1687 – Potawatomi Migration Back to Michigan

Figure 8. Location of Tribes, 1715, Courtesy of Michigan State University. Reprinted from “The History of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi,” by J. Chevis, 2018, Presented at the Colon Township Library.

The French and Algonquin* started pushing the Iroquois back to New York in 1687 (“Potawatomi,” 2019, p. 1). As the invaders withdrew, the Potawatomi journeyed south along Lake Michigan, reaching the southern shores around 1695 (“Potawatomi,” 2019, p. 1). One band established a home near a Jesuit mission along the St. Joseph River in southwestern Michigan (“Potawatomi,” 2019, p. 1). Many other Potawatomi soon settled near the newly built Fort Pontchartrain in Detroit in 1701 (“Potawatomi,” 2019, p. 1). By 1716, the Potawatomi would set up many villages from Detroit to Milwaukee (“Potawatomi,” 2019, p. 1).

* The Algonquin people group consists of those who speak Algonquian languages (Potawatomi is classified as a Central Algonquian language).

References:

Chivis, J. (2018). The History of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. Presented at the Colon Township Library. Colon Township Library.

Michigan State University. (n.d.). Location of Tribes, 1715.

Potawatomi. (2018, October 25). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:38, April 23, 2019 from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Potawatomi&oldid=1015500.