The Fox Wars

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the Fox Wars, fought between the Fox (Mesquakie) American Indians and the French in the early 18th Century. According to the paper, these Fox Wars that were fought in the then-French territory of Wisconsin, were due to the struggles that persisted as a result of access to land and waterways, security of expanding French forces into the West and mistrust perpetuated by previous encounters.

From the Paper:

"Beauharnois chose Paul de la Marque Sieur Marin to lead an expedition to suppress the Meskwaki. Marin and his forces left Montreal in the summer of 1729 and wintered over in a deserted fort near the Menominee village. He first encountered Meskwaki people in the spring, near Little Lake Butte des Morts. After five days of fighting the Meskwaki were successful in escaping during the night and eluding capture or defeat by Marin. Having lost all of their allies and left with few resources in their home area, the Meskwaki took an offer from the Iroquois to seek refuge outside of Wisconsin. In the summer of 1730 they set off for Lake Ontario, traveling through southern Wisconsin and along the Illinois River. They had plans to meet with allies in the Ouiatanon tribe near Lafayette, Indiana. However, their travel was also reported to the French by the Meskwaki's former allies, the Mascouten and the Kickapoo. The French threatened the Iroquois for offering refuge to the Meskwaki. Meanwhile, St. Ange of Peoria, Illinois gathered a force of French and Indian warriors and pursued the Meskwaki. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Edmunds, R. David, and Joseph L. Peyser. The Fox Wars: The Mesquakie Challenge to New France. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993.
• Hagen, William Thomas. The Sac and Fox Indians. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958.
• Jones, George O, and Norman S. McVean. History of Wood County, Wisconsin. Publication details unknown, 1923, accessed 22 October 2006; available from http://www.scls.lib.wi.us/mcm/wood_county/.
• Kay, Jeanne. "The Fur Trade and Native American Population Growth." Ethnohistory 31, no. 4 (1984): 265-287.
• Kellogg, Louise Phelps. The French Regime in Wisconsin and the Northwest. Madison, WI: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1925.

More papers on The Fox Wars:

• Essay # 39906 : "The Swamp Fox"
• Analytical Essay # 90667 : "'Lives of Girls and Women' and 'The Jade Peony'"
• Analytical Essay # 48688 : "Alexander the Great"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: