November 1679

On November 1st, 1679, M. de La Salle and his men went to the rendezvous at the mouth of the river of the Miamis (St. Joseph river). When M. de La Salle went to the rendezvous, he did not see anyone, which surprised him. M. de La Salle did not want to take any risk, so he decided to stay to await winter before going to Illinois, since during the winter Illinois breaks up into families or tribes of two or three hundred each, for hunting. M. de Tonty, who was to bring La Salle twenty men might without danger make themselves known to the first band they should meet. They were to win them over by gifts and good treatment, acquire some knowledge of the Illinois language, and more easily ally with the rest of the nation.

M. de La Salle told his men that they are going to wait for Tonty, so they would build a fort and a house for the security of the canoes, the goods, and refuge in case they need it. At the mouth of the river was a natural fortification in the shape of a high, steep hill with a flat top. It was triangular, bounded on two sides by the river and on the third by a deep ravine. He felled the trees with which it was covered and cleared the ground of brushwood for a space of two musket shots in the direction of the forest. He then made a redoubt forty feet by thirty, strengthened by musket-proof logs, hewn, and laid one across the other. He fraised the two sides overlooking the river, and on the landward sides made a tenaille by planting piles twenty-five feet in height. In these labors, the whole month of November was employed, except Sundays and holidays, when the whole company was present at divine service, and at the sermons preached by Fathers Gabrield and Louis, turn about after Vespers.

M. de La Salle, examined the mouth of the river, where he had found a sandbar. He impaired the channel by two large troughs fastened on both sides of the entrance, with flags and buoys all the way along. He had two men go to Missilimakinak who were fully informed of all things to serve as guides to the pilot.

On November 20th, 1679 M. de Tonty arrived safely at the rendezvous. He told M. de La Salle that the Griffin had not anchored at Missilimakinak and that he had been able to get no word of it from the Indians who came in from all the lake shores, nor from the two men who had been sent to Missilimakinak. M. de La Salle feared that the Griffin sank. They finished building the fort. When the Griffin did not show up, they decided to set out, for fear of being trapped by the ice, which was beginning to form in the river.