The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922; / Clarence M. Burton, editor-in-chief, William Stocking, associate editor, Gordon K. Miller, associated editor. [Vol. 2]

CITY OF DETROIT

1409

heard, as do the white youths of today. These trumpets may also have been
used in sleighing or coasting parties on the ice and snow, or perhaps as signals
in the woods, though the Indian whoop is generally supposed to have been
sufficient for the latter purpose. As there was a drum in the settlement, these
trumpets may have been used in connection with it to raise a crowd.
The invoice included thirty-six pounds of medium size black glass beads,
seventy-six and three-fourths pounds of large black beads, eight and three-fourths
pounds of large green beads, streaked, thirty-three pounds of beads in strings of
all colors. Evidently most of these articles were intended for sale to the Indians
as ornaments, for a piece of gay colored cloth, with a string of colored beads
would set off the dusky maiden to advantage, and make her the belle of the
camp. The beads were the only form of glass present in these early times.
There were no glass windows or mirrors for many years. An item of thirteen
dozen small tin mirrors indicates an article used by both whites and Indians
in making their toilets and in shaving, if the men of that day shaved at all. In
the entire list there is nothing found to correspond with the modern razor, but
in the list of property belonging to the Delisle family is included "one fine razor".
Knives they had, shoemakers' knives, Flemish knives, woodcutters' knives,
Siamese knives, large carving knives and other knives in abundance, but mention is made of only one razor. Some of the presents to the Indians show their
propensity for display, such as "a fine shirt with ruffles" and a "red coat ornamented with imitation gold lace". Smoking was a pastime enjoyed by both
French and Indians. Tobacco was either raised here or brought here by the
Indians from the warmer territory to the south of Lake Erie. A kind of Indian
tobacco was made from the bark of the willow tree. Quantities of tobacco were
used and there were many pipes or calumets in the storehouse. Some of them
were common, every-day affairs and some were elaborate and expensive. Some
were simply called "calumets" while others were put down as "large calumets
of red stone, with their stems and plumes and stands to hold them." The large
ones might have been used at the great council fires where the Indian treaties
were discussed and arrived at.
Boats for use on the rivers and lakes could not be considered as instruments
for amusement as at the present day, but as objects of necessity, for the only
road in summer for all to travel, was the water way, and the only vehicle, the
canoe. These boats were made of the bark of trees, birch bark being preferable
or, for the larger boats, trunks of trees dug out or burned out by slow fire. Great
care had to be taken in all cases to see that the work was perfect, for a boat which
leaked was a great annoyance.
In later years one of the great pastimes in the winter was racing on the ice,
but not at this early time. The Indians had no horses in this part of the country.
If there were any wild horses they were far to the south and west, and were at
that time unknown in the vicinity of Detroit.
Cadillac brought three horses to Detroit, but two of them died shortly after
their arrival, and the only horse in the settlement in 1711 was the third animal
and was called "Colon". All of the work necessary to be done by animals was
performed by this horse and four oxen, also owned by Cadillac, and a few other
oxen owned by some of the colonists.
In the immediate neighborhood of the village were several quite steep hills
that might be utilized in the winter for coasting purposes, and perhaps Colon
was employed to draw the coasters' sleds on the river ice, or up these hills or on