USA > Indiana > Cass County > History of Cass County, Indiana : From the earliest time to the present > Part 22
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The Miamis .- At an early period in the history of the Algon- quin family, while it inhabited the region of the northern lakes, and before the general dispersion of the tribes, the Miamis were recognized, not so much by a distinct name, in the sense of a spe- cific division, as by particularities of manner and habit, or, other- wise, from location. Then, in common with the Ottawas and ad- jacent bands, their chief occupation appears to have been fur-gath- ering, for they were hunters and trappers, and had acquired consid- erable notoriety in that particular calling. From the contiguity of their location and similarity of habit with the Ottawas, as separate bands, they were probably distinguished by the appellation of Toua-
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tonas, or 'Twa-twas, indicating that they were of the hunters, or were hunters, the Ottawas being especially known by that name, from which the modification of the term derives its significance. The tribal relation was not recognized until the severance from the parent stock was consummated. This probably did not take place prior to the year 1600, since nothing is heard of them for a number of years after that time. Having separated themselves, however, they located somewhere to the southward of Lake Nipissing, or on the peninsula east of Lake Michigan. Here their aptness in catch- ing the beaver and other fur-bearing animals of the higher grades insured their early acquaintance with traders of the class that traversed the country. The strifes incident to competition in trade, and the jealousies engendered thereby in the end, induced a resort to every species of chicanery consistent with securing a good trade. They were designated first, by the English traders and others, as Twightwees, or Twig-twees. Later, through the agency of these deceptions, practiced by the English no doubt to offset the superior diplomacy of the French, the name became obnoxious. At this juncture, the French, to maintain the ascendent and secure their confidence thereafter, called them M' Amis (Miamis)-my friends -significant of the confidential relationship existing between them. The general correctness of this version of the incidents connected with the name of this ancient tribe has, in addition to its probabil- ity, the acceptance, in substance, at least, of some old writers whose statements are every way worthy of credence.
The first historical account we have of this tribe was in the year 1669, in the vicinity of Green Bay, where they were visited by the French missionary, Father Allouez, and subsequently by Father Dablon. It is stated that from Green Bay they passed to the south of Lake Michigan, in the vicinity of Chicago. At a later date they settled on the St. Joseph's, of Lake Michigan, and established there a village; another on the river Miami of Lake Erie (Ke-ki- ong-a, now Fort Wayne), and a third on the Wabash (Ouiatenon, on the Wea Plains, a few miles below La Fayette, Ind.). Charle- voix says these villages were established as early as 1670, for at that date the Miamis had been in possession, occupying the terri- tory surrounding, for many years anterior thereto. A portion of them remained at Detroit and above that point until near the close
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of the seventeenth century, when they were induced to emigrate southward and join the other Miamis in the southern part of the Michigan Peninsula. During the major part of the latter half of that century they had been and were in alliance with the French, and through their instrumentality the principal settlements of them were made in northern Indiana and Illinois. French missionaries were among them at those several villages as early as 1670-79, as we find from the records of the Jesuit priests, who were themselves familiar with the facts stated. Simultaneous with or prior to the visitation of these points by the priests, rude forts had been erected by the authorities of the French Government, for the protection of trade and the maintenance of their supremacy over these, their In- dian allies. One of these forts had been erected at the instance of Sieur de La Salle, at Ke-ki-ong-a, in 1669 or 1670, and in 1679, af- ter his plans had been interferred with at Kekionga, by war parties of the Iroquois passing that way, and another at the mouth of St. Joseph's, of Lake Michigan. Within about the same period, the exact date of which does not now appear, a similar fort or post was erected and maintained at Ouiatenon-all within the jurisdiction of New France, and within the region occupied by the Miamis.
At a very early period, but just at what time is not now to be ascertained, the Miamis, because of their extensive dominion, power and influence, and of the numerous consanguinous branches ac- knowledging their relationship, came to be known as the Miami Confederacy. In 1765 the confederacy was composed of the follow- ing branches, with the number of warriors belonging to each: The Twightwees, at the head of the Maumee River, with 250 available warriors; the Ouiatenons, in the vicinity of Post Ouiatenon, on the Wabash, with 300 warriors; the Piankeshaws, on the Vermillion River, with 300 warriors; and the Shockeys, on the territory lying on the Wabash, between Vincennes and Post Ouiatenon, with 200 warriors. At an earlier date, perhaps, the Miamis, with their con- federates, were able to muster a much more formidable force, as the citation from the history of the Five Nations would seem to show.
