Collected & edited by Amorin Mello

This post is the second of a series featuring newspaper items about La Pointe’s infamous Judge John William Bell. Today we explore obituaries of Judge Bell that described his life at La Pointe.  Future posts of this series will feature articles about the late Judge Bell written by his son-in-law George Francis Thomas née Gilbert Fayette Thomas a.k.a G.F.T.

… continued from King of the Apostle Islands.

Wisconsin State Journal
Saturday, December 31, 1887, Page 1

King of the Apostle Islands No More

ASHLAND, Wis., Dec. 31. – Judge Bell, known far and wide as “King of the Apostle Islands,” died yesterday.  For nearly half a century he governed what was practically a little monarchy in the wilderness.  He was 83 years old, and was the oldest living settler on the historic spot where Marquette founded his mission, two hundred years ago.

The Saint Paul Globe
Saturday, December 31, 1887, Page 1

KING OF THE ISLANDS.

Judge Bell,
“King of the Apostle Islands,”
Has Given Up His Crown.

The Oldest Living Pioneer
of the Historic Spot
Dies in Apparent Poverty,

Special to the Globe.

San Francisco Examiner
Wednesday, January 3, 1888, Page 2

ASHLAND, Wis., – “The king of the Apostle islands” is dead.  He passed away at an early hour this morning at La Pointe, on Madeline, the largest of the group, where he has lived for forty-four years, the oldest living pioneer of the historic spot where Pere Marquette founded his little Indian mission 200 years ago.  Judge Bell was a character in the early history of the Lake Superior region, known far and wide as the “king” of the country known as La Pointe, which was organized in 1846 by Judge Bell.  The area of the country was as large as many states of the Union, its borders including nearly all of Wisconsin north of the Chippewa river, the Apostle islands and to an almost

ENDLESS DISTANCE WEST.

Wisconsin Historical Society’s copy of Lyman Warren’s 1834 “Map of La Pointe” from the American Fur Company Papers at New York Historical Society.

The population of whites consisted only of a small handful of French voyagers, traders and trappers, most of whom rendezvous at La Pointe.  The country was hardly known by the state, and Bell’s county was practically a young monarchy.  He bossed everything and everybody, but in such a way that every Indian and every white was his friend and follower.  Judge Bell came here in 1832, from Canada, in the employ of the American Fur company, which at that time was a power here.  He had rarely left the island, except in years gone by to make occasional pilgrimages through the settlements.  During his eventful life he held every office in the county, and for many years, served as county judge.  He was a man of great native ability, possessed of a courage that controlled the rough element which surrounded him in the early days when there was no law except his will. He was honest, fearless,

A NATURAL-BORN RULER

Fargo Daily Argus
Sunday, January 1, 1888, Page 1

of men, and through his efforts the poor and needy were cared for, and in no instance did he fail to befriend them.  For this reason among those who survive him, and who lived in the good old pioneer days, all were his firm friends.  His power departed only when the advance guard of civilization reached the great inland sea, through the medium of the iron horse, and opened a new era in the history of the new Wisconsin.  For many years he has been old and feeble and has suffered for the comforts of life, having become a charge upon the town.  He squandered thousands for the people and died poor but not friendless.  He was eighty-three years of age.

The Ashland News
Wednesday, January 4, 1888, Page 7

ANOTHER PIONEER GONE

DEATH OF “SQUIRE” BELL, “THE KING OF LAPOINTE.”

Sketch of the Life of the Oldest Settler in the Lake Superior Region.

He comes to La Pointe With John Jacob Astor for the American Fur Co.

Judge John W. Bell died Friday morning at seven o’clock at his home at La Pointe, on Madeline Island, aged eighty-four years.

1847 PLSS survey map detailing the mouth of Iron River at what is now Silver City, Michigan along the east entrance to the Porcupine Mountains.

