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History - Frontier Forts
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Celoron's Voyage and
Bonnecamps' Map - 1749
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In 1749, a French contingent of 300 men in canoes under command of Celoron de Beinville laid claim to the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers. The French, like the Indians, considered these to be one river, La Belle Riviere, or the Beautiful River. The French buried lead plates with inscriptions claiming the land for the King as they passed downstream. Plate 1 was buried near present day Warren, PA, Plate 2 near Franklin, PA at "Indian God Rock."
Amongst Celoron's men was Father Pierre Bonnecamps, a "Jesuit Mathematician." He drew a map of the voyage indicating the places where the lead plates were buried and noting Indian towns along the stream.
Click here to view large version.
In 1747 the French had entered upon actual explorations of the regions about the Allegheny and the Ohio.
They ascertained the geography of the country and the proximity of the English settlements on the west of the
Allegheny Mountains. They took active measures to extend their trade among the Indians then ranging the
region, well aware that when this inevitable clash came these would prove most useful auxiliaries or dangerous
enemies. English agents of the Ohio Company came along about this time, gaining influence among the
Indians and it was obligatory to counteract the English influence by every means possible.
The map is in the Department Bibliotheque of the Depot de la Marine. It was also manuscript, 31½ by 34½ inches square. It is always acknowledged as an important illustration of the expedition. Some of the strange names on Bonnecamps' map need explanation, and also his signs. The words along the south shore of Lake Erie state: "All this part of the lake is unknown." Tjadikoin is one of the many variations for Chautauqua. Kanaonagon is the Conewango Creek. The Loups, or "Wolves," were the Munsy clan of the Delawares. River le Boef is French Creek, then the river of "Beef;" Atigue is generally taken for Kittanning; River Ranonouara is Wheeling Creek. The signs are interpreted thus: A black cross, a plate deposited; three horizontal lines across a vertical, latitude and longitude taken; a house marks a village.
The burial of the plates was not without ceremony. At the mouth of the Conewango, all the officers and men were drawn up in battle array, and their commander proclaimed in a loud voice: "Vive le Roi!" announcing that possession was taken of the country in the name of their King. Then the royal arms were affixed to a tree and a Proces Verbal was drawn up and signed as a memorial ceremony. This same formality was adopted at the burial of each plate. The Proces Verbal was similar, and each time was signed and witnessed by the officers present. Translated the Proces was in the following form:
In the year 1749, we, Celoron, Chevalier of the Royal and Military Order of St. Louis, Commander of a detachment sent by order of the Marquis of Galissoniere, Governor General of Canada, to the Ohio, in the presence of the principal officers of our detachment have buried (here was inserted the name they gave the place of deposit) a leaden plate, and in the same place have affixed to a tree the Arms of the King. In testimony whereof we have drawn up and signed, with the officers, the present Proces Verbal, at our camp the (day of month) 1749.
Celeron made a daily record; of the first ceremony he recorded here:
We have also affixed in the same place to a tree the arms of the King in testimony of which we
have drawn up and signed the present "proces verbal."
Done at the entrance of Belle Riviere July 29th, 1749. All the officers have signed.
These written notices were inscribed on "white iron," or tin. The Senecas of the region did not fail to keep a keen eye on Celoron's proceedings. Most naturally they were mystified and regarded the affair as forboding trouble for themselves.
Passing down the Allegheny, which Celoron calls the Ohio, the flotilla reached the bend nine miles below Franklin, where on the eastern bank lay a large boulder, twenty-two feet in length and fourteen in breadth, on the inclined face of which were rude inscriptions, evidently of Indian workmanship representing the triumphs of the race in war and the chase. This rock was the celebrated Indian God rock, and was held in superstitious reverence by the Indians attached to the expedition. It was a well known landmark and did not fail to attract the attention of the French. Celoron deemed it a fitting point at which to bury his second plate. This was done with due pomp and ceremony, the inscription differing only in the date and designation of the place of deposit. Celoron's record here reads: "Buried a leaden plate on the south bank of the Ohio river four leagues below the River Aux Boeufs opposite a bald mountain and near a large stone, on which are many figures rudely engraved."
In the translation of the inscription on the second plate these words occur: "Have buried this plate at the Three Rivers below Le Boeuf River, this third of August near the River Oyo, otherwise the Fair River, etc."
The expedition continued its course, stopping at the several Indian villages, but the savages fled to the woods, and were with difficulty induced to return to hold a "talk" with Celoron. It was apparent that they did so rather from fear than from good-will, so successfully had the English presented the advantages of their friendship. The commander was accustomed during this expedition to send in advance a half-breed, Chaubert de Joncaire, in a canoe with a few men to announce his approach and assure the savages of his friendly intentions.
The expedition stopped for a few hours at Kittanning, which they called Attique on the 6th of August, and then proceeded to the ruins of Chartier's old town on the right bank some twenty miles above Pittsburgh, where they spent the night.
Bonnecamps mentions the "old village of the Chauanons," and marks it on his maps. This was the village abandoned by Chartier's band of Shawanese which had not been inhabited since Chartier's flight to the Wabash country in 1745. The place was known in border history as "Chartier's Old Town," and was about the mouth of Bull creek, and near the site of the town of Tarentum, in Allegheny county. Near this spot they encountered several English traders. Celoron saw this as a usurpment of French sovereignty over the region and composed this letter notifying the English government of this trespass.
August 6, 1749 - from the Old Town
Sir: - Having been sent with a detachment into these quarters by Monsieur the Marquis de la Galissoniere, commandant general of New France, to reconcile among themselves certain savage nations, who are ever at variance on account of the war just terminated, I have been much surprised to find some traders of your government in a country to which England never had any pretensions. It even appears that the same opinion is entertained in New England, since in many of the villages I have passed through, the English who were trading there have mostly taken flight. Those whom I first fell in with, and by whom I write you, I have treated with all the mildness possible, although I would have been justified in treating them as interlopers and men without design, their enterprise being contrary to the preliminaries of peace signed five months ago. I hope, sir, you will carefully prohibit for the future this trade, which is contrary to treaties; and give notice to your traders that they will expose themselves to great risks in returning to these countries, and that they must impute only to themselves, the misfortunes they may meet with. I know that our commandant general would be very sorry to have recourse to violence, but he has orders not to permit foreign traders in his government.
I have honor to be with great respect, Sir your humble and obedient servant.
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CELORON
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On the morning of the 7th they continued their course and stopped for dinner at Shannopinstown, an Indian village on the east side of the river, about two miles above the forks.
August 8th the flotilla passed a village of Loups, all the inhabitants of which except three Iroquois and an old woman who was regarded as a queen and devoted to the English, had fled in alarm. To quote Celoron accurately as his Journal records: "The Iroquois inhabit this place, and an old woman of that nation is their leader. She looks upon herself as a queen and is entirely devoted to the English."
This was the celebrated Aliquippa made famous by Washington. This town was within the present boundaries of Pittsburgh at the mouth of Two Mile run, which once emptied into the Allegheny at or about Thirty-second street and in a manner still empties there through a large sewer (present site of Lawrenceville).
It is remarkable that no mention is made in the Journals of Celoron and Bonnecamps of the Monongahela river, the largest stream by far that they passed in the whole expedition. A stream is marked by Bonnecamps but not named on his map, and this must have been intended to represent the Monongahela.
The expedition did not stop overnight at the site of their future fort, Duquesne. Their camp being only two leagues above Chiningue, they were enabled to reach that point August 9th. They found this village the largest on the river - about fifty cabins; Iroquois, Shawanese and Loups, from St. Louis and the Lake of the Two Mountains, with some Nippisings, Ottawas and Abenakis. Father Bonnecamps estimated the number of cabins at eighty, and said: "We called it Chiningue from its vicinity to the river of that name." He recorded the latitude and longitude of the place almost correctly. This village was the celebrated Logstown - "a large and flourishing village," remarks Mr. Marshall, "which figures prominently in Indian history for many years after Celoron was there." He is right. The name "Chinigue" has been retained in Western Pennsylvania, applied to the eastern branch of the Big Beaver river under the modern spelling, Shenango.
Therefore, following close upon Celoron there came to Logstown in August, 1749, the redoubtable George Croghan, sent by Governor Hamilton of Pennsylvania. Croghan, too, was a journalist. He noted down that "Monsieur Celaroon with two hundred French soldiers passed through Logstown just before my arrival." Croghan asked the inhabitants of the town the object of the expedition and was told that it was to drive the English away and by burying plates with inscriptions upon them at the mouth of each remarkable creek to steal away their country.
Celoron having compelled the English traders whom he found established at Logstown to leave, sent by them the letter dated August 6, 1749, to Governor Hamilton.
Leaving Chiningue, the expedition passed two rivers, one on either side of the Ohio. These evidently were the Big Beaver and Raccoon creek. They came to the stream they called Kanououara, August 13th. Here they interred the third plate bearing the usual inscription and with the customary ceremonies. Part of the description translated read: "Buried at the mouth and on the north bank of the River Kanououara, which empties into the eastern side of the Ohio river." Neither Celoron nor his chaplain gives such a description of the locality as to warrant a positive identification of the site. Most probably it was on the northerly bank of Wheeling creek at its junction with the Ohio.
At this point, Celoron's expedition left the present borders of Pennsylvania. Celoron returned to Lake Erie several weeks later by a circuitous route.
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