The following is an excerpt from “A History of Leelanau Township” published by the Leelanau Township Historical Writers Group.
Rev. George Smith visited Rev. (Peter) Dougherty’s mission as early as July, 1850, to see about support for his proposal. He was surprised that Peter Dougherty opposed the idea and remarks in his diary, “ I think it is a great mistake for his … it would be much better than for them to go to Mackinaw.”
We can only guess that Rev. Dougherty was concerned about the flood of traders and traveling salesmen that converged on Mackinac Island each year offering their wares to the well=paid Indians and about the drunken state many of the people ended up in, He was not anxious to expose his little mission to those conditions. He had been traveling with his Indians friends for many years and when they received their payments he kept them from being cheated by the dishonest traders by helping them to buy their supplies, for he knew the value of the goods. Although Rev. Dougherty was against his plan to have the payment made in the Grand Traverse Bay Region, Rev. Smith pursued it. The following year they decided to go with the Indians of his mission to Mackinac Island when they received their annuities. In his diary entry of September 10, he wrote, “…we started for Mackinac In Oshawun, his sister, her two children and Kakenek… went ashore near the mouth of the bay and camped for the night. We have Nagonabe’s tent which I borrowed…” They stopped at various points along the way; at L’Arbor Croche he visited and preached to the Indians. He arrived at Mackinac Island on the 17th and put up at Waite’s residence. He attended a general council on the 20th. “in which excellent advice was given by the Agent — and was replied to by Otsego of Sheboygan on the part of the Indians. He spoke well…” On the 25th the Agent began to pay the Indians; they received $7.50 apiece, with $15 given to each of the Chiefs. Smith observed, “ The influence of the Agent and his Company over the Indians during this payment has been very good indeed and drinking among the Indians is said to have been much less than any former period so that the Traders curse Indians, Missionaries, and Agent all together. The Agent and Clerk, Mr. Smith and interpreter, Mr. Whicher and myself visited the lodges where there was drinking and destroyed all the whiskey that could be found. I was greatly pleased to see the energy of the Agent and Clerk in this matter. The Agent has nearly concluded to move the payment to some other place, perhaps Grand Traverse or Little Traverse…” Two years later, in 1853, he succeeded in his quest and the Indian Agent came to the Old Mission Peninsula in September to pay the Indians of this area. By 1856 the Agent came directly to Waukazoo — Northport village.
