Wahbememe Memorial Park

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Wahbememe Memorial Park is located in White Pigeon, Michigan at the intersection of the US-12 and US-131 roads. This is a park under the care of the St. Joseph County Michigan Parks and Recreation organization that contains a monument honoring Chief Wahbememe, for whom this town is named in honor. Chief Wahbememe was the Chief of the Potawatomi Nation which is believed to have lived in the areas that are now considered Wisconsin, Southwest Michigan, northern Illinois, as well as a part of Indiana. In the 1700s and early 1800s, as Europeans made contact with the Potawatomi Nation, the situation changed as settlers arrived.

Images

Wahbememe Memorial Park in White Pigeon, Michigan

Other Side of the Wahbememe Memorial Park Marker

Chief Wahbememe's Monument

Chief Wahbememe Burial Site Landmark

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The reason why this location was established is because of how strong Chief Wahbememe’s power and the legend attached to him stayed through the centuries. The legend roughly states that in the early 1800s Chief Wahbememe was on a friendly basis with white settlers who, at that time, were living in a settlement that was roughly located where White Pigeon is now. His relationship with these settlers wasn’t replicated across other indigenous nations. During a meeting with the Council of Chiefs, that occurred in an area that is roughly now Detroit, the Chief heard that the white settlers were in danger because of another Native American nation. He left and ran non-stop to the settlement that was around 150 miles away. After not eating or resting, he arrived to warn the white settlers. Chief Wahbememe accomplished this and then collapsed and passed away.

Chief Wahbememe is highlighted in the town only by the legend in which he helped white settlers. Other than this, there’s not a lot of information or records about his life before this event that allegedly caused his death. It’s important to recognize this town’s history. White Pigeon, the town named after Chief Wahbememe wouldn’t have continued to thrive and be the town it is today if every white settler had been ambushed and passed away. Whether the exact details in the legend were actually true or not, Chief Wahbememe still played a great part in the establishment of White Pigeon.

Sources

“Wahbememe Memorial Park.” St. Joseph County Michigan Parks and Recreation. St. Joseph County Michigan. 9 Dec. 2020. https://www.stjosephcountymi.org/parks/parks_wahbememe.php

"History". Village of White Pigeon. White Pigeon Township. Accessed Date 10 Dec. 2020. https://whitepigeonvillage.com/history/.

Soto, Casey. “The Potawatomi Nation: The Ancestry of White Pigeon.” May 2019. https://arcg.is/0GOjO8

“Chief Wahbememe Burial Site.” MichMarkers. MichMarkers. 2020. http://www.michmarkers.com/default?page=L1521

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Taken by Casey Soto on December 14th, 2020