Peter Pond: (1740 - 1802/07)
He was the son of Peter Pond Sr.& Mary
Hubbard born in Milford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. The Pond family arrived
in North America at Conneticut in the 1640's, they were the ancestors of
Peter. He preceded his relatives Gideon & Samuel (their great grand-father
& Peter's father were brothers) to the Minnesota River & the Sioux
by 60 years.
In 1765 Peter
Pond II was at a peace council at Detroit with 11 Dakota Chiefs present
and from about 1766 to 1773 he traded near the headwaters of the Mississippi
River.
From Pond's remembrances/journal for the years
1774-75: "...(About the first of August a trader coming from Lake Superior
brought news that war had broken out between the Sioux and the Chippewas),
and made it dangres for the trader to go in to the country...I was bound
to the senter of the Notawaseas contrey up St.Peters river. The counsel
with ye commander thought proper to give me ye charge of thre belt with
the speacheis and the traders to Lake Superior ware charged with the others...(At
Prairie du Chien he found the Indians disturbed) thay gave me to understand
thare was a parson at that plase that had an eevel sperit. He did things
beond thare conseption...I found him to be a frenchman who had bin long
among the nations on the Misura that came that spring from the Ilenoas...He
had the slite of hand compleately and had such a swa over the tribes...thay
gave him the name of Minneto which is a sperit...(Pond on his way up the
Minnesota River [St.Peters R] learned of a tribe near the source) which
wanted to sea at trader. I conkluded ameatley to put a small asortment
of goods into a cannoe and go up to them - a thing that never was atempted
before by the oldest of the traders on acount of the rudeness of those
people who ware Nottawaseas by nation but the band was called yantonoes
- the cheafe of the band allwase lead them on the Plaines...across the
plainness, I was nine days giting up to thare camp...Thay never saw a trader
before on thare one ground at least saw a bale of goods opend...I preseaved
five parsons from the camp aproching - four was imployed in caring a beaver
blanket finely panted - the other held in his hand a callemeat or pipe
of pece - verey finely drest with differant feathers with panted hair...after
smoking thay toock of my shoes and put on me a pair of fine Mockasans...thay
lade me down on the blanket - one hold of each corner and cared me to the
camp in a lodg among a verey vennarable asembly of old men...After smokeing
an old man ros up on his feet with as much greaveaty as can be conseaved
of he came to me - laid his hands on my head and grond out - I - I - I
three times - then drawed his rite hand down on my armes faneing a sort
of a crey as if he shead tears..."
In the fall of 1774 Peter is trading with
a band of Yankton and noted they had a great number of horses and some
fire arms. The next spring (while his native Connecticut was rebelling
against their King) he is escorting a delegation of Sisseton & Wahpeton
to Michilimackinac in a attempt to treaty with the Ojibwe and end their
long term war.
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