31 
BOTANICAL INDEX 
olis of half a million inhabitants. Perhaps it may he of interest to our readers to 
note its growth for the past few decades, and although it may seem out of place in 
a botanical journal to wander so far from our supposed subject, it is, nevertheless, 
interesting in this connection to know what can be done in a rich agricultural 
Fig. 173. View of Chicago in 1818. [ The jirst residence of Marquette is represented at the south bend of the river , and 
the Permanent Mission, his second location, ( 1 Volf Point,) is represented at the. junction of North anil Smith branches. 
country in a short space of time, hence we will attempt a brief history of the town. 
First, the origin of the Indian name or word Chicago. It is a well known fart that 
in many languages a single word or expression is often used to designate many dis- 
tinct objects or ideas, and in translating it is often quite difficult to positively des- 
ignate the meaning of each word (sound). For this reason much controversy al- 
ready exists among the most learned scholars of the American (ancient American 
Indian) languages regarding the meaning of many words, Chicago included. We 
think the most probable and reasonable translation is the one given by those who ac- 
cept the words of the old Indian treaty ceding the Illinois country with certain 
boundaries to the French in 1773, which plainly says, Chicagou or Garliek creek. 
Now an\ 7 one at all fa- 
miliar with the dryer 
portion of the country 
around Chicago knows 
how abundant the wild 
onion or garlic, Allium 
cernuuui and A. Cana- 
ilense are found in the 
vicinity, and especially 
near the lake shore. 
Perhaps we might also 
add that they formed al- 
most the entire source 
of food for Ma’quette 
and his party in their 
journey from Green Bay 
to Chicago in the fall of 
1674. 
The first white per- 
sons of whom we have 
a record of visit' ng the 
Kig. 174. Musionar!, mode of traveling in America during 1600. s } te of the present city 
of Chicago was Louis Joliet and Jaques Marquette, two French missionaries, who, 
upon their return from that most remarkable of exploring expeditions to tin- West 
in 1673, after coming up the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers to a point near the Chi- 
cago river, crossed over to, and sailed down the Chicago river to its mouth, where 
