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Alexander Robinson (1789 – April 22, 1872) (also known as ''Che-che-pin-quay'' or ''The Squinter''), was a British-
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
chief born on
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
who became a fur trader and ultimately settled near what later became
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. Multilingual in Odawa, Potawatomi, Ojibwa (or Chippewa), English and French, Robinson also helped evacuate survivors of the
Fort Dearborn Massacre The Battle of Fort Dearborn (sometimes called the Fort Dearborn Massacre) was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois (at that ...
in 1812. In 1816, Robinson was a translator for native peoples during the Treaty of St. Louis. He became a Potawatomi chief in 1829 and in that year and in 1833, he and fellow
Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...
Billy Caldwell Billy Caldwell, baptized Thomas Caldwell (March 17, 1782 – September 28, 1841), known also as ''Sauganash'' ( ne who speaksEnglish), was a British-Potawatomi fur trader who was commissioned captain in the Indian Department of Canada duri ...
negotiated treaties on behalf of the United Nations of Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi with the United States. Although Robinson helped lead Native Americans across the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
in 1835, unlike Caldwell, Robinson returned to the Chicago area by 1840 and lived as a respected citizen in western
Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
until his death decades later.


Early and family life

Born to an Ottawa mother and a Scots-Irish
immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
fur trader father on
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
(a/k/a Michilimackinac) at the northern edge of
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
. His mother died shortly thereafter en route to
Montreal, Canada Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, where Robinson was baptized at age seven months on May 15, 1788. A British soldier who served as the island's Governor, Daniel Robinson, and his wife Charlotte Ferly became his foster parents. As described below, as a young man Robinson would be apprenticed to a fur trader further south in Michigan,
Joseph Bailly Joseph Bailly (7 April 1774 – 21 December 1835) was a fur trader and a member of an important French Canadian family that included his uncle, Charles-François Bailly de Messein. Bailly was one of several Canadian from prominent families ...
, where he learned the fur trade but not how to read and write in any European language, instead devising a script to keep his accounts. Robinson first married a
Menominee The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recog ...
woman, Okemawabon (incorrect) (a/k/a Cynthia (incorrect) Josephine or "Sahsos})(1800-). To Note: Sasus -aka- Josephine Little Wolf's parents were: Okimaw (means Chief) Mahwaeseh & Oneesis, they were both full blood Menominee Indians. Okimaw Mahwaseh was a noted War Chief of the Menominee Indian Tribe of WI. Their children included Joseph Franklin Robinson and daughter Wakohwapeh (a/k/a "White Fox" or Margaret) Robinson, married name Kitson (1821-1904). Chief Kewascum of the Potatawatomie may have been another son of Cheecheepinquay & Sasus. In Chicago (then in
Peoria County, Illinois Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Peoria County was ...
) on September 28, 1826, Robinson married Catherine Chevalier (d. 1860), trader John Kinzie officiating as Justice of the Peace. Chevalier was the granddaughter of the Potawatomi warrier Naunongee (who died in the
Battle of Fort Dearborn The Battle of Fort Dearborn (sometimes called the Fort Dearborn Massacre) was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois (at tha ...
), specifically of his daughter Chopa (a/k/a "Marianne") and her husband Francois Chevalier, all of whom lived in the Calumet/ Fox River area. Francois Chevalier became chief of the village near
Lake Calumet Lake Calumet is the largest body of water within the city of Chicago. Formerly a shallow, postglacial lake draining into Lake Michigan, it has been changed beyond recognition by industrial redevelopment and decay. Parts of the lake have been dr ...
in southern
Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
after his father-in-law's death. Her sister Josette had married
Jean Baptiste Beaubien Jean Baptiste Beaubien (September 5, 1787 - January 5, 1864), a multi-lingual fur-trader born in Detroit, Michigan, became an early resident of what became Chicago, Illinois, as well as an early civic and militia leader in Cook County, Illinois d ...
, who had also learned the fur trade from Bailly, and her sister Archange married trader
Antoine Ouilmette Antoine Ouilmette (c. 1760–1841) was a fur trader and early resident of what is now Chicago, Illinois. He was of French Canadian and possibly Native American ancestry. The village of Wilmette, Illinois (phonetic spelling of ''Ouilmette'') is name ...
. Father Stephen Badin would baptize several of Alexander and Catherine Robinson's children during his visits to the Chicago area.


