Last updated: October 12, 2023
Place
The Macon Reserve
NPS photo
Quick Facts
Location:
West County Park/Macon Reserve Rightmire Road Dundee Township, MI 48131
MANAGED BY:
Monroe County Parks and Recreation
Amenities
8 listed
Beach/Water Access, Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Trailhead
MACON RESERVE
History
As a part of the westward expansion, the United States began occupying lands in southeast Michigan in 1796. The Potawatomi Indians call the vast fertile land along the River Raisin from Lake Erie westward home. The newly established Post of Detroit consisted of six miles inland from the water edge starting at Lake St. Claire in the north to the River Raisin settlement in the south. As the U.S. moved into their new “post of Detroit”, they began removing the Native Americans.
The Macon Reservation is physically located on a 60-acre portion of the original Macon Indian Reserve that was established in 1807 by the Treaty of Detroit. William Hull, Territorial Governor of Michigan coerced the Potawatomi and other Native Nations to cede land to the United States. A small portion of the land where the Macon Creek flows into the River Raisin (about six square miles) was reserved for the Potawatomi.
On November 17, 1807, the U.S. Government created the Macon Reservation eight miles outside the Post of Detroit along the River Raisin. The reservation consisted of only three square miles of land around the confluence of the Macon River, the Saline River, and the River Raisin. Several Potawatomi Indians were relocated to the Macon Reservation, but many chose to live elsewhere.
As the United States claimed their lands, the Potawatomi and other Native Americans nations did not want to give up their homelands and way of life. The Potawatomi took up arms against the U.S. in the War of 1812 and fought on the side of the Indian Confederation and Great Britain in hopes of retaining their villages in Southeast Michigan. With the help of many great Potawatomi war chiefs, tremendous battles were won along the River Raisin and Detroit River.
When the war ended, Great Britain abandoned the Native tribes and the United States quickly began forcing tribal nations farther out. The new Michigan Territorial Governor, Lewis Cass, started forcing the Potawatomi off the Macon Reservation in the Treaty of 1817 at the Foot of the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie, the Macon Reserve was re-designated to benefit Catholic members of the Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa tribes that desired to educate their children. The land was granted to the St. Anne Catholic Church of Detroit and to the corporation of the College of Detroit. The land was then sold and used to start what today is known as the University of Michigan. The Macon Reservation was lost piece by piece until it was completely taken away from the Potawatomi in the 1830s.
Current Day
Much of West County Park – A Prairie Preserve on the Macon Reservation, which fronts the River Raisin, was used as farmland. In 2002, it was enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and planted with a mixture of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers. The Park is owned and managed by the County of Monroe Parks and Recreation Department and managed in partnership with the National Park Service. The park has parking and includes beautiful walking trail throughout the restored tallgrass prairie and along the River Raisin. Today, visitors walking through the park can experience the same kind of tallgrass prairie encountered by Native people in this part of southeast Michigan in the early 1800’s.
Directions
Visit the Macon Reservation walking trail and exhibits located at West County Park. Turn left on M-50 (Monroe Street) and travel west to East Main Street. Turn right on East Main Street and travel to Rightmire Road. Turn right on Rightmire Road and travel to West County Park. The parking lot will be on the right side of the road.
Plan your visit
Location: West County Park/Macon Reserve Rightmire Road Dundee Township, MI 48131 Phone: 734-240-7252 Hours: 8am – Sunset April – October Admission Fee: NO
The Potawatomi story is exhibited inside the Old Mill Museum, Dundee Michigan.
Old Mill Museum 242 Toledo Street Dundee, MI 48131 Phone: 734-529-8596 Website: www.dundeeoldmill.com
Things to do: Parking: Parking Lot available River Access: River Raisin (steep in some areas) Trail Access: YES
Passport Stamp: NO
History
As a part of the westward expansion, the United States began occupying lands in southeast Michigan in 1796. The Potawatomi Indians call the vast fertile land along the River Raisin from Lake Erie westward home. The newly established Post of Detroit consisted of six miles inland from the water edge starting at Lake St. Claire in the north to the River Raisin settlement in the south. As the U.S. moved into their new “post of Detroit”, they began removing the Native Americans.
The Macon Reservation is physically located on a 60-acre portion of the original Macon Indian Reserve that was established in 1807 by the Treaty of Detroit. William Hull, Territorial Governor of Michigan coerced the Potawatomi and other Native Nations to cede land to the United States. A small portion of the land where the Macon Creek flows into the River Raisin (about six square miles) was reserved for the Potawatomi.
On November 17, 1807, the U.S. Government created the Macon Reservation eight miles outside the Post of Detroit along the River Raisin. The reservation consisted of only three square miles of land around the confluence of the Macon River, the Saline River, and the River Raisin. Several Potawatomi Indians were relocated to the Macon Reservation, but many chose to live elsewhere.
As the United States claimed their lands, the Potawatomi and other Native Americans nations did not want to give up their homelands and way of life. The Potawatomi took up arms against the U.S. in the War of 1812 and fought on the side of the Indian Confederation and Great Britain in hopes of retaining their villages in Southeast Michigan. With the help of many great Potawatomi war chiefs, tremendous battles were won along the River Raisin and Detroit River.
When the war ended, Great Britain abandoned the Native tribes and the United States quickly began forcing tribal nations farther out. The new Michigan Territorial Governor, Lewis Cass, started forcing the Potawatomi off the Macon Reservation in the Treaty of 1817 at the Foot of the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie, the Macon Reserve was re-designated to benefit Catholic members of the Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa tribes that desired to educate their children. The land was granted to the St. Anne Catholic Church of Detroit and to the corporation of the College of Detroit. The land was then sold and used to start what today is known as the University of Michigan. The Macon Reservation was lost piece by piece until it was completely taken away from the Potawatomi in the 1830s.
Current Day
Much of West County Park – A Prairie Preserve on the Macon Reservation, which fronts the River Raisin, was used as farmland. In 2002, it was enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and planted with a mixture of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers. The Park is owned and managed by the County of Monroe Parks and Recreation Department and managed in partnership with the National Park Service. The park has parking and includes beautiful walking trail throughout the restored tallgrass prairie and along the River Raisin. Today, visitors walking through the park can experience the same kind of tallgrass prairie encountered by Native people in this part of southeast Michigan in the early 1800’s.
Directions
Visit the Macon Reservation walking trail and exhibits located at West County Park. Turn left on M-50 (Monroe Street) and travel west to East Main Street. Turn right on East Main Street and travel to Rightmire Road. Turn right on Rightmire Road and travel to West County Park. The parking lot will be on the right side of the road.
Plan your visit
Location: West County Park/Macon Reserve Rightmire Road Dundee Township, MI 48131 Phone: 734-240-7252 Hours: 8am – Sunset April – October Admission Fee: NO
The Potawatomi story is exhibited inside the Old Mill Museum, Dundee Michigan.
Old Mill Museum 242 Toledo Street Dundee, MI 48131 Phone: 734-529-8596 Website: www.dundeeoldmill.com
Things to do: Parking: Parking Lot available River Access: River Raisin (steep in some areas) Trail Access: YES
Passport Stamp: NO