120 - United States, Letter in French from Notre-Dame du Lac, Saint Joseph, dated November 5, 1845; 8 pages by Étienne Théodore Badin (1768–1853; signed, with one handwritten page in which he explains that he has difficulty writing after falling from a horse), mailed in South Bend (incorrect postmark), postage of 10 cents for domestic mail and a handwritten surcharge of 24 décimes to be paid by the recipient. It is addressed to Father Moreau, rector of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix in Le Mans, France. Badin describes the situation at the institution. In the text: “This area was a wilderness when I took up residence here in 1839… and in South Bend, there were only two huts… but today this town is the county seat of St. Joseph County, with a city hall, a post office… with 1,000 residents...one of our missionaries resides in Pokagon, where the Potawatomi gather—most of whom were relocated to Sugar Creek beyond the Missouri River... In 1830, it was then that Providence allowed me to purchase the land for the Notre-Dame du Lac mission from the government...let us return to the college; the Indiana legislature granted it the title of university...”

United States, Letter in French from Notre-Dame du Lac, Saint Joseph, dated November 5, 1845; 8 pages by Étienne Théodore Badin (1768–1853; signed, with one handwritten page in which he explains that he has difficulty writing after falling from a horse), mailed in South Bend (incorrect postmark), postage of 10 cents for domestic mail and a handwritten surcharge of 24 décimes to be paid by the recipient. It is addressed to Father Moreau, rector of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix in Le Mans, France. Badin describes the situation at the institution. In the text: “This area was a wilderness when I took up residence here in 1839… and in South Bend, there were only two huts… but today this town is the county seat of St. Joseph County, with a city hall, a post office… with 1,000 residents...one of our missionaries resides in Pokagon, where the Potawatomi gather—most of whom were relocated to Sugar Creek beyond the Missouri River... In 1830, it was then that Providence allowed me to purchase the land for the Notre-Dame du Lac mission from the government...let us return to the college; the Indiana legislature granted it the title of university...” A beautiful, rare historical letter Letter in French from Notre-Dame du Lac, Saint-Joseph, dated November 5, 1845, consisting of 10 pages by Étienne Théodore Badin (1768–1853, signature and one handwritten page), postmarked in South Bend (faint postmark), addressed to Abbé Moreau, rector of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix in Le Mans, France. Badin describes the situation of the institution. In the text: “This country was a desert when I settled here in 1839… and in South Bend, there were only two cabins…but today this town is the county seat of St. Joseph County, with a town hall, a post office...with 1,000 inhabitants...one of our missionaries resides in Pokagon, where the Potawatomi gather, most of whom were relocated down Sugar Creek beyond the Missouri River...In 1830, it was then that Providence allowed me to purchase from the government the land for the Notre-Dame du Lac mission...returning to the college, the Indiana Legislature has granted it the title of university...” A beautiful and rare historical letter