This photo was taken a couple miles or so before I got to the Eel River Post-Fort site. Like I said, I’m looking for excuses to do some more riding along the Eel River.

The intersection of De La Balme and Johnson was about a mile from Little Turtle’s post. I didn’t know what it was about until I looked it up just now. But this site is very near where Augustin De La Balme was defeated by Little Turtle and a force of Miami warriors during the American Revolution. He had started from Kaskaskia, gathered recruits from the French communities there and at places like Vincennes, and hoped to do the same in taking Detroit. But he was wiped out and killed here. I see from this article reprinted from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette that a commemorative event was held here about a year after my bike ride. And it makes mention of a marker that the DAR placed in the area in 1930.

I think I have all the excuse I need for another bike ride so I can take a better look.

Vicinity of the De La Balme defeat

This is my first attempt at including a Google Map in the post to identify just where these markers are located. I’m using a plugin provided by Avi Alkalay. I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do.

BTW, today’s commute home from work was my first bike ride of 2008.   The weather was suitable and the roads were finally clear.   In all the 14 years I’ve been bicycle touring and doing long-distance riding, I don’t think it has ever until now taken until the middle of March before I could start riding, except for one year when I was recovering from surgery.    Some years I’ve done a few hundred miles already by this time.  It was good to get out on the road again.