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Chief Menominee
Chief Menominee was a principal chief of the Indiana Potawatomi when the tribe was forcibly removed from its lands -
Vacating the spot
was the deadline for the Potawatomi to vacate their land. Some Potawatomi had already left the area, but Menominee and others had not. -
Invading their land
squatters began to enter the country and settle on the Indian land. They expected to hold their land later by the right of pre-emption. The Indians began to show their resentment as the time for their forced removal approached. They contended that the chiefs had no right to sell the lands, and went so far as to murder one of the chiefs who had “touched the quill.” -
Governors note
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. -
Trail of Death
The March begna on September 4, 1838. The Potowamonee Indians were forcebly removed from Northern Indian to reservations in the great plains. The name trail of death is misleading because not nearly as many died on the trail of death as the trail of tears. -
Moving to Kansas
1838, more than 850 Potawatomi were gathered at gunpoint by mounted Indiana militia and forcibly marched more than 600 miles from their northern Indiana homes to Osawatomie, Kansas. Around forty people, mostly children, died on this two-month march. -
The start of the Trail of Death
The exodus to Kansas, which came to be known as the Potawatomi Trail of Death, began with more than 850 Potawatomi under armed guard. The rebellious chiefs were confined to a cage-like wagon with bars. -
Period: to
Trial of Death
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Crossing the Mississippi
10 the Potawatomi crossed the Mississippi on steam ferry boats and entered Missouri.It took the Potawatomi almost a month to traverse Missouri, which required crossing the Missouri River. -
Reaching Kansas
The Indians touched Kansas soil on November 2 -
Reaching our destination
They finally reached their final destination of Osawatomie, Kansas.They had traveled around 660 miles in two months.The harsh journey took its toll. Of the more than 850 Potawatomi who set out from Indiana, around forty of them died—most of them children.
