Near Lafayette in Tippecanoe County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Wyandotte

Pioneer Town

Photographed by Marie Harrington

1. Wyandotte Pioneer Town Marker

Inscription.
The land on which the pioneer town of Wyandotte grew was part of a reserve granted to the children of Miami Principal Chief Jean-Baptiste Richardville in 1818. The first white families in the township settled near the Indian village north of this spot in 1823, where there was a trading post. The first Fourth of July celebration in the county was held here in 1824 at the home of James and Hannah Paige. In 1825, Mrs. Richard Baker opened a subscription school and Sunday school in her home, the first in the township. Richardville Reserve was sold to Samuel McGeorge in 1829, who sold half of it to William Heaton in 1830. The town of Wyandotte is traditionally dated from 1829 and was formal-ized in a plat in 1844. About 1830 Heaton built a saw mill and a grist mill that prospered into the 1860s. A post office was established in 1849. Also located here were general stores, a meat packing establishment, a blacksmith shop, coopers, wagonmakers, cabinetmakers, and a carpenter. Up the hill to the west were a school and a brick yard. The prosperous community began to de-cline when it was bypassed by the railroad and the mill

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faced competition from the newer steam-driven mills. The mill closed in 1871; the post office, in 1872. The last vestiges of the town disappeared in the early 1900s.

Erected 2001 by Tippecanoe County Historical Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.

Location. 40° 20.681′ N, 86° 45.024′ W. Marker is near Lafayette, Indiana, in Tippecanoe County. It is at the intersection of Local Road S800E and Wyandotte Road, on the right when traveling south on Local Road S800E. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8001 Wyandotte Rd, Lafayette IN 47905, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana.

It is also in the American Midwest

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 Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

Wyandotte Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marie Harrington, September 21, 2019

2. Wyandotte Marker

least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Site Of First Successful Caesarean In Indiana (approx. 2 miles away); Margaret Fry (approx. 2.2 miles away); Patriot Burials (approx. 3.2 miles away); "World Split Asunder" (approx. 7.2 miles away); George Souders and Roscoe Sarles (approx. 7.7 miles away); Tippecanoe County War Memorial (approx. 8 miles away); a different marker also named Tippecanoe County War Memorial (approx. 8 miles away); Iraq War Memorial (approx. 8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lafayette.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Richardville Reserve and Wyandot Indian Village (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on November 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2026. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 6, 2026, by Marie Harrington of Lafayette, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Verification of the geocoordinates. • Wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?