THE EEMOVAL OF THE WINNEBAGO 
Louise Phelps Kellogg 
The Black Hawk War sealed the fate of the Bock River hand of 
Winnebago, and made their cession of that country inevitable. 
The whites had already looked with covetous eyes upon this rich 
and well watered region, especially on the western portion that 
abutted on the lead mines. After the Winnebago uprising of 1827 
this tribe was summoned the ensuing summer to Green Bay to 
cede their portion of the lead mining region to the United States. 
Too few of the chiefs were present to form a treaty, so a provi¬ 
sional agreement was made for the cession of the territory west and 
south of the Blue Mounds and the Pecatonica River. This ar¬ 
rangement was confirmed by the treaty of Prairie du Chien in 
1829, when the tribal lands were sold for an annuity of $18,000 
annually for thirty years. The Indians were also to be provided 
with three blacksmith establishments—one at Prairie du Chien, 
one at Port Winnebago, and one on the waters of Rock River; they 
were also to have a cart and two yoke of oxen at the portage. 
Meanwhile two sub-agencies were erected for this tribe—one at 
Port Winnebago, whose incumbent was the well known John H. 
Kinzie. The other agent was Henry Gratiot, whose home at Gra¬ 
tiot’s Grove was outside the Winnebago territory; he thereupon 
built an agency house on Sugar River, and there the blacksmith, 
Maurice Mata, of whom Mrs. Kinzie speaks so favorably, had his 
forge.^ 
Matters were in this condition until the Sauk uprising of 1832. 
There can be no doubt that many of the Winnebago sympathized 
with the hostiles, although the Rock River band was held to its 
allegiance with the United States by the efforts of Gratiot and 
Kinzie, ably seconded by Henry Dodge. In fact. White Crow, 
Little Priest, and other Rock River chiefs did the whifes unre¬ 
quited service not only as guides and scouts, but as the agents in 
the rescue of two captive white girls from Black Hawk’s band. 
^Juliette A. Kinzie, Wau Bun (Caxton Club edition, Chicago, 1901), 327. 
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