Career

By the time Robinson was 11, he was working for British fur trader
Joseph Bailly Joseph Bailly (7 April 1774 – 21 December 1835) was a fur trader and a member of an important French Canadian family that included his uncle, Charles-François Bailly de Messein. Bailly was one of several Canadian from prominent families ...
, who at the time traded with the Ottawa people in what became
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, including near the St. Joseph River which empties into Lake Michigan. Robinson never learned to read and write a European language, but kept accurate accounts in characters of his own devising. By 1809 Robinson had traveled along Lake Michigan's southern shore to what later became
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
on Bailly's behalf to purchase grain. By 1812, Robinson had built a house on the south branch of the
Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
, next to the LaFramboise family at a settlement sometimes called Hardscrabble or the Leigh Farm. Not far away and more than a decade earlier, various metis had built a settlement on the river's north bank. Trader Jean Lalime had built a house and outbuildings, which were purchased by
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (also spelled ''Point de Sable'', ''Point au Sable'', ''Point Sable'', ''Pointe DuSable'', ''Pointe du Sable''; before 1750 – 28 August 1818) is regarded as the first permanent non-Indigenous settler of what would ...
, who in turn sold them to American trader
John Kinzie John Kinzie (December 23, 1763 – June 6, 1828) was a fur trader from Quebec who first operated in Detroit and what became the Northwest Territory of the United States. A partner of William Burnett from Canada, about 1802-1803 Kinzie moved ...
in 1804. Kinzie and his wife Eleanor (who had spent several years as a captive of the
Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...
in Pennsylvania) lived next to his subordinate
Antoine Ouilmette Antoine Ouilmette (c. 1760–1841) was a fur trader and early resident of what is now Chicago, Illinois. He was of French Canadian and possibly Native American ancestry. The village of Wilmette, Illinois (phonetic spelling of ''Ouilmette'') is name ...
and his Potawatomi wife, the former Archange Chevalier.


Fort Dearborn

After the
Fort Dearborn massacre The Battle of Fort Dearborn (sometimes called the Fort Dearborn Massacre) was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois (at that ...
of 1812, Robinson (who had just returned from a trip to Bailly's trading post) with
Black Partridge The black partridge (''Melanoperdix niger''), also known as the black wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long) partridge with a thick bill, grey legs and dark brown iris. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Melanoperdix''. ...
,
Waubonsie Waubonsie (c. 1760 – c. 1848) was a leader of the Potawatomi Native American people. His name has been spelled in a variety of ways, including Wabaunsee, Wah-bahn-se, Waubonsee, ''Waabaanizii'' in the contemporary Ojibwe language, and ''Waban ...
and
Shabbona Shabbona (or Sha-bon-na), also known as ShaboneeWabash warriors. Robinson transported (by canoe) the Kinzie family to what became
Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, Westchester, Jackson Township, Porter County, Indiana, Jackson and Liberty Township, Porter County, Indiana, Liberty townships in Porter County, Indiana, Porter County, in the U. ...
and the protection of (or house arrest under) Topinabee. For the then-significant sum of $100, Robinson also undertook the dangerous mission of transporting the wounded U.S. Captain
Nathan Heald Nathan Heald ( New Ipswich, New Hampshire September 24, 1775 – O'Fallon, Missouri April 27, 1832) was an officer in the U.S. Army, during the War of 1812. He was in command of Fort Dearborn in Chicago during the Battle of Fort Dearborn. Heald ...
and his wife Rebekah Wells (daughter of former Indian Agent William Wells who died in the massacre) and Sergeant William Griffith by canoe (over two weeks) to the British fort on
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
, from where they eventually reached British-occupied Detroit, then Buffalo. Later, in 1814, Kinzie's half brother Robert Forsyth and other Americans would capture Bailly and three other pro-British traders at the St. Joseph River post, then Kinzie and his aide Jean Baptiste Chandonnai persuaded native leaders to an American-led conference at
Greenville, Ohio Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Darke County, Ohio, United States, located near the western edge of Ohio about 33 miles northwest of Dayton. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. History Historic Native American tribes in ...
which led to a treaty ending hostilities in the region. Although Fort Dearborn had been destroyed shortly after the battle, Robinson and fellow trader Ouilmette farmed there before the fort was rebuilt in 1816. They then sold produce to the U.S. Army. Perhaps as early as 1814, and until 1825, Robinson had a trading post and farm somewhat away from the fort at Hardscrabble near the
Chicago Portage The Chicago Portage was an ancient portage that connected the Great Lakes waterway system with the Mississippi River system. Connecting these two great water trails meant comparatively easy access from the mouth of the St Lawrence River on the At ...
. (After his release, Bially would establish the Joseph Bailly Homestead in what would later become the
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966 as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and was redesignated as the nation ...
). During this period Robinson worked for various companies, including the American Fur Company under John Crafts and later the returned John Kinzie, until 1828 when Kinzie died and the American Fur Company left the region since fur-bearing animals had vanished not long after development of the steel trap. Late in that decade, Robinson also had a trading post at Wolf Point, and later had a tavern in Cook County.


