Indian Creek, also known as Big Indian Creek,
[ is a ][U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Fox River in Lee, LaSalle, and DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to:
People
* Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War
Places Municipalities in the United States
* DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb
**DeKal ...
counties in Illinois.
Course
Indian Creek rises north of Paw Paw, Illinois
Paw Paw is a village in Lee County in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the village was home to 830 people, down from 870 at the 2010 census. It was settled in the mid 19th century and by 1878 the village had a railroad connectio ...
, near Shabbona Grove and joins the Fox River near Wedron.[ The stream meanders across parts of Lee, LaSalle and DeKalb counties.][Lower Fox River Watershed]
, Surf Your Watershed, ''U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon pro ...
'', accessed April 20, 2009.
Indian Creek travels near the communities of Paw Paw (in Lee County), Shabbona and Rollo (in DeKalb County), and Earlville, Harding, Serena, and Baker (in LaSalle County).
The U.S. Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
(GNIS) shows 22 streams bearing the name Indian Creek in Illinois.
History
In 1830, William Davis settled with his family along Indian Creek where he built a sawmill in 1831.[Boies, Henry Lamson. ''History of DeKalb County, Illinois'',]
Google Books
, S.N., 1868 p. 509. On May 21, 1832 between 20 and 40 Potawatomi and three Sauk attacked the Davis settlement at Indian Creek.[ In all, 15 settlers—men, women, and children—were killed. Two girls were kidnapped but later freed unharmed upon payment of a ransom.][
The attack at Indian Creek was most likely spurred by the actions of a settler named William Davis.][McIntyre, Mac.]
The Indian Creek Massacre
" 2000, DeKalb County History, ''DeKalb County Online'', accessed April 20, 2009. Davis was a blacksmith and a sawmill operator and had built a mill dam across Indian Creek to power the mill. The creek was a vital source of food to a nearby Potawatomi village. The Potawatomi were upset by the dam because it prevented fish from swimming upstream, requiring them to fish downstream of the dam rather than near their village. Keewasee, a young Potawatomi from the village, was particularly angry about the dam and insisted that Davis remove it. When his pleas went unheeded, Keewasee attempted to dismantle the dam himself. Davis caught him in the act and assaulted him, angering Keewasee further.[Matile, Roger.]
The Black Hawk War: Massacre at Indian Creek
," ''Ledger-Sentinel'' (Oswego, Illinois
Oswego is a village in Kendall and Will Counties, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 34,485. Oswego is the largest municipality in Kendall County. It is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.
History
In 1833, William Sm ...
), May 31, 2007, accessed April 20, 2009.
It is believed that the Potawatomi and three Sauk attackers were the only parties responsible for the massacre.[ Though the massacre occurred shortly after the start of the ]Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...
, there is no evidence that Black Hawk sanctioned the massacre and the violence at Indian Creek is seen as an act of personal revenge which was peripheral to the war.[May 21, Indian Creek, Ill.: Abduction of the Hall Sisters]
" Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, ''Wisconsin State Historical Society'', accessed April 20, 2009.
The creek also contributed to the settlement of Paw Paw by providing the fledgling settlements near Ross, Coon and Paw Paw Groves with potable water.[Hicks, Edmund Warne. ''History of Kendall County, Illinois: From the Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time'',]
Google Books
, Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1877, pp. 86-87.
A monument for the Indian Creek Massacre stands at Shabbona County Park, southeast of Earlville, and between Earlville and Harding in northern LaSalle County. A lake and State Recreation Area named for Chief Shabbona, is located in the community of Shabbona, which was also named for the Indian chief.
Tributaries
Paw Paw Creek is a short tributary of Indian Creek that runs in a southeasterly direction near Paw Paw, Illinois.[Stevens, Frank Everett. ''History of Lee County, Illinois'',]
Google Books
, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1914, pp. 498-99.
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Illinois
Black Hawk War
Rivers of Lee County, Illinois
Rivers of DeKalb County, Illinois
Rivers of LaSalle County, Illinois