A Sketch of the Early “Far West”
By Henry Howe in 1857
The narrative of the early "Far West" is a tapestry woven with threads of exploration, conquest, settlement, and conflict. It is a story of European powers vying for control of vast territories, of intrepid explorers charting unknown rivers and landscapes, of missionaries seeking to convert indigenous populations, and of settlers carving out new lives on the frontier. This historical sketch, penned by Henry Howe in 1857, offers a glimpse into the formative years of this region, a time when the "Far West" was a contested space, a land of promise, and a stage for epic struggles.
The story begins in the wake of Christopher Columbus’s voyages, with Spain taking an early lead in exploring the southeastern reaches of what would become the United States. Just two decades after Columbus’s momentous discovery, Juan Ponce de Leon, the former governor of Puerto Rico, embarked on a voyage that would immortalize his name. In March 1513, sailing from Puerto Rico, he encountered an uncharted land, christening it Florida, a name derived from the region’s abundant flora and the timing of its discovery on Easter Sunday, known as Pascua Florida to the Spanish. This initial foray spurred further exploration of the Florida coast by other adventurers seeking new lands and riches.
In May 1539, Hernando De Soto, the Governor of Cuba, landed on the shores of Tampa Bay, Florida, with a considerable force of 600 followers. Driven by ambition and the allure of untold wealth, De Soto led his expedition deep into the interior of the North American continent. His relentless march culminated in a significant milestone in European exploration: on May 1, 1541, De Soto became the first European to set eyes upon the mighty Mississippi River, a waterway that would become central to the future of the American West.
For many years, Spain laid claim to a vast expanse of territory, encompassing the land from the Atlantic coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence River in the north, all under the name of Florida. However, this claim was not unchallenged. Roughly two decades after De Soto’s discovery of the Mississippi, Catholic missionaries endeavored to establish settlements near St. Augustine and its surrounding areas. A few years later, French Calvinists established a colony on the St. Marys River near the coast. This nascent French presence, however, was short-lived. In 1565, a Spanish expedition led by Pedro Menendez de Aviles ruthlessly annihilated the French settlement. Approximately 900 French men, women, and children were brutally massacred, their bodies hung from trees bearing the chilling inscription: "Not as Frenchmen, but as heretics."
Menendez, having accomplished his gruesome task, proceeded to found St. Augustine, Florida. This settlement stands as the oldest continuously inhabited European-established city in the United States, predating any other city in the Union by half a century. However, the French were not to be denied their vengeance. Four years after the massacre, Dominique de Gourgues, driven by a thirst for retribution, outfitted an expedition at his own expense. He launched a surprise attack on the Spanish colonists along the St. Marys River, obliterating their forts, incinerating their homes, and devastating their settlements with fire and sword. De Gourgues concluded his campaign by hanging the corpses of some of his enemies from trees, emblazoned with the inscription: "Not as Spaniards, but as murderers." Unable to maintain control of the territory, De Gourgues retreated with his fleet.
Florida, with the exception of a brief period, remained under Spanish dominion, enduring a tumultuous early history marked by warfare and pirate raids. Finally, in 1819, vastly diminished from its original boundaries, Florida was ceded to the United States, becoming a state in 1845. The early "Far West" was a volatile region.
Meanwhile, further north, another European power was making its presence known. In 1535, the distinguished French mariner James Cartier led an exploring expedition up the St. Lawrence River, claiming the territory in the name of the French king and dubbing it "New France." The foundations for the settlement of Canada were laid in 1608 by the energetic Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec. This occurred in the same year that Jamestown, Virginia, was established, and twelve years before the Pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. The early "Far West" was being molded by different powers.
Throughout much of the 17th century, the westward expansion of the French was hampered by the hostility of the Indigenous populations bordering Lakes Ontario and Erie. Missionaries venturing west were forced to navigate a perilous route far to the north, through what was described as "a region horrible with forests," following the Ottawa and French Rivers of Canada.
Before 1673, no Frenchman had ventured beyond the Fox River of Winnebago Lake in Wisconsin. In May 1673, the missionary Jacques Marquette, accompanied by a small group, departed from Mackinac in canoes. They navigated Green Bay, entered the Fox River, traversed the land to the Wisconsin River, and followed its current into the Mississippi River, effectively discovering it. They journeyed several hundred miles down the river before returning in the autumn. This discovery ignited excitement in New France, as the prevalent belief was that some of the Mississippi’s western tributaries would provide a direct passage to the South Sea and China.
