Croix Portage

Daniel Greysolon Sieur du Lhut, 1680, Jonathan Carver, 1767, Jean Babtiste Cadotte, 1819, Henry R Schoolcraft, 1820, are among the notable explorers and traders whose accomplishments are honored with plaques along the St. Croix/Bois Brule portage. Several posts back I was wondering who were the Native Americans, the chiefs, braves, leaders, fellow travelers who also walked this same portage but whose names do not appear on plaques. Here are just three notable leaders who may very well have left their footprints on this same trail. I follow with a list of others who participated in the 1837 Treaty at S. Peters who would have made the same journey. Best wishes and see you on Photo Friday. Corey

Ke-che-waish-ke - Ojibwa leader- courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society

Chief Buffalo (Ojibwe: Ke-che-waish-ke/Gichi-weshkiinh – “Great-renewer” or Peezhickee/Bizhiki – “Buffalo”; also French, Le Boeuf) (1759?-September 7, 1855) was an Ojibwa leader born at La Pointe in the Apostle Islands group of Lake Superior, in what is now northern Wisconsin, USA. Recognized as the principal chief of the Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwa)^[1] for nearly a half-century until his death in 1855, he led his nation into a treaty relationship with the United States Government signing treaties in 1825, 1826, 1837, 1842, 1847, and 1854. He was also instrumental in resisting the efforts of the United States to remove the Chippewa and in securing permanent reservations for his people near Lake Superior ( Wikipedia Link ).

Aish-ke-bo-ge-koshe Leech Lake Ojibwa leader

Aysh-ke-bah-ke-ko-zhay (or Aish-Ke-Vo-Go-Zhe, from Eshkibagikoonzhe, “[bird] having a leaf-green bill” in Ojibwe; also known as “Flat Mouth” (Gueule Platte), a nickname given by French fur traders) was a powerful Ojibwa chief who traveled to Washington in 1855, along with Beshekee and other Ojibwe leaders, to negotiate the cession of ten million acres (40,000 km²) including the headwaters of the Mississippi in northern Minnesota.

Aysh-ke-bah-ke-ko-zhay knew who to blame for the  The Sandy Lake Tragedy that killed more than 400 men women and children. See my post on this event.

“Tell him I blame him for the children we have lost, for the sickness we have suffered, and for the hunger we have endured. The fault rests on his shoulders.” —Aysh-ke-bah-ke-ko-zhay, Leech Lake Ojibwa speaking of Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey. He may never have traveled the portage but represented many of those who lost their lives from the Bands that lived in the Lake Superior Basin and who traveled to Sandy Lake for provisions. (Wikipedia)

Chief Tagwagané (Ojibwe: Dagwagaane, “Two Lodges Meet”) (c. 1780-1850)  – No image available – was an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) sub-chief of the La Pointe Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, located in the Chequamegon area in the first half of the 19th century. He was of the Ajijaak-doodem (Crane Clan). His village was often located along Bay City Creek (Naadoobiikaag-ziibiwishenh: “creek for collecting water”) within the city limits of what now is Ashland, Wisconsin.

During the signing of the 1842 Treaty of La Pointe, Father Chrysostom Verwyst, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, was informed by Chief Tagwagané of a copper plate his family used for time reckoning. Based on the description Verwyst gave, William Whipple Warren concluded that Chief Tagwagané’s ancestors first arrived in the Chequamegon Bay area sometime around 1490 (Wikipedia)

The following Signators of the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters ( Treaty of 1837 Bad River Band Website ) from the St. Croix, the La Pointe, the Lac du Flambeau, the Lac Courte Oreilles, and the Snake River Bands made their way to then, St. Peters, now, Mendota located at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Minnesota rivers. Many of the delegates most likely traveled the route I’ll be taking crossing the portage at Brule/St. Croix. They may also have paddled down the Namekagon to join the St. Croix or gone overland for part of the journey to the St. Croix and on to St. Peters. Their ancestors are those who showed du Lhut the way back in 1680.

