Journeys to the Land of Gray Gold
by
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Chapter 4 Black Hawk
The Treaty of 1804 was signed by chiefs who didn’t seem to realize they were giving their lands away. In his biography, indicated that white men had given whiskey to the chiefs before the signing. Black Hawk was not a chief. His bravery and leadership skills made him a respected leader. Like other Sauk members, Black Hawk was deeply religious and thoroughly patriotic.
Most historians agree that the boy was born at Sauk-e-nuk. Approximately 1,000 Saukies made their home at the juncture of the Rock and Mississippi Rivers. The boy’s parents were Py-a-se-a and Summer Rain. His mother, like other Sauk women, helped grow food for the tribe. Some of their corn fields were as large as 800 acres. Men, like Py-a-se-a, hunted animals to provide food, clothing and shelter, with no part of the animal being wasted.
Growing up in the Sauk tribe, the boy and his friends worked and played by the rivers. They explored the woods and learned to identify plants and animals. They recognized habits and habitats of all the creatures.
Like other teenage boys of the tribe, the boy walked alone into the woods to wait for a vision. He always recognized a sparrow hawk because it was the smallest of the hawks and the only one with the ability to hover in mid-air. The bird that appeared to him in his vision quest was black, not the muted colors of a real one. Now a man, he became known as Black Sparrow Hawk.
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About the Book
In the 1800s, many people flocked to the lead mining area from Europe for a variety of reasons. They were explorers, entrepreneurs, missionaries, prospectors, statesmen, and farmers. These travelers established businesses, towns and villages then witnessed statehood for Wisconsin. Most traveled the waterways in canoes until the steamboats became popular.
Native tribes gradually moved south. Black Hawk’s tribe (Sauk) settled around the juncture of the Mississippi River and the Rock River.
Father Mazzuchelli and Preacher Kent were on missions to preach to natives and newcomers. The priest came from Italy unable to speak the language or understand the use of money. He traveled on toll roads to Ohio where he finished his studies. He began his work around Fort Mackinack, living among the natives before being assigned to the lead mining area. He established many parishes. Some of the friends he made there, met him again in Belmont
Juliette Kinze accompanied her husband who was called “Silver Man” by the natives because he delivered their treaty money.
James and Sarah Doty lived in Green Bay. An attorney, James traveled so much that he was able to help establish the Military Road which connected Prairie du Chien and Green Bay.
Many of these pioneer’s lives were disrupted for a short time when Black Hawk tried to regain his gardens.
Like many folks in the British Isles, the March family emigrated to escape poor living conditions caused, in part by the decline in ore prices.
About the Author
Carol March McLernon grew up in the land of Gray Gold and likes to tell children she attended school in a ghost town. She graduated from Platteville before the college of education and the mining school became part of the university system. She participated in a teacher exchange program in the Borders of Scotland. While there, she visited the walled city of York, Herriot’s country and School Master Pasture. She also earned graduate credits while biking through Ireland while working on her master’s program at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. McLernon taught children in the Lake Geneva Schools for many years. She and her husband, Robert, raised their three children on a farm near that tourist town.