3rd Class: The Prehistory of the Vincennes Area

In going over my notes I experience a not uncommon problem: they are merely notes, jottings, not fleshed out. Most of the Big Picture (French/Indian War, etc.) historical material here is available elsewhere in books and on the web, so I am not too concerned about the lack of depth in this blog. I am more interested in relating what I can about the unpublished/ not-generally-known information about the Vincennes area itself that unfolds in this class. I’ll try to include an occasional web site in this blog if I think anyone would be interested in learning more elsewhere. Such as:

The Glenn A. Black Lab at Indiana University is developing quite a collection of online primary sources in its The Ohio Valley Great Lakes Ethnohistory Archives at http://www.gbl.indiana.edu/ohioarch.html , for instance.

Also, occasionally the presenters recommend books and I’ll include these as well. At times my notes will be sparse, at times more informed (or so I hope).

Prehistoric Indians: A time tablePaleo Indians 10,000-7,500 B.C. (associated with large animals use)
Archaic Indians 8,000-700 B.C. (elk, bear, buffalo)
Woodland Indians 10,000-1200 A.D. (pottery, agriculture developed, corn, mound
building, bow/arrows)
Mississippian Indians 6,900-1,650 AD (Angel, Cahokia Mounds, trading from far away)

Most in this area were Adena/Moundbuilder peoples. Mounds tended to be built in threes, always facing east/west.

Vincennes Culture is a little known category from the late Woodland/Mississipian Culture period.

Game called Chunkee played with stones.

Historic Indians

Ohagehi Sioux in this area 1670, according to Souix legend; They were pushed out by the Algonquians.

Mascoutin Indians, 1700-1712 in the Wabash River area.

Southern Indiana was a No Man’s Land due to a 100 year war and raiding parties.

1650 Iroquois received guns from the Dutch, didn’t get along with the French. The Bever Wars of 1650-80.

French armed the Miami Indians in Northwest Lake Michigan/Chicago area.

1712: Miami moved down to the Wabash/Maumee rivers areas.

French waged genocide against Fox Indians, and needed alternate routes to the Mississippi River in these times; started using Wabash River and build a series of forts to protect this route.

Fort a ‘Parent = Fort Apraw