From what has already been shown concerning the extent of ter- ritory claimed by and conceded to belong to the Miamis, it will ap- pear that the lands in Cass and adjoining counties came into posses- sion of the United States Government through the agency of
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treaties with that nation, an account of which will elsewhere appear, notwithstanding the fact that there was a show of title in the Pot- tawatomies, who, by sufferance, had been permitted to exercise rights of possession over a portion of these lands, which was ceded by them to the United States, subject to the higher claim of the Mi- amis. The Great Miami Reserve, so called, lying south of the Wabash River and east of a line running due south from a point opposite the mouth of Eel River, and extending east through Cass, Miami and Wabash, including a portion of Grant County, was the last of their extensive possessions in the State of Indiana, to which they yielded their ancient right. "They dwelt in permanent vil- lages, thus indicating a higher civilization than that of the nomadic tribes of the farther West. For this purpose they selected the most beautiful sites on the banks of rivers and small streams. . While their principal sustenance was derived from hunting and fishing, their selections for village sites and their treaty reservations, whether of large or small tracts, are, proverbially, the very best lands for agricultural purposes. They were a war-like tribe, and were allies of England in the wars between that country and this. Their chiefs were able leaders, the most conspicuous of whom, as a statesman and warrior, was Little Turtle. Their prowess in the field is historical under the leadership of this celebrated chief, who, as commander of the allied Indian forces, defeated Gen. Harmar Octo- ber 19, 1790, and Gen. St. Clair November 1, 1791, the most dis- astrous reverses suffered by the whites at the hands of the In- dians.
"And not less conspicuous is the war-like character they sus- tained in their defeat by Gen. Wayne at the battle of Fort Wayne, August 20, 1794; by Gen. Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe, No- vember 7, 1811; and by Col. Campbell on the Mississinewa, in De- cember, 1812. Francis Godfroy, Lewis Godfroy, his brother, and Shap-pa-can-nah, or Deaf Man, were noted war chiefs, and participated in the battles."
The Pottawattomies .- The Pottawattomies, or Poux, as they ap- pear formerly to have been known, are of the Algonquin family, and a branch or offshoot of the Chippewas-sometimes written Ojib- ways-having a common origin with them. It is represented, also, as a part of the family history, that the separation of these
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branches of the present stock took place in the vicinity of Michili- mackanack, not far from the middle of the seventeenth century, as early, probably, as 1641. At the time of the separation, or imme- diately after, the Poux having located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the Ottawas went to live with them. After a time the Ottawas, becoming dissatisfied with the ]situation, determined to withdraw from their former allies and seek a home elsewhere. The Poux, being informed of this determination, told the Ottawas they might go back to the north if they did not like their association; that they, the Poux, had made a fire for themselves, and were capa- ble of assuming and maintaining a separate and independent sov- ereignty and of building their own council fires. From this circum- stance, it is said, the name of the Pottawatomies was derived. Etymologically, the word is a compound of put-ta-wa, signifying a blowing out or expansion of the cheek, as in the act of blowing a fire, and me, a nation, which, being interpreted, means a nation of fire-blowers -- literally, a people, as intimated to the Ottawas, able to build their own council fires and otherwise exercise the preroga- tives of independence, or self-government.
