Okemos in Meridian Township in Ingham County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Chief Okemos
of the Chippewas
Photographed by Joel Seewald, April 22, 2017
1. Chief Okemos Marker
of
Chief Okemos
of the Chippewas
whose tribe once occupied the ground
upon which this school now stands.
* Brave in battle * Wise in council *
* Honorable in peace *
After his people became ravaged by disease
and dispersed by the incoming white race
he still remained a chief, proud that he was
once a leader of brave men.
He died December 5, 1858, and his body rests
at Shim-ni-con, on Grand River in Ionia County,
Michigan.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is December 5, 1858.
Location. 42° 42.689′ N, 84° 25.858′ W. Marker is in Meridian Township, Michigan, in Ingham County. It is in Okemos. It is at the intersection of Okemos Road and Mt. Hope Road, on the right when traveling north on Okemos Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4406 Okemos Road, Okemos MI 48864, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Mid-Michigan and in Greater Lansing. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chief Okemos / Okemos Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); Okemos Methodist Church (approx. half a mile away); Travel in the 1800s (approx. 1½ miles away); Star Windmill
this page online
Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:
Following the white settlement of the area beginning in 1839, Okemos and his people conducted an active trading business through the 1840s. By 1850, disregarding the Treaty of Saginaw, the United States government began moving Native Americans to reservations from the lands where Okemos led his people. In the early 1850s, Okemos moved to Ionia County, Michigan. Okemos died near DeWitt, Michigan in 1858. He is buried in the Native American mission village of Shim-ni-con in Ionia County.(Submitted on December 3, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
Additional keywords. Ojibwa
Photographed by Joel Seewald, April 22, 2017
2. Chief Okemos Marker
Marker is at the very left of the Okemos Public Schools Administration Center Building.
By Jcaruss (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons, August 16, 2018
3. The gravesite of Chief John Okemos, of the Chippewa (Michigan Ojibwe) tribe
Located south of Portland MI, in Iona County, off of Okemos Road. Approx. here: 42° 48′ 18.59″ N, 84° 54′ 25.74″ W.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,278 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 24, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 3. submitted on December 3, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