Monsieur Robert de La Salle, a man of relentless ambition, dedicated years to preparation and, in 1682, explored the Mississippi River to its mouth, formally claiming the territory for the King of France, in whose honor he named it Louisiana. In 1685, La Salle also claimed Texas and established a colony on the Colorado River. However, his assassination led to the colony’s dispersal. These descriptions of the Mississippi River Valley’s beauty and grandeur inspired many adventurers from the colder regions of Canada to follow suit and establish settlements. Around 1680, Kaskaskia and Cahokia in Illinois, the oldest towns in the Mississippi Valley, were founded. Kaskaskia became the capital of the Illinois country, and in 1721, a Jesuit college and monastery were established there. The early "Far West" was becoming more diverse.
The establishment of peace with the Iroquois, Huron, and Ottawa tribes in 1700 facilitated French settlement in western Canada. In June 1701, De la Motte Cadillac, accompanied by a Jesuit missionary and a hundred men, laid the groundwork for Detroit. The French now asserted dominion over all the vast regions south of the lakes under Canada, or New France. This assertion fueled English jealousy, prompting the New York legislature to enact a law mandating the hanging of any Catholic priest who voluntarily entered the province.
The French, largely through the gentle influence of their missionaries, gained considerable sway over the western Indigenous peoples. When war erupted with England in 1711, the most powerful tribes allied with the French, who unsuccessfully sought to confine English claims to the territory south of the lakes. The Fox Nation, allied with the English, attacked Detroit in 1713 but were defeated by the French and their Indigenous allies. The Treaty of Utrecht concluded the war that year. The early "Far West" was also a stage for the conflicts of Europe.
By 1720, a flourishing trade in furs and agricultural products had emerged between the French in Louisiana and Illinois, and settlements had sprung up along the Mississippi River, south of the confluence of the Illinois River. To confine the English to the Atlantic coast, the French devised a plan to construct a line of military outposts stretching from the Great Lakes to the Mexican Gulf. As a vital link in this chain, Fort Chartres was erected on the Mississippi River near Kaskaskia, and the villages of Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher soon thrived in its vicinity.
At this time, the Ohio River remained largely unknown to the French, appearing as a mere stream on their early maps. However, in the early 1700s, their missionaries had penetrated the sources of the Allegheny River. In 1721, Chabert de Joncaire, a French agent and trader, established himself among the Seneca at Lewistown, and Fort Niagara was constructed near the falls five years later. According to some accounts, Post St. Vincent was built on the Wabash River in 1735. Almost contemporaneous with this was the military post of Presque Isle, located on the site of Erie, Pennsylvania. From there, a network of outposts extended along the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh and then down the Ohio River to the Wabash River.
In 1749, the French systematically explored the Ohio River and forged alliances with the Indigenous populations in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The English, claiming the entire west to the Pacific but confined to a narrow strip east of the mountains, grew wary of the French’s growing power in the west. Not content with inciting Indigenous hostilities, they incentivized private enterprise by granting 600,000 acres of prime land on the Ohio River to the "Ohio Company."
By 1751, the Illinois country comprised the settlements of Cahokia, five miles from St. Louis; St. Philip’s, 45 miles further down the river; Ste. Genevieve, a little lower still and on the east side of the Mississippi River; Fort Chartres, Kaskaskia, and Prairie du Rocher. Kaskaskia was the largest, with nearly 3,000 residents. The early "Far West" was also a place of cultural mixing.
To bolster French dominion, Samuel de Champlain recognized the importance of establishing missions among the Indigenous populations. Until this point, the "Far West" remained largely untouched by the foot of Europeans. In 1616, a French Franciscan named Joseph Le Caron traversed the Iroquois and Wyandot nations, reaching streams that flowed into Lake Huron. In 1634, two Jesuits founded the first mission in the region. However, it would be a century after the Mississippi River’s discovery that the first Canadian envoys encountered the Indigenous nations of the northwest at the falls of St. Mary’s, below Lake Superior’s outlet.
The westward expansion of the "Far West" reveals a narrative of exploration, settlement, and conflict that shaped the destiny of a nation.