CASS COUNTY INDIANA AND NATIVE AMERICANS

 READY FOR INDIAN WAR

In May of 1832, when the prospects for an invasion by Black Hawk and his band were alarmingly auspicious, the people of Cass County rose in their might and prepared to dispute his rights to come with the fire-brand and scalping knife and deprive them of their homes by the blighting touch of savage cruelty. The expected visitation, however, failed to materialize, and Black Hawk and his party were captured on the 2nd of August, 1832 in upper Iowa. Source: History of Cass County 1886 by Thomas B. Helm

Black Hawk 

TRADING MISSIONS

The Pottawottomies came to Logansport frequently, in large groups, and sometimes remained for days at a time. The principal chiefs and leading men of the tribe who came here for the purpose of trading and were most familiar to the early citizens were: Aw-be-naw-be, Ash-kum, Paw-siss, Muck-kose, Co-ash-be, Che-quah, Kwak, Ko-kem, Shpo-tah, Che-chaw-koase, We-saw, Weis-she, and the chiefs Mish-no-quah and Mis-ne-go-quah. The last two, along with several others and several Indian scenes, have been captured onto canvas by the elegant pencil of George Winter. Their usual camping ground while in Logansport was on the north side of Eel River on the site of West Logan. The Miamis came in smaller parties and camped on the south side of the Wabash, leaving once they had finished trading. The Pottawatomies ended their trade mission with a grand “spree” of consuming alcohol and generally “taking the town.” 

KNOWN CASS INDIAN TRADERS

Many Cass County settlers descended from the “men of the wilderness,” the early fur traders. Some early Cass Co. traders were:

General Hyacinthe Lasalle

Michael Brouillet, brother in-law of Joseph Barron, traded with the Miami nation.

John B. Richardville, the chief of the Miami, traded at Ft. Wayne, Indiana from 1815 to 1836.

Alexis Coquillard traded with both Miami and Pottawatomies, 1817 to 1835.

John B. Duret was an agent of the American Fur Company. He traded in Carroll Co. Indiana from 1820 to 1823.

George Cicott traded from 1820 until his death in 1830. From 1827 to 1830 he traded on his reserve at Georgetown.

William & George Ewing traded from 1822 to 1838, the last 10 of those years in Logansport.

General Hyacinth Laselle image courtesy Cass County Historical Society

George Ewing and his brother William operated a trading post in Logansport, which stood on the northeast corner of modern-day E, Market and 3rd Street. Source for photo image of George Ewing and documentation of trading post location can be found at the Cass County Historical Society.

RED HAIR BABY

There is a story about a pioneer couple who lived in a log home in the northern part of the county at a time before the Native Americans were rounded up by the government, with General John Tipton in charge, and moved out of the area (read more about that - check out the Trail of Death journey to Kansas). The man of the house needed to take grain to the mill to be ground. He instructed his wife and children to stay indoors until his return. The wife used the last of the cornmeal to make corn bread and, as fate would have it, a passing group of "Indians" were drawn to the aroma. They indicated that they were hungry and they didn't seem menacing so the wife shared some of the corn bread with them. The tiny group then got a look at the woman's baby - it had red hair! They were so amazed that they  returned, more than once, and asked to see the child.