Oak Park in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Potowatamie

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 27, 2025

1. Potowatamie Marker

Inscription.
1600 CE

Potowatamie "The Keepers of the Fire" inhabit the area

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1600.

Location. 41° 53.067′ N, 87° 48.122′ W. Marker is in Oak Park, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on South Marion Street 0.1 miles south of Pleasant Street, on the right when traveling north. The stone is a part of the labyrinth located on the western edge of Mills Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 217 Home Avenue, Oak Park IL 60302, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 25 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First European Settlers in Illinois

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(here, next to this marker); Oak Savanna (here, next to this marker); The Kettlestrings (here, next to this marker); Mills Park Labyrinth (here, next to this marker); End of the Wisconsin Ice Age (here, next to this marker); Pleasant Home Foundation (here, next to this marker); Hunter Gatherers (here, next to this marker); Mills Estate Purchase (here, next to this marker); Oak Park Sand Spit (here, next to this marker); Pleasant Home (a few steps from this marker); Herbert S. Mills (a few steps from this marker); Village of Oak Park (a few steps from this marker); Beginning of the Wisconsin Ice Age (a few steps from this marker); Sabre Tooth Tigers (a few steps from this marker); The Age of Mammals (a few steps from this marker); Illinois Tulley Monster (a few steps from this marker); Mills Park and Pleasant Home (a few steps from this marker); Amphibians (a few steps from this marker); Ancient Illinois Climate (within shouting distance of this marker); Cambrian Sea (within shouting distance of this marker); Volcanoes (within shouting distance of this marker); Solar System (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker

Mills Park labyrinth image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 27, 2025

2. Mills Park labyrinth

also named Mills Park and Pleasant Home (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Mills Park and Pleasant Home (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Mills Park and Pleasant Home (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Park.

More about this marker. The stone is one of about 20 pavers in Mills Park that show the history of Oak Park from the dawn of the solar system through 2012. The pavers are part of a labyrinth embedded into the ground near the western entrance into Mills Park.

Regarding Potowatamie. The first explorers in the Midwest connected with some Potawatomi Indians in Wisconsin in the first half of the 17th century, although most Potawatomi lived in Michigan at that point. However, the lucrative fur trade fostered upheaval among tribes, leading many Potawatomi to relocate west into Wisconsin. As conditions improved, the Potawatomi began moving south along Lake Michigan, and they are generally believed to have settled more permanently in Northern Illinois beginning around 1700. In the early 1800s, relations between Native Americans and

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 27, 2025

3. Mills Park labyrinth

the U.S. government became strained, particularly as many Chicago-area Potawatomi supported the British in the War of 1812. A series of treaties between 1816 and 1829 led to the sale of native lands to the U.S. Government; the land where Oak Park sits was ceded to the U.S. government in the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis. Although many local Indian leaders aided the federal government in the Black Hawk War of 1832, the remaining Potawatomis were eventually forced to sell all remaining lands in Northern Illinois in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. The Mills Park Labyrinth marker page includes a list of all 21 stones in the labyrinth in chronological order

Also see . . .
1. Potawatomi History. From the Milwaukee Public Museum (Submitted on March 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Encyclopedia of Chicago: Potawatomis. From the Chicago Historical Society (Submitted on March 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 27, 2025

4. Mills Park labyrinth

A nearby historical marker says that the labyrinth's artistic style was inspired by the architect George W. Maher, who designed the Pleasant Home, located in this park.

"The Last Council of the Potawatomies, 1833" image. Click for full size.

Lawrence C. Earle, artist; Courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-062506), circa 1900

5. "The Last Council of the Potawatomies, 1833"

This Lawrence C. Earle painting was part of the frieze in the main banking room of the Chicago National Bank. It depicts the final council between the Potawatomi Indians and the commissioners of the United States government, held in Chicago on September 26, 1833. There, at a small Indian village near the mouth of the Chicago River (today the city's downtown), the two parties signed the Treaty of Chicago, whereby the Potawatomie and several other Native American tribes ceded all of their lands east of the Mississippi River.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3, 4. submitted on March 27, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on March 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.