Wau-Bun

The author of Waubun, Julliette August Magill, was a clever, cultured, educated woman who was born in 1806 and raised in Connecticut and for a time attended Troy Female Seminary, which provided an education for girls "equal to that of their brothers." In 1830, she moved to Wisconsin as the new bride of John Kinzie, the Indian Agent for the Winnebago people at the portage of the Fox and Sauk rivers. She was fascinated by the romance of the wild frontier, and blessed with an adventurous spirit and hearty sense of humor. Mrs. Kinzie was a keen observer of everything around her. She wrote Waubun as a narrative of the significant years between 1830 and 1833, during which time her husband disbursed the annuity payments to the native people, payment for the lands relinquished in treaties with the Winnebago people in Wisconsin. Her descriptions of daily incidents and major events include the sights, the sounds and the scents of her experiences. The Kinzies shared a true affection for the native people and an interest in native culture. Mrs. Kinzie's book, first published in 1856, provides the rare perspective of a genteel and educated woman, who felt strongly that the native culture should be respected and protected.