History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.

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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
verdant lawn of civilized life, and would almost induce the traveler to imagine himself in the center of a highly cultivated plantation. The timber of this division is generally birch, elm and Cottonwood, all the cliffs being bordered by cedar."
After the expedition of Maj. Pike, voyages up the river soon became common and the pub¬ lished naratives of them are numerous; but noth¬ ing is elicited in such as have been examined that is of particular importance not elsewhere given in this history.
CHAPTER   V
THE WINNEBAGO WAR.
During the winter of 1825-6, there were con¬ fined in the guard house of Fort Crawford, at Prairie du Chien, because of some alleged dis¬ honest act, two Winnebago Indians. In Octo¬ ber, 1826, the fort was abandoned and the gar¬ rison removed to Fort Snelling. The com¬ mandant took with him the two Winnebagoes. During the spring of 1827, the reports about the two Indians, around Prairie du Chien, was to the effect that they had been killed. It was soon apparent that a spirit of enmity between the tribe and the settlers in southwestern Wis¬ consin was effectually stirred up. In addition to this, were the daily encroachments of miners in the lead region; for these miners had, by this time, overrun the mining country from Galena to the Wisconsin river. Finally the difficulties led to an open rupture.
MURDER OF GAGNIER AND   LIPCAP.
On the 28th of June, 1827, two Winnebago Indians, Red Bird and We-Kaw and three of their companions, entered the house of Rigeste Gagnier, about two miles from Prairie du Chien, where they remained several hours. At last, when Mr. Gagnier least expected it. Red Bird leveled his gun and shot him dead on his hearthstone. A person in the building by the name of Lipcap, who was a hired man, was slain at the same time by We-Kaw. Madame Gagnier turned to fly  with her infant of eigh¬
teen months. As she was about to leap through the window, the child was torn from her arms by We-Kaw, stabbed, scalped and thrown vio¬ lently on the floor as dead. The murderer then attacked the woman, but gave way when she snatched up a gun that was leaning against the wall, and presented it to his breast. She then effected her escape. Her eldest son, a lad of ten years, also shunned the murderers, and they both arrived in the village at the same time. The alarm was soon given; but, when the avengers of blood arrived at Gagnier's house, they found in it nothing living but his mangled infant. It was carried to the village, and, in¬ credible as it may seem, it recovered.
A WINNEBAGO DEBAUCH.
Red Bird and his companions immediately proceeded from the scene of their crime to the rendezvous of their band. During their ab¬ sence, thirty-seven of the warriors who ac¬ knowledged the authority of Red Bird, had as¬ sembled with their wives and children, near the mouth of the Bad Ax river in what is now Vernon county. They received the murderers with joy and loud approbations of their exploit. A keg of liquor which they had secured was set abroach, and the Indians began to drink and as their spirits rose, to boast of what they had al¬ ready done and intended to do. They continued their revel for two days,  but on the third the