The Great Battle

The marker, erected in 1925, says "Site of Legendary Battle between the Shawnee and Federated Indian Tribes in 1802". The "Federated Indian Tribes" refers to Anishinaabe, People of the Three Fires, in this area primarily the Potawatomi, who were pushed out of the general Detroit area by the Iroquois in the 1600s and 1700s. The story of this battle was remembered through oral tradition and only written down much later. It was a running battle, following the river routes from what is now the center of town up the Portage River banks. Generations of settlers found weapons and remnants of battle as they built homes and farms in the area.

The point of the battle is believed to be an expansion attempt by peoples from the Washbash valley in what is now Indiana into the Potawatomi's farmland and hunting land. Although the story of this particular battle was not recorded by any European or US historian of the time, the story continues to be known locally.

The oral history of this battle was collected and written down by Flavius Josephus Littlejohn, who was not an anthropologist but was himself a popular storyteller, in the late 1800s. His book, "Legends of Michigan and the Old Northwest", was described by historian Sue Stillman as "A white man's attempt at an Indian's style of oratory and story telling." It is assumed that he added his own decorative details to the story of the Three Rivers battle.

Sunday Drive

Buried in the roadside shrubbery is another mysterious historical marker, a brass plaque inset into a boulder.

ESCHOL
Pioneer Village
Platted 1833
Elrected by Abiel Fellows Chapter, D.A.R., 1925

On Constantine Road, by the bridge over the St. Joseph River. There is no sign of any "village" in the vicinity, just a couple of modern houses. Historian Sue Stillman, in the local history "St. Joseph in Homespun", wrote in 1931 of the "the deserted village of Eschol." Local lore says that Sauganash was buried in Eschol, as it was built on an old trade route; a nearby golf course was named after him in the 1920s. Stillman thought it more likely that the grave was for another Potawatomi with a similar name.

A Capsule History of Three Rivers

Historical marker downtown gives a quick historical rundown:

"THREE RIVERS Here the Rocky and Portage rivers join the winding St. Joseph River. Many centuries before the coming of the white man the junction of these water routes made this a favorite camping site for Indians. La Salle came through the region in 1680 on his way east, and in his wake came other Frenchmen who traded with the Indians. Three Rivers, founded in the 1830s, was as far as large boats could come up the St. Joseph. Flatboats and rafts were used to carry goods to and from Lake Michigan."
"Michigan Historical Commission registered site No. 150"

In 1654 a Frenchman, Medard Chouart Des Groseilliers, traveled the whole length of the St. Joseph River. It is known that Miami peoples lived along the St. Joseph River in the 1600s, but were pushed out by Iroquois fur traders. Potawatomi moved into the area in the late 1600s. The confluence of the three major area rivers made it an ideal trading place in the days when travel was done mainly by canoe. More on the Friends of the St. Joseph River Association website.

The flatboat era ran from around 1830 to 1844; the large barges, called arks, carried freight one way. They were dismantled when they reached Lake Michigan. Flatboats were superseded by steamboats, and the railroad came to Three Rivers about 1865.