Conservative *
INCIDENTS OF WESTERN HISTORY.
IX.
The First Recorded Crossing of Nebraska.
Wo give below a version , kindly
sent us by Mr. A. E. Sheldondirector
of Field Wort : of the State Historical
society , of the beginning of all white
men's knowledge of Nebraska so far
as unequivocal documents go.
* * *
"Editor Conservative : The State
Historical society has tins winter
added to its library the most valu
able collection of source material
upon the first white exploration of
the trans-Missouri region and par
ticularly of Nebraska known to exist.
This is Pierre Margry's 'Decou-
vertes et Etablissements des Franc.ais
dans 1'Quest t dans lo Sud de 1'
Amerique , ' in six volumes , printed at
Paris. This is nothing less than a
collection of letters and reports made
by the first French explorers in this
region to the French commanders at
Now Orleans and by them .transmit
ted to France. Margry was keeper of
archives at Paris. He explored the
early documents relating to America
and collected them from private
sources until he became chief author
ity on the subject. When Francis
Parkinan was writing his books on
the west he had access to some of
these documents , but his efforts to
secure all of them failed because
Margry desired to have the honor of
making them known to the world.
As a result of Parkmau's efforts ,
aided by Senator George F. Hoar , of
Massachusetts , a bill was passed in
congress in 1873 by which the United
States subscribed for 500 copies of
Margry's collection. With this en
couragement Margry began their
publication and the last volume was
printed in 1886. It is this last volume
which is most interesting to the Ne-
braskau. It contains the original re
ports of Le Suour's expedition to the
Sioux in 1G98 ; French Canadians on
the Missouri in 1702-4 ; La Harpo and
Dutisne's expeditions to the plains
in 1719 ; Bourgmont's visit in 1721 ;
the war between the French and
Spaniards in this region the follow
ing year ; the expedition of the Mallet
Vti
let brothers up the Platte and across
the plains to Santa Fo in 1739 ; an
account of silver mines in Nebraska
discovered by a Frenchman who lived
with the Omaha Indians , and more.
"So far as I know there is no com
plete translation of these oricinal
accounts of French explorations. It
seems strange that no American
scholar has undertaken this work.
With the view of making available to
students of Nebraska history so
* * much of them as relates to our own
state I have begun their translation
and herewith send you the account
of the Mallet brothers' expedition-
being so far as wo now know the
first authentic record of white ex
ploration hi Nebraska :
A. E. Sheldon. "
Silver Mines on the Missouri.
A FRENCHMAN DWELLING AMONO THE
PANIMAHAS , GOES TO THE RICARAS. Ex
tract from a letter from Bienvillo to
the ministry of the marine , 22nd of
April , 1734 :
"A Frenchman who has boon liv
ing for some years with the Panima-
has dwelling on the Missouri , having
been with these Indians to the
Ricaras , who inhabit the upper re
gions of the same river and who have
lievor seen any Frenchmen , has
found in those parts many silver
mines which seem to him very rich ,
one among them which ho thinks is
pure silve" . Two voyageurs coming
with him verify this report. "
VOYAGE OP THE MALLET BROTHERS
WITH SIX OTHER FRENCHMEN FROM THE
RlVER OF THE PANDIAIlAS , IN THE MIS
SOURI COUNTRY , TO SANTA FE , 1789-40.
Extract from the Journal of the jour
ney presented to the MM. do Bieuville ,
governor , and Salmon , intendant at
New Orleans.
"For a knowledge of the road
which these Canadians have traveled
to discover New Mexico , it is well
to know that it is 250 miles from the
Illinois to the villages of the Mis
souri Indians on the river of that
name , 240 miles from there to the
Kanzes , 800 from the Kanzes to the
Otoctatas ( Otoes ) and 180 from there
to the mouth of the river of the Pan -
imahas in the Missouri. This nation
is settled upon the river of their
name , and from there the discoverers
took their departure May 29 , 1789.
" All of those who have attempted
up to the present time to reach New
Mexico have thought they would find
it on the headwaters of the Mis :
riouri , and to that end they have gone
up stream as far as the Ricaras , who
dwell more than 875 miles from the
Panis. The discoverers took , upon
information from some Indians , an
altogether different route , and leav
ing the Panis they crossed the coun
try and returned upon a way almost
parallel to the Missouri.
"June 2 they reached a river which
they named the River Plate and
seeing that it took a direction not far
from the route they had in mind ,
they followed it , going up its right
bank for a distance of 70 miles , and
at that place they found that the
river made a fork with the river of
the Padocas which just there flows in.
"Three days afterward , that is Juno
18 , they crossed to the left bank of
said river , and travelling over a
tongue of land , they camped on the
14th on the other bank of the River
des Costes [ Hill river ] which here
falls also into the river Plate.
"The 15th and lOtli they continued
to cross over the country and on the
17th they reached another river ,
which they named des Costes
Blanches [ White Hills river ] . These
three days they were travelling over
plains , where they found absolutely
no wood , not even for fire , and it
seems from their journal that these
plains extend as far as the mountains
near Santa Fe.
"Tho 18th they slept on the bank
of another river , which they crossed
and named River Aimablo [ Friendly ] .
"The 19th they found still another
river , which they crossed and named
River des Soncis [ Care river ] .
"The 20th they came to the river
des Canoes [ Arkansas ? ] where they
saw the trail which they had trav
elled on setting out from the Pauis ;
they crossed there and lost seven
horses loaded with merchaudise. This
river is deep with a strong current.
' ' On the 22nd , they crossed another
river which they named River a la
Fleche [ Arrow river ] ,
"On the 28rd they crossed another
river and entered upon great , bare
prairies where they could not make
fire except with cow-dung.
"On the 24th they found another
river , and from the 26th to the 80th ,
inclusive , they found them every day.
At length on the 80th they found
on some rocks , on the bank of the
last river , evidences of Spaniards.
"They had travelled then 387miles ,
by their estimate , across the country
from the Panis , almost all the time
westwardly. They calculate that
this river is a branch of the Arkansas
and the same one which they found
lo.wer down on their return , the 10th
day after leaving Santa Fo.
"They followed it on the left bank
until the 5th of July when they came
to a village of Indians named Lait-
anes ; [ Hero a note to page 457 of
Margry vi , says : "The same account
calls them 'Laitanes and Litanos'
Perriu Dulac calls them 'Halitanos
or Tetes Polees ; ' " Shave-heads ] .
They made a present to these people
and received a number of deer.
They made a camp two and one-half
miles from there , having perceived
that the Indians had evil designs.
"On the fith they left the batiks of
this river , and on leaving there a Ri-
cara Indian slave of the Laitanes ,
who told them that these Indians had
a design to destroy them , went with
them. They sent him back , telling
him that the Indians had only to come
and they would wait for them. The
Laitanes made no movement and the
slave having returned to them [ the
French ] they asked him if he knew
the road to the Spaniards. Ho re-