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The Battle of St. Croix Falls WI132 |
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Here at the head of St. Croix Falls in about 1770, a war party of Chippewas led by Chief Waub-o-jeeg prepared for battle against their traditional enemies, the Fox and Sioux. The two parties met on the portage below this point in a fierce and valorous fight. As each side advanced all fell back, the dead and wounded warriors littered the crags and crevices of the dalles where the St. Croix River forces a passage through the narrow rocks. Many others plunged to a watery grave in the boiling floods below. "The voices of the war chiefs resounded above the rattle of musketry and yells of their warriors, as they urged them to stand their ground," according to Indian tales of the battle. First confident, finally desperate, the Fox and Sioux were routed. This was the last tribal battle of the Fox Indians. The few survivors retreated far to the south, their tribal fire extinguished, and begged to be taken into the Sac tribe. In the Battle of St. Croix Falls, the victorious Chippewas secured this territory, making it safe for the white settlers to come.
City Park, St. Croix Falls. Polk County.
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Wisconsin 