Caution: You are entering the No Spin Zone ~ surely a possibility.
Caution: You are entering the Twilight Zone ~ now here’s a thought.
Caution: You are entering the Missing Missionary Zone ~ now this is historically true.
The mighty Black River is a tributary of the Mississippi River and is about 190 miles long. During the 19th century, pine logs were rafted down the Black River, headed to the saw mills at La Crosse and points beyond.
But way before all of logging, the earliest mention of the Black River may be in 1661, when a French Jesuit priest received word that a band of Huron Indians had taken refuge near its headwaters and the urgency was that they were starving. The priest, Rene Menard tried to reach them traveling from Lake Superior by canoe, but disappeared somewhere in the wilderness.
This incident occurred nearby right here, more than 350 years ago, or about a hundred years before the French and Indian War. This French Jesuit priest was the first missionary to enter Wisconsin. The bishop of this area “New France” wrote to Pope Alexander VII, “This summer a priest of the Society of Jesus left for a mission more than 500 leagues from Quebec. That country is inhabited by innumerable nations who have never heard of the faith. Seven Frenchmen have joined this expedition. They to buy castors (beaver skins) and he to conquer souls.”
He explored these locales well before Fr. Jacques Marquette and Fr. Jean Nicolet. Father Rene Menard was seeking to reach a band of half-starved Huron Indians by canoe. The Native Americans were encamped near the headwaters of the Black River near Chelsea Lake about 10 miles northeast of GZ. They were in dire need of his ministrations.
From this exploratory endeavor Father Rene Menard never returned.
Father Menard set out from present day L’Anse on Keweenaw Bay with a Frenchman named Pierre Levassier known as L’Esperance. Deserted by their Native American guides at the lake, the two proceeded towards their destination alone.
At one of the many rapids, potentially a dangerous one, the priest stepped ashore to carry the gear and supplies, while L’ Esperance carried the birch bark canoe on their portage to calmer waters. Arriving at the other end of the rapids L’Esperance waited and waited. He shouted to direct the priest and then fired his rifle five times. Concerned he headed for help to conduct the search for the missing man. L’Esperance set out for the Indian settlement but unfortunately for Father Menard, he bypassed the camp losing valuable time. The search party was unsuccessful and Father Rene Menard was never again seen. He is a man who would never return.
Did he ever return, No he never returned And his fate is still unlearn'd He may hike forever 'neath the pines of Wisconsin He's the man who never returned.