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Wakatomika facts for kids

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For the present settlement, see Wakatomika, Ohio.

Wakatomika was the name of two old villages belonging to the Shawnee people. They were located in what is now the state of Ohio in the 1700s. You might see the name spelled in different ways, like Wapatomica or Waketomika. It's important not to confuse it with another Shawnee village called Wapakoneta. Both Wakatomika villages were destroyed in attacks, one in 1774 and the other in 1786.

The First Wakatomika Village

The first Wakatomika village was built along the Muskingum River. This was near where the town of Dresden, Ohio is today. It was also close to several towns of the Lenape people.

Shawnee people from a place called Upper Shawneetown started this village around 1756. Upper Shawneetown was located along the Ohio River. The Shawnee wanted to move away from attacks by the colony of Virginia. This was happening because of the French and Indian War, which began in 1754.

For similar reasons, in 1758, Shawnee people from Lower Shawneetown also moved. They moved about 50 miles up the Ohio River. They then built new towns on the Pickaway Plains, near modern Circleville, Ohio.

In August 1774, during a conflict called Dunmore's War, the first Wakatomika village was destroyed. Virginia soldiers, led by Angus McDonald, attacked it. They also destroyed four other Shawnee villages along the Muskingum River.

The Second Wakatomika Village

After their first village was destroyed, the Shawnee people of Wakatomika moved west. By 1778, they had built a new Wakatomika village. This second village was on the Mad River. It was about two miles south of where Zanesfield, Ohio is now.

This new village, along with other nearby Shawnee towns, was destroyed in 1786. This happened during an expedition led by Benjamin Logan. This attack marked the beginning of the Northwest Indian War.

Wakatomika's Legacy Today

The second Wakatomika village is remembered with two special markers. The first marker was put up in 1930. The second one was placed in 2010 by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Ohio Historical Society.

The name "Wakatomika" is still used for several places today, including:

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