Tag Archives: Sauk

The History of the Butterfly, Part 123: The Rivals Dance

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

Even while Indian Removal was in full force, the group of Indians that we are following—the “Confederated Sac and Fox” seemed more interested in their warfare and competition with the Sioux than they were with the policy of the U. … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 95: The Crane Dance

Posted on April 21, 2011 by

Black Hawk remembers the cycle of life in Saukenuk: “Our women plant the corn, and as soon as they get done, we make a feast and dance the crane dance, in which they join us, dressed in their best, and … Continue reading →

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History of the butterfly, Part 82: More on the Crops and Habits

Posted on February 28, 2011 by

Continuing the letter from Major Marston in Morse, 1822: “They return to their villages, in the month of April, and after putting their lodges in order, commence preparing the ground to receive the seed.  The number of acres cultivated by … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 81: Marston’s Tally

Posted on February 27, 2011 by

Major Marston ‘s letter, included in the appendix of the Rev. Morse’s Report to the Secretary of War (Morse, 1822) included some comments on the seasonal cycles used by the Sauk and Meskwaki, and a tally of their trade goods and … Continue reading →

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The History of the Butterfly, Part 77: Keokuck

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

To quote from Marston in Morse, 1822: “The males of each nation of the Sauks and Foxes, are separated into two grand divisions, called Kish-co-quah and Osh-kosh:  to each there is a head, called War chief.  As soon as the … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 69: The Battle

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

 Here is a description of the actual battle of Campbell’s Island.  The source is Meese, 1904 (see the references page). Campbell’s Island is just a few miles upstream from Rock Island, the home of Saukenuk. The map is from a … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 58: The Village Saukenuk

Posted on January 10, 2011 by

Part of the land ceded in the treaty of 1804 included the village of Saukenuk.  This village was the birthplace of Black Hawk and Keokuk.  Here is a sign from the Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, Illinois.

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The History of the Butterfly, Part 57: How Valid was the Treaty?

Posted on January 8, 2011 by

When Zebulon Pike explored the upper Mississippi he talked to the traders and kept careful records of estimations of populations, weapons, trade, etc.  He listed the “annual return of Peltry in packs” for the Sauks as 600 and for the … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 50: Fast Forward 20 Years.

Posted on December 21, 2010 by

Our story picks up slightly more than 20 years later.  By this time, Dubuque had died and the mines had been shut down.  The War of 1812 had involved a number of Sauk and Meskwaki individuals–some fighting on the British … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly Part 7: Removal of Kiskekosh

Posted on August 22, 2010 by

A number of the histories of counties and cities in the state of Iowa have stories about Kishkekosh, but most are variations of the same three stories.  One describes Kishkekosh’s attentive but failed attempts at the table manners of sophisticated … Continue reading →

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