In the southern part of DeKalb county is a little town of Shabbona. A
little farther south is the grove of Shabbona, which were both named after him.
People around here think it a delight to point out the spot where his wigwam
stood on the bank of a small stream. It is a very beautiful spot, and a few
mounds can still be found there. The tribe never numbered more than one hundred
and thirty. The grove, which was named after him, has many good trees, such as
bur and red oak. At one time it was the finest grove in Illinois; it covered
fifteen hundred acres. The white men took trees from this grove and built
Shabbona a house to show their appreciation. He never used it to live in, but
used it for his ponies.
Shabbona was a member of the Ottawa tribe. He
was a nephew of Pontiac, born somewhere along the Maumee river. He was a friend
of Tecumseh and Prophet.
People had many different ways to spell his
name. Shabbona himself liked to have the accent on the first syllable, like
Shab'ney.
Shabbona was a very large Indian. He was five feet nine inches
tall and very strong. He was so tall that when he rode a horse he appeared much
larger than when walking. His hands were very small compared to the rest of his
body. One person said he was as strong as a buffalo, as swift on foot as a deer,
and as gentle as a woman.
The autumn was the time for the Indians to do
their hunting. The Ottawa tribe came up through Illinois to Chicago. Here they
felt at home with their friends, the Pottawatomie tribe. Shabbona however did
not return, but spent the remaining winter with them. Here he married the
chief's daughter and became a Pottawatomie chief. His brothers were jealous of
him and said some things about him that reached his ears. "When he heard these
things he started for home, but he soon returned to his squaw.
He met
his friend Tecumseh along the Fox river, and held two councils with him. He
visited the Indians in Illinois and Wisconsin.
War was declared on Fort
Dearborn. Runners came by and said that the Pottawatomies were to take part in
it. Shabbona feeling sorry for the whites, went there to warn them, but was too
late. Fifty-two were captured and scalped. In 1816 when the fort was rebuilt,
Captain Bradley buried their bones. The prisoners were placed in Kinzer's house,
where Black Patridge and Shabbona tried to protect them.
Shabbona next
joined Tecumseh and was second in command. He did not like fighting against the
Americans, and after this was always a friend to them.
The Winnebagoes
made war on the whites. Shabbona did not like this. He succeeded in persuading
the Pottawatomies to stay at home. So Shabbona, his son, and his nephew set out
to warn the white men. He was in his saddle forty-eight hours. He rode back the
second time and begged them to go, but they had heard so many false alarms; so
thirteen were killed, and two little girls were taken captives. This happened
close to Shabbona Park, along Indian creek.
Shabbona sold part of his
land and went West. When he came back the white men had taken control of it all,
and Shabbona had no home. He felt very bad about this, because his two twin boys
were buried there. He beat his breast and cried, and ate nothing for a season.
Shabbona came to Four Mile Grove for his meat. He rode a pony down the
angling road from Paw Paw, and here he butchered his meat with Mr. Haight. He
would pick up dishes or trinkets if he liked them. Mrs. Haight managed to have
things hid when he came.
When he was ready to return he would make a
stone boat, pack the meat on it, tie it to the pony's tail and go home. One time
he brought along a friend. Mr. Haight had a pony he could not catch. He offered
it to anyone who could. This friend of Shabbona's caught it. Mr. Haight did not
want to give it away, so he traded some of Mrs. Haight's dishes for it.
He went to visit a white friend one time just as the meal was over. They offered
him bread, which was the only thing left. He said they were lazy and didn't want
to cook him anything. So this man's daughter cooked him some pancakes. He liked
these very much. He liked the way the white men cooked their meat and often had
them cook some for him. He learned to do many things the way the white men did.
Shabbona was very good at doctoring. He doctored most of the white people around
here. He always gathered his medicine in the grove.
He was very anxious
for his daughter to marry a white man, and even offered a large sum of money to
the one that would have her. She was built on the same order as her mother and
did not appeal to the white men.
A friend of Shabbona's offered to pay
the toll at the toll bridge in Morris, Illinois. One time a new tollkeeper was
not going to let him cross without paying. He went to his friend and had him
write this man a letter. When this new tollkeeper understood, he let him cross.
Shabbona ran across two or three times to show that he did not have to pay.
His last home was in Grundy county, and the white men purchased this for
him. Here he lived till he died in 1859.
When his wife died, he went
into Four Mile Grove and cried day and night for a week. He cried so loud that
Mr. and Mrs. Haight could hear him. He and his wife were buried in a lot near
Morris, Illinois, in Evergreen cemetery.
Extracted 08 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from Stories of Pioneer Days in La Salle County, Illinois, by Grammar Grade Pupils, published in 1932, page 66.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
 |
Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
| Marshall | Woodford | Livingston |
