Peshawbestown, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Peshawbestown is an unincorporated community in Suttons Bay Township
of Leelanau
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. In historical documents, the name is spelled variously as Peshabetown, Peshabatown, Pshawbatown, Preshabestown.
The community is on M-22
about 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Northport
, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Suttons Bay
, and about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Traverse City
. It is on the east side of the Leelanau Peninsula
on the western shore of the Grand Traverse Bay
.
It began as a Catholic
mission to the people of the Chippewa and Ottawa
around 1850. A February 12, 1911, Detroit Free Press
article quoted by Powers describes the village as "two long rows of log cabins, built in 1849." Powers, who calls the place Pshawbatown, indicates, that Father Ignatius Mrak
brought Chippewas from Sault Ste. Marie
here in 1849; however, the Catholic Encyclopedia
indicates that from 1849-1851, Mrak was assisting Father Francis Pierz in Arbre Croche (near Harbor Springs
on the Little Traverse Bay
. Romig indicates that the mission was begun by Rev. Angelus Van Praemel in 1852, with Mrak, who referred to it as Eagletown, succeeding him in 1855. Romig writes that Mrak's successor, the "Rev. Phlip Zorn, calls it as Peshaube, after its then ruling chief Peshaba; from 1895 on, Rev. Bruno Torka, O.F.M., who was next in charge, calls it Peshawbeston.
Peshawbestown today sits on 12.5 acres (50,585.8 m²) of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
reservation. The primary economic driver of the community is tourism, with the main feature being the Leelanau Sands Casino. Other notable feature include the historic Kateri Tekakwitha
Catholic Church and the annual Peshawbestown Pow-Wow, which takes place each August with native foods, tribal art, and dancing.
Suttons Bay Township, Michigan
Suttons Bay Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,982 at the 2000 census. The village of Suttons Bay is located within the township...
of Leelanau
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. In historical documents, the name is spelled variously as Peshabetown, Peshabatown, Pshawbatown, Preshabestown.
The community is on M-22
M-22 (Michigan highway)
M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...
about 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Northport
Northport, Michigan
Northport is a village in Leelanau Township, Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 648 at the 2000 census. When Leelanau County was formed in 1863, Northport served as the first county seat from 1863 to 1883.-Geography:...
, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Suttons Bay
Suttons Bay, Michigan
Suttons Bay is a village in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 589 at the 2000 census. The village was incorporated in 1898 and is located within Suttons Bay Township....
, and about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Traverse City
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. It is on the east side of the Leelanau Peninsula
Leelanau Peninsula
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula.Sleeping Bear Dunes...
on the western shore of the Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
.
It began as a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
mission to the people of the Chippewa and Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
around 1850. A February 12, 1911, Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
article quoted by Powers describes the village as "two long rows of log cabins, built in 1849." Powers, who calls the place Pshawbatown, indicates, that Father Ignatius Mrak
Ignatius Mrak
Ignatius Mrak was the second Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette, in Michigan, United States....
brought Chippewas from Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
here in 1849; however, the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
indicates that from 1849-1851, Mrak was assisting Father Francis Pierz in Arbre Croche (near Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs, Michigan
Harbor Springs is a city and resort community in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,567 at the 2000 census.Harbor Springs is in a sheltered bay on the north shore of the Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The Little Traverse Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse on...
on the Little Traverse Bay
Little Traverse Bay
Little Traverse Bay is a small bay, 170 feet deep, off Lake Michigan in the northern area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Harbor Springs and Petoskey are on this bay.The Little Traverse Light marks its entrance....
. Romig indicates that the mission was begun by Rev. Angelus Van Praemel in 1852, with Mrak, who referred to it as Eagletown, succeeding him in 1855. Romig writes that Mrak's successor, the "Rev. Phlip Zorn, calls it as Peshaube, after its then ruling chief Peshaba; from 1895 on, Rev. Bruno Torka, O.F.M., who was next in charge, calls it Peshawbeston.
Peshawbestown today sits on 12.5 acres (50,585.8 m²) of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Michigan. Derek Bailey is the current chairman of the Tribal Council, whose offices are in Peshawbestown, Michigan...
reservation. The primary economic driver of the community is tourism, with the main feature being the Leelanau Sands Casino. Other notable feature include the historic Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha or Catherine Tekakwitha was a Mohawk-Algonquian woman from New York and an early convert to Catholicism, who has been beatified in the Roman Catholic Church.-Her life:...
Catholic Church and the annual Peshawbestown Pow-Wow, which takes place each August with native foods, tribal art, and dancing.
Sources
- Powers, Perry Francis. A history of northern Michigan and its people. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1912. pp. 351-352 http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty;cc=micounty;sid=1114e540df3ebaa7700f862fdc58cbf6;q1=Pshawbatown;q2=Preshabeston;op2=or;op3=or;rgn=pages;idno=BAC9250.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000389
- Romig, Walter, L.H.D. Michigan Place Names. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- Third Coast Traveller article on Peshawbestown
- U.S. Census Bureau