The Saginaw Chippewas and the Pottawattamies who inhabited this area, the former more predominantly, had allied themselves with the British during the War of 1812 and were part of Chief Tecumseh’s Indian federation.

The Battle of Thames in Ontario, where Tecumseh fell, along with the peace treaty between the British and Americans ended Indian hostilities in Michigan. Between the time of the subjugation of the Michigan tribes and the time when white settlements began to be seen in the forests and openings of Livingston County, there had elapsed a period of about 20 years during which the Indian culture here made its final acceleration of decay, a process that began slowly with the arrival of those first French traders in the 17^th century.

By the time the first settlers reached western Livingston County, they found a few demoralized, scattered, and roving bands.

While the early arrivals made contact with the local bands, their presence here was only brief. Ralph Fowler (the founder of Fowlerville) tells of his contact with the local Indians during his first winter here in 1836-37.

“We were well surrounded by Indians, there being three winter camps near us-- two on section 10 and one in section 2. There must have been as many as 40 or 50 Indians in the three camps and they had 30 ponies running in the woods.

“The question naturally arises, ‘Were you not afraid of the Indians?’ Never but twice. The first time was when they had all been to Detroit to transact some business with the government, and on their return came to our place, on their main trail to Grand River and the western part of the state. They came along about the middle of the afternoon, some 100 of them, with 50 or 60 ponies and many trappings, the snow being some six inches deep.

“Thus, they came upon us. We had not seen many of them before, and were somewhat afraid as they came in, filling the house like a town meeting. We put on a big fire and let them work. Putting bells on their ponies, they turned them out, which made the woods ring with their jingle.

“Soon they began to cut poles, peel basswood bark, and prepare their quarters for the night.

“After eating their supper of venison, cold boiled squirrels, and muskrats, they went to bed.

“In the morning Okemos and his tribe, or those that were with him, went on to the place now called Okemos, while the others, being part of the old Shiawassee tribe (a branch of the Saginaw Chippewas), went into the three (local) winter camps.

“The second fright we had arose from the doings of a young man who brought whiskey into or near their camps for the purpose of selling it to the Indians. Early the next morning the Indians caught their ponies-- a thing they had not done for months-- and came galloping to our houses, demanding ‘Whisky!’ Whisky! Shemokeman whisky! Wishicheere whisky!’ Some to them, when refused and informed that we had no whisky, seemed determined to search the house; but we finally satisfied them that we had none, and away they went in search of it in other directions. We soon found a keg of the young man’s fire-water, to which an axe was applied, and thus ended our second fright.”