The Potawatomi name is a translation of the Ojibwe "potawatomink" meaning "people of the place of fire." In their own language, the Potawatomi refer to themselves as the Nishnabek, or "people."
In 1600, the Potawatomi lived in the northern third of lower Michigan. Threatened by the Ontario tribes trading with the French during the late 1630's, the Potawatomi began leaving their homeland in 1641, and moved to the west side of Lake Michigan. This was completed during the 1650's. By 1665, all of the Potawatomi were living on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula just east of Green Bay. During the 1700's, the expanded into northern Indiana and central Illinois.
Land cessions to the Americans began in 1807, and during the next 25 years drastically reduced their territory. Removal west of the Mississippi occurred between 1834 and 1842. The Potawatomi's were removed in two groups: The Prairie, and Forest Bands. In 1846, the two groups were merged and placed on a single reservation north of Topeka. Several Potawatomi groups avoided removal and remained in the Great Lakes.
Indiana governor David Wallace sent General John Tipton to force the removal of the Potawatomi. When Tipton arrived at Menominee's village, he arrested every Potawatomi there. The soldiers burned the village, and forced 859 Potawatomi to depart on what they would call the "Trail of Death." Not nearly as famous as the Cherokee "Trail of Tears," but every bit as deadly. The second day out, the first child died, and 51 Potawatomi became too sick to continue. By the time they reached Longsport, four more children died. The 300 that were sick required a halt so a hospital could be erected. The march continued across northern Illinois until it reached the ferry crossing the Mississippi at Quincy, Illinois. The Potawatomi camped outside the town for a few days while the ferry carried their baggage across. When Sunday came, more than 300 of these "wild Indians" attended mass at the local Catholic church. The church was less than a half mile from the site of the Potawatomi village destroyed by Roger's Rangers in 1813. Less than 700 Potawatomi arrived at their destination. Half the graves marking the route they traveled were filled with children.
Most of their land was lost to allotments in 1889. Their tribal council ceased after 1900. Their bureau agency closed in 1903, and annuities stopped six years later. By 1925, only 22% of their land remained scattered in a checkerboard pattern. Federal recognition has been maintained despite efforts to terminate them in 1953.
