The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-09-09

In order that there may be fair under
standing in regard to the important events
that resulted in the erection OF this monn'
ment and the historical evSnts that hnany
lead up the removal of nearly one thou
sand Pottawattomie Indiana by compan,
of soldiers recruited for that purpose, whose
orders were to use force il necessary TO pre-
vent any from escaping, it seems importan.
on this occasion that the facts should be
stated, and that the truth may be known
and the cruel treatment OF the rightful own
OF the beautiful country stretched out
before us in driving them away and robbine
them of their homes without compensation
should be fastened upon the guilty parties;
and therefore the following statement OF facts
is submitted TO candid world:
The Po,tawattomie tribe of Indians came
.nto possession of what has since come to
be known as "Menominees Reserve,
through treaty negotiated by Jonathan Jen
nings, John w. Davis and Marks Crume Oh
he part OF the United States, and the chiefs
on the hanks OF the Tippecanoe river. near
the Michigan Road, three miles north o
Rochester, October 26, 1892. "A record of thu.
treaty may be found in "A Compilation OF al
he Treaties between the United States and
the Indian Tribes, published by the Cnteo
States 1873 at page ESQ. In this treaty, exten
sve reservations belonging to the Pottawat
tonne Indians ceded to the United
States. from which number of small reser
vatons were given to certain Chiefs and
heir bands named therein as follows:
Article p From the session aforesaid, the
following reservations made: For the
band of -be.nau-be. thirty six sections. to
include his Village Tin Fulton County)
For the bands of Memo -mi-nee, Na-ta-kah
Muck k-kah-ta h-mo-wa. and Pepin-awaw. 2:
known as Memo mi-nee Reserve" which
this monument stands, about the center
north and south.)
Previous to this treaty the Pottawattome:
Rad owned by right OF possession and by
all he land m the uhnie of this
of the country. Menominee village which
was located short distance north of the
middle Twin Lakes was the principal vii
l3ge in this region OF country. Settlement
evidently began there by the Pottawattome,
not many years after the passage of the
Ordinance OF i7s7. Just when there is nc
means of knowing. There settlement
and the old Indian Chapel on the banks o
the lake early as 1927, as Ni-go, an In
dian. who died in Plymouth. a few year,
ago said he was married in that chapel il
1927. Certain it is that the Village anc
| Chapel were there long before the treat,
| of lS'2 setting apart to Mi-no-mi-nee ane
others the 22 sections above noted. At tn,
| time of the removal of the Indians from th
] village il contained hundred wig
vans, log cabins and tepees scattered pro
| mscuousy over several acres OF ground
| Around and among the wigwams were part
| " cleared cornfieds from which the Indian
| raised considerable inferior corn The chape
was quite large for those davs. and wa
considered a very comfortable building TO
4 tire purposes Tor which ~ intended. i
was built of hewed poplar logs and covered
with clapboards; its dimensions beng abou
thirty by forty feet. with doors and win
| dows, and room above the west end fo
he missionary priest to live in. Services
were held in this chapel until the indians
| were driven away in 1893, when il was clos
/ ed and never afterwards u.c- for that pur
| pose. 1t was object OF curiosity for thos,
who passed that way flor many years later
| but II was finally torn down and no trace
/ OF II now remain.
NJ treaty made and concluded at a camv
near yellow river IN the State of Indians
| between Abel {. Pepper. commissioners oi
| the part of the United States and Pepinawah
| Natawka and Mackatawmoah on behalf o
| the Pottawattomie Indians and their band
on the 9Th day OF August 1896. the sal,
! Pottawattomie Indians ceded the y Section
OF land given to them by the treaty of DC
| toher ~. lsR2 for the OF $llcs0, anC
| further agreed TO leave the reservation with
~est of tie Mississippi river Nenon,inee
| the principal chief 10 whom the ~ sections
I'D been given to him and the other chief
named, declined sign the treaty and th
government reco~d of treaties shows tina
| he did not sign it,
| ON the 9Th of August 1893. the time stipu
| lated IN the treaty for the lndians-Pepin
| ava. Nataka and Nackatawnoah-to erni
CRATE having epxired. and they and We
nominee declining 70 go. a Council was hel,
| 1T Menominee village which Col Peppe
government agent was present. and most o
| the chiefs IN that part OF the country, al
| also many white residents in the neighbor
| hood. The treaty read wherein il wa
! shown that in ceding their lands the Indians
who had signed the treaty had agreed To- re
move to the Western reservation within tw,