Where IS Gratiot's Grove??

[Robert Braun]

OK... through a series of trial and errors, I discovered a while ago that the village of Gratiot, Wisconsin has nothing to do with the site of Gratiot's Grove.

My friend Bill Breihan has attempted to show me where he believes Gratiot's Grove was... west of the road curve as you ascend Berry's (today "White's") Hill south of Shullsburg. Bill cites a local history as his source, and I believe him. Fort Gratiot was supposed to be located in the near vicinity (if not directly in) Gratiot's Grove.

Unfortunately, this spot is on a steep slope... not the kind of place I'd necessarily build a fort... but who knows?

I just can't square in my head this location vis a vis the Gratiot home north of Berry's Hill. It makes sense to me that this ancient dwelling would have been built reasonably close to the Grove.

Am I daffy...(don't answer that! )... or is there other information out there that can productively direct my hunch?

My theory remains: "find the Grove, and you find the fort site."

Bob.

[Robert Braun]

Hmmmmm...

It is asserted that Henry and J. P. B. Gratiot came in the year 1824. Others maintain that it was not until early in 1825 that they came into the country. At all events, they were there in the latter year, engaged in mining and smelting and conducting business with the Indians and settlers. They are believed to have been the first white men who effected a lodgment in the vicinity which resulted in both permanence and profit. To them is due the honor of laying the foundation in Southern Wisconsin for a large proportion of the wealth, intelligence, morality and enterprise which has ever characterized the inhabitants of that favored region. To these, as also to Col. Parkinson, Col. Moore, Jesse W. Shull, Samuel H. Scales, the Murphys, and the thousand and one men of nerve and character who came in during this period, is to be attributed the prominence La Fayette County has ever occupied in the history of the State. The occasion is here availed of to commend them to the honorable consideration of generations yet unborn for their courage, their steadfastness and pioneer perseverance. The Gratiots settled at a point near what has been known as Gratiot's Grove, which became celebrated as the location of Fort Gratiot during the Black Hawk War. The settlements made in 1825 were included between the present Shullsburg and the Ridge (emphasis added.)

Source: History of La Fayette County, p. 437.

[Larry Koschkee]

Bob... are you trying to locate Gratiot's Grove in the flora sense of the word or Gratiot's Grove settlement or village?

Larry K.

[Marge Smith]

Suggest the following book about the influential people that came to the mines - especially the Gratiots and Hempsteads.

"Provincial Lives, Middle-Class Experience in the Antebellum Middle West", by Timothy R. Mahoney.
Cambridge Universtity Press, 1999.

Mr. Mahoney calls this area the "near-frontier".

Marge

[Robert Braun]

Hello... I'm looking for Gratiot's Grove the settlement and store, with an eye to eventually locating the fort that served the Gratiots during the Winnebago War and eventually during Black Hawk's War.

My theory is: "find the grove and you find the fort."

r.

[Larry Koschkee]

The logic of find the grove and you find the fort may prove to be very elusive. The various historical accounts that mention "Gratiot's Grove" as a settlement suggest that there was not a cluster of buildings in a village like setting, rather a scattering of dwellings, businesses and furnaces through out four sections of land. All in what is now Shullsburg and White Oak Springs townships of Lafayette County.

My approach to locate the vicinity of Fort Gratiot consisted of four elements: 1) Government Land Office Survey of June, 1832... 2) David Dale Owen's 1839 map of Wisconsin Territory Lead Mines... 3) August L. Chetlain's recollections... and 4) Professor Harris Palmer's research and field notes of a 1968 site excavation of Henry Gratiot's first homestead located in section 23 of White Oak Springs township.

The mathematical picture for the fort location is: starting at the south section corner lines of sections 22 and 23, Town 1N R. 2E, Town of White Oak Springs (present day County W) track north 50.60 chains (3331'). At this site of Henry Gratiot's first homestead track east approximately 500'. The fort was on the lower end of the ravine on the flat level ground in the ravine.

NOTE: This location is east of present day County Road U and approx. 500' east of the 22 & 23 section line...

Regards,

Larry K.

[Robert Braun]

Some great research here, Larry.

Is Professor Palmer the archaeologist from Platteville?

Bob.

[Larry Koschkee]

Yes sir, Bob... Mr. Harris Palmer was a professor at the UW-Platteville and had a particular passion for locating the old smelting furnaces of southwest Wisconsin. His papers and field notes are located in the Wisconsin Room at the Karraman Library in Platteville.

The physical results of his Henry Gratiot homestead excavation are in several boxes at the Rollo-Jamieson Museum in Platteville.

Larry K.

[Robert Braun]

I guess part of my problem (once I got past the "Village of Gratiot, WI was NOT Gratiot's Grove" syndrome) was that I kept indexing accounts and measurements to the CURRENT Gratiot structure, once in the possession of the James Ormond family, and still in private hands today.

Dr. Palmer's location, as reported by you, appears to be a rather elevated section, although it seems reasonable from the accounts and descritiptions that the Gratiot store and subsequent stockade was located on reasonably level ground "at the lower end of the ravine."

Did Dr. Palmer's research indicate the approximate location of a nearby dwelling owned by Pierre Myattis (sp?)

Thanks... Bob.

[Larry Koschkee]

Harris Palmer plotted the location of Henry Gratiot's homestead on a surveyors work sheet and a topographical map. I do not have either one in front of me at this moment, but if memory services me right when I observed the elevation "grids" on the topo map the homestead was not situated on a signficant elevation.

Assuming you plotted the 50.60 chains on your topo map by first drawing a 1/2 section dividing line thru Section 22 & 23. 10.60 chains north of that line and on the north south section line of 22 and 23 was the homestead which was north and east of the curve shown by County Trunk U...

I guess the next step is to visit the site with survey instruments. I have interviewed one of Harris Palmer's volunteers that worked on the site back in 1968 and he expressed interest in bringing a surveyor friend out to shoot some measurements.

I did not recall a reference to a Pierre Myattis in Palmer's notes.

Larry K

[Larry Koschkee]

Bob, you mentioned the dwelling of Pierre Myattis. The thought occured to me that perhaps you are refering to MYOTT. Mrs. Myott was the half-breed Winnebago woman that the Gratiot brothers brought with them from Galena to negotiate lease rights to mine at what became "Gratiot's Grove."

When the Gratiot brothers sold out their "Gratiot's Survey" rights to the McNulty family in 1833, sometime later Henry purchased the land in section 15 of the Town of Shullsburg from Mrs. Myott on which he built the stone house in 1835. I have not did any research on Mrs. Myott... perhaps she was the wife of a Frenchman named Pierre Myott.

If that is the case, I may have a good idea where that residence was... Let me know.

Larry K.

[Robert Braun]

As always, thank you, Larry. I believe you are correct, and the writer of the letter I am examining probably speled th' name rong.

I believe Pierre Myott is the person for whom I am looking.

I apologize for the delay in my answer to your question!

Warm regards, Bob!