hat my experience proves to me that missionaries who
go among these people make a great mistake in attacking this institution
until after they have ingratiated themselves with them, and then, by
attempting any reform beyond teaching monogamy in the future. Nothing
will assure the enmity of a savage more than to ask him to discard any
of his wives, and especially the mother of his children. While I would
be the last man on earth to advocate polygamy, I can truthfully say that
one of the happiest and most harmonious families I ever knew was that of
the celebrated Little Crow (who, during all my official residence among
the Dakotas, was my principal advisor and ambassador, and who led the
massacre in 1862), who had four wives; but there was a point in his
favor, as they were all sisters.

Hennepin passed the time he spent in Minnesota in baptizing Indian
babies and picking up all the information he could find. His principal
exploit was the naming of the Falls of St. Anthony, which he called
after his patron saint, Saint Anthony of Padua.

That Hennepin was thoroughly convinced that there was a northern passage
to the sea which could be reached by ships, is proven by the following
extract from his work:

"For example, we may be transported into the Pacific sea by
rivers, which are large and capable of carrying great vessels,
and from thence it is very easy to go to China and Japan without
crossing the equinoctial line, and in all probability Japan is
on the same continent as America."

Our early visitor evidently had very confused ideas on matters of
geography.

The first account of his adventures was published by him in 1683, and
was quite trustworthy, and it is much to be regretted that he was
afterwards induced to publish another edition in Utrecht, in 1689, which
was filled with falsehoods and exaggerations, which brought upon him the
censure of the king of France. He died in obscurity, unregretted. The
county of Hennepin is named for him.

Other Frenchmen visited Minnesota shortly after Hennepin for the purpose
of trade with the Indians and the extension of the territory of New
France. In 1689 Nicholas Perot was established at Lake Pepin, with quite
a large body of men, engaged in trade with the Indians. On the 8th of
May, 1689, Perot issued a proclamation from his post on Lake Pepin, in
which he formally took possession in the name of the king of all the
countries inhabited by the Dakotas, "