Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
When I was a little girl this cemetery was our playground on the banks of the St Joseph River. The property was close to my grandfathers and we spent many summer days collecting arrowheads and Indian beads along the sandy banks. This is also the sight of the 1st St Marys Mission...predessessor to St Marys/Notre Dame.
I was able to hunt the area outside the cemetery this last week. The area is completely overgrown and hilly but I was able to dig a few things. I will be returning in the spring as I obtained permission to hunt across the river while there.
I knew of the legend of the buried pots of silver and my heart did a complete stop when I dug this iron pot out of an old tree root.Unfortunately it was empty.
While I spent most of the time trying to read my maps and get my bearings ...without wandering onto someone elses property.....I was able to find a couple of spots that look promising.....Cant wait to go back.
The French built and occupied Fort Saint Joseph on the west bank of the Saint Joseph River near present day Niles, Michigan in 1691. By building the original fort on the west bank, the river acted as a natural barrier for the occupants of the fort to raids from the east. Some of the Miami tribe were occupying the east bank, and were still catering to the whims of the Iroquois league who's incursions upon the Algonquians were still relentless from the east. At about this time, more Potowatomi bands began migrating to the south of Lake Michigan from Green Bay in order to escape starvation. They found protection near the west bank of the Saint Joseph River where Fort Saint Joseph was garrisoned by their friends, the French. The Fort offered these Potowatomi a refuge from the Iroquois incursions while opening up fur trade directly with the Frenchmen.
The French withdrew the garrison from the fort at about the turn of the 18th century because the Iroquois attention was drawn else where with the collaboration of the British. The mission stayed on as did the French trappers and traders.
The Potowatomi asked the French to re-establish a fort on the Saint Joseph River in 1706. The French complied, but this time they built their fort on the east bank where the river offered a barrier from the Fox raiding parties. Both the mission and the fort closed in 1712 because of the Fox Wars. Only a few French traders and their families remained.
http://www.fotsjr.org/river/history.htm
I was able to hunt the area outside the cemetery this last week. The area is completely overgrown and hilly but I was able to dig a few things. I will be returning in the spring as I obtained permission to hunt across the river while there.
I knew of the legend of the buried pots of silver and my heart did a complete stop when I dug this iron pot out of an old tree root.Unfortunately it was empty.
While I spent most of the time trying to read my maps and get my bearings ...without wandering onto someone elses property.....I was able to find a couple of spots that look promising.....Cant wait to go back.
The French built and occupied Fort Saint Joseph on the west bank of the Saint Joseph River near present day Niles, Michigan in 1691. By building the original fort on the west bank, the river acted as a natural barrier for the occupants of the fort to raids from the east. Some of the Miami tribe were occupying the east bank, and were still catering to the whims of the Iroquois league who's incursions upon the Algonquians were still relentless from the east. At about this time, more Potowatomi bands began migrating to the south of Lake Michigan from Green Bay in order to escape starvation. They found protection near the west bank of the Saint Joseph River where Fort Saint Joseph was garrisoned by their friends, the French. The Fort offered these Potowatomi a refuge from the Iroquois incursions while opening up fur trade directly with the Frenchmen.
The French withdrew the garrison from the fort at about the turn of the 18th century because the Iroquois attention was drawn else where with the collaboration of the British. The mission stayed on as did the French trappers and traders.
The Potowatomi asked the French to re-establish a fort on the Saint Joseph River in 1706. The French complied, but this time they built their fort on the east bank where the river offered a barrier from the Fox raiding parties. Both the mission and the fort closed in 1712 because of the Fox Wars. Only a few French traders and their families remained.
http://www.fotsjr.org/river/history.htm
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