Fort Defiance - Fourt Defyance

[Larry Koschkee]

An elderly aunt passed away earlier this year and some diaries dating back to the 1830s and 1840s were found by family members in her belongings. Recently I had the opportunity to review the material. Most diaries were in poor condition and very fragile.

One particular ancestoral diary recorded the overland trip by the Henry Fralick family from Columbiana County, Ohio destined to the Wisconsin Territory in 1843. A July 16th entry described a two day rest for the travelers and their teams at a campsite near an old fort called Fort Defiance. An earlier entry mentioned crossing the Illinois River. Being familiar with Black Hawk War forts in the State of Wisconsin when it was part of the Michigan Territory I concluded it was the Fort Defiance built in 1832 on Daniel Parkinson's land that had a militia company raised there and commanded by Captain Robert C. Hoard. Many diary pages before and after the July 16th entry were indiscernible but the use of magnification revealed the group was on the Fort Clark Road to Galena. This made sense because there was a Fort Clark at White Oak Springs (Michigan Territory) during the BHW with militia commanded by Captain Benjamin Clark, part of Dodge's Iowa County volunteers.

The timeline in this investigative process, however did not add up and I began to wonder if there was a Fort Defiance and a Fort Clark Road in Illinois. A visit to Greg Carter and et al Sauk War Forts of Illinois posted on the OLRHS website did not show a Fort Defiance (unless I overlooked it). Brick Wall!

Weeks later I was researching a topic in Whitney's BHW, 1831-1832 and came across "Fourt Defyance."

This fort was also known as Reed's fort (after Simon Reed), it was located on the La Salle Prairie, Hallock Township, Peoria County.

R. W. Chandler's 1829 map shows "Fort Clark Road" and Whitney's BHW states the Fort Clark Road was also known as the "Peoria-Galena Road."

My ancestors were not lost but one of their descendants was.

Larry Koschkee

[Marge Smith]

I think the Peoria-Galena road was also the Kellogg trail.
Regardless they all started at Peoria and ended at Galena. There was a branch off of it going to Gratiot.

Marge Smith

[DrBill]

Does anyone know anything further about Fort Clark in White Oak Springs. Today, White Oak Springs is a township along the state line in southern Lafayette County, Wisconsin. There is both a cross roads and a cemetary called simply White Oak in the township. John W. Hall has written that he was given a furlow from the Illinois Malitia at Galena to be reunited with his sisters at "White Oak Springs" after their indian captivity. I have wondered what sort of military establishment might have been there.

[Robert Braun]

DrBill said:

Does anyone know anything further about Fort Clark in White Oak Springs. Today, White Oak Springs is a township along the state line in southern Lafayette County, Wisconsin. There is both a cross roads and a cemetary called simply White Oak in the township. John W. Hall has written that he was given a furlow from the Illinois Malitia at Galena to be reunited with his sisters at "White Oak Springs" after their indian captivity. I have wondered what sort of military establishment might have been there.

Dr. Mass--

In truth there were several stockades in the White Oak Springs area during the BHW. This plus that fact that the "village" of White Oak Springs moved from its BHW location to the present vicinity indicated in your post circa 1834 offers additional complications/confusions. Here's what I have uncovered thus far (and other board contributors will hopefully chime in with additions or corrections)---

The hamlet of White Oak Springs was apparently founded in 1822. Eventually, the location boasted nearly one hundred residents.

With the Black Hawk scare, accounts indicate that three forts were erected in the area. One was laid out as a rectangle approximately 100 feet by 50 feet; and was probably the fort identified as "Fort Clark" (according to the research of Mr. William Breihan, et al.) The stockade was named for Benjamin Clark, who captained a fifty man mounted company from White Oak Springs.

A second stockade, described as “fifty feet square" was constructed somewhere in the White Oak Springs vicinity. Supposedly a third strongpoint, a “blockhouse…[was] built on Charles Mound two miles southeast of the village of White Oak Springs.”

Your listing of John W. Hall is interesting. My source lists an individual, surnamed "Hall," identified only as

--- Hall (who was killed by the Indians)

as one of the persons who sought refuge at Fort Clark.

Perhaps your Hall was indeed the "Hall" mentioned in this reference!

Regards... Bob.

[Larry Koschkee]

In response to Dr. Bill's curoisity about "what sort of military establishment might have been there" at White Oak Springs I would like to add to the material Mr. Braun posted.

(May 23, 1832) A company has been organized at White Oak Springs, 10 miles from Galena, of which Benj. W. Clark is Capt., John R. Shultz 1st Lieut., J. B. Woodson 2d Lieut. The company consists of seventy, and a stockade has been erected.

At White Oak Springs Village two forts were put up, commanded by Capts. Colter and Clark respectively. The largest was built by S. M. Journey and others, and was 100 x 50; the other fort was about fifty feet square and supplied with every available means of defense... (Sample M. Journey...why would a mother name her son Sample?)

The old village occupied a prominent site to the southwest of Samuel Dunbar's present corn field... When the forts were built, a dozen log cabins comprehended the number of domiciles which afforded protection to heterogeneous collection of inhabitants

A couple of years ago Will Storrs and I went looking for Samuel Dunbar's corn field circa 1880s in southwest 1/4 section 32 and found it to be part of a larger cornfield. Several compass sightings put us on top of "White Oak Spring" ---a spring with an old "spring house" foundation near a small creek. There were some farm buildings nearby and an interview with the owner provided evidence of the presence of old structures at one time. The owner said from time to time he would hit stones while plowing adjacent fields They had been shaped thus suggesting "sill stones" or foundation stones. A primitive cemetery lies on high ground southeast of the spring. (Not the cemetary marked near the second village site on White Oak Spring Road).

Now what to make of this Capt. Colter feller. What was he a captain of... a mounted unit or possibly a infantry unit or should we say a "home guard?" I do know Hugh R. Colter was Justice of Peace for White Oak Springs commissioned by Governor Lewis Cass, Michigan Territory, opened a hotel in the second village that was platted in 1834 and latter in his career was a Judge in Grant County, WI.

Benjamin W. Clark... what was this "Sucker" (derogatory button off) from Illinois doing in White Oak Springs before the outbreak of the BHW? I do know he was living in Rock Island County in 1828 and returned to that area after the BHW and operated a ferry.

John W. Hall survived the BHW... he was following the plow in Bureau County, IL when the 1850 census was taken. In addition, the Hall girls gave an account of their capture and captivity in September, 1867. It was written by John W. Hall and signed by the isters while he and Rachel Hall Munson and her husband were visiting Mrs. Sylvia Hall Horn and husband in Nemaha County Nebraska.

I do not believe the Hall sisters named a family or individual they stayed with at White Oak Springs. Rachel (Hall) Munson said: ...we also remained at the tavern during the night and started about Nine O'Clock the next day and reached the fort at the White Oak Springs shortly after sunset where we remained for a week, during which time our eldest brother who had escaped at the time of the massacre at house, came to see us, after the expiration of a week we went to Galena.

Larry Koschkee