I had been telling myself that of the several accounts of the building of Fort Hogan on Nottawa Prairie, only one was by a first-hand participant. But now I see that there is another. I’ve had it in my files for a long time, but found it today when looking through some of my St. Joseph County (Michigan) materials.
Sue I. Silliman told about it in her 1931 book, “St. Joseph in Homespun” (which I now see is online here, and apparently has been there for some time). On page 37 she has this:
The Hon. William Connor of Nottawa, gives the following description of the settler’s fort: “The contemplated site of Ft. Hogan was on the lands of J. Foreman, in the northeast corner of Colon. For its erection, a file of one dozen men was appointed each day to work upon the fortificatons. On the very first day, after a trench had been partially dug and two loads of stumps drawn to the spot, the sun shone with such intense heat that the workmen grew tired, handsomely cussed the Sauks and regarding discretion the better part of valor, abandoned the enterprise.
“The committee which was appointed to draw the plans for Ft. Hogan, included Amos Howe, Rev. Mr. Alvord and Dr. McWilliams. They drew the ground plans for the square fort which, covering five acres and earth two feet high, topped with grubs, fortunately was never completed.”
I’ll have to see if I can find where she got that. I’m pretty sure it’s not in the William Connor file at the regional archives at Western Michigan University. And it doesn’t seem to be in any of the county histories that were published. It sounds like something Conner said many years after the event.
On the above map, William Connor’s land entries in Nottawa Townshipo are circled and identified with the initials WC. I’m pretty sure that’s where his farm was, too. Fort Hogan is the other circled item, and was on the parcel of land marked JF. The map is a work in progress.
The gray areas are parcels that were bought at the Monroe Land office, before the land office moved to White Pigeon in 1831. In other words, they are the earliest of the land purchases.
I’m not sure whether or not the angling road between Connor’s place and Fort Hogan was already in existence in 1832. The photo below is one I took on that road on a bike ride last July 15. I was facing northeast, i.e. toward Fort Hogan.
Nottawa Prairie is a great place for some flatland riding.
[...] told about Fort Hogan before, once when I quoted from one of the participants in the construction (William Conner and Fort Hogan). Here is an excerpt from the reminiscences of another of the participants, Lorancie Schellhous. [...]
A beautiful picture of the Phill Cupp farm on Cupp Rd. This angling road did exist before 1832. It was an Indian trail and then a stagecoach road. This road continued South West and crossed the Spring Creek at the East edge of Mr. Connor’s property. This trail/stage coach road enters St. Joe County from the North East corner (just below Factoryville) and exits the county at Mottville. The stage coach stop nearest Mr. Connor’s property was two and a half miles South West just before entering Centerville.
I am a Great Great Great Grandson of Issac Katchum. His daughter Adeline married my Great Great Grandfather John Walpole Talbot. Issac’s portrait hung at the top of the stairs in the Talbot house when i was growing up. His eyes seemed to follow us wherever we went.
Please contact me for more historical information regarding history of St. Joe County. I am well versed in Indian Artifacts. i have some authentic trade items in my family collection from the Nottawasepi Indians.
Would greatly enjoy swapping knowledge of local history with you.