Dubuque Historic InfoDUBUQUE UNDER FIVE FLAGS
(From The Flavor of Dubuque Cookbook – 1970’s)
Typed in by Karen Chesterman, Deputy Clerk 12/2003
The present City of Dubuque, which dates its urban existence from 1833, stands I the
center of an area with a special history, a background independent of the history of Iowa and
states contiguous to it. Its advantageous location on the Mississippi River, the only
unobstructed route of travel from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico in the days when the terrain was
wild and the forests impenetrable, was the most important factor in Dubuque’s distinctive
destiny. This position on the river in an important mining area, and the influences of regimes of
the Spanish, French, and British give Dubuque a unique character from its beginning. Five
sovereign flags have flown over its environs.
It is to the great colony of New France in North America that one must turn for the
beginnings of Iowa history. Six adventurous Frenchmen—Cartier, Champlain, Nicolet,
Radisson, Groseilliers, Perrot – set the stage for exploration that led to the discovery of Iowa.
The Joliet-Marquette expedition in 1673 is significant, for the first recorded history of
eastern Iowa begins with these two explorers, the first white men to set foot on Iowa soil.
Together, they gave to New France the strongest claim to the great interior of America. Thus
the Dubuque area first flew the Fleur-de-lis Flag of the Bourbon kings of France – from 1673 to
1763.
As the first frontiers of English settlement moved west, lands of the Indian nations, long
considered a sort of “no man’s land” as far as ownership was concerned, were invaded. This
necessitated troops and precipitated the first of the French and Indian Wars in 1754. At the
close of these wars in 1763, the victorious British were forced to choose between Canada and
the Island of Guadaloupe. Britain chose Canada. In the settlement, France gave up all claim to
land east of the Mississippi. Thus England and Spain stood face to face on opposite sides of
the Mississippi River, and Dubuque came under the Royal Flag of Spain in 1763.
During the tenuous Spanish rein from 1763 to 1803, the area was involved in the War of
Independence which led to the departure of France from the Northwest. Before 1779, Spanish
authorities in Louisiana, at first secretly, then openly, aided the American colonists in their
struggle for liberty. In June, 1779, Spain formally declared war on England. The British
attacked settlements in the immense Spanish territory, concentrating on those along the
Mississippi, and dispatched Captain Hesse to Prairie du Chien. The valuable lead mines of this
area were already widely known and in April, 1780, the British and Indian auxiliaries seized a
large armed boat in the mouth of the Turkey River as it was taking provisions to the Spanish at
Prairie du Chien. Then, in a surprise attack, the British easily captured the mines, giving rise to
many fascinating tales concerning “Spanish and Rebel Prisoners.” Following this first great
military effort in the Mississippi Valley, Captain Hesse sailed victoriously down the Mississippi to
attack St. Louis. The old red flag of the Lion and Unicorn of England unfurled from his mast
must have been an astonishing sight to those who saw him sail down the river.
The Fox Indians had never been enthusiastic allies of the British, and now again asked
for protection under the Spanish flag. The new lieutenant governor of the territory sent back an
ultimatum that The Fox join either the Spanish or the British. From that time on the Indians of
historic Dubuque remained loyal allies of the Spanish.
All this happened before our City began, and before the arrival of Julien Dubuque. In a
fragile, leather record book of the parish church of St. Pierre-les-Becquets, Nicolet County, Trois
Riveries, Canada, is the handwritten entry of the birth of Julien Dubuc. He was the thirteen child
of Augustin and Marie Dubuc, and the date of his birth was January 1762. (It is to be noted that
many spellings of the family name have appeared, two apparently authoritative spellings
preceding the Dubuque: Dubucq on the ancestral cost of arms in France; Dubuc on the birth
registry in Canada.)
When Julien Dubuque was twenty-one, he left St. Pierre, spurred by the strong romantic
appeal of the West; the adventures of his countryman, Jean Marie Cardinal, and perhaps by the
fact that he had relatives who were already living in the Mississippi Valley. In 1783, he arrived
at Prairie du Chien, and remained there several years. He began making voyages to a Fox
Village on Catfish Creek, knowing there was hidden wealth in the surrounding hills. Dubuque
lavished presents upon the Indians, and they cast an approving eye on this friendly Frenchman.
The Fox called him La Petite Nuit, or Little Night, because of his swarthy complexion.
Legend also attributed his frequent visits to the village to the charms of a pretty Indian
maiden, Potosa, daughter of Chief Peosta. The beautiful Potosa, it is sad, finally became his
wife. Little Night himself was adopted by the tribe. Dubuque continued to ingratiate himself into
the good will of The Fox, and on September 22, 1788, they granted him possession of an area
comprising twenty-one miles along the Mississippi from the mouth of the Little Maquoketa to the
Tetes des Morts River. He received a verification of this grant, known as “The Mines of Spain”
from the Spanish governor. Dubuque continued to mine his rich holdings and trade in furs until
his death here in 1810.
By the time the American pioneers were pushing rapidly into Kentucky, Tennessee and
Ohio. They could send their surplus crops to market only by way of the Mississippi River and
the Gulf of Mexico. As long as Spain held the mouth of the Mississippi, the pioneers felt secure,
feeling they could keep the river open by force if necessary, Spain being ranked as a weak
power.
In 1802, the world learned that Napoleon had forced Spain to cede the Louisiana territory
to France in a secret treaty drawn up more than a year earlier. In 1803, Dubuque and Iowa
passed to French control, so for a brief period the French Imperial Flag of Napoleon Bonaparte
was the ensign of the area.
Napolean, however, had not taken possession, and while the threat was a serious one,
New Orleans was still under Spanish control. At this critical time, the Spanish governor decided
that exports and imports could no longer be stored in New Orleans. President Jefferson
promptly instructed Robert L. Livingston, the American Minister in Paris, to try to buy New
Orleans and the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico with the threat that if Napoleon refused, war
against French would result. The offer was negotiated and in 1803, the whole province of
Louisiana was purchased for $15,000,000 and over Dubuque flew the flag of the United States
of America.
This then is a brief background of the story of Dubuque, under five flags: The Fleur de
Lis of the Bourbon Kings of France –1673-1763; The Royal Flag of Spain – 1763-1803; the
Lion and Unicorn of England – 1780; The French Imperial flag of Napolean Bonaparte – 1803;
Old Glory of the United States from 1803.
These five national banners that have flown above the hills of the Dubuque area since
the days of the voyageurs symbolize, as can nothing else, the heterogeneous qualities of the
community. Early known as the Key City, Dubuque itself is a culmination of a rich heritage that
has attracted imaginative, progressive and ambitious members of almost every ethnic
background.