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Trail of Death
In September 1838, 859 Potawatomi Indians were forced from their homeland near Plymouth, Indiana and made to march 660 miles to present-day Osawatomie, Kansas. At gunpoint, the tribe began the march on September 4, 1838. During the two month journey, 42 members of the tribe, mostly children, died of typhoid fever and the stress of the forced removal. When they arrived in Osawatomie, Kansas on November 4, 1838, there were only 756 of the tribe, as many had also escaped along the journey. -
General Tipton
On August 30th, General Tipton, along with 100 soldiers, arrived at the Twin Lakes Village and began to round up the tribe, burning their crops and homes to discourage them from trying to return. Then they would go into another ordeal that happened five days later, that was going to be a little bit of a war. -
The March
September 4th, the march began with more than 850 Indians and a caravan of 26 wagons to help transport their goods. Chief Menominee and two other chiefs, Chief Menominee and two other chiefs, No-taw-kah and Pee-pin-oh-waw, were placed in a jail wagon, while people were either forced to walk or was lucky enough to ride on a horse carriage. Each day, the trek began at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, and they would not be able to stop marching until; 4:00 o’clock that night, they would only get one -
Treaty of New Echota
15,665 people of the Cherokee Nation memorialize congress protesting the Treaty of New Echola. Not all of the Indians agreed with the Treaty of New Echola, but there were three different people that were killed along the way of this treaty. They were trying to go and cede Cherokee land. -
Govenor David Wallace
sent a dispatch by mounted courier to Governor David Wallace asking for a good general and at least one hundred soldiers. He reported that the Potawatomies on Yellow River were in arms and an outbreak was expected at any moment. This message reached Governor Wallace on the next day. -
The Letter
On November 13, 1838, while traveling along the Osage River in Missouri, he wrote a letter to Bishop Simon Brute, Vincennes, Indiana, describing the march. He told them how bad and terrible the march was. -
Father Petit
January 2, 1839, Father Petit, set out for Indiana, accompanied by Abram Burnett. At the time Burnett had to hold Petit on his horse, as the priest was very sick with sores all over his body. When they reached Jefferson City, Missouri, Petit was so sick he could no longer ride a horse he was laid down in the back of a horse drawn carriage. -
Chief Alexis
Chief Alexis Menominee died on April 15, 1841, at the age of 50. The Potawatomi were offered a new treaty which gave them land in Oklahoma. Those who signed this treaty became the Citizen Band Potawatomi because they were given U.S. citizenship. Their headquarters today are in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