The first historical reference we have to them was in 1641, when it was stated that they had abandoned their own country (Green Bay), and taken refuge with the Chippewas, so as to secure them- selves from their enemies, the Sioux, who, it would seem, having been at war with, had well nigh overcome them. In 1660 Father Allouez, a French missionary, speaks of the Pottawattomies as occu- pying territory that extended from Green Bay to the head of Lake Superior, and southward to the country of the Sacs and Foxes and the Miamis, and that traders had preceded him to their country. Ten years later they returned to Green Bay, and occupied the bor- ders of Lake Michigan on the north. Subsequently, about the be- ginning of the eighteenth century, they had traversed the eastern coast of Lake Michigan to the mouth of the St. Joseph's River, where, and to the southward of Lake Michigan, a large body of them held possession until nearly the middle of the nineteenth century. The occupancy of this territory was at first permissible only on the part of the Miamis, who had before possessed the undisputed right to occupy and enjoy; but in the course of time their rights were ac- knowledged by giving them a voice in the making of treaties, which
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
also included the rights of cession and conveyance. Being some- what migratory in character, they have, as a consequence, been de- termined to be aggressive also, since they have frequently taken possession of territory without permission from the rightful owners, and then by sufferance occupied it until a quasi right was acknowl- edged; and while it is true that they have thus occupied territory, it is true, also, that such occupancy has been, as a rule, an unavoid- able alternative after being forcibly ejected or retired from their own country, as was the fact when they first removed from Green Bay.
At the beginning of the war of 1812 "they had settled along the northern bank of the Tippecanoe River, and finally, by the year 1820, they had extended their lines to and along the northern bank of the Wabash, from the mouth of the Tippecanoe to the head waters of Eel River, and thence northward to the borders of Lake Michi- gan. The great civil chief, or sachem, who ruled over them from about the year 1790 to about 1820, was named To-beno-beh, and noted for his intelligence and mildness of character. He died, a venerable patriarch of the wilderness, about the latter year. Wen-e-megh- usually spelled Winemac-was their leading war chief during the war of 1812, and was distinguished for his force of character, as well as his noble and commanding personal appearance. He was of that party of the enemy with which Logan had his fatal encounter near the banks of the Miami in the fall of 1812. Me-te-ah, who stood high, both as an orator and military chieftain, during and after that war, was the last chief of distinction among the Pottawattomies. He came to his death under circumstances which showed too plainly the fallen condition of his people and their degeneracy from the days of their ancient power and independence."
The Pottawottomies, like the Miamis, after selling all their lands in the State, agreed, as a part of their treaty stipulations, that after a specified time from the conclusion of their treaties with the United States, they would migrate to reservations prepared for them west of the Mississippi. As a tribe they went-in part, willingly, but generally by the application of force as a means of facilitating their progress. "The Pottawattomies frequently resorted to Logansport in large bodies, and sometimes remained for days at a time. The prin- cipal chiefs and leading men of the tribe who came hither for the
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purpose of trading, and who were most" familiarly known to the early citizens, were Aw-be-naw-be, Ash-kum, Paw-siss, Muck-kose, Co-ash-be, Che-quah, Kawk, Ko-kem, Shpo-tah, Che-chaw-koase, We-saw, Weis-she-o-nas, Ke-wau-nay, Pash-po-ho, I-o-wah, Nas- waw-kay, O-kah-maus, Ben-ac, Ne-bansh, and Njo-quiss; and the chiefesses, Mish-no-qnah and Mis-ne-go-quah; the last two of whom, together with several others, and several Indian scenes, have very happily been transferred upon canvas by the elegant pencil of Mr. George Winter."
Their usual camping ground while on a trading expedition on the north side of Eel River, on the site of West Logan, sometimes on the hill-side near the site of the Old School Presbyterian Church, and again on the banks of Eel River opposite the "Point." The Miamis came in smaller parties, and encamped on the south side of the Wabash, and when they had finished trading, departed for their homes without delay; while the Pottawatomies ended their trade mission with a grand "spree "-"taking the town."
