SHIPSHEWANA – The LaGrange County Tourism Foundation (LCTF) has been awarded a $5,000 grant to fund the “Voices of the First People: Audio History of Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi,” a project highlighting the prominent Potawatomi leader and tribe who call the region home.
Awarded by the Indiana Arts Commission’s America250 initiative, the grant supports the creation of a narrated audio experience that will be installed next to the Chief Shipshewana memorial at the intersection of CR N900W and CR N905W. The project will be managed by the LaGrange County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The audio guide aims to create an engaging and educational experience for visitors, residents, and history enthusiasts alike. Through the narrated audio history, audiences will gain insight into the rich culture of Chief Shipshewana, the Potawatomi tribe, and their way of life in and around LaGrange County.
When European settlers arrived in the early 1800s, the Potawatomi welcomed them with kindness. Two settlers, Hezekiah and Sarah Davis, befriended the chief. However, the demand for land from those settlers led to the passing of the Indian Removal Act. In 1838, an armed militia of around 100 marched the Potawatomi and Chief Shipshewana along what has been called the Trail of Death to the Osage River in Kansas. Along the way, 41 died, and according to former Shipshewana town mayor, Norman Kauffmann, many mothers left their newborn babies with strangers in communities they passed.
The group reached Kansas on November 4, 1838. A year later, Chief Shipshewana was granted permission to return to his ancestral lands in Northern Indiana. Chief Shipshewana lived for another two years before dying in 1841. Years later, Sarah Davis encouraged leaders to rename the town, once called Davistown, to Shipshewana to honor Chief Shipshewana.
Kauffmann said, “This grant is very meaningful and is a great way to make reparations for what the Potawatomi lost. It means a lot to me because I made promises to the fifth-generation descendants of the chief that I would do my best to get the truth about their history here.”
The $5,000 grant is part of a larger $60,000 grant supporting arts projects throughout Indiana. More than 100 organizations around the state applied for the grant, and 12, including the LaGrange County Tourism Foundation, were selected.
Learn more about each of the funded projects.
The grant underscores the importance of creating and supporting arts projects such as the history of Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi people, ensuring that their stories are never forgotten.
“We are honored to be selected for this highly competitive program and grateful to the Indiana Arts Commission for recognizing the importance of sharing the story of Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi people,” said Sonya Nash, CEO of the Shipshewana/LaGrange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Today’s visitors are looking for deeper connections to the places they love, and this project allows us to bring that history to life in an authentic and meaningful way.”
The America250 Grant Program is a one-time program made possible through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Indiana General Assembly.
About The LaGrange County Tourism Foundation
The LaGrange County Tourism Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports tourism development through education, agritourism, arts, placemaking, and infrastructure projects that benefit both residents and visitors.
