Mecosta
Encyclopedia
Mecosta was a 19th century Potawatomi
chief. His name in the Potawatomi language
was Mkozdé, meaning "Having a Bear's Foot" but the name was recorded in English to mean "Big Bear."
Mecosta was born near what is today Big Rapids, Michigan
. Mecosta County, Michigan
is named for him.
Mecosta is best-known as a signer of the Treaty of Logansport on April 22, 1836, which ceded lands reserved in the Treaty of Tippecanoe
, and began the removal of Mecosta's band of Potawatomi from Indiana to lands west of the Mississippi River.
The following places in Michigan are directly or indirectly named for the chief:
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
chief. His name in the Potawatomi language
Potawatomi language
Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian language and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Kansas in the United States, and in southern Ontario in Canada, 1300 Potawatomi people, all elderly...
was Mkozdé, meaning "Having a Bear's Foot" but the name was recorded in English to mean "Big Bear."
Mecosta was born near what is today Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,849. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but is politically independent.-Geography:...
. Mecosta County, Michigan
Mecosta County, Michigan
Mecosta County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. The county is named after Chief Mecosta, the leader of the Potawatomi Native American tribe that once traveled the local waterways in search of fish and game. Chief Mecosta was one of the signers the Treaty of Washington in 1836. The easily...
is named for him.
Mecosta is best-known as a signer of the Treaty of Logansport on April 22, 1836, which ceded lands reserved in the Treaty of Tippecanoe
Treaty of Tippecanoe
The Treaty of Tippecanoe was an agreement between the United States government and Native American tribes in Indiana on October 26, 1832.-Treaty:...
, and began the removal of Mecosta's band of Potawatomi from Indiana to lands west of the Mississippi River.
The following places in Michigan are directly or indirectly named for the chief:
- Lake Mecosta in Mecosta County, Michigan
- Mecosta, MichiganMecosta, MichiganMecosta is a village in Mecosta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 440 at the 2000 census. The village is within Morton Township...
- Mecosta County, MichiganMecosta County, MichiganMecosta County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. The county is named after Chief Mecosta, the leader of the Potawatomi Native American tribe that once traveled the local waterways in search of fish and game. Chief Mecosta was one of the signers the Treaty of Washington in 1836. The easily...
- Mecosta Township, MichiganMecosta Township, MichiganMecosta Township is a civil township of Mecosta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,435 at the 2000 census. The Village of Mecosta, which is also in Mecosta County, is in Morton Township, several miles to the east.-Geography:...