Treaties and Cessions of Land .- The territorial area in- cluded within the present boundaries of Cass County, Ind., became vested in the United States by virtue of certain treaties with the Indian tribes, who were the acknowledged primitive owners of the several portions thereof, in accordance with the settled policy of the Government to receive no lands from any of the aboriginal possessors of them, except by purchase, and for a valuable consideration paid. The first of these treaties made and concluded between the parties thereto was at St. Mary's, Ohio, on the 2d day of October, 1818, between Jonathan Jennings, Lewis Cass, and Benjamin Parke, commissioners on the part of the United States, and the principal chiefs and warriors of the Pottawattomie nation of Indians. In consideration of the cession so made, the United States agreed to pay said nation a perpetual annuity of $2,500 in silver, one-half of which to be paid at Detroit, and the other half at Chicago. The lands in Cass County embraced in the provisions of this treaty, lie immediately west of a line drawn due south from a point on the south side of the Wabash opposite the mouth of Eel River, and north of the Wabash River to a line extending easterly from a point near the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of Section 18, Township 28 north, Range 1 west, to the eastern bound-
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ary of the county at a point a few rods north of the southeast cor- ner of Section 22, Township 28 north, Range 3 east, known as the old " Indian boundary line." The second was held at the "Treaty Ground " on the Wabash River, nearly opposite the mouth of the Mississinewa (in the eastern part of the city of Wabash, at what was known as "Paradise Springs "), between Lewis Cass, James B. Ray, and John Tipton, commissioners of the United States, and the chiefs and warriors of the Pottawattomie tribe of Indians, concluded and signed on the 16th of October, 1826, and ratified by Congress and proclaimed by John Quincy Adams, President of the United States, February 7, 1827. By this treaty the tribe ceded to the United States the lands lying north of the boundary designated by the preceding treaty, and including the northern portion of Town- ship 28 north, to the north line thereof.
In confirmation of the title derived through the preceding trea- ties with the Pottawattomies, the Miamis-who were the acknowl- edged holders of a prior interest in all said lands by virtue of antecedent occupancy-by a subsequent treaty between the same commissioners and themselves, made and concluded at the last named " Treaty Grounds," on the 23d of October, 1826, " ceded to the United States all their claim to land in the State of Indiana, north and west of the Wabash River," excepting certain reserva- tions therein designated, which treaty was also ratified by Congress and proclaimed by the President of the United States, on the 24th of January, 1827, prior to the ratification of the aforementioned treaty with the Pottawattomies. By a further treaty with the United States, dated October 23, 1834, between William Marshall, commissioner, and the chiefs and warriors of the Miami tribe of Indians, made and concluded at the forks of the Wabash, said tribe ceded a portion of their big reserve made at the Treaty of St. Mary's, in 1818, situated southeast of the Wabash River, and ex- tending along said river from the mouth of the Salamony to the mouth of Eel River, " commencing on the Wabash River opposite the mouth of Eel River, running up said Wabash River eight miles; thence south two miles; thence westwardly one mile; thence south to the boundary line of said reserve; thence along said boundary line seven miles to the southwest corner; thence northerly with the western boundary line to the place of beginning." The consider-
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
ation for all the lands embraced in Article I of said treaty, was $208,000; of this sum $58,000 was to be paid within six months from the ratification of the treaty, $50,000 to be appropriated to the payment of the debts of the tribe, and the remaining $100,000 in annual installments of $10,000. This treaty, in consequence of some informality, was not ratified by Congress until December 22, 1837. The portion of those lands in Cass County lies immediately south of the Wabash River, extending from the mouth of Eel River eastwardly to near the mouth of Pipe Creek, a distance of eight miles.
The Miamis, by a subsequent treaty made at the forks of the Wabash, on the 6th of November, 1838, between Abel C. Pep- per, commissioner on the part of the United States, and the chiefs and warriors of said tribe, ceded to the United States all that tract of land lying south of the Wabash River and included within the following bounds, to wit: "Commencing at a point on said river where the western boundary line of the Miami reserve intersects the same, near the mouth of Pipe Creek; thence south two miles; thence west one mile; thence south along said boundary line, three miles; thence east to the Mississinnewa River; thence up the said river, with the meanders thereof, to the eastern boundary line of the said Miami reserve; thence north along said eastern boundary line to the Wabash River; thence down the said last named river, with the meanders thereof, to the place of beginning." This treaty was ratified by Congress on the 8th day of February, 1839. The consideration was $335,680, $60,000 of which was to be paid immediately upon the ratification of the treaty, and the residue, after paying the debts of the tribe, in yearly installments of $12,568 each.
