In 1909 members of the Alba Columba Club, a White Pigeon women's group, raised funds and community support to create this monument to Chief Wahbememe (White Pigeon). The owner of the burial site, John Weaver, with the help of his sons and neighbors, loaded the granite boulder onto a wagon at the Edison M. Rockwell farm in Porter Township, Cass County. Four horses pulled it ten miles to this site. On August 10, 1909, a day-long celebration marked the occasion of the dedication of Wahbememe's memorial. Four thousand people, including Lieutenant Governor Patrick H. Kelley watched as Chief Wahbememe's great-great-grandson, Willie White Pigeon, aged six, unveiled the finished monument.
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Potawatomi Chief Wahbememe (White Pigeon) was a signer of the 1795 Treaty of Greenville, which placed Michigan Great Lakes forts in U.S. hands. The chief was known as a friend to the white settlers in Michigan. According to legend, while attending a gathering of chiefs in Detroit, Wahbememe heard of a plot to attack the settlement that became known as White Pigeon. The story states that he immediately set out on foot, running nearly 150 miles across the state without stopping for food or rest to alert the village. After warning of the impending danger, he collapsed from exhaustion and soon died. His remains are buried on this site, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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In Memory of Wahbememe Chief White Pigeon who about 1930 gave his life to save the settlement at this place.
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In North American folklore, Bigfoot or Sasquatch are said to be hairy, upright-walking, ape-like creatures that dwell in the wilderness and leave giant, humanlike footprints. Depictions often portray them as a missing link between humans and human ancestors or other great apes. They are strongly associated with the Pacific Northwest, particularly Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Northern California. Individuals have claimed to see the creatures all across North America over the years. These creatures have inspired numerous commercial ventures and hoaxes. The plural nouns 'Bigfoots' and 'Bigfeet' are both in use.
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Pigeon River Looking South
Pigeon River, located in northeastern Indiana, originates at Mongo and flows west-northwest to the St. Joseph River, 36 miles away. Above Mongo, Pigeon River is known as Pigeon Creek. The river received its name from Chief White Pigeon, whose tribe inhabited the area and hunted and fished the stream.
The river valley is narrow and shallow, being less than one-half mile wide. The river drains about 350 square miles and drains more than fifty lakes. For much of its length it hugs the face of a moraine which prevents the flow of tributaries from the north. This also accounts for the fact that the Fawn River parallels the Pigeon River for more than half of its length, being separated by the moraine.
The vegetation of interest along the stream corridor includes sycamore, tamarack, swamp white oak, sugar maple, black oak, willow, ferns, sumac, orchids, button bush, aspen, cattails, arrowhead, spatterdock and cardinal flowers. The wildlife supported by the river make it one of the best fishing and hunting streams in the state. Fish species found in the stream include trout, northern pike, large and smallmouth bass, rock bass, bluegill and carp. Fauna found along the river include deer, squirrel, muskrats, beaver, waterfowl and songbirds.
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