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Investigations
at Kethtippecanunk, Tippecanoe County
Eighteenth-century French occupation
of the central Wabash River valley was centered on Fort Ouiatenon,
which was located near present day Lafayette, Indiana. The town of Kethtippecanunk
was a settlement of French traders and Wea Indians that was located
about 15 miles upstream from the fort. In the late 18th century, Kethtippecanunk
was a center of the local Indian trade and was described as “the most
important settlement in that quarter of the federal territory” (American
State Papers 1832-1834:1:131).
It is not known when Kethtippecanunk was first established. The
first reference to a Wea village bearing this name was noted in a 1733
letter from Henri-Louis Boishebert, commandant of Detroit, who mentioned
that "a canoe has arrived from the Onyatanous [Wea]; that the people have
reported that the village of Kiepigono [Kethtippecanunk] has been entirely
destroyed by the smallpox, and that only seven men have recovered" (Michigan
Pioneer and Historical Society 1905:108-109). There are currently no documentary
sources available to date the arrival of French traders at Kethtippecanunk.
One researcher suggests that after the British garrison left Fort Ouiatenon
(in 1763), Kethtippecanunk seems to have replaced it as the most important
trading center in the central Wabash River valley (Trubowitz 1992:256).
Others suggest, however, that the French inhabitants at Ouiatenon continued
to live there even after the British abandoned the fort
and that the French traders did not leave Ouiatenon until after
1786, when unrest in the area made it too dangerous for Europeans
(Tordoff 1983:145).
Though descriptions of the town are few, the available accounts indicate
that Kethtippecanunk was a substantial frontier village. One observer
noted that the town “contained about 120 houses, 80 of which were shingle
roofed” and that “the best houses belonged to French traders, whose gardens
and improvements round the town were truly delightful, and every thing considered,
not a little wonderful; there was a tavern, with cellars, bar, public and
private rooms; and the whole marked a considerable share of order with
no small degree of civilization” (Imlay 1916:12).
After the Revolutionary War,
the violence that accompanied increasing Euroamerican settlement of the
Ohio River valley soon brought the infant United States into direct conflict
with the residents of Kethtippecanunk. As a result of their hostility
to increased white presence, the U.S. government authorized a punitive
expedition against the Native American towns of the Wabash River. Brigadier
General Charles Scott raised 900 Kentucky militia and on June 1, 1791,
Scott’s men attacked and burned the main Wea Indian village west of present
day Lafayette, Indiana. The following day, 360 men under Lieutenant Colonel
James Wilkinson were dispatched to destroy Kethtippecanunk. After a short
fight, the residents fled, and the town was burned to the ground.
In the 1970s the archaeological remains of Kethtippecanunk were reported
to researchers and initial investigations were undertaken. The site was
periodically studied by archaeologists over the next 30 years, though
no thorough program of research was ever undertaken. In summer 2005, the
Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne Archaeological Survey
began the first systematic research at the site. When we first began our
work, basic questions such as the site’s extent and the location of artifact
clusters were still unanswered. Our goals this first year were to begin
answering some of these questions via extensive magnetic survey and small
test excavations. The magnetometer (pictured here) can detect subtle changes
in the magnetic properties of the soil that are due to human activities
and helps us to place our excavation units.
The 2005
magnetometer survey resulted in the identification of hundreds of subsurface
anomalies that are likely storage pits, structures, and other human-made
ground disturbances. The results of the magnetic survey (below) were
tested with small excavation units placed across the site. These excavations
gave us a basic idea of where the 18th century artifacts were located.
Our
work uncovered substantial prehistoric remains as well, indicating that
the immediate area had been repeatedly occupied by Native peoples over
a period of 2000 years or more.
One feature
we found in 2005 turned out to be most interesting. This was a pit or
trench of some sort that was filled with various 18th century artifacts
and burned chinking. Chinking is a mixture of clay and straw used to fill
in the gaps between the timbers of log structures. For this reason, we
thought that the feature was likely related to a French trader’s structure
that may have stood here. Due to time constraints, we were unable to further
explore this feature during the 2005 field season. Our report on the 2005
research at Kethtippecanunk can be found here (PDF 3.5 MB).
We opened up a large excavation block in the area of the possible
structure in order to look for additional remains. We exposed two large
features in this area. The first was a large pit lined with charcoal and
containing over 1500 pounds of burned rock. Based on similar features
found at other historic period Native American sites, we believe this
pit may have been used by the Wea for roasting food, possibly large water
lily tubers. LaSalle described similar pits among the Illiniwek in the
17th century:
“They make a hole in the earth where they put a bed of rocks reddened
in the fire, then one of leaves, one of macopin [the water lily tuber],
one of reddened rocks, and so on up to the top, which they cover with
earth and leave their roots inside to sweat for two or three days, after
which they boil them and eat them alone or with oil.” [Margry 1877-1888:2].
The other
feature was a shallow, square pit containing a number of small limestone
slabs arranged in a rectangle. Burned chinking, ash, and pieces of wood
had fallen into the pit when a nearby structure burned. Artifacts found
within the pit include a candle snuffer, a number of white clay pipes,
a bone handle for a tool, and a portion of a pair of eyeglasses. The function
of this feature is unknown, although it may have something to do with
cooking or storage. Further analysis of the materials from this feature
may shed more light on its purpose.
Overall, we recovered many artifacts related to the French and Wea
inhabitants of the site. Materials recovered include fragments of glass,
dishes, hand-wrought nails and tools, musketballs, and gunflints. A number
of silver and copper ornaments were also found.
One very interesting artifact is a small fob seal that was found
near the roasting pit. In the latter half of the eighteenth century,
fob seals such as this one replaced signet rings as a means to stamp documents.
They were worn on the pants, suspended by a cord or ribbon.
The coat-of-arms
impressed in the seal has been identified as a Masonic coat-of-arms,
specifically that of the Premier Grand Lodge of England. This particular
coat-of-arms was in use from 1717, when the lodge was organized, until
1813 (Harris 1929). The close association of the unique artifact with
a probable structure may yield important information on the owner of
the house.
Although our
analysis is just beginning, artifacts recovered during our excavations
will undoubtedly give us much information on how people lived
their lives in a late 18th century frontier town. Please read our public report of investigations (PDF 3.1 MB). For more information
on IPFW’s research at Kethtippecanunk in cooperation with Dr. Michael
Strezewski at the University of Southern Indiana, email mstrezewsk@usi.edu.
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