Finally the Miamis, by a treaty made and concluded at the forks of the Wabash on the 28th of November, 1840, in which the United States was represented by Samuel Milroy and Allen Ham- ilton, commissioners, acting unofficially, and the chiefs and warriors of their tribe, ceded "to the United States all that tract of land on the south side of the Wabash River, not heretofore ceded, and known as the 'residue of the Big Reserve'- being all of their re- maining lands in Indiana." Ratified June 7, 1841. The consid- eration for this cession was $550,000; $250,000 of which was to be appropriated to the payment of the debts of the tribe, and the resi- due, $300,000, to be paid in twenty yearly installments.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
The lands embraced in the several cessions referred to, lying in Cass County, were surveyed as follows: That part of the cession of October 2, 1818, in Congressional Township 26 north, and the por- tion in Township 27 south of the Wabash River, were subdivided by Henry Bryan in 1821; the portion in Township 27, north of the Wabash River, by David Hillis in 1828; and that in Township 28, south of the Indian boundary, by Austin W. Morris in 1834. The lands ceded by the treaties of October 16 and 23, 1826, were sur- veyed by Thomas Brown in 1828; those lying south of the Wabash in Ranges 1 and 2 east, in the western part of the Miami Reserve, by A. St. Clair Vance in 1838; those south of the Wabash, ceded by the treaty of October 23, 1834-not ratified until December 22, 1837-by Chauncey Carter in 1839; and the land embraced in the treaty of November 28, 1840, which lies in Cass County, was sur- veyed in 1846 and 1847 by Abner E. Van Ness. The Indian reser- vations, most of them north and south of the Wabash River, were surveyed by Chauncey Carter-those under the treaties of 1826 in the summer and fall of 1827.
The Old Town Engagement .- An occurrence of considerable importance, that took place in Cass County, was the destruction of the Indian village known as Eel River Town. This was at the present site of Old Town, on the north side of Eel River, six miles from the Wabash River. The commander of the troops against this place was Brig .- Gen. James Wilkinson. Dillon says: "On the 1st of August, 1791, Wilkinson, at the head of 525 men, moved from the neighborhood of Fort Washington, and, after making a feint toward the Miami village, directed his march toward the In- dian village of Ke-na-pa-com-a-qua, which stood on the north bank of Eel River, about six miles from the point where that stream enters the river Wabash." This town was also called, by the French, l'Anguille. In his report of this affair, dated August 24, 1791, to Gov. St. Clair. Gen. Wilkinson says:
"I quitted my camp on the 7th, as soon as I could see my way, crossed one path at three miles distance, bearing northeast, and at seven miles I fell into another, very much used, bearing northwest by north, which I at once adopted as the direct route to my object, and pushed forward with the utmost dispatch. I halted at 12 o'clock to refresh the horses, and examine the men's arms and am-
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munitions : marched again at half past one, and at fifteen minutes before five I struck the Wabash about one and a half leagues above the mouth of Eel River, being the very spot for which I had aimed since the commencement of my march. I crossed the river, and following the path a north by east course. At the distance of two and a half miles, my reconnoitering party announced Eel River in front and the town on the opposite bank. I dismounted, ran for- ward, and examined the situation of the town as far as practicable without exposing myself, but the whole face of the country, from the Wabash to the margin of Eel River, being a continued thicket of brambles, black jacks, weeds and shrubs of different kinds, it was impossible for me to get a good view without endangering a dis- covery. I immediately determined to post two companies on the bank of the river opposite to the town, and above the ground I then occupied: to make a detour with Maj. Caldwell and the second battalion, until I fell into the Miami trace, and by that route to cross the river above and gain the rear of the town, and to leave directions with Maj. MeDowell, who commanded the first battalion, to lie perdue until I commenced the attack, then to dash through the river with his corps and the advanced guard, and assault the houses on the front and left. In the moment I was about to put this ar- rangement into execution, word was brought me that the enemy had taken the alarm and were flying. I instantly ordered a general charge, which was obeyed with alacrity. The men, forcing their way over every obstacle, plunged through the river with vast intre- pidity. The enemy was unable to make the smallest resistance. Six warriors, and (in the hurry and confusion of the charge) two squaws and a child, were killed. Thirty-four prisoners were taken and an unfortunate captive released, with the loss of two men killed and one wounded.
"I found this town scattered along Eel River for full three miles, on an uneven, scrubby oak barren, intersected alternately by bogs almost impassable, and impervious thickets of plum, hazel and black jack. Notwithstanding these difficulties, if I may credit the report of the prisoners, very few who were in town escaped. Expecting a second expedition, their goods were generally packed up and buried. Sixty warriors had crossed the Wabash to watch the paths leading from the Ohio. The head chief, with all the prisoners and a num-
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