Gibson County, Indiana - Chapter 2: [ndian Occupancy Other Races, 1914

Chapter 2: [ndian Occupancy Other Races

Before the pioneer white settlers invaded the green glad solitude of what is now known as Gibson county, the red man inhabited this territory. The Indians who roamed at will over the hills and valleys of this region were made up from remnants of several tribes, including the Shawnee, Sacs, Fox, Kickapoo,' Miami and Pottawatomies. Of the Shawnee, old "Trackwell" was a noted chief. He had a village of several wigwams located on Indian creek, about two miles northeast of where Princeton is located. The Miamis had a fort on the Patoka river and claimed ownership to a portion of the territory. As civilization approached from the south and east, the Indians gradually disappeared, moving westward. The forest wilds yielded to the axe of the sturdy pioneer and were transformed into fields of waving grain and corn. Long decades since the foundations of industry were established on the ruins of the Indian wigwam and the noise and din of the trades of civilized artisans have been heard where once the stillness of the dark, dense forests was unbroken, save by the whoop of the sa^-age Indian tribes, warring one with the other.

The Indiana Legislature requested the Congress of the United States in the early thirties to quiet all the Indian titles in this state. This request was granted and by treaty the Pottawatomies ceded to the government of the United States six million acres of land, all they possessed. A little later the Aliamis, through the labors of Col. A. C. Pepper, Indian agent, sold a considerable portion of their most desirable reserves to the United States.

In 1838 Colonel Pepper and General Tipton, with an escort of United States soldiers, conducted about one thousand- Pottawatomies to the west of the Mississippi river, western Iowa getting many of the tribe, and later these were induced to move on to the southwestern territories. A few, however, of both tribes lingered around their old haunts and hunting grounds, refusing to lie consoled at their loss. But after white men commenced gathering in thicker settlements, they, too, sought the sinking sun and joined their brethren in the western country above named.

sympathize with the Indian in what he has suffered at the hand of the white man; yet we may recollect that he, too, was a despoiler. A civilization of no small pretensions antedated his advent, or at least his savage condition. Whether this civilization was that of a tlistinct race, or something which the Indians had lost, cannot be certainly told. Certain it is, however, that what is now Gibson county was inhabited by a pre-historic race. Evidences of its existence and civilization are numerous. Specimens of pottery, of fair workmanship and artistic adornments, are found in the mounds which these ancient people, for reasons best known to themselves, threw up In some parts of the state various implements of copper have been found, the work of these aborigines. Copper l^lades have been discovered, tempered so highly as to defy the efforts of modern art. The Indians who roamed and hunted over the wooded hills and vales of Gibson county were chiefly remnants of the Kickapoos, Shawnees, Sacs, Foxes, Pottawatomies and the Miamis. They were generally friendly, seldom committing any depredations beyond occasionally stealing poultry, hogs and sheep. Old "Trackwell," a chief of the Shawnee tribe, had a town of several wigwams. The town was here when the first settlers came in and was located on Indian creek, two miles northeast of Princeton, on section 4, township 2, range 10. The old chief and his'tribe were very friendly with the whites. The Miamis claimed ownership to a part of this localit}'. They had a fort on the south side of the river a short distance from the present site of the Patoka bridge.

Burning Of An Indian Village Near Owen.Sville

Cockrum's Pioneer History of Indiana says of this event: "The last village inhabited by the Indians in the southwestern part of Gibson county was located in the northeast corner of section 9, township 3, range 12, and in section 4, township 3, range 12, two miles west of Owensville. It was a straggling village, extending westward from the northeast corner of section 9, for about a mile, composed of wigwams and ijuilt along the springs coming out of the foot of the sand hills.

"The Indians were driven away late in the summer or early in the fall of 1807, and the wigwams burned all except a few which w^ere still there in 1809. The village was destroyed by Capt. Jacob Warrick and others. If there was any fighting done or Indians killed it was ne\er known except I)y those engaged in it. There were very good reasons for their silence, as tlie government did not allow such acts when at peace with the Indians. (3)

"Captain Warrick settled on the northwest quarter of section ii, east of the village. Purty Old Tom Montgomery, Captain Warrick's father-inlaw, settled on the southwest quarter of section 12, Robert Anderson and sons settled northeast of Owensville and others were living in the vicinity of Owensville ten }-ears before the town was laid out. The men who assisted Captain Warrick in driving the Indians away and destroying their town were men who had settled west and southwest of :\nderson's creek, now Marsh creek, in the neighborhood of Owens\-ille and i)robably others from the neighborhood of Princeton, seven years before Princeton was laid out. The village belonged to the Piankeshaws, and the Indians who got away crossed the M'abash river into southern Illinois, which was then Indiana Territory.

