Indians of North America

Scope and Contents This collection contains a photocopy of a journal written by Jesse C. Douglass about the emigration of Potawatomi Indians from Twin Lakes in Marshall County, Iowa to their homes on the Osage River in the Western Territory. The work contains entries from August 30, 1838 to November 7, 1838 and a table of distances indicating the miles the party traveled. The journal was the property of Judge William Polke, Esq. who also conducted the emigration.

Scope and Contents The bulk of the collection is photostat copies of William Polke’s correspondence regarding the Potawatomi people and his role in their removal from northern Indiana as well as other political matters. There are also letters from his daughter, Mary Polke Niles, and between he and his son-in-law, John B. Niles. Among his other correspondents are Samuel Merrill, Samuel Milroy, and Waller Taylor. In addition to the correspondence, the collection includes a transcript of Polke’s account of...