Joseph M. Street
Encyclopedia
General Joseph Montfort Street (October 18, 1782 – May 5, 1840) was a 19th-century American pioneer, trader and US Army officer. During the 1820s and 1830s, he was also a U.S. Indian Agent to the Winnebago
and later to the Sauk and Fox tribes after the Black Hawk War
. His eldest son was Joseph H.D. Street, the first appointed registrar
of the Council Bluffs Land Office in western Iowa.
, he studied law
under Henry Clay
and traveled to Frankfort, Kentucky
where became the editor of The Western World
in July 1806. The newspaper's "Spanish Conspiracy" series was partially responsible for exposing the Aaron Burr conspiracy. However, he and other members of the paper received lawsuits, threats and challenges to duels until eventually Burr's friends and supporters forced him to leave for Illinois.
He eventually settled in Shawneetown during the early 19th century where his father-in-law, Governor Thomas Posey
, died of typhus fever
at his home on March 9, 1818. Following the death of Nicholas Boilvin
in 1827, Street became the U.S. Indian Agent to the Winnebago
. He and his family were one of the earliest to settle in Prairie du Chien and the first Presbyterian families to live in the area. While residing at Prairie du Chien, he was present at the signing of the peace treaty ending the Winnebago War
. During his administration, his attempts to help the Winnebago ultimately failed largely due to the interests of the American Fur Company
.
In 1829, Major Stephen W. Kearney of Fort Crawford
arrested French-Canadian logger Jean Brunett who Street had reported was illegally leading a logging party on an island on the Mississippi River
and lay within the Winnebago territory. He and Kearney kept Brunett in custody for a considerable length of time before releasing him, however the two were sued for illegal arrest and ordered to pay fines and court expenses in excess of $1,374 dollars. The presiding judge of the territorial court had ruled that only the President of the United States
had the authority to expel a foreigner, even in the process of committing an illegal act, and that the officers arrest was unlawful unless receiving a presidential order. However both men were later reumbursed by the United States Congress
.
In 1831, he wrote to U.S. Secretary of War Lewis Cass
that when the Sauk, Fox and other tribes had agreed to cede their lands in western Iowa the previous year, a local trader had reported that "The Sacs and Foxes wish to sell to the United States the whole of their country that borders on the Mississippi, but they won't sell unless the commissioners will pay to Messrs. Farnham and Davenport what the Indians owe them."
He and his brother-in-law Alexander Posey
both participated in the Black Hawk War
and, in the weeks following the Battle of Bad Axe
, members of the Sioux
delivered 68 scalps and 22 prisoners to him. The Winnebago Prophet and Black Hawk
were delivered to him by two Winnebago warriors, One-Eyed Decorri and Cha-e-tar at the agency headquarters on August 27, 1832. One-Eyed Decorri claimed credit for Black Hawk's capture who told Street,
In a letter sent on September 3, Street reported "The day after Gen's Scott and Atkinson left this place, I sent out two parties of Winnebagos to bring Black Hawk, the Prophet and Neopope to me." While Black Hawk was being transported to Galena, Illinois
by steamship, he took special care that the prisoners were well-treated. When it was reported to him that iron
handcuffs
had been rivet
ed on Black Hawk, he ordered officer Jefferson Davis
to have them removed.
During 1832 and 1833, he was extensively involved in post-war settlements with the Sac and Fox and was eventually named as a U.S government liaison and representative of the Sauk and Fox in 1836. The following year, he accompanied a Sauk and Fox delegation to Washington, D.C.
where they agreed to relinquish 1,250,000 of their lands In Iowa to the United States officially signing the "Second Purchace" treaty on October 21, 1837. He later accompanied the Fox chieftain Poweshiek to select a location for the Sac and Fox agency on the Des Moines River. The agency was located on the Lower Des Moines, at the site of present-day Agency City, Iowa. Using money from the U.S. Indian Fund, he oversaw the construction of several buildings including a small farm for his family when they arrived from Prairie du Chien in April 1838. Recognizing the scarcity of game in the region, he encouraged the federal government to introduce farming to the agency as well as the establishment of Presbyterian missions
to provide education to the local tribes.
Street had been in negotiations with the U.S. government on behalf of the Fox and Sauk for another purchase of Sac and Fox lands in Iowa, however he had been in failing health for some time and died at the agency on May 5, 1840. His son-in-law, Major John Beach
, took over his position as agent to the Sac and Fox and hosted a week long council which resulted in the signing of the treaty on October 11, 1842. One of the clauses requested by the chieftains was a special stipend
to be paid to Street's widow.
He was greatly respected among both his contemporaries as well as Native Americans
. The war chieftain Wapello
, a close and personal friend, requested to be buried alongside him in what is now Chief Wapello's Memorial Park.
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
and later to the Sauk and Fox tribes after the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
. His eldest son was Joseph H.D. Street, the first appointed registrar
Recorder of deeds
Recorder of deeds is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property.-Background:...
of the Council Bluffs Land Office in western Iowa.
Biography
Born to Anthony and Molly Street in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, he studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
under Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and traveled to Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
where became the editor of The Western World
The Western World
"The Western World" is the sixth track from Pennywise's ninth studio album Reason to Believe. It was the album's first single, which also reached number 22 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, marking the highest initial charting single in Pennywise's career...
in July 1806. The newspaper's "Spanish Conspiracy" series was partially responsible for exposing the Aaron Burr conspiracy. However, he and other members of the paper received lawsuits, threats and challenges to duels until eventually Burr's friends and supporters forced him to leave for Illinois.
