Kin-Com-A-Ong Spring

Kin-Com-A-Ong Spring. (Paradise Spring). , Site chosen for 1826 Treaty of the Mississinewa due to the plentiful spring that once sprang forth from adjacent hill creating this wilderness valley Paradise., In the early 1820's, the northern half of Indiana was predominantly occupied by members of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes. Though they had suffered serious defeats at the hands of General Anthony Wayne along the Maumee River (1794) and William Henry Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe (1811), the tribes still held the rights to the land in this area., In 1826, Congress made an appropriation to hold a treaty meeting to acquire additional land for white settlements and to establish a canal system along the Wabash River. Governor James B. Ray of Indiana, Governor Lewis Cass of Michigan and General John Tipton were appointed commissioners to represent the U.S. government., General Tipton chose this location as it was centrally located with a plentiful spring and enough open land to construct the Treaty Camp. The Treaty Camp was constructed in the spring and summer of 1826. The treaty meeting took place in October of 1826 and lasted approximately two weeks. On October 16th and 23rd, 1826 the Potawatomi and Miami Indians surrendered the rights to much of their land in northen Indiana and southern Michigan in exchange for silver, goods and other services., The signing of the Treaties of 1826 allowed for white settlement of this land and the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal., The original Treaty Camp consisted of ten buildings. The reconstruction of the camp began in 1987 and is based on a reliable description provided in the 1836 writings of surveyor Elijah Hackleman.