Myths and Legends of Our Own Land

In Short

Charles M. Skinner’s sixth volume explores the regional legends and folklore of the American interior, ranging from French trading posts and pioneer towns to indigenous sacred sites. The book compiles dozens of short narratives involving phantom travelers, local witches, tragic lovers, and divine or demonic interventions. These tales survive as a window into the imaginative landscape of early settlers and native nations, preserving the oral history and supernatural beliefs that once animated the forests, rivers, and plains of the developing American West.

The Story

The collection opens in the late eighteenth century around the Ohio River, where blockhouses and tentative peace treaties mask the deep rivalries between French traders, British agents, American pioneers, and native Shawnee tribes. Against this backdrop of territorial expansion, human ambition and dark bargains take root. In Ohio, a frontiersman named Tom Quick pursues an obsessive, lifelong vendetta to collect one hundred scalps, ultimately meeting a grim end when his self-imposed oath consumes him. Further west along the Mississippi bluffs, the terrifying legend of the piasa bird—a winged, panther-like man-eater described by early explorers—looms over the landscape, echoing ancient fears or distant memories of prehistoric creatures.

Supernatural forces and tragic romance deeply shape the frontier. Near the Tennessee River, a medicine-man's obstinacy drives his daughter and her white lover to a fatal leap, cursing the tribe with the haunting presence of menacing, flame-breathing spirits until they seek a new valley. Near the Great Lakes, reckless lives and unholy pacts invite doom. A disreputable tavern keeper named Lizon plagues a Huron settlement until his dramatic death releases a swarm of snakes and a catastrophic flood that destroys the local church. Similarly, at Detroit and Grosse Pointe, witches and were-wolves—or loups garous—harass lovers and traders, turning a violent suitor to stone or driving a bereft bridegroom mad in his relentless search for his abducted bride.

The narratives frequently pivot on moral retribution and native legends. At Sault Sainte Marie, Father Marquette and his companion Du Lhut face execution by a hostile chief, only to be saved by the chief's compassionate daughter, leading to a dramatic trial by fire before a wooden idol. On the western prairies and Wisconsin bluffs, sacred laws and tribal customs exact a heavy toll. Young lovers such as Keusca and Wenonah face tragic fates driven by jealousy and broken traditions, while divine manitous guard forbidden lakes and rugged monuments like Devil's Door-Way.

As the frontier shifts into the nineteenth century, shrewd Yankees and desperate outlaws introduce new forms of conflict. An opportunistic New England adventurer named Tompkinson reinvents himself as a miraculous village doctor in Carondelet, curing patients through sheer terror and accidental luck before making a fortune as a fur trader. Finally, crimes are uncovered from beyond the grave, as seen when a murdered peddler's apparition guides local men to justice near Lebanon, Missouri, leaving behind a rich tapestry of frontier justice, spectral warnings, and enduring myths.

How It Unfolds

The frontier takes root Blockhouses stand near the Ohio River as French and British agents vie for influence among the Shawnees, setting a precarious stage for early settlement. An obsessive hunter named Tom Quick embarks on a grim multi-year quest to claim a hundred scalps, culminating in his own mysterious death inside his cabin.

Monsters and tragic devotion Explorers document terrifying local creatures like the piasa bird carved into Mississippi bluffs, while star-crossed lovers find themselves divided by stubborn tribal elders. Following a tragic drowning at the Tennessee River, strange and menacing spirits force an entire Cherokee community to abandon their home and seek a safer valley.

Taverns and otherworldly justice A disruptive tavern keeper named Lizon terrorizes a Huron community until his death unleashes a plague of snakes, a destroying flood, and an enduring church curse. Meanwhile, at Detroit, were-wolves and wood witches prey upon arrogant traders and runaway brides, leaving supernatural marks upon the landscape.

Sacred tests and divine trials Father Marquette and his ally Du Lhut are captured by hostile Chippewas, leading to a tense confrontation where the priest challenges a native idol with a prayer for divine fire. Elsewhere, sacred tribal laws are broken by jealous rivals, driving innocent maidens to despair and inciting fatal epidemics among the bands.

Vigilantes and miraculous cures Vigilantes in Iowa string up a gang of horse thieves on an oak tree, where a timely bolt of lightning miraculously saves an innocent man from the gallows. Farther south, a resourceful Yankee fraud named Tompkinson establishes a wildly successful medical practice through sheer bluffing and accidental recoveries.

Apparitions and final reckonings A murdered peddler's ghostly apparition stands silently on a Missouri bridge, leading clergyman and neighbors to discover the hidden body of a local criminal. On the Nebraska plain, a grieving chief encounters a mysterious struggle between two women, preserving the legend of the Salt Witch.

The People

Tom Quick is driven by an unyielding, murderous obsession to collect a hundred scalps to avenge an ancestor, but his lack of skill and reliance on alcohol leave him terrorized by his own collection until he becomes his own final victim.

Father Marquette is a dedicated and fearless Jesuit missionary whose youthful enthusiasm and unwavering faith carry him safely through dangerous encounters with hostile chiefs and allow him to boldly challenge pagan idols.

Du Lhut is Marquette's doughty henchman and companion, a rugged explorer who stands ready to fight to the death at the feet of the Indian statue when cornered by White Otter's men.

Wanena is the courageous daughter of Chief White Otter who feels a generous sentiment toward the white prisoners, successfully cutting their bonds and guiding them to safety at the risk of her father's wrath.

Tompkinson is a restless, down-on-his-luck New England adventurer who reinvents himself as a fraudulent frontier doctor, ultimately winning his love and a fortune by bluffing his way through medical emergencies and later cheating red men as a trader.

Wenonah is a Dakota maiden whose tragic fate is sealed when a jealous rival named Harpstenah manipulates Chief Red Cloud into falsely accusing her at the Virgins' Feast, leading her to take her own life in pure despair.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the mild season in October when peace is temporarily felt among the blockhouses:

It was the mild weather that comes for a time in October, when Cantantowit blesses the land from his home in the southwest with rich colors, plaintive perfumes of decay, soft airs, and tender lights a time for peace; but the garrison at the fort realized that the situation was precarious.

Recounting the dramatic challenge issued by the Jesuit priest before the tribal idol:

"If it be God's will, we will die defying your god and you," replied Marquette.

Detailing the desperate plea of the accused man on the natural gallows before the storm breaks:

During the delay caused by this accident the unhappy man pleaded so earnestly for a rehearing that it was decided to give it to him, and when he had secured it he conclusively proved his innocence and was set free.

What It's Really About

The book investigates how human anxieties, guilt, and social anxieties project themselves onto the physical and supernatural environment of the American frontier. It explores the friction between colliding cultures—specifically European settlers and native tribes—using folklore as a psychological register for territorial displacement, moral transgression, and the fear of the unknown. Beneath the dramatic accounts of monsters, witches, and specters lies an inquiry into conscience, exploring how societies remember violence, enforce communal taboos, and attempt to make sense of a vast, untamed wilderness.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love regional folklore, ghost stories, and early American history will find this volume a fascinating artifact of nineteenth-century storytelling. Reading it feels like sitting by a crackling campfire while an old-timer recounts local lore, blending historical figures like Marquette with wild supernatural yarns. The book's period attitudes and archaic prose reflect the nineteenth-century lens through which indigenous cultures and frontier life were viewed, offering an honest look at the biases and romanticized notions of its era. Despite these dated perspectives, the brisk narrative pacing and eerie atmosphere make it an engaging companion for anyone curious about the mythic foundations of the American interior.