"The destruction of the village made the Indians hostile and it came near bringing on war, and no doubt would, had it not been for the second raid across the Wabash river.

"After the destruction of the village, the settlers found the Indians were coming back and prowling around in the neighborhood. of nights. They also found that they were going back along the old Indian trace from the bluff to the island, their crossing.

"The settlers, becoming very uneasy for fear they would be attacked and massacred, hastih' organized a company about the first of October, 1807, all well mounted and armed. They took the old Indian trace early one: morning for Coffee Island ford on the Wabash river. They rode across the ford to the west bank of the ri\er and there held a council and laid plans for advancing. Captain Warrick was to follow the Indian trace and the others to deploy on each side of him within hearing distance. The old Indian fighters were placed on the extreme right and left flanks. Robert Anderson and his son. Watt, were on the right and Purty Old Tom Montgomery was on the left of the line and the younger men were between Montgomery and Warrick and Anderson and Warrick. The orders were for Warrick to ride down the trace slowly and cautiously. Young Sam Anderson, with Warrick, was carrying a large cow's horn instead of a bugle. The signal to retreat, if too many Indians were found, was to be two long blasts on the horn and a shot from a rifle. The objective point was the Piankeshaw Indian village located on a small stream running in a westerly direction into Bumpas.

"They folloAved the trace to the east end of a small prairie. Captain Warrick and others rode into the edge of the prairie and disco\'ered fifty or sixt}^ Indian warriors advancing east to meet them, bnt out of reach of their guns. They rode back inti) the timlter. Ca])tain AA'arrick ordered /Vnderson to give the retreat signal (jn tlie horn, and tlie}' retreated to the ford as rapidly as possible, all reaching there about the same time except Purty Old Tom Montgomery. Captain Warrick ordered them to cross the ford in haste, but four or five old Indian fighters - Old Bob Anderson, his- son Watt and a few others - stayed with Warrick to wait for Montgomer)-. They waited as long as they dared, and then crossed the river to the rest of the company. The}' hadn't been across long when twenty-five or thirty Indians came up on the other side of the ri\'er. Then Bob Anderson said to Captain \\'arrick. 'Tom's gone this time," Ixit he was wrong; a man who had fought Indians over half of old \'irginia, all of Kentucky and southLTii Indiana could ni;it be captured by Piankeshaw Indians. In advancing, Montgomeryhad got too far to the left and away in advance of the line. Wdien he heard the signal to retreat he turned his liorse and rode into the south edge (jf the prairie. W'hen he saw that the Indians were going into the forest from the east end of the prairie and that he was cut off from the others, he rode back into the timber and rode for the river as fast as his horse would carry him. AA'hen he reached the river he swam his horse to the Indiana side and rode up on the bank where he could see over the brush at the point where he crossed the river, knowing the Indians would come on the trail of his horse.

"Eight or ten Indians had followetl him to the edge of the water, and he shot at them across the ri\er. When the company at the island heard the shot, old Robert Anderson said, 'Boys, that's Tom's gun,' and they answered him. They did not have to wait long until Purty Old Tom came riding up to the company as unconcernedly as if lie had been on a deer hunt.

"The little creek that the Piankeshaw village was on drained a low, wet prairie, that since that time was named X'illage creek, and the ])rairie named Compton prairie.

"The Montgomery referred to in this story was the first of the family to locate in southwestern Indiana. From him has descended the large influential family of ]\Iontgomerys and their descendants in southwestern Indiana and Illinois."

The Appearance Of White Men

Four hundred years ago this vast region known as the "Territory of the United States Northwest of the Ohio River," washed by more than three thousand miles of navigable waters, was unknown to the white race. This region contained an area of almost two hundred and sixty-seven thousand square miles and had within its boundaries what are now known as the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and that portion of Minnesota east of the Mississippi river. It was thinly settled by numerous tribes of Indians who had for unknown centuries roamed at will over its beautiful prairies and rich valleys, with forests and glens as charming hunting and fishing grounds, where all was as the hand of the Creator had fashioned it. The fertile soil found in this great domain furnished these tribes with corn and tobacco. The buffalo, bear, the nimble-footed deer and elk provided them with ample supply of meat and clothing. The lakes and swift-running streams all abounded in many fine fishes.

Nearly a hundred and fifty years had passed after the discovery of America before any part of the region just named had been visited by Europeans, and then only by some few daring explorers and adventurers.

In 1607 the English effected a settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, and a year later French adventurers founded the city of Quebec, and from that date on, for a century and a half, France and Great Britain were animated rivals to secure the trade and commerce of North America. The French settlers were nearly all adventurers, traders and religious teachers of the Roman Catholic faith. The English people were of the home-seeking class, with a goodly number of adventurers and traders. During this period the chief characters known now in history were the French adventurers, Joliette, Marquette, LaSalle and their associates.