Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Pottawatomie Village and Burial Ground
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 27, 2025
1. Pottawatomie Village and Burial Ground Marker
Here stood the cabin of Leon Bourassa, the trapper. His Indian wife, Margaret, had been reared in this grove and, after the exodus of her tribe, she chose to remain near the graves of her ancestors. As the years passed the visits of the Pottawatomies became ever less frequent and this memorial has been erected to perpetuate their memory.
In 1832 Federal troops under General Winfield Scott skirted this grove, forded the river a mile north, and marched on to the Black Hawk War in the Rock River country.
These soldiers had encamped at a point that is now the Village of Riverside to rest and recover from an epidemic of Asiatic cholera.
Upon the arrival of white settlers these acres became the homestead of Ferdinand Haase and his family. The first person to die in this new home was buried on this hill in 1854.
Thus, many years ago, Ferdinand Haase and his sons re-established and dedicated to sepulcher the ancient Forest Home of the Pottawatomie to become the present Forest Home of the white man.
Erected 1941.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Black Hawk War series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.
Location. 41° 51.942′ N, 87° 49.41′ W. Marker is in Forest Park, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Forest Home Cemetery. It can be reached from Des Plaines Avenue south of Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290), on the right when traveling south. The marker is in section 27 of
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago. 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 Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Forest Home Cemetery Veterans Flagpole (approx. 0.2 miles away); Union Soldiers Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ancient Indian Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Phil Sheridan G.A.R. Post No. 615 Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Columbia Post No. 706 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Haymarket Martyrs' Monument (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Haymarket Martyrs Monument (approx. 0.3 miles away); Joseph Carter Corbin (approx. 0.4 miles away).
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 27, 2025
2. Pottawatomie Village and Burial Ground Marker
More about this marker. The marker is in section 27 of Forest Home Cemetery, which is formed by the confluence of a few cemetery roads. The section features a rise in the ground; it's not clear if that rise is the "Indian hill" or the old Indian burial ground referenced on the marker.
A separate marker inside the cemetery, about a quarter-mile northeast in Section 38, describes an Indian trail that ran nearby along the route of the modern Des Plaines Avenue.
Regarding Pottawatomie Village and Burial Ground. Ferdinand Haase acquired this land from Leon Bourassa in 1851 and increased his holdings in the following years. The Haase family later created a public park on this land; that park became the basis for Forest Home Cemetery. Other parts were sold to create Concordia and German Waldheim cemeteries, the latter of which is now part of Forest Home.
Also see . . .
1. Video: Native American Sites of the Chicago Region - Forest Home Cemetery. A YouTube video from the channel BeHistoric looks at Forest Home Cemetery, home to both an Indian village and burial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 27, 2025
3. Pottawatomie Village and Burial Ground Marker and Forest Home Cemetery
2. Forest Park History: Timeline.
Excerpt: "1839: A French-Native American trader, Leon Bourassa, was granted 160 acres along the Des Plaines River north of what is now Roosevelt Road by President Martin Van Buren. By this time, the Native Americans had been forcibly removed to the west of the Mississippi River. Potawatomi woman Mnetoqua, who is also known as Marguerite or Margaret, stayed to tend to the ancestral lands. When Leon and Mnetoqua married they established their home on the land which is now part of Forest Home Cemetery."(Submitted on January 27, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. Forest Home Cemetery official site. (Submitted on January 27, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 408 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 27, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
