INMARSHA-L Archives

From: Connie <>
Subject: [INMARSHA-L] History of Marshall Co.
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1998 13:19:09 -0400

To all the people who have requested a copy of my paper, I have located
a copy on disk and will try and send sections one at a time. Please
keep in mind, this was a school assignment. To the best of my knowledge
the information is correct. If anyone finds mistakes please let me
know. I hope the information will be helpful and interesting.
The History of Marshall County

Marshall County was named for Chief Justice Marshall who died in 1835,
a year before the county was organized. Indications of the beginning of
the first animal life in the territory now composing Marshall County was
found in the discovery of numerous bones of the mastodon on June of 1874
in the northeast corner of what is now Walnut Township, Bourbon,
Indiana. Since the days of the mastodon there have been traces of the
Mound Builders, who are suppose to date back to the American Indian.
Many years ago two mounds situated close together were found at the area
of Burr Oak Flats which is a short distance from Lake Maxinkuckee.
Indiana was claimed by France from the time of the discovery of the
mouth of the Mississippi River by LaSalle in 1682 to 1763, when it was
relinquished to the government of England, and held by it until 1779, as
a part of her colonial possessions in North America. The state of
Virginia extended its jurisdiction over it until 1783, when it came by
treaty of peace, and by deed of cession from Va. the property of the
US. In 1787 the Northwest Ordinance was passed by congress creating the
territory northwest of the Ohio river, which embraced the territory
above referred to.
At that time the territory in Marshall County was held by the Miami
Indians who were also known as the Twightwees, who permitted the
Pottawattomie Indians, which were gradually gaining a foothold in this
region, to occupy their lands and hunting grounds, until they finally
were recognized as the owners of the territory occupied by them, being
the country north of the Wabash River and South of Lake Michigan. After
the United States came into possession of the territory through the
ordinance of 1787, treaty making began and was kept up until all the
lands were secured from the Indians and they were removed to a
reservation provided for them by the United States.
Prior to the organization of Marshall County, which covered in 1836,
the territory was owned and occupied by the Pottawattomie tribe. Up to
1834 the population was composed entirely of Pottawattomies. The
Pottawattomie tribe of Indians belonged to the Algonquin family, and
were related by ties of ancestry to the Ojibways, Chippewas, and
Ottawas.
The Pottawattomie's migrated from the Lake Superior area eventually
settling in the Marshall Country area. The name of the tribe is said by
a writer on Indian lore to be a compound of Put-a-wa, meaning a blowing
out of the cheeks and Me, a nation. Four or five miles to the southwest
of Plymouth, just north of the Twin Lakes, was the Me-no-mi-nee village,
containing about 100 wigwams, cabins, and teepees, scattered over
several acres of ground. The village was the largest and most important
of those within the county. Here was erected a chapel by the
missionaries sent by the French Catholics to christianize the Indians.
Next to the Me-no-mi-nee village in importance was the Nees-wau-gee and
Quash-qua village on the eastern shore of Lake Maxinkuckee. It was
along that bank that the white man began arriving about 1835-1836.
About six miles south of Bourbon there was also an Indian village know
as the Ben-ak Village which was on the north bank of the Tippecanoe
River.
Among the many Indians that were here when the whites came and became
distinguished in one way or another was Anthony Ni-go, his Indian name
being Otawa Onago and Simon Pokagon. Ni-go came here in 1828 from
Kosciusko County and located at Ben-ak Village. He remained in the
county until his death in Plymouth in 1878. He was married at the
chapel at the Me-no-nee Village in 1828 to Ash-nic, a part Indian, part
French girl. My mother and I recently visited the little Catholic
cemetery at the corner of Oak Road and Harrison St. where Anthony Ni-go
is buried.

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