He eventually settled in Shawneetown during the early 19th century where his father-in-law, Governor Thomas Posey
Thomas Posey
Thomas Posey was an officer in the American Revolution, a general during peacetime, the third Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and a Louisiana Senator.-Family and background:...
, died of typhus fever
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
at his home on March 9, 1818. Following the death of Nicholas Boilvin
Nicholas Boilvin
Nicholas Boilvin was a 19th-century American frontiersman, fur trader and U.S. Indian Agent. He was the first appointed agent to the Winnebagos, as well as the Sauk and Fox, and one of the earliest pioneers to settle in present-day Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. His sons Nicholas Boilvin, Jr. and...
in 1827, Street became the U.S. Indian Agent to the Winnebago
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
. He and his family were one of the earliest to settle in Prairie du Chien and the first Presbyterian families to live in the area. While residing at Prairie du Chien, he was present at the signing of the peace treaty ending the Winnebago War
Winnebago War
The Winnebago War was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilities were limited to a few attacks on American civilians by a portion of the Winnebago Native...
. During his administration, his attempts to help the Winnebago ultimately failed largely due to the interests of the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
.
In 1829, Major Stephen W. Kearney of Fort Crawford
Fort Crawford
Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th Century. The Second Fort Crawford Military Hospital was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1960....
arrested French-Canadian logger Jean Brunett who Street had reported was illegally leading a logging party on an island on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and lay within the Winnebago territory. He and Kearney kept Brunett in custody for a considerable length of time before releasing him, however the two were sued for illegal arrest and ordered to pay fines and court expenses in excess of $1,374 dollars. The presiding judge of the territorial court had ruled that only the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
had the authority to expel a foreigner, even in the process of committing an illegal act, and that the officers arrest was unlawful unless receiving a presidential order. However both men were later reumbursed by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
In 1831, he wrote to U.S. Secretary of War Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
that when the Sauk, Fox and other tribes had agreed to cede their lands in western Iowa the previous year, a local trader had reported that "The Sacs and Foxes wish to sell to the United States the whole of their country that borders on the Mississippi, but they won't sell unless the commissioners will pay to Messrs. Farnham and Davenport what the Indians owe them."
He and his brother-in-law Alexander Posey
Alexander Posey (general)
Alexander Posey was an American militia officer who served as a brigadier general under General Henry Atkinson during the Black Hawk War, specifically in the later stages of the second campaign as one of the commanders present at the Battle of Bad Axe.-Biography:Born in Orange County, Virginia to...
both participated in the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
and, in the weeks following the Battle of Bad Axe
Battle of Bad Axe
The Battle of Bad Axe, also known as the Bad Axe Massacre, occurred 1–2 August 1832, between Sauk and Fox Indians and United States Army regulars and militia. This final battle of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the United States...
, members of the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
delivered 68 scalps and 22 prisoners to him. The Winnebago Prophet and Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
were delivered to him by two Winnebago warriors, One-Eyed Decorri and Cha-e-tar at the agency headquarters on August 27, 1832. One-Eyed Decorri claimed credit for Black Hawk's capture who told Street,
In a letter sent on September 3, Street reported "The day after Gen's Scott and Atkinson left this place, I sent out two parties of Winnebagos to bring Black Hawk, the Prophet and Neopope to me." While Black Hawk was being transported to Galena, Illinois
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
by steamship, he took special care that the prisoners were well-treated. When it was reported to him that iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
handcuffs
Handcuffs
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...
had been rivet
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
ed on Black Hawk, he ordered officer Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
to have them removed.
During 1832 and 1833, he was extensively involved in post-war settlements with the Sac and Fox and was eventually named as a U.S government liaison and representative of the Sauk and Fox in 1836. The following year, he accompanied a Sauk and Fox delegation to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where they agreed to relinquish 1,250,000 of their lands In Iowa to the United States officially signing the "Second Purchace" treaty on October 21, 1837. He later accompanied the Fox chieftain Poweshiek to select a location for the Sac and Fox agency on the Des Moines River. The agency was located on the Lower Des Moines, at the site of present-day Agency City, Iowa. Using money from the U.S. Indian Fund, he oversaw the construction of several buildings including a small farm for his family when they arrived from Prairie du Chien in April 1838. Recognizing the scarcity of game in the region, he encouraged the federal government to introduce farming to the agency as well as the establishment of Presbyterian missions
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
to provide education to the local tribes.
Street had been in negotiations with the U.S. government on behalf of the Fox and Sauk for another purchase of Sac and Fox lands in Iowa, however he had been in failing health for some time and died at the agency on May 5, 1840. His son-in-law, Major John Beach
John Beach
Major John Beach was a United States Army officer during the Black Hawk and American Civil War as well as the last US Indian Agent to the Sac and Fox tribes...
, took over his position as agent to the Sac and Fox and hosted a week long council which resulted in the signing of the treaty on October 11, 1842. One of the clauses requested by the chieftains was a special stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
to be paid to Street's widow.
He was greatly respected among both his contemporaries as well as Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The war chieftain Wapello
Wapello (chief)
Wapello was a Native American chief of the Meskwaki tribe.-Early life:Wapello was born in 1787 at Prairie du Chien, in what is now the state of Wisconsin...
, a close and personal friend, requested to be buried alongside him in what is now Chief Wapello's Memorial Park.