John W. Bell was born in New York City on May 3, 1803, and was consequently eighty-four years and seven months old.  He learnt the trade of a cooper, and in this capacity in the year 1835, he came to the Lake superior country for the United States Fur company. He first settled at the mouth of Iron river, in Michigan, about twenty miles west of Ontonagon.  Here, at that time, was one of the principal trading and fishing posts of the American Fur company, La Pointe being its headquarters.  Remaining at Iron river for a few years, he came to La Pointe about 1840, where he continued to reside till the time of his death.

1845 United States map by John Dower, with the northernmost area of Wisconsin Territory that became La Pointe County.

At the time he came upon this lake its shores were an unbroken wilderness.  At the Sault was a United States fort, but from the foot of Lake Superior to the Pacific ocean, no white settlement existed.  The American and Northwest Fur companies were lords of this vast empire, and their trading posts and a few mission stations connected with them, held control.  A small detachment of United States soldiers formed the distant outposts of Ft. Snelling.  The state of Wisconsin had not been organized.  No municipal government existed upon this lake.  It was many years before Wisconsin was organized.

1845 United States map by J. Calvin Smith, with the original 1845 boundaries of La Pointe County added in red outline.

Finally the county of La Pointe was formed, embracing all Wisconsin bordering upon the lake and extending to town forty north.  “Squire Bell,” as he was always called, became one of the county as well as town officers of the town and county of La Pointe, and for more than thirty years continued to hold office, being at different times chairman of supervisors, register of deeds, justice of the peace, clerk of the circuit court and county judge.  This last office he held for many years.

He was a man of genial nature and robust frame.  About four years ago, while in Ashland he fell and fractured his thigh, and was never able to walk again.  His sufferings from this accident were great and his pleasant face was never seen again in Ashland.  He enjoyed the esteem and friendship of his neighbors, so far as is known without exception.  He was clear headed and of commanding appearance.  His influence among the Indians and the French who for many years were the only inhabitants in the country was very great, and continued to the last.  For years his dictum was the last resort for the settlement of the quarrels in this primitive community, and it seems to have been just and satisfactory.  He was often called “The King of La Pointe,” and for years no one disputed his supremacy.

Edwin Ellis, M.D.

Dr. Edwin Ellis, of this city, said in speaking of the dead old pioneer:

“Thus one by one the early settlers are passing away, and ere long an entirely new generation will occupy the old haunts.  He will rest upon the beautiful isle overlooking Chequamegon bay, where the landscape has been familiar to him for more than a generation.  We a little longer linger on the shores of time, waiting the summons to cross the river.  While we consign the body of an old friend to the earth we will in all heartfelt sorrow say: ‘Requiescat in Pace.'”

Superior Times
Saturday, January 7, 1888, Page 2

The Lake Superior Monarch

Judge Bell, the ‘king of the Apostle islands,’ who died the other day on Madeline Island at the age of eighty-three, was a conspicuous character in the early history of the Lake Superior region.  He was the “king” of the county known as La Pointe, which was organized in 1846 by himself.  The county was as large as many states of the Union, its borders including nearly all of Wisconsin north of the Chippewa river, the Apostle islands, and to an almost endless distance west.  The white population consisted of a handful of French voyagers, traders and trappers, most of whom made their rendezvous at La Pointe.  The country was hardly known by the state, and Bell’s realm was practically a little monarchy.  He “bossed” everything and everybody, but in such a way that every Indian and every white was his friend and follower.  Judge Bell rarely left the island except to make occasional pilgrimages through the settlements.  During his eventful life he held every office in the county, and of late years had served as county judge.  He was a man of great native ability, and was possessed of a courage that controlled the rough element that surrounded him in the early days when there was no law except his will.  He was an honest, fearless, natural-born ruler of men.  Through his efforts the poor and needy were cared for.  His power departed only when the advanced guard of civilization reached the great inland sea.  For many years he had been feeble, and of late had become a charge upon the town.  He spent thousands upon the people.

To be continued in Fooled the Austrian Brothers…