Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 3, 1838, the Sauk leader Black Hawk (Mahkatêwe-meshi-kêhkêhkwa) passed away. An important leader, Black Hawk fought for Sauk sovereignty as the United States pushed west across the continent.
A sacred bundle holder, Black Hawk gained notoriety for bravery in intertribal conflicts and while allying with the British during the War of 1812. Critical of the American Treaty of 1804, Black Hawk continued to advocate for Sauk sovereignty following the close of the war. When American settlement pushed the Sauk and Meskwaki west of the Mississippi River, Black Hawk and other tribal members disputed the treaty. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliance with other tribes and with Britain, he moved his so-called "British Band" of more than 1500 people, both warriors and non-combatants, into Illinois. The war stretched from April to August 1832, with a number of battles and skirmishes before ultimately culminating in Black Hawk’s capture following the massacre of Sauk and Meskwaki at the Bad Axe Massacre in August of 1832.
Black Hawk underwent captivity and Jefferson Barracks before being brought on a tour of the eastern United States, where he met with President Andrew Jackson. Near the end of his captivity in 1833, Black Hawk told his life story to Antoine LeClaire, a government interpreter. Edited by the local reporter J.B. Patterson, Black Hawk's account was one of the first Native American autobiographies published in the U.S. After his tour of the east, Black Hawk lived with the Sauk along the Iowa River and later the Des Moines River near Iowaville in what is now southeast Iowa.
Buried on the farm of James Jordan following his death, Black Hawk’s remains were stolen by James Turner in order to put the Sauk leader’s body on display. Black Hawk's sons Nashashuk and Gamesett went to Governor Robert Lucas of Iowa Territory, who used his influence to bring the bones to security in his offices in Burlington. With the permission of Black Hawk's sons, the remains were held by the Burlington Geological and Historical Society. When the Society's building burned down in 1855, Black Hawk's remains were destroyed. An alternative account suggests Governor Lucas passed Black Hawk's bones to Enos Lowe, a Burlington physician, who then left the remains to his partner, Dr. McLaurens. After McLaurens moved to California, workers reportedly found the bones at his house. They buried the remains in a potter's grave in Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
