Hollis Trade Musket

Antique Indian Trade Musket, Isaac Hollis & Sons Mfgr, England, .75 Caliber Smoothbore, Circa 1840.  These were made by the firm of Isaac Hollis & Sons for trade with the Indians in Canada for fur and gold.  38" barrel, 54" overall length. 
 
The typical trade musket made by I. Hollis & Sons had a stock that went to the end of the muzzle and the side plate was cast brass in the shape of a serpent.

Issac Hollis only manufactured guns between 1850-1860, but the company produced firearms under his name until 1880

This Particular musket, in the possession of a local family, was the property of Chief Bemidji, a family friend.

Issac Hollis only manufactured guns between 1850-1860, but the company produced firearms under his name until 1880.


"Chief Bemidji" got his name from the lake called Bay-may-ji-ga-maug, meaning a lake with cross waters or a lake lying cross-wise to the general route of travel. This lake was so named by the Indians since the Mississippi River passed through one side of the lake. The French fur traders in the early days called the lake "Lac Traverse", meaning "easy traveling" because of the sand bar across it. When Schoolcraft passed through here in 1832 on his way up the Mississippi River he did not like the name of Traverse so he called it St. Ann’s Lake. He also mentioned a building on the west shore of the lake north of the inlet; he was informed that this was a winter fur trading post. From the information that we have, it was located on the northwest comer of Third and Bemidji.
Chief Bemidji’s real name was Shay-now-ish-kung, which is an Ojibwe word meaning "rattler’ or "one who makes a jingling sound". He was born near Inger, Minnesota in 1833 or 1834, and lived a long time in the Leech Lake and Cass Lake area. When he was young he went on many trips up the Mississippi river with his father and other Indians to the Bemidji area, as there was an abundance of wild rice beds in Lake Irving - then known as Little Bemidji Lake. There were also many berry patches in the area, fish in the lakes, wild ducks, moose and deer, which supplied their daily foods.

In march 1860, Chief Bemidji married a Leech Lake Pillager Indian woman and they had eight children. Three of the boys died at early ages. Four daughters and one son grew and lived to older ages. In 1882, Chief Bemidji’s wife died near Cass Lake. Saddened by her death, Chief Bemidji loaded all his possessions and his children in his birch bark canoe in 1883 and paddled up the Mississippi River. He settled on the south shore of Lake Bemidji, east of the Mississippi River inlet, to become the first permanent settler of Bemidji, then unnamed. He was the first to greet the white people and early settlers when they arrived in 1888.

Chief Bemidji was a soft-spoken, friendly and well-liked Indian. He was the leader of about fifty Indian people who had settled in this area early before the whites; so that is why they referred to him as "Chief’. Actually, he was the "Chief Indian" or spokesman for the group and was respected by all.

Shay-now-ish-kung purchased the first bill of lumber sold in Bemidji, for flooring in his bark house, from the Joe Steidle mill and paid for it with moose meat.

In 1893, Chief Bemidji’s youngest daughter, Mary, was married to M. E. Carson, one of the first white people to settle here. Carson established what is known as Carson’s Trading Post in 1888. They later had two daughters. It was in 1893 that Chief Bemidji and his family were invited to Carson’s Trading Post and, with about eight white people, celebrated the first real Christmas in Bemidji. Presents were exchanged by those gathered around the first Christmas tree.

In 1898, the first statue of Chief Bemidji was carved out of boards nailed together, by a man named Gustav Hinsch. He was a Dane, a good harness-maker, painter and a naturalist. The statue was moved around to many places. Finally it was donated to the City and placed in Library Park in Bemidji. A new one has replaced the original statue, and can still be seen in the park.

The U.S. issued Shay-now-ish-kung an allotment dated November 19, 1900 on the W 1/2 SE 1/4 Sec. 30-147-30, 80 acres. William H. Taft, President, signed the allotment. This allotment is between Kitchie and Rice Lakes.

On April 20, 1904, Chief Bemidji died at his shack some distance north of Cass Lake. A large public funeral was held for him in Bemidji and a large monument was erected in his memory in the Greenwood Cemetery. His burial is still in question, but the best information is that he was buried in the Mission area near Cass Lake.

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