The Mail-Journal, Volume 7, Number 26, Milford, Kosciusko County, 29 July 1970 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL —

4

Remember When ... A Day At The Old Swimming Hole

' • / Ik , JI AN ENJOYABLE AFTERNOON — Bruce. 14: Brent, 13; and Brian. 10, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Rick McClure of Syracuse found an interesting

Indians Roamed The Land Before The Whiteman Came

Indians roamed the Lakeland area before the whiteman came, in fact, they lived on the eastern shores of Lake Wawasee at the time of the birth of Christ Cedar Point on the east side of the big lake is a glacial kame, a formation defined as "a short hillock of stratified glacial drift formed by a subglacial stream emerging from Under the ice .’’ In the book, “Early Wawasee Days” written about the lake by Eli Lilly one learns of a type of Indian belonging to the Glacial Kame Culture that lived on Cedar Point about the time Christ was bom The culture s name comes from the fact they usually chose one of these glacial formations to camp upon and in which to bury their dead. In the 1970’s or 1880 s, Mr. Lilly’s book tells, a recluse built a hut on Cedar Point and found human bones protuding from the western face of the bluff Several times when foundations or basements for cottages were dug on the point skeletal material and artifacts have been exhumed Indian fireplaces have been found in various places on the top of the bluff. It’s hard to feature what this land must have been like before the whiteman came and what those early visitors must have seen Dense forest covered the area and made it a beautiful place with it's many clear

UVf Mtr [ MiM PETERSEN! KALE ISLAND BAIT HOUSE

•nilirintfOl)! |R» 3KL w» B&K DRIVE-IN j South Os Syracuse — FEATURING — CARRY-OUT ROOT BEER Qte. 35« — y 2 Gab. 4S<5 — G»l». 75< Spanish Hot Dogs and Other Delicious Sandwiches

Wed., July 29, 1970

sparkling springfed lakes. Abundant game roamed the treecovered land and fish were plentiful. The majestic, bald eagle, was known to have soared overhead. Truly, it must have been a place of beauty! Not until 1670-1672 did the first whiteman venture as far northwest as Indiana or Lake Michigan. These men were French — Claude Allouez and Claude Dabion. who probably visited Indiana north of the Kankankee River; and M. Joliet and James Marquette, who went as far west as the Mississippi River It is. however, unlikely that any of thse early explorers visited what is now known as Kosciusko county The Ihnd within the present limits of the county were ceded to the United States in October of 1832 The Indian agent at the time was General John Tipton. The chiefs of the area were “Pa-hed-ke-teh-a,, and his brother “Waw-wa-aus*see" and “Musquabuck." The treaty was ratified in January 21. 1833 with the county being established on February 7, 1835 and organized in April of 1836 The treaty signaled for immediate occupation of the land by the white people The Indians had small reservations which were made to include their villages. A total of 72 noted chieftains participated with "Pa-hed-ke-teh-a’s” name heading the list and "Waw-wa-aus-see s" being fourth Papakeechie Like many of the older names the one belonging to the mostinfluential chief of the area has appeared several ways in several different books over the past few decades Papakeechie lake was named after said chief. Older atlases and books use the name Pappakeechie while Mr. Lilly’s hook on Wawasee shows Pa-hed-ke-ten-a. Papakeecha and an old book this reporter found on the

piii -c- IBKb a.w - ■ A MARKER — This marker is one of many of historical importance placed in the Lakeland area. It was placed on the point by Mr. and Mrs. John O. Abshire • The point was created by a subglacial stream during the ice age and was used by the Indians years ago as a camp site and burial ground.

history of the county lists him simply as chief “Flat Belly.” His name, says Mr. Lilly’s book, is prosaically translated, “Flat He was 60 years old by the time the whiteman arrived here and was described as a dark copper color, inclined to corpulency and giving to wearing a silver ring or fish bone through his nose \ He was ceded a reservation in the treaty. Its western almost bisected Lake Wawasee. The present sites of the Wawasee Prep school and th South Shore of the lake where the old Inn of the same name used to be. lie within the western edge of his reservation About 75 persons resided in his village. It was on the site of what is now Indian Village in Noble county. Not to many years later his reservation was included in the land grant given to the Wabash and Erie Canal The chief died in 1838 or 1840 and is buried near the northeast

HEATING r ' Residential - commercial •S ? dial 834-4477 IF NO ANS. CALL 834-4276 WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL I ELECTRIC SERVICE PLUMBING &. HEATING NORTH WEBSTER, IND.