Treaty signatory

In 1816, because of his linguistic abilities, Robinson translated for various tribal chiefs in what became the Treaty of St. Louis, which modified the demarcation between lands open for white settlement and Indian Country set in the 1795 and 1814 Treaties of Greenville. This 1816 treaty became the first in which the Potawatomi sold land near their villages, in exchange receiving $1000 in merchandise annually for twelve years. Although the Greenville treaty only ceded the immediate area of Fort Dearborn for white settlement, further settlement would be authorized in the 1821 Treaty of Chicago. As Indian Agent for the Great Lakes region, Dr. Alexander Wolcott Jr. facilitated the election of Robinson and his part-Potawatomi (some argue part-Mohawk) friend
Billy Caldwell Billy Caldwell, baptized Thomas Caldwell (March 17, 1782 – September 28, 1841), known also as ''Sauganash'' ( ne who speaksEnglish), was a British-Potawatomi fur trader who was commissioned captain in the Indian Department of Canada duri ...
(who had fought for the British in the War of 1812) as Potawatomi chiefs by 1829 to fill vacant positions (Robinson succeeded his father-in-law Chevalier), so the Three Fires (or United Nations) Tribes could sign further cession treaties. The two mixed-race men thus represented the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi peoples in negotiating the
Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien The Treaty of Prairie du Chien may refer to any of several treaties made and signed in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin between the United States, representatives from the Sioux, Sac and Fox, Menominee, Ioway, Winnebago and the Anishinaabeg ( Chippe ...
with the United States. By that year, the U.S. was working on
Indian Removal Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a de ...
as advocated by President
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
; Congress soon passed the
Indian Removal Act of 1830 The Indian Removal Act was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States President Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, and for ...
to authorize the process. For his work in obtaining the 1829 treaty, the U.S. granted Robinson $200 annually and a 1600-acre tract, known as the Robinson Reserve, along the
Des Plaines River The Des Plaines River () is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American Her ...
but adjoining Caldwell's reserve along the North Branch of the Chicago River. In the
Blackhawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crossed ...
of 1832, Robinson,
Waubonsie Waubonsie (c. 1760 – c. 1848) was a leader of the Potawatomi Native American people. His name has been spelled in a variety of ways, including Wabaunsee, Wah-bahn-se, Waubonsee, ''Waabaanizii'' in the contemporary Ojibwe language, and ''Waban ...
and Aptakisic kept all the young warriors encamped near what became
Riverside, Illinois Riverside is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population of the village was ...
as the womenfolk continued to farm; thus avoiding involvement in the conflict. Caldwell, despite helping the British in the prior conflict, led other Potawatomi as scouts to assist the U.S. Army. Robinson and Caldwell also negotiated the
1833 Treaty of Chicago The 1833 Treaty of Chicago struck an agreement between the United States government that required the Chippewa Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes cede to the United States government their of land (including reservations) in Illinois, the Wiscon ...
after natives lost the Blackhawk War. Wolcott had died and Thomas Owen became Indian Agent until that office closed in 1835. The treaty technically exchanged five million acres of Indian lands northeast of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
for roughly equal acreage west of the river, with additional compensation. In fact, it led to the final
Indian Removal Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a de ...
from the region, although some like Robinson negotiated a right to remain on their property. Circa 1835, he and Caldwell migrated with their people from the Chicago region westward to
Platte County, Missouri Platte County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,718. Its county seat is Platte City. The county was org ...
, but as Robinson returned to his reservation near Chicago, Caldwell,
Shabbona Shabbona (or Sha-bon-na), also known as ShaboneeSchiller Park near the future
O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...
, and family members would also build nearby. In the 1850 census, Robinson farmed in what became Leyden Township and lived with his wife and some of their 11 children, including adult sons Joseph Robinson (1828-1884) and David Robinson (1830-1863) and daughters Cinthia Robinson (1837-) and their youngest, Mary Ann Robinson Ragor (1839-1904). He had become a gentlemen farmer, although his children by his first wife remained to the north, and others moved out of the Chicago area. To note: Sasus the first wife was a full blood Menominee Indian she moved to the Menominee Indian Reservation most likely around 1854 or afterwards when the last treaty w/the Menominee was signed. Cheecheepinquay & Sasus daughter Wakohwapeh aka Margaret Robinson also moved with her Mother up North as referred above info. Up North meaning the Menominee Indian Reservation, where there are numerous descendants. His son David Robinson would die as a Union private in a military hospital in
Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
during the American Civil War, but Robinson continued to regale visitors about meeting
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
long before. After the
Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...
, Robinson returned to the city to view the scene from the Lake Street bridge, reportedly exclaiming "Once more I can see the prairie of the past." Eventually, his youngest child, Mary Ann Robinson Ragor became the family matriarch into the 20th century.


