(ABOVE) Potawatomi descendants Cindy Michalski and George Godfrey during the Trail of Death commemorative caravan stop at Turtle Run in Danville
They came by a little ahead of schedule. But Tuesday (Sept 19th) morning’s arrival of the caravan commemorating the Trail of Death that the Potawatomi Indian Tribe was forced to travel in 1838 brought in 30 visitors; some of them Potawatomi descendants and some of theme very interested in this important historical event that should never be forgotten.
From September through November, 185 years ago, members of the Potawatomi Indian Tribe were forced from Northern Indiana to Eastern Kansas. Douglas Sparks, a Bishop from the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, came across a sign commemorating the trail three years ago. He immediately googled it, learned about it; and last year, in the spring of 2022, he walked the entire trail, part of it on horseback when some others joined him for the Kansas portion. As Bishop Sparks recalls, he was taking the place of someone who passed away before she could take the ride.
AUDIO: And contacted me and said, “Would you be willing to ride with us when you get to Kansas? The portion of Olathe, Kansas in Heritage Park, all the way to St. Mary’s Mission in Sugar Creek.” And I said, “I would be honored.”
(1st Picture) Bishop Douglas Sparks from the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana gets ready to be interviewed at Turtle Run. (2nd picture) Trail of Death Memorial at Danville’s Ellsworth Park. (3rd Picture) Potawatomi Trail of Death Association president George Godfrey being interviewed by a television reporter.
Also with the caravan, for the first time, was Potawatomi descendant Cindy Michalski; from Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
AUDIO: It feels very personal. It felt as a part of MY history, I needed to see this history; and be a part of it as much as I could. Our goal was to see the whole trail. So far, so good.
And then, the man we spoke with last week, descendant and president of the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association George Godfrey. He says this caravan riding of the trail usually happens every five years, but some of the riders and traditional hosts along the way are getting up there. So the hope is that youngsters, both descendants and those moved by the history of the Trail of Death, will step up and keep it going.
AUDIO: As we get older, we’ll probably have people dropping out. I got an e-mail just a few days ago from a lady in Missouri. She said “I enjoy cooking lunch for you guys, but I can’t do it anymore because of age.” And so, we need to find people who are interested in perhaps hosting, another five years from now.
And to get involved, just start by googling the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association. The day’s journey had begun in Lafayette, Indiana; and the next stop after Turtle Run was in Homer, before it all eventually wraps up at the end of the historic but tragic road traveled, near modern day Osawatomie, Kansas.
