The Calumet Region, 1822-1835

The Calumet Region, 1822-1835. . Joseph Bailly, one of the first settlers in northwest Indiana, arrived here with his family in 1822. He chose this site to establish his trading post because it was on the Little Calumet River. It was also near two major Indian trails, the Lake Shore Trail, which later became the Fort Dearborn (Chicago) to Detroit Road, and the Sauk Trail, which extended from New England southwestward to the Missouri River where it split to form what were later called the Santa Fe Trail and Oregon Trail. , When the Baillys arrived in the Calumet Region, Potawatomi Indians were the dominant tribe in northwestern Indiana. Hunting, trapping, gathering and some farming filled their days. During the summer, they located their villages near waterways and built their dome-shaped wigwams using tree saplings and cattail mats. Potawatomi women planted and harvested maize and gathered fruits such as plums, blackberries and cranberries. They supplemented their diet with wild rice, roots and a variety of nuts, such as hazel, hickory and walnut. Men fished rivers and lakes, and trapped beaver and muskrat. They also hunted rabbit, deer and elk. As fall approached, the Potawatomi separated into family groups and departed for their winter hunting grounds near the Kankakee Marsh to establish a new camp until the following spring.