This is the Pulaski County Historical Society in Indiana. We are a very small organization in a pretty small county and a not-so-large state, and we’re starting at the very beginning.

Well, not at the VERY beginning, but at the beginning of what we know to be indigenous peoples who lived on this land.

This is “history light.” If you see something that interests you, we hope you will take the time to explore further in another venue. There are hundreds – no, thousands – of legitimate resources out there to explore further.

The primary purpose of this set of pages is to illustrate the huge swath of history that is typically ignored. Native Americans populated this hemisphere, this continent, this country, this state, this county, for centuries.

Europeans arrived in the Americas approximately 500 years ago. From that time forward, the history of this hemisphere has been written from the perspective of Europeans, and later, European Americans.

There are many reasons for that, the first being that Native Americans did not have written history that Europeans could understand. Wampum belts contained some history, but overwhelmingly, Native history and culture was passed orally, from generation to generation.

Throughout these pages, you will get a sense that the people who took over this land felt entitled to this land. To give the Natives any credit – for the support and teaching that kept settlers alive in their first hard years, for their culture, their heritage – would mean that all of the so-called treaties, which were ignored and overturned at every step, were not righteous.

After 1815, after the treaty ending the War of 1812, Native Americans were no longer able to be “important others” whose needs must be taken into account. Americans forgot that Natives had ever been significant in our history. Even terminology changed. Until 1815 the word Americans had generally been used to refer to Native Americans; after 1815 it meant European Americans.

Native Americans became a sociological footnote.

The Land, From Ice to Europeans Coming Ashore

The pattern of human history can be traced through the ice ages. The story of Pulaski County starts 2.4 billion years ago. This particular chapter ends when Europeans came to our shores, 500 years ago. GO HERE

The People, From Ice to Europeans Coming Ashore

The pattern of human history can be traced through the ice ages. The story of the people of Pulaski County starts 12,000 years ago. This particular chapter ends when Europeans came to our shores, 500 years ago. GO HERE

Europeans Arrive

500 years ago, Europeans arrived on our shores and changed the shape of the world forever. Not only was the world transformed, the livelihoods and, yes, the very lives of indigenous Americans were put at risk. GO HERE

French Fur Trade & The Beaver Wars

A combination of French influence and warring tribes moved the Potawatomi from upper Michigan to Wisconsin. GO HERE

Indian Wars, Pre-Revolutionary War

Native Americans, like other nations before, during, since, even now, made decisions about alignments on the basis of what they considered to be their best interests in trade and in their future. As Europeans, colonists and natives fought for their rights and their lives, alliances sometimes shifted. GO HERE.

Revolutionary War

George Washington not only fought the British, he fought Native Americans, some of whom were friendly to the cause, and some of whom were not. GO HERE.

Indian Wars, Post-Revolutionary War

The War was won, the government of the United States looked west, and Natives saw their past and their future under attack. GO HERE

United States Takes Shape

The United States bartered with their European ancestors to extend their lands west. GO HERE

Indiana Takes Shape

First, Indiana was a territory, much larger than the state is now. And then, it became a the 19th State in the Union. It was populated with European-American settlers as treaties  were made with Native nations. GO HERE

Pulaski County Takes Shape

Pulaski County was formed after a treaty with the Potawatomi. A large portion of land was ceded to the nation and to the state. GO HERE

Indian Removals, 1700 – 1840

Native Americans were pushed from their lands by other tribes, Europeans, the US Government and a variety of states. See how government policy changed their lives forever. GO HERE.

The Potawatomi, Keepers Of The Fire

We’re going to concentrate on the Potawatomi of Northern Indiana, much of which has been covered already. GO HERE

Trail of Death

The Trail of Death (1838) had its starting point a mere 22 miles from Winamac (as the crow flies). One never hears about that as we talk about the formation of Pulaski County (named in 1835) and the county seat, Winamac (organized in 1839). GO HERE

The Chiefs Winamac

Which one was actually the one for whom the town is named? GO HERE

The 7 Fires

The Anishinaabe were visited by seven prophets. Each prophet spoke of a fire, an era that they would endure. Each fire drastically changed their way of life. GO HERE

This Is Not The End

The full extent of the pillage of Native American culture continues until today, but one can learn a lot about it by starting with The Dawes Act of 1887. There were many atrocities before The Dawes Act and after, but this is beyond Pulaski County, Indiana. We’re stopping here.

The Series