Wabiwindego facts for kids

Wabiwindego (which means "White Wendigo" or "White Giant") was an important leader of the Grand River Band of the Odawa people in what is now the U.S. state of Michigan. He was also known by other names like Wobwindego, Wobiwidigo, or Wabaningo. The Ojibwe people called him Waabishkindip, meaning "White-Headed." Wabiwindego played a key role in the 1836 Treaty of Washington with the U.S. government. This treaty was a step towards Michigan becoming a state. Several towns in modern Michigan, such as Lowell, Whitehall, and Montague, grew from villages he led.

Wabiwindego shared leadership of his band with another chief named Keewaycooshcum for a time. Later, he shared leadership with his son-in-law, Cobmoosa.

The 1836 Treaty of Washington

After the Erie Canal was finished in 1825, it became much easier and cheaper to travel by ship from the eastern United States to the Great Lakes. This led to many more settlers moving into western Michigan. By 1836, the Ottawa people, who had once been numerous, found themselves greatly outnumbered by the new settlers.

Wabiwindego and other Ottawa leaders were worried that land belonging to their people might be sold without their permission. They wrote to President Andrew Jackson to say they would not give up their land or move west of the Mississippi River. However, a very harsh winter and a serious outbreak of smallpox weakened their position.

In March 1836, Wabiwindego traveled to Washington, D.C. with about two dozen young Ottawa men. He wanted to try and prevent a treaty that could take away their lands. During the negotiations in Washington, Wabiwindego and the Ottawa leaders agreed to sell some of their lands in the Grand River area and along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. They did this because the U.S. government offered them permanent reservations in western and northwestern Michigan. The government also promised regular payments, hunting rights, and access to a blacksmith and farming tools to help them adjust. Wabiwindego was recognized as a "first class" leader in the treaty and was to receive a yearly payment for his tribe.

However, the U.S. government had a policy of moving all Native American tribes west of the Mississippi River. President Jackson and the United States Senate did not intend to keep the promise of permanent reservations. After the Ottawa leaders left Washington, the Senate changed the treaty. They added a five-year limit to the Michigan reservations, meaning the Ottawa would only have them for a short time. When the Ottawa met later that summer on Mackinac Island to sign the changed treaty, Wabiwindego refused to sign it. Within a year of this treaty, Michigan officially became a state in the Union.

How Lowell Began

Wabiwindego's largest village was located where the Grand River and the Flat River meet. In 1828, a young settler named Daniel Marsac came to the village. He built a trading post there, and a small community of settlers grew around it. Years later, in 1847, Marsac bought the land where the village stood and named it "Dansville." In 1851, a post office was opened there and named "Lowell." The community was officially renamed Lowell in 1854 and became a village in 1861.

Today, the Lowell Area Historical Museum remembers the Ottawa village and the meeting of Wabiwindego and Marsac. They do this through a special event called “The River of Time.”

The Story of Whitehall and Montague

Wabiwindego also had a smaller farming village on Lake Michigan. It was near the mouth of the White River and was called Waabgankiishkbogong, which means "The Place of White Clay." In 1837, Wabiwindego invited two lumbermen, Charles Mears and his brother Albert, to stay at the village. Charles Mears started a lumber camp there. This camp eventually grew into the towns of Whitehall and Montague by the 1860s.

In 1861, Albert Mears returned to the area and shared stories of his time with Wabiwindego. An article in a local newspaper in 1876 used the spelling "Wabaningo" when talking about Albert Mears' account. Over time, Wabaningo became a well-known figure in the local stories and history of the White Lake area. People started calling the land near the old Ottawa village the Wabaningo Flats. Later, a hotel, a social club, a post office, and even a Boy Scout camp in the area were named "Wabaningo," showing how important Wabiwindego's memory was to the community.

Wabiwindego's Legacy

In the winter of 1837, Wabiwindego passed away during a severe smallpox outbreak. This illness affected many people, both Native Americans and settlers, in the Grand River area. After his death, his son, Shagwabeno, became the new leader of the band.

In 1855, Shagwabeno and another of Wabiwindego's sons, Aishkibegosh, negotiated a new treaty with the United States in Detroit. This treaty finally created permanent reservations for the Grand River Ottawa people in Michigan. Today, Wabiwindego's legacy continues through the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, which is recognized by the federal government, and the Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians, which is currently seeking federal recognition.