Westchester Township near Porter in Porter County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Bailly Homestead

Photographed by Connor Olson, November 4, 2024

1. The Bailly Homestead Marker

Inscription. Although Indiana became a state in 1816, northwestern Indiana was essentially a wilderness when Joseph Bailly arrived in 1822 from Michigan with his wife Marie and their children to build their homestead. The 500,000 acre Kankakee Marsh, located to the southeast of here, was a major impediment to travel and discouraged settlement of the Calumet Region. The Baillys were among the first settlers to the area.

During the fur trading years, the homestead consisted of six log structures which served as living quarters, kitchen, storehouse and warehouses for the trade goods. Material from the original buildings is being preserved in the log structures you see today.

In 1833 Joseph Bailly and his family received $6,000 for his services in counseling the Potawatomi Indians in an agreement called the Chicago Treaty, which placed the land in northwestern Indiana in public domain. With this money he repaired various buildings around the homestead and began construction of the main house. Before Bailly could move into his new house he fell ill and died in 1835.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1816.

Location. 41° 37.394′ N, 87° 5.661′ W. Marker is near Porter, Indiana, in Porter County. It is in Westchester Township. It can be reached from Howe Road. The marker is located at the Indiana Dunes National Park Bailly Homestead. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 733 Howe Road, Chesterton IN 46304, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwest Indiana,

specifically on the Indiana Dunes and Lake Michigan Shore,

and in the Calumet Region.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Highways of the Past (within shouting distance of this marker); The Calumet Region, 1822-1835 (within shouting distance

Photographed by Connor Olson, November 4, 2024

2. The Bailly Homestead Marker

of this marker); Chellberg Farm and the Swedish Community (approx. 0.4 miles away); Porter War Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); In Memory of Joseph Bailly (approx. 1.4 miles away); Cowles Bog (approx. 1.6 miles away); Legacy of Steel (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Brown Mansion (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Porter.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 215 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 5, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.