 Chief Poweshiek |
State
of Iowa |
 Poweshiek
County |
Early Poweshiek County
Courthouse |
Chief Poweshiek
Poweshiek, a chief of the Fox and Sac tribes,
lived on the Skunk River. The word Poweshiek means
"the roused bear."Chief Poweshiek was tall, heavily built with rough cast features and was characterized by a disposition of exactness and arrogance.
He was known as the "Peaceful Indian," having signed the Treaty that ended the Black Hawk War. The treaty with the Sacs and Fox in 1832, was known as the "Black Hawk Purchase." This treaty opened the first lands in Iowa for settlement by the whites. In naming newly discovered counties and streams of water, the first settlers of Iowa followed the custom of adopting Native American names.
His village was either in, or not far from the southwest corner of the county which bears his name. Poweshiek and his village consisted of about 40 lodges. They left Iowa in the winter of 1845-46 for the reservation in Kansas.