#	Location	Recorded Name	Name (Translation/”Alias”)	Title
01	Leech Lake	Aish-ke-bo-ge-koshe	Eshkibagikoonzhe (Flat Mouth)	Chief
02	Leech Lake	R-che-o-sau-ya [1]	Gichi-osayenh (Elder Brother)	Chief
03	Leech Lake	Pe-zhe-kins	Bizhikiins (Young Buffalo)	Warrior
04	Leech Lake	Ma-ghe-ga-bo [2]	Nayaajigaabaw (“la Trappe“)	Warrior
05	Leech Lake	O-be-gwa-dans	(Chief of the Earth)	Warrior
06	Leech Lake	Wa-bose	Waabooz (Rabbit)	Warrior
07	Leech Lake	Che-a-na-quod	Chi-aanakwad (Big Cloud)	Warrior
08	Gull Lake and Swan River	Pa-goo-na-kee-zhig	Bagone-giizhig (Hole in the Day)	Chief
09	Gull Lake and Swan River	Songa-ko-mig	Zoongakamig (Strong Ground)	Chief
10	Gull Lake and Swan River	Wa-boo-jig	Waabojiig (White Fisher)	Warrior
11	Gull Lake and Swan River	Ma-cou-da	Makode’ (Bear’s Heart)	Warrior
12	St. Croix River	Pe-zhe-ke	Bizhikiinh (Buffalo)	Chief
13	St. Croix River	Ka-be-ma-be	Gaa-bimabi (He that sits to the side/”Wet mouth”)	Chief
14	St. Croix River	Pa-ga-we-we-wetung	Bigiiwewewidang (Coming Home Hollering)	Warrior
15	St. Croix River	Ya-banse	Ayaabens (Young Buck)	Warrior
16	St. Croix River	Kis-ke-ta-wak	Giishkitawag (Cut Ear)	Warrior
17	Lac Courte Oreilles Band	Pa-qua-a-mo	Bakwe’aamoo (Woodpecker)	Chief
18	Lac du Flambeau Band	Pish-ka-ga-ghe	Apishkaagaagi (Magpie/”White Crow”)	Chief
19	Lac du Flambeau Band	Na-wa-ge-wa	(Knee)	Chief
20	Lac du Flambeau Band	O-ge-ma-ga	(Dandy)	Chief
21	Lac du Flambeau Band	Pa-se-quam-jis	(Commissioner)	Chief
22	Lac du Flambeau Band	Wa-be-ne-me [3]	Waabinimikii (White Thunder)	Chief
23	La Pointe Band	Pe-zhe-ke	Bizhiki (Buffalo)	Chief
24	La Pointe Band	Ta-qua-ga-na	Dagwagaane (Two Lodges Meet)	Chief
25	La Pointe Band	Cha-che-que-o		Chief
26	Mille Lacs Indians	Wa-shask-ko-kone	Wazhashkokon (Muskrat’s Liver)	Chief
27	Mille Lacs Indians	Wen-ghe-ge-she-guk	Wenji-giizhigak (First Day)	Chief
28	Mille Lacs Indians	Ada-we-ge-shik	Edawi-giizhig (Both Ends of the Sky)	Warrior
29	Mille Lacs Indians	Ka-ka-quap	(Sparrow)	Warrior
30	Sandy Lake Band	Ka-nan-da-wa-win-zo	Gaa-nandawaawinzo (Ripe-Berry Hunter/”le Brocheux“)	Chief
31	Sandy Lake Band	We-we-shan-shis [4]	Gwiiwizhenzhish (Bad Boy/”Big Mouth”)	Chief
32	Sandy Lake Band	Ke-che-wa-me-te-go	Gichi-wemitigo (Big Frenchman)	Chief
33	Sandy Lake Band	Na-ta-me-ga-bo	Netamigaabaw (Stands First)	Warrior
34	Sandy Lake Band	Sa-ga-ta-gun	Zagataagan (Spunk)	Warrior
35	Snake River	Naudin	Noodin (Wind)	Chief
36	Snake River	Sha-go-bai	Shák’pí [5] (“Little” Six)	Chief
37	Snake River	Pay-ajik	Bayezhig (Lone Man)	Chief
38	Snake River	Na-qua-na-bie	Negwanebi ([Tallest Quill-]Feather)	Chief
39	Snake River	Ha-tau-wa [6]	Odaawaa (Trader/”Ottawa”)	Warrior
40	Snake River	Wa-me-te-go-zhins	Wemitigoozhiins (Little Frenchman)	Warrior
41	Snake River	Sho-ne-a	Zhooniyaa (Silver)	Warrior
42	Fond du Lac Band	Mang-go-sit	Maangozid (Loon’s Foot)	Chief
43	Fond du Lac Band	Shing-go-be	Zhingobiinh (Spruce)	Chief
44	Red Cedar Lake	Mont-so-mo	(Murdering Yell)
45	Red Lake	Francois Goumean [7]	François Gourneau	half breed
46	Leech Lake	Sha-wa-ghe-zhig	(Sounding Sky)	Warrior
47	Leech Lake	Wa-zau-ko-ni-a	Wezaawikonaye (Yellow Robe)	Warrior