The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-27

HI Indian i'm Whose Honor Howard
County's Capital Was Named.

Pioneer in kokomo Qnd.) News.
A great many of the Kokomo people, es-
new comers,'' who have located here dur
ing the past twenty years, are laboring
under a great mistake and Misrepresentation
of Kokomo, derived its name. There never
was a Miami Indian chief. or a chief OF any
SSI9ek rntes The iH eorreet D and to ONLY na ansbeo on
ticated name of a chief of the Miami tribe
of Indians was "Ma-co-co-mo." He was
on the banks of the M~ississinewa. in Grant
county, Indiana, in 1779, and died on the
north bank OF Wildcat creek. I'm his tepee.
OF remittent fever in 1889, aged sixty years.
His tepee where he was overcome with
death, stood across the street. now South
Main, from where the present sheriffs resi-
dence and county jail now stands in this
city. The only white man who was with
Ma-co-co-mo when he passed away to the
happy hunting ground was David Foster.
post in the Wildcat valley at Burlington.
Ma-co-co-mo was one of Fosters principal
a andisn customers Ss,%nan ,b and e strong fr,en SSssnlss
David Foster say that he venerated and
thought more of Ma-co-co-mo than any
died there were other tribes of Indians iiv-
ing on this reservation besides the Miamis.
They were the Delawares and P~ottawato-
mics. David. Foster, assisted by a large
delegation of these three tribes OF Indians,
buried Ma-co-co-mo. He was laid away
wrapped in his three blankets, with bows
anu dTTONS, ana q SHALL DTdSS kettle UlltQ
with cooked wild blackberries with a wood
en- spoon, the object of this being to feed
his spirit while sojourning to the happy
hunting grounds, a tradition which pre-
vailed among the tribes. The grave of Chief
Ma-co-co-mo is within fifty yards of the
north bank of Wild Cat creek, and within
five minutes walk of the present court
house park His last resting place has never
been disturbed. In personal appearance
Chief Ma-co-co-mo was a large. muscular
Indian, standing six feet tall in his moe
caSins. He was brave and resolute. de.
termined, with a strong will power. yet kind
said that he was the favorite chief among
the Indians, and was called the eagle eye
of the Miamis." He was a great counsellor
among his people, and each member of his
tribe obeyed him implicitly. In 1871 when
David Foster removed his Indian trading
post from Burlington farther east on the
Wild Cat, and located on the land where
the present city of Kokomo is now built,
he said to his wife. his faithful companion
who helped him make each dollar that he
earned: "Betsey, were goin' 10 have a town
here some day, and when that time comes
I'm going to name the new town after our
friend, Ma-co-co-mo But I'll leave of the
first part of his name. and we'll call her
'Co-co-mo.'" Mrs. Foster assented and
thought the name very appropriate for TIE
new settlement. And so the new town when
1t was established was called "Cocomo:"
From the 18th day of May, 1916. when David
Foster finished building the first courthouse
and the first jail and turned them over to
Howard county as its property up 10 1858,
the name OF the town was always spelled
Cocomo. In the month OF June, 1858. Hon.
Rufus King, President Franklin Pierce's
postmaster general, changed the manner
in spelling the name of the town in the dat
ing stamps Of the postofhce, ordered by AL
fred Plough, who was then postmaster,
from Cocomo to Kokomo. since which time
the letter * has been substituted in place
of the letter &C."