At the Point, on the south side, stood a house just completed by Mark Beaubien.  It was a pretentious white two-story building, with bright-blue wooden shutters, the admiration of all the little circle at Wolf Point.  Here a canoe ferry was kept to transport people across the south branch of the river.

Facing down the river from the west was, first a small tavern kept by Mr. Wentworth, familiarly known as “Old Geese,” not from any want of shrewdness on his part, but in compliment to one of his own cant expressions.  Near him were two or three log cabins occupied by Robinson, the Pottowattamie chief, and some of his wife’s connexions.  Billy Caldwell, the Sau-ga-nash, too, resided here occasionally, with his wife, who was a daughter of Nee-scot-nee-meg, one of the most famous chiefs of the nation.  A little remote from these residences was a small square log building, originally designed for a school-house, but occasionally used as a place of worship whenever any itinerant minister presented himself.

The family of Clybourn had, previous to this time, established themselves near their present residence on the North Branch—­they called their place New Virginia.  Four miles up the South Branch was an old building which was at one time an object of great interest as having been the theatre of some stirring events during the troubles of 1812.[27] It was denominated Lee’s Place, or Hardscrabble.  Here lived, at this time, a settler named Heacock.

Owing to the badness of the roads a greater part of the year, the usual mode of communication between the fort and the Point was by a boat rowed up the river, or by a canoe paddled by some skilful hand.  By the latter means, too, an intercourse was kept up between the residents of the fort and the Agency House.

There were, at this time, two companies of soldiers in the garrison, but of the officers one, Lieutenant Furman, had died the autumn previous, and several of the others were away on furlough.  In the absence of Major Fowle and Captain Scott, the command devolved on Lieutenant Hunter.  Besides him, there were Lieutenants Engle and Foster—­the latter unmarried.  Dr. Finley, the post surgeon, was also absent, and his place was supplied by Dr. Harmon, a gentleman from Vermont.

My husband’s mother, two sisters, and brother resided at the Agency House—­the family residence near the lake being occupied by J.N.  Bailey, the postmaster.

In the Dean House lived a Mr. and Mrs. Forbes, who kept a school.  Gholson Kercheval had a small trading establishment in one of the log buildings at Wolf Point, and John S.C.  Hogan superintended the sutler’s store in the garrison.

There was also a Mr. See lately come into the country, living at the Point, who sometimes held forth in the little school-house on a Sunday, less to the edification of his hearers than to the unmerciful slaughter of the “King’s English.”