. History of Greene county, Illinois: its past and present. at Point Coupee, they raiseexcellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas,where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of the rivertraders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundredleagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, however, a fort atthe Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach theMississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to 82 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. work them as they deserve. Father Marest, writing from tlie post a
. History of Greene county, Illinois: its past and present. at Point Coupee, they raiseexcellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas,where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of the rivertraders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundredleagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, however, a fort atthe Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach theMississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to 82 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. work them as they deserve. Father Marest, writing from tlie post atVincennes in 1812, makes the same observation. Vivier also says : Someindividuals dig lead near the surface and supply the Indians and Spaniards now here, who claim to be adepts, say that our mines arelike those of Mexico, and that if we would dig deeper, we should findsilver under the lead ; and at any rate the lead is excellent. There is alsoin this country, beyond doubt, copper ore, as from time to time largepieces are found in the HUNTING. At the close of the year 1750, the French occupied, in addition to thelower Mississippi posts and those in Illinois, one at Du Quesne, one atthe Maumee in the country of the Miamis, and one at Sandusky in whatmay be termed the Ohio Valley. In the northern part of the Northwestthey had stations at St. Josephs on the St. Josephs of Lake Michigan,at Fort Ponchartiain (Detroit), at Michillimackanac or Massillimacanac,Fox River of Green Bay, and at Sault Ste. Marie. The fondest dreams ofLaSalle were now fully realized. The French alone were possessors ofthis vast realm, basing their claim on discovery and settlement. Anothernation, however, was now turning its attention to this extensive country, THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 33 and hearing of its wealth, began to lay plans for occupying it and forsecuring the great profits arising therefrom. The French, however, had another claim to this country, namely, the DISCOVERY OF THE
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