Death and legacy

Robinson briefly returned to view Chicago after the
Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...
and compared it to the prairie of his youth. He died on his land on April 22, 1872, survived by his widow, as well as several children and grandchildren, and was buried in the family graveyard. Part of the Robinson Reserve, including a burial ground for many Native Americans, was never sold until acquired by the
Cook County Forest Preserve District The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...
in 1955 after Robinson's house burned down and his granddaughter Mary Boettcher (who had preserved the area for decades) could not rebuild. The Forest Preserve District forbad further family burials in 1973; Robinson's gravestone was removed to a maintenance facility and lost for many years before being returned to descendants in 2016. Litigation concerning the condemnation may be ongoing. The old burial ground has become associated with ghost legends, hence the closest parking lot is now closed. In 1940, as part of the Treasury Relief Project,
Federal Writers Project The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers during the Great Depression. It was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program. It wa ...
supervisor George Melville Smith (1879-1979) painted "Indians Cede the Land", a mural for the
Park Ridge, Illinois Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a Chicago suburb. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,656. It is located northwest of downtown Chicago. It is close to O'Hare International Airport, major expressways, a ...
post office. It may depict a younger Robinson among the Native Americans at the negotiations. Park Ridge was developed on one of the three former Potawatomi villages in the area, as was Forest Glen in Caldwell's Reserve, and either was once part of or adjoins the Robinson Reserve. Removed during post office renovations in 1970, it was restored in 2008 and placed in the Park Ridge Public Library in its 100th anniversary celebration, although temporarily removed during 2018 renovations.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Alexander (chief) 1789 births 1872 deaths American fur traders History of Chicago Native American leaders Potawatomi people Native American people from Michigan People from Mackinac Island, Michigan