PIONEER HUNTERS OF THE KANKAKEE 

 manner it was no trouble to trace the exact 

 course of these explorers along the coast of the 

 continent. It was not so with the French. And 

 for this reason many notes of historical interest, 

 of the early discoveries made by the French 

 have never been written in history. Early in the 

 fall of 1679, LaSalle left the vessel at Green 

 Bay and coasted the shore of Lake Michigan 

 until he arrived at the mouth of the St. 

 Joseph river. Here he built Fort LaSalle 

 and stayed here most all that winter on account 

 of the ice, to await the arrival of Tonti, an Italian 

 officer whom he had brought with him from 

 France as his lieutenant. There were about forty 

 in all as they left Ft. LaSalle early in the spring, 

 As soon as the ice had gone out of the river they 

 ascended the St. Joseph river as far as the south 

 bend about eighty miles, then encamped for a 

 time to await the remainder of the party, which 

 arrived in a few days. Then they took portage 

 across the swamps to the headwaters of the 

 "The~A-r\i-r\i." (Kankakee.) 



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