Dragoon Trace facts for kids

The Dragoon Trace or Dragoon Trail is an old path that goes through central Iowa and Missouri, including Ringgold County. It was first made by animals like buffalo and deer looking for the best ways to cross rivers and creeks. Native Americans then used this path because they knew the animals had found the easiest routes. Later, pioneers also traveled this trail, which helped change how Iowa developed.

The Dragoon Trace: An Ancient Path

The Dragoon Trace was not built by people. Instead, it was created naturally over many years by animals. Large herds of buffalo and deer traveled along this route, always finding the easiest places to cross streams and rivers. This created a clear path through the land.

How People Used the Trail

Native Americans quickly learned about these animal paths. They knew the animals were smart about finding the best routes, so they also used these narrow trails for their journeys. Later, when pioneers started moving west, they too found the Dragoon Trace to be a useful road. This trail played a big part in the early history and settlement of Iowa.

Fort Des Moines: A Place of Protection

In 1843, a place called Fort Des Moines was built where the Raccoon River meets the Des Moines River. This fort was meant to protect the Sac and Fox Nation from their enemies, the Sioux, and from white settlers moving onto their land. The fort was important until the Sac and Fox Nation had to give up their land.

Life Near the Fort

For about two years, the Native Americans lived peacefully in three separate groups near the fort. They received payments from the government, called annuities. But in the fall of 1845, after getting their last payment, the Native Americans had to prepare to leave their beloved Iowa. It was a very sad time for them.

Native American Tribes Move On

The Dragoon Trace became a path of sorrow for many Native American tribes. They were forced to leave their homes in Iowa and move to new lands.

The Sac People's Journey

On September 10, 1845, Keokuk led the Sac people out of Iowa. They walked single file down the Dragoon Trace towards Fort Leavenworth. Reports from that time describe the scene: men, women, and children were partly wrapped in blankets. Some rode ponies, while other ponies carried only bundles of belongings. Many walked silently, with their heads bowed in sadness.

Black Hawk's Tribe Follows

A small group of Sac people, led by Wishecomaque (also known as Hardfish), kept to themselves. They were the last members of Black Hawk's tribe. They felt very bitter because they had lost so many loved ones during the Black Hawk War. A few days after Keokuk, this group also followed the Dragoon Trace.

The Meskwaki's Difficult Move

Poweshiek, a leader of the Mesquakie people, tried to delay the move. He asked if those who were too sick or poor could stay in Iowa for the winter. Only about 100 sick people were allowed to remain.

On October 8, 1845, Poweshiek reluctantly led his Mesquakie people down the Dragoon Trace. Around October 11, when he reached the Missouri border, he met a white settler. Poweshiek thought he had gone far enough and was now in Missouri. He decided to turn west and set up his village where the Grand River met the Missouri border. This area belonged to the Pottawattomies, who were friends of the Mesquakie, and they invited them to stay.

Settlers Report the Meskwaki

Poweshiek built a village of about forty lodges (homes) on the Grand River, near a white settlement. The settlers were culturally different and afraid. They reported the Native Americans to Fort Des Moines. Instead of sending soldiers, which could have caused fighting, three civilians who knew Poweshiek went to talk to the old chief. These men were Dr. Campbell, J.B. Scott, and Hamilton Thrift. Within a year, the Mesquakies moved again, this time to a reservation in Kansas.

The End of an Era

On March 10, 1846, Lieutenant Grier, along with soldiers and about 300 Native American stragglers (people who had fallen behind), marched down the Dragoon Trace. This marked the end of Fort Des Moines as a military post and the end of these native tribes owning land in Iowa.

Although Iowa officially became a state on December 28, 1846, it took another ten years before many settlers came to Ringgold County.

Remembering the Trail

The Dragoon Trace has been marked with Indian picture writing. This helps make sure that the story of these tribes being moved out of Iowa is not forgotten.