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Land Owners
The 1873-1874 raids made clear that people who owned land could theoretically avoid being expelled during U.S. military sweeps. The expulsions had spurred a rush to establish land claims. In June, 1874, Commissioner Charles Hunt compiled a list of Wisconsin HoocÄ…k people who owned land as of that date. Examine his list, and compare it to a Wisconsin Township map (use the Township and Range numbers on Hunt’s list for quick reference). Within a radius of 20 miles from Portage, there were at least 19 families listed.
An Individual Example
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Some individuals, such as Spoon Decorah, purchased land in the rush but chose not to live on it. In Spoon Decorah's case, he chose for the time being to continue the flexible lifestyle he had known before being faced with the construct of real estate ownership: “I have camped with my family on my hunting and fishing journeys, all along the Wisconsin River. I was at Elroy for several seasons, and have been near Friendship for a good many years. In 1873, I took up a homestead of 40 acres near Pike Lake, but was never there.” SOURCE
What About the Rest?​
For many, land ownership was simply beyond their family’s means. These families continued as they had lived prior to the 1873-1874 raids, earning the right to utilize settlers’ land in various ways. Scores of older residents in the Portage area recall how during their—or their parents' and grandparents’ youth—HoocÄ…k families would request permission to encamp on their farms during certain seasons of the year. Many of these stories relate how HoocÄ…k families paid for this privilege with dried fish or similar commodities before they moved on.
Where is Yellow Thunder?
Yellow Thunder had been one of the first HoocÄ…k people to purchase land in Wisconsin. Why does his land not appear on the June, 1874 list? Yellow Thunder died just two months after the Portage raid during which his community was specifically spared from removal. His death appears to have ended protection for those who lived with him. A memo written by Capt. Hunt explains more of this story:
Land to Commemorate?
On December 24, 1874, almost one year to the day after the Portage 1873 raid, a HoocÄ…k man named Swallow (MÄ…Ä…nąžožopke) and his daughter Enoka (Hinųk) went to the Columbia County land office in Portage accompanied by Henry Lee and purchased a small 9 acre tract of land for $100. At its face value, there is nothing special about this transaction since HoocÄ…k people were everywhere attempting to stabilize their presence with land claims. However, under closer review, it appears that this transaction may have been something special…
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The fact is, Swallow already owned land—40 acres valued at $200 co-owned with a man named War Club. Swallow's purpose for purchasing the comparatively expensive 9 acre plot is not clear until the location is investigated. This 9 acres was the site of the U.S. military’s raid on Big Hawk’s feast lodge the previous year. The military and newspaper reports give specific details of the location of Big Hawk’s camp on the Baraboo River south of Portage. Swallow’s new parcel appears to have been located on this very spot. Big Hawk did not return to this home site when he returned to Wisconsin, but Swallow stewarded this spot of significance until his death.