Strange Stories of the Great River: The Adventures of a Boy Explorer

In Short

Abbie Johnston Grosvenor’s historical narrative follows Anthony, a resourceful French youth, as he participates in the major French expeditions along the Mississippi River from 1673 into the eighteenth century. Accompanying figures like Joliet, Marquette, Hennepin, La Salle, Tonty, and Bienville, Anthony journeys from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf Coast. Through capture by the Sioux, survival amidst starvation, and interactions with various Native tribes and African slaves, he witnesses the shaping of the river basin. The book endures as an engaging, episodic overview of North American frontier exploration designed for young readers.

The Story

The narrative opens with the early French efforts to locate and map the mysterious Father of Waters. Anthony, a lighthearted boy who uses his wits, mimicry, and fiddle to navigate the perils of the wilderness, joins the initial voyage of the trader Sieur Joliet and the Jesuit priest Père Marquette. Journeying southward, the party relies on a sacred white calumet presented by the Illinois Indians as a talisman of peace to secure safe passage through unfamiliar tribal territories.

As French ambitions expand, Anthony embarks on a northern reconnaissance mission along the upper Mississippi with the trader Accau and the Franciscan friar Louis Hennepin. In April 1680, their canoe is ambushed by a Sioux war party. Adopted into the tribe, the captives are taken to the sacred St. Anthony Falls. When his adoptive father Aquipaguetin prepares to offer him as a sacrifice to the tribe's cataract manitou, Anthony cleverly retreats behind the sheet of spray and uses his vocal talent to mimic a medicine man, bluffing his way out of death. The group is eventually rescued when the French trader Sieur DuLuth intervenes, securing their release.

Anthony next joins the expeditions of Sieur de La Salle and his iron-handed lieutenant, Henri de Tonty. Operating from Fort Crèvecoeur and Fort St. Louis, Anthony uses ventriloquism and fake bird calls to scatter hostile Iroquois besiegers without firing a shot. La Salle successfully maps the river to its mouth, claiming the vast valley for King Louis XIV.

Following La Salle’s death, French settlement efforts shift to the Gulf Coast under Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and his younger brother, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Anthony assists in constructing fortifications at Ship Island, Biloxi, Mobile, and Fort Rosalie. During times of severe famine, he travels to the Spanish garrison at Pensacola, winning food supplies for his starving comrades by dueling a treacherous Spanish prisoner.

Along the lower river, Anthony uncovers a covert Voodoo plot among enslaved Africans, navigates complex diplomacy with the Natchez, and assists Lieutenant Boisbriant in gathering a delegation of Native leaders—and a bear cub—to send to the royal court in France. In his final adventures, Anthony uses a skin coracle to outwit Chickasaw medicine men during a great river flood. The chronicle concludes as the wilderness gives way to permanent towns, farms, and the foundation of modern American enterprise.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Anthony joins Joliet and Père Marquette on their historic voyage to find the Great River. Guided by the sacred white calumet, the party establishes peaceful terms with the Illinois nation and maps the southern channels.

Captured by the Sioux While scouting the upper Mississippi with Friar Hennepin and Accau, Anthony's canoe is captured by a Sioux war fleet. Adopted by tribal leaders, the captives are marched through the northern territory as forced members of the tribe.

Escape at the waterfall At the sacred cataract of the manitou, Anthony avoids being sacrificed by retreating behind the falling water and impersonating an inspired medicine man. Shortly after, Sieur DuLuth arrives to negotiate the party's freedom.

Tricking the Iroquois Serving under Tonty at the Illinois fort, Anthony uses ventriloquism and owl calls to terrify an besieging Iroquois war party. Believing Tonty possesses dangerous magic, the enemy flees before dawn.

Survival on the Gulf As the French build settlements at Biloxi and Mobile, disease and hunger strike the garrisons. Anthony sails to Spanish Pensacola and secures vital food rations after sparing a Spanish swordsman in a public duel.

Floods and diplomacy Anthony helps establish Fort Rosalie among the Natchez and uncovers a slave uprising in the swamps. During a massive spring flood, he uses a coracle to outmaneuver Chickasaw medicine men and avert war.

The People

• Anthony (the Picard du Gay): The boy explorer who wants adventure and companionship. Stood in the way are hostile tribes, starvation, and physical danger. He evolves from a mischievous scout into a clever, relied-upon frontier envoy.
• Père Marquette: A Jesuit missionary who seeks to convert Native tribes and bring peace to the wilderness. He faces harsh traveling conditions and unpredictable native customs, remaining devoted to his spiritual ministry throughout the journey.
• Sieur Joliet: A Canadian trader and explorer who wants to map the Mississippi for the glory of France and the expansion of the fur trade. He contends with uncharted waters and unknown risks, successfully documenting the southern reaches of the river.
• Aquipaguetin: A Sioux chieftain who seeks to appease his tribe's deity through sacrifice. Stood in his way is Anthony's cunning; his intent to kill the boy is thwarted by Anthony's mimicry behind the waterfall.
• Henri de Tonty: La Salle's steadfast lieutenant who wants to build forts and secure the valley for France. He struggles against siege and resource shortages, maintaining discipline through strategic force and Anthony's tricks.
• Sieur de Bienville: A young French leader who aims to establish permanent settlements along the Gulf. He faces starvation, foreign rivals, and tribal tensions, growing into a master diplomat and founder of New Orleans.

In Its Own Voice

"In a wilderness where brute force and cunning seem to hold sway that the power of an idea--a fanciful amulet--should be the arbiter of life and death!"

Père Marquette marvels at the absolute authority the peaceful feather calumet holds over hostile tribes along the river.

"To-day we will come to a wattled hamlet. The Sieur Joliet will give knives and trinkets to the sachems. The Père Marquette will preach."

Anthony playfully predicts the predictable daily routine of exploration to his companion as they paddle into unknown territory.

"That nation is stable whose people live on the soil."

Lieutenant Boisbriant explains to Anthony why long-term agricultural settlement is far more valuable than the immediate search for gold.

What It's Really About

The book explores how cultural interaction, resourcefulness, and diplomacy shaped the settlement of the American continent. It contrasts the destructive search for quick wealth with the lasting value of trade, agriculture, and mutual understanding. Through Anthony’s encounters, the narrative argues that wit and courtesy are far more effective tools for survival than brute force. Underlying the plot is a study of how disparate groups—French explorers, Native tribes, Spanish rivals, and African slaves—collided and adapted within the vast geography of the Mississippi basin, laying the complex historical foundation for the nation that followed.

Why Read It Today

This book appeals to readers who enjoy episodic historical fiction, early American exploration, and vivid frontier adventure. Reading it feels like flipping through a fast-paced historical chronicle where major figures of French colonial history appear in rapid succession. It leaves the reader with a strong sense of the vastness of the Mississippi River and the sheer variety of cultures that crossed paths along its shores.

Modern readers should be prepared for period attitudes that reflect the book's 1918 publication context. The narrative employs colonial terminology, simplified depictions of Native American tribal customs, and brief portrayals of plantation slavery that reflect early twentieth-century perspectives rather than modern historical scholarship. Additionally, the plot moves rapidly through historical decades, prioritizing dramatic encounters over deep character development. Despite these period flaws, it remains a clear, accessible entry point for understanding the scale and timeline of French expansion in North America.