Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
LA PETITE NUIT
LA PETITE NUIT. This SAUK AND FOX name meaning "The Little Cloud" was given to Julien DUBUQUE. The name was used in the original registration of the September 22, 1788 agreement in which the Fox gave Dubuque permission to mine LEAD on the western banks of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. In later years some individuals translated the name as "Little Night."
In CHOUTEAU v. MOLONY, the lawsuit that was later settled by the United States Supreme Court, an official translation was made. The name was translated "The Little Cloud." The name appears on the official SEAL of the City of Dubuque.
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Source:
"The Little Cloud," The Dubuque Herald, April 15, 1997, p. 8
