Simon Kahquados, born Kakanisaiga, (May 18, 1851 – November 27, 1930) was a leader of the Potawatomi people in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States, and played a pivotal role in creating the federally recognized

Forest County Potawatomi Community The Forest County Potawatomi Community ( pot, Ksenyaniyek) is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people with approximately 1,400 members as of 2010. The community is based on the Forest County Potawatomi Indian Reservation, which cons ...

Biography

Simon Kahquados, whose Potawatomi name was Kakanisaiga, was born on May 18, 1851, in Black Earth, a Potawatomi village located in the present-day Town of Carlton,

. His father died in 1856, and he was raised by his grandfather near

Whitefish Bay Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of Lake Superior between Michigan, United States, and Ontario, Canada. It is located between Whitefish Point in Michigan and Whiskey Point along the more rugged, largely wilderness Canadian Shield o ...

, Door County. In 1862, the Potawatomi in Door County and

Kewaunee County Kewaunee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,563. Its county seat is Kewaunee. The county was created in 1852 and organized in 1859. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh'', an arch ...

were forced from their land and became refugees, dividing into small bands and moving to northern Wisconsin and the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. Kahquados was in a band that moved into the Upper Peninsula in 1864, where he hunted and trapped. In 1870, his family bought a homestead in Bark River, Michigan, where he associated with the Hannahville Methodist Indian Mission and worked as a logger in the

timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

. Unlike Native Americans who had moved west of the Mississippi River, bands of Potawatomi that remained in northern Wisconsin and Michigan did not receive

annuities In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals.Kellison, Stephen G. (1970). ''The Theory of Interest''. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. p. 45 Examples of annuities are regular deposits to a savings account, m ...

from the United States government. In the early 20th century, Kahquados made several trips to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to lobby the government to improve conditions for the Potawatomi people and return their land. Although he did not achieve his goal of regaining the land in Kewaunee County where he was born, his actions played a significant role in the organization and federal recognition of the

in 1913. In pressing his cause, Kahquados spoke with many historians and scholars and gave speeches at public events, including the

Wisconsin State Fair The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August (occasionally beginning late July) and lasts 11 days. History The first W ...

. The information he gave Wisconsin historians and writers continues to be an important source of historical information about Potawatomi culture. After the establishment of the Forest County Potawatomi Community, Kahquados lived in

Marinette County, Wisconsin Marinette County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,872. Its county seat is Marinette. Marinette County is part of the Marinette, WI– MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Accor ...

, before finally settling with a friend in

Blackwell, Wisconsin Blackwell is a town in Forest County, Wisconsin. The population was 332 at the time of the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Blackwell is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Blackwell Junction is also located partiall ...

. He spent his final years battling illness and living in poverty on a government annuity of $10 per month. He died on November 27, 1930. Initially buried in northern Wisconsin, his last wishes were to be buried near the grave of his ancestor Chief Onanguisse in

Peninsula State Park Peninsula State Park is a Wisconsin state park with eight miles (13 km) of Green Bay shoreline in Door County. Peninsula is the third largest state park in Wisconsin and is visited by an estimated one million visitors annually. History ...

, Door County, Wisconsin. Over 15,000 people attended his reburial ceremony at the park on May 30, 1931.

References

External links

Kaquados' Pall-Bearers
photo ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kahquados, Simon Native American history of Michigan Native American history of Wisconsin Native American leaders People from Delta County, Michigan People from Door County, Wisconsin People from Kewaunee County, Wisconsin People from Marinette County, Wisconsin Potawatomi people 19th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native Americans 1851 births 1930 deaths Native American people from Wisconsin

Biography

See also

References

External links