_ -•■"iTirn-tiTiiiiin-r -riTirrifi-irtr-. A •A. jki' ' -* vui t • ' j .J* A r •*! —•>!* ■ t _ A 4B ■ r. - Hr , X way to cool off last Sunday afternoon and brought back memories of the good old days to many who spied them. ,

corner ot the lake that bears his name. Wawasee Wawasee or Wa-wa-aus-see was a brother to Papakeechie. They were of the Miami Nation. Wawasee is the chief that is most remembered in the region. Two lakes have been named after him and the new Lakeland Community School Corporation high school bears his name. His village was on the southeast corner of Waubee lake. Camp Mack is currently located on the site. The lake was named after the chief with the name being mispronounced and misspelled enough in earlier years to make it come out Waubee. Musquabuck z The third important chief of the area was Musquabuck. He was a member of the Pottawatomie Tribe. The villages of the Pottawatomie were along the Tippecanoe River. Other chiefs of the nation were Mo-no-quet, Checose and Mo-tan

' nrZ -■w ■'' •»TV > ’- • UJt ** a - ■ •-■ • -- ■** - * 14 - . I AN INDIAN RESERVATION — A large part of the land around Lake Wawasee’s east side was at one time included in the reservation of Miami chief “Flat Belly” or “Papakeechie”. Papakeechie was some 60 years old at the time the white man came to the Lakeland area. They built him a large brick home in what is now Indian Village and there he lived and ruled his nation. The old chief is buried in the area with the grave being at the northeast corner of the lake which bears his name.

Musquabuek’s village was located where Oswego nowstands. 1 ■ Indian Hill Indian Hill is the area of land that rises from the north shore of Syracuse lake. It’s one and a half miles east of town It was so named because of the fact that before the whiteman came to settle the land the Indians of the area used the hill for a “campo santo." As such it was a burial ground. As was the custom of the tribe the dead was wrapped carefully and then hoisted into the trees After a time the wrappings around the

cantmeOd k . ffiS. AMERICAN FOOD Reservation* Required > HOURS: 4 to 10 p.m. Week Days 12 to 10 p.m. Sundays Closed Mondays poo we Phone: 457-3774 Wawasee Village South of Syracuse

Km. 888 Lmr ■ •■•■■•^^'• a * Mr*, M ■F“’ _ SJp.. ”r They used the bridge to Lake Wawasee in Hawaiian village as a jumping off point into the channel there.

bodies would disintegrate and the bones would be loosened and fall to the ground. According to the old timers of the area and re-counted in Mr. Lilly’s book, to this day the death wail of the mourning squaws may . be heard accompanying the howling of the wind, the play of lightning and the crash of thunder on a stormy night. The Dugout Indiana university has in its possession an old Indian dug out thanks to the Edwin Jamisons of Syracuse lake. It seems young Dick Jamison was fishing in the summer of 1958 when his curiosity’ was aroused by a wobbling image on the bottom of the lake. He marked the spot, returning several times to examine his find. Mr. Lilly’s book tells how Dick aroused his father's interest in June of 1959 and of how the two set off to see what they could find It tells of how they began laboriously and painstakingly to remove the moss, marl and slime that increased in thickness as they approached the end extending toward the lake. Finally they exposed the age-blackened hulk of the ancient craft that had been burned and hewed out of an enormous tulip tree. There was no doubt that they had resurrected a dugout. It and other area landmarks help to recall the proud history of the men who resided in the Lakeland area long before the whiteman came

54. MARYANN DRIVE-IN • 'TRY OUR V 6 LB. MARYANN BURGER-' • HAND-DIPPED ICE CREAM OPEN 11 A. M. EACH DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK (IN SUMMER) Call SYRACUSE 457-4322 CARRY OUT SERVICE WAWASEE VILLAGE — SYRACUSE FIRSTS NO ONLY SECONDS MAGEE BARGAIN BARN BRANCH OF MAGEE 5c to SI.OO STORES Sold BELOW Chain Store Unusual and Inexpensive Gifts 29c to $2.98 Bird Baths $2.98 up Colored Gazing Balls $6.95 Colored Concrete Patio Slabs Decorative Cement Blocks ■ Concrete Ums and Porch Boxes $2.98 and upH MORE CUT PRICE BARGAINS EACH WEEK | Magee Pottery | Mile North of N. Webster on Highway Open Every Afternoon -1 till 8 Golf Is Fun ASkSouth Shore Golf Course SOUTH SIDE LAKE WAWASEE ' • 18-HOLE REGULATION COURSE • CLUB HOUSE FACILITIES • PRO SHOP • BAR AND DINING ROOM • SERVING BREAKFAST, DINNER, SUPPER Jim & Dorothy Connolly Managers STEVE RODERICK —Pro