We live within 15 miles of Pontiac, Michigan, so a small historical marker claiming to sit on the site of the famous Ottawa Indian chief Pontiac's birthplace immediately caught my eye and aroused my curiosity as we drove along the Maumee River on Route 24/424 (a.k.a. River Road) near Defiance in northern Ohio.
The marker says Pontiac was born here in 1712 and that he "incited Pontiac's Conspiracy" where a federation of Native American tribes, aided by the French, "threatened British supremacy" in the area.
The united effort