Trail of Courage has extra attractions in 2018

A hoop dancer flying here from California, a new book Two-Moon Journey, Trail of Death caravan from Indiana to Kansas, honoring St. Philippine Duchesne - missionary to the Potawatomi in Kansas, new foods and booths - the Trail of Courage Living History Festival will have extra attractions Sept. 15-16, 2018. The festival portrays frontier Indiana at the Fulton County Historical Society grounds four miles north of Rochester on U.S. 31. The museum, round barn and living history village are at the north end of the grounds, and the Trail of Courage is at the south end by the Tippecanoe River. It is open Saturday 10 to 5, and Sunday 10 to 4.Admission is charged.

Each year a different Potawatomi family is honored and their history published in a folder at the replica 1832 Chippeway Village post office. The honored Potawatomi family had ancestors on the Trail of Death or lived in Indiana before the forced removal of 1838. This year the honored Potawatomi family is Gary Wiskigeamatyuk, who performs hoop dances at Knott’s Berry Farm in California. His ancestor was Abram Burnett on the Trail of Death - see Chief Abram Burnett website. Gary and his wife and two children will take part in the Indian dances 2 - 3 p.m. with Gary as Head Man Dancer. Gary will perform the hoop dance on the two stages, which present pre-1840 music, dance and history all day. Other programs include bagpipers, fife and drums, string band, guitar and flute, Aztec dancers, Frontier Frolic, and a historic Russian fashion show.

Two-Moon Journey by Peggy King Anderson tells the story of the Trail of Death through the eyes of a little girl whose father was locked in the jail wagon as they traveled across Indiana. Father Petit caught up with them at Danville, Illinois, and the chiefs were released, as the 850 Potawatomi continued their emigration march across Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, a two month (moon) journey. The girl learned how to forgive the mean soldier who mistreated them on the way and begin a new life in Kansas.

Immediately following on Monday morning the Trail of Death Commemorative Caravan will begin its 660 mile one-week trip, Sept. 17-22, following the 1838 route taken by the Potawatomi to Sugar Creek in Linn County, Kansas. The caravan is available to all interested person as each provides his own vehicle, motel and meals. To register to go, print and mail the form found on www.potawatomi-tda.org. Caravan members will stop at some of the 80 historical markers, give programs, and dedicate new historic highway signs along the way. Several nuns will be traveling with the caravan to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the arrival in America of Philippine Duchesne, who was a missionary to the Potawatomi at Sugar Creek 1841-42. She became known as “She Who Prays Always” and was canonized in 1988, the first female saint west of the Mississippi River.

Also new for the Trail of Courage are the Rochester Masonic Lodge serving pancakes and sausage for breakfast. The Anderson Marching Highlanders will add pulled pork to their Scottish pies booth which they built new last year. Other foods include biscuits & sausage gravy breakfast, apple sausage sandwiches, buffalo burgers, ham & beans & cornbread, vegetable soup, chicken & noodles, Cherokee tacos & fry bread, venison chili, apple dumplings, ice cream with fruit toppings, homemade root beer, corn popped in big iron kettle, turkey legs, pork chops, sweet corn roasting ears, potato chips fried in big iron kettles, pastries and fudge. All cooking is over wood fires.

Re-encators will again come to the Trail of Courage, setting up tents in the camps depicting French & Indian War era, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Plains Indian teepees, Miami Indian wigwams and Potawatomi long house. More than 30 booths made of old barn boards or log siding will showcase traditional crafts such as basketry, spinning and weaving, historic clothing, jewelry, knives, kettles - nearly everything needed to live in frontier Indiana. Canoe rides on the Tippecanoe River, Mountain Man tug-of-war, candle dipping - all enthrall the children. Cannon demonstrations, muzzleloading matches and tomahawk throwing contests are held.

This is a big festival that attracts 14,000 or more. Free parking, free admission to the museum, round barn and living history village called Loyal, Indiana, at north end of grounds. Admission to Trail of Courage is $8 adults, $3 children age 11 to 6, free for age 5 and under.

For more information see www.fultoncountyhistory.org or call 574-223-4436.

Gary Wiskigeamatyuk is an enrolled tribal member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas. A direct descendant of Chief Abram Burnett and is the great grandson of Potawatomi Holy Man Chief Wiskigeamatyuk whose son, James Wahbnosah, a respected Prairie Band ritual leader, was Gary’s grandfather. He has worked as a Native performer at Knotts Berry Farms American Indian establishment for over 26 years in presentations of social Native American song and dance and in the education department presenting lectures of native history to hundreds of schools, anthropology departments and museums every year. Among the dances he performs is the famed hoop dance, which he will do at the Trail of Courage.


This page updated Aug 23, 2018.