THE BAILLY TRADING POST

By A. L. Spooner Nestled among virgin tress on the banks of the Little Calumet, between what is now two of the busiest highways in the midwest, routes U.S. 12 and 20, is a cluster of log cabins. Situated as they are, with the old Dakota-Wi sconsin branch of the Sauk Trail running through the small settlement and the Little Calumet along side, even today they seem to say, "We are a part of the past, a part of history, a part of the early French traders, and of the Indian who has long si nce departed." This is the old Bailly Trading Post. A half mile north on a sandy hill, overlooking, the small settlement, in a little cemetery sleeps Joe Bailly and other members of his family. If Joe could see what the modern age did to his beloved trapping, hunting, and fishing grounds he would not only turn over in his grave but depart for the far places where he would have peace and contentment. Joe was not one to stand still when civilization started to enroach on his territory Joe Bailly was born in 1774, at Quebec, the son of a gentleman farmer, Michael Bailly DeMessin, who was a descendant of an early French family, which had emigrated to Canada in the 1600's. Here he lived and was educated until his father's death at an early age. It was at Quebec that he had contact with, and listened eagerly to tales told him of far away places by the French voyagers and trappers. Being of an adventurous disposition and of the necessity of earning a livelihood he decided that was the l ife for him. The next we hear of him is at Mackinaw. Just when Joe came to Mackinaw is not known; however, he did become Chief Representative of the Northwest Company for the territory covering the Upper and Lower Peninsula by agreement betwe en the British and the United States Government. His first trading post is thought to have been at the junction of the Grand and Maple Rivers as early as 1793. While living here he married Angelique McGulpin, daughter of Patrick McGulpin of M ackinaw. Angelique was part Indian and a grand niece of Chief Pontiac. Of this union. there were five sons, Alexis, Joseph, Mitchell, Phillip, Francis, and one daughter, Sophia. All the sons except Francis were sent to school at Montreal. It is said that when the time came for Francis to depart he jumped from the canoe and swam to shore declaring his intention of becoming a medicine man and living with his Mother's tribe on the Grand River, which he did until they moved to the Elbridge Reserv ation in Oceana Country Under the treaty of 1836, when the lands north of the Grand River were ceded to the United States, Francis sought to retain the forty acres where his cabin stood, under a clause of the treaty. His claim was rejected on the grounds he was not an Indian. He then made application for a homestead of preemption under another clause of the treaty. This also was denied him on the grounds he was not a white man. Thus, being judged neither Indian or White, he finally moved wit h the Indians to the Elbridge Reservation. Later he became an Itinerate Veterinarian along the Muskegon River until his death in 1887.

Alexis, the eldest son became the best known. He operated a trading post at Prairie Du Chein, and married Lucy Faribault, daughter of Jean Baptiste Faribault, a noted trader. Alexis was a member of the first Minnesota Legislature.

Of the other sons, Joseph became a printer; Mitchell a sculptor and Phillip, an engraver. The daughter, Sophia, became a school teacher and taught at St. Ignace. She later married Henry Grovernet..

Domestic difficulties arose and Joe and Angelique parted, and in 1810 he entered into a common-law marriage with Marie LaFever of Monroe, Michigan, a French-Indian and a cousin of Cheif Shabbona, widow of DeLavigne, a medicine man. At the time Joe agre ed to raise Marie's two daughters, Agatha and Theresa.

The Bailly venture prospered and starting at Mackinaw he established trading posts on the Muskegon, Kankakee, Wabash, Illinois, and at Parc Aux Vaches on the St. Joseph River near what is now Bertrand, Michigan, where he resided after moving from the G rand River, and as far south as Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

His most prosperous years were from 1802 to 1805 and according to records kept at Mackinaw he did as high as one-half million a year business which was a very sizeable sum at that time.

There is some indication that at one time Jon was associated with Alexander Robinson in some trading operation, and it also appears that he was associated with Mr. Newberry of Detroit in ownership of a vessel.

Just when Joe moved to Parc Aux Vaches is not known but it must have been due to some homing instinct as his maternal great grandfather was M. DeVilliers, who commanded the Military Post, Fort St. Joseph, in 1730, and it was under his command that the French defeated the Fox Indians.

Joe was arrested as a spy during the war of 1812 and imprisoned at Detroit. The charges were unfounded and he was released after three months.

In 1822 the Bailly Trading Post was established on the Little Calumet. The location was ideal for such an enterprise, being situated on the Sauk Trail and having a waterway to Lake Michigan just a short distance down stream. Numerous log buildings were erected, including a chapel which for a time was the only mission between Chicago and Detroit. The Bailly's were devout Catholic; and they believed in education and the younger children attended the Carey Mission. It is said that Joe translated the New T estament into Pottawatomi.

The family was growing and the union of Joe and Marie produced four daughters and one son. Esther, who later married John Harrison Whistler, son of Major William Whistler. Commandent of Fort Dearborn, and grandson of Captain John Whistler, the first Mi litary Commander of the Fort. Rose married Francis Howe, a well-to-do business man of Chicago, Eleanor, who became Mother Superior at St. Mary's, Terre Haut, Indiana. Hortense married Joel B. Wicker, the first merchant at Deep River, Indiana. Robert conta cted typhoid fever while attending the Carey Mission and died at the age of 10. Agatha, the daughter of Marie and DeLavigne, married Edward Biddle and lived in the Biddle house on Mackinaw Island until her death.

Theresa, Marie's other daughter, lived with her mother on the Little Calumet until her death.

For several years after the establishment of the post, the Bailly's were the only settlers in the neighborhood. They, as with so many of the early French, were warm friends of the Indians, among who were Shabbona, Topenokee Winemac, Black Patridge, Bil ly Caldwell, Simon Pokagon, Blackbird Moonday and many others.

In the 1830's Bailly could see the beginning of the end of the fur business when the Indians were forced to cede their lands to the Government and were being moved west.

He plotted the town of Baillyton, and petitioned Congress to deepen the Harbor at the mouth of the Little Calumet. This, however, was denied.

Joe passed away in 1835, Marie continued to live at the post until her death in 1866. Under the Indian treaties she was given a grant of land of 2,000 acres.

The esteem in which she was held is attested to by the fact that the Illinois Central named one of its stations "Monee" after her.

The property embracing the post continued to be held by some of the Bailly descendants for many years and was finally given to the Sisters of Notre Dame. Later it was sold to the present owner, who, by a coincidence, was born close to the birth place o f Joe Bailly.

Several of the buildings are still standing, including the chapel and the store. Four of the log buildings were moved together to form the basis of a large home. Although built up within one mile either way, the post is still

secluded and anybody standing there can visualize what a beautiful location it was when the first log cabin was erected.

A. L.

Spooner

Omissions

The History of Ionia County by Rev. E. E. Branch, quote, "In the year 1810 a little girl was born on the shores of Grand River, near the present village of Muir. Her rather was a noted trader by the name of Joe Bailly."

This could not have been Sophia as she was born in 1807 at Mackinaw.

Sophia became a school teacher at St. Ignace and married Henry Gravenet. Both her husband and oldest eon, Garrett, were killed in the Battle of Spotsylvania during the Civil War.

There is a McGulpen and also a Bailly buried in the Indian Cemetery on the Elbridge Reservation.

A descendent of Alexia Bailly, Edward J. Bailly,, became a noted attorney and partner of Wendel Wilkee.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Francis R. Howe – The story of a French Homestead in the Old Northwest.

John O. Bowers – The Bailly Homestead.

Olga Mae Schieman – From a Bailly Point of View.

Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections.