A Brief History of Prophetstown

By Judy Berkshire

Prophetstown began as the vision of Tenskatawa, brother to Tecumseh, and member of the Shawnee tribe. After this vision, a near-death experience, and his recovery from influenza and alcoholism, Tenskatawa developed a plan to return to the old ways of living, ignoring the influence of the White settlers and their military. Native people would unite into a confederacy that could stand against the United States.

Working together, Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh traveled from their native Ohio territory to Michigan and Indiana territories where they sought to gather endorsements for a unified community of Indigenous people. While in an unceded portion of Indiana Territory, Tenskwatawa found the location for the native village of his vision. At the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers he established Prophetstown in 1808.

The newly established community of Prophetstown would flourish as Indigenous people from the Delaware, Miami, and Potawatomi tribes moved there. Badgered into signing the Treaty of Fort Wayne by William Henry Harrison in 1809, these people signed over their land in southern Indiana territory in return for yearly payments from the territorial government. Having nowhere to call home, Prophetstown beckoned them. Other members of the Shawnee tribe followed their brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa. As word of the Prophetstown community spread, people from the north and west also moved there either temporarily or permanently. The Sauk (Sox) and Kickapoo from the West, the Fox from the Northwest, and the Ojibwa and Winnebago from the North blended into the population of Prophetstown. At its zenith, 3000-4000 permanent settlers made homes there.

William Henry Harrison, a general in the U.S. Army and governor of Indiana territory, saw the threat should the Indian Confederacy be allowed to flourish at Prophetstown. Knowing that Tecumseh was away, he marched soldiers north from Fort Harrison (now Terre Haute) up the western side of the Wabash river and sought to provoke Tenskwatawa to fight. His end goal was to destroy Prophetstown.

On a cold, blustery and dark November 7, 1811, Tenskwatawa had to make a decision. Tecumseh, had traveled south to bring more Native Americans into the Confederacy. Without his leadership and control over tribal chiefs who were ready to fight, Tenskwatawa ignored his natural inclination to council with Harrison for peace and succumbed to pressure to launch a surprise night attack. He prayed to the Master of Life, who demanded the death of Harrison. He gathered together his war chiefs, and formulated a plan. He did not lead the warriors into battle, but stayed near Prophetstown to pray.

The American soldiers were completely surprised and for a while Native Americans seemed to be winning the battle. However, Harrison was not killed. He escaped, and was able to rally and regroup his soldiers. By 5:00 a.m. fighting was everywhere and continued into the morning twilight when Indian dead and wounded increased and morale weakened. By sunrise, the Native Americans, nearly out of gunpowder and lead, began to retreat.

American soldiers followed their retreat into Prophetstown, burning the village to the ground and destroying all food supplies left by the Native women, children, and Elders who fled for their lives.

The dream of the great Indian Confederacy was destroyed, and its home of Prophetstown was no more.

The major source for this information is the book Tecumseh and Prophet by Peter Cozzens)