Marker located in Soldiers Memorial Park in LaPorte Indiana across from the beach on Stone Lake. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson had signed the Indian Removal Act, which gave the president power to negotiate treaties by which Indians would give up their lands east of the Mississippi River in exchange for lands to the west. The removals were supposed to be voluntary, but some tribes did not want to go. In Indiana, Chief Menominee of the Twin Lakes region led the resistance. Although Menominee's name and mark appear on several land cession treaties, including the Treaty of St. Mary's (1818), the Treaty of Mississinwas (1826), the Treaty of Tippecanoe (1832), and the treaty signed on December 16, 1834, he and other Potawatomi refused to take part in subsequent land cession negotiations, including the Treaty of Yellow River (1836), that directly led to the forced removal of Menominee's band from Indiana in 1838. In the summer of 1838, Governor David Wallace appointed General John Tipton to head a removal effort. Tipton, with about 100 armed militia, traveled to Twin Lakes area and rounded up all Potawatomi within a 30-mile radius. On the morning of Sept. 4, 1838, 859 Potawatomi were forced from their homes in northern Indiana and sent on foot and horseback to the "Unorganized Territory" of Kansas to begin a new life. Chief Menominee was tied up like a dog and forced to go west with the others. The march became known as the Trail of Death because 42 Indians died along the way. Hundreds fell ill during the two-month 660 mile journey across Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Most settled around a Catholic mission in eastern Kansas called Sugar Creek. Thanks for looking & commenting. Previous Photo: ----------- * RangeRiderRichard's Photo Albums: Architecture | Atmosphere & Mood | Landscapes | Critters | Flowers & Plants | Miscellaneous | Food | Artwork | Poetry | Holidays | People