Natives Along the Wabash
by Brief Descriptions of Indian Nations who had villages and campsites in the region of the Wabash in prehistoric and historic times. These people have been overlooked by mainstream publications about Native people and therefore this is first in a series of articles about these Native Nations.
Timeline of Native Occupation Along the Wabash
The time of Native occupation in the eastern United States goes along a line from roughly 25,000 years BC (By Some Scientific Sources) to about 8,000 BC in what is called the Paleo Period and the Archaic from 8,000 BC to 1,000 BC. The Woodland period encompasses a time-frame from about 1,000 BC to 1600 AD. Within this last category are the Mississippian Mound Builders and the Caborn-Welborn Cultures that will be mentioned within the contents of the book.
Historically we have the Miami, Illini, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa, Kickapoo, and Delaware (Lenape) and related smaller groups such as the Piankeshaw, Pepikokia, and Wea associated with the Miami being referenced from roughly the mid 1600’s to the present day in the Wabash Region.
Sites Along the Wabash
Sites referenced along the Wabash are based on archaeological reports that put occupation along the Wabash and in Sullivan County as early as 300 BC with the Daughtery-Monroe Site. This site represents a small village typical of the Middle to Lake Woodland period up to 900 AD. Archaeologists found the remains of seven house structures through the patterns of post holes which represented the locations of support posts for the walls of the dwellings. These were circular in shape and reflect houses ranging from 7 feet to 24 feet in diameter. Those that had double walls, sunken floors and protected entrances appear to reflect cold season conditions. These people would have utilized plants to make clothing as well as animal hides such as Buffalo and deer for heavier clothing in the winter. They made use of the location along the river as a means of transporation of goods and people from one place to another through the use of canoes, probably made from logs. The introduction of clay pots in this period indicates a life that is more sendentary than in the past. Clay pots are often associated with long stays and permanent or semi-permanent village locations. There were perhaps as many as 100 people living in the village at its zenith.
The Merom Bluff Site is almost as intriguing today as it was during its height of occupation. The site is surrounded by ravines and the Wabash River and has a narrow entry still visible today where a wall and gate once stood. It is a site that archaeologists believe is connected culturally to sites across the river in Illinois and perhaps to those at Vincennes. It sits high on a bluff with visibility to the western shore of the Wabash in view for miles. Any enemies coming from the west, north or east could be subdued or at least seen and heard upon their approach. There were as many as five mounds on this site until they were destroyed by farming in the late 19th century. The date of this village is from around 1200 AD and is also located in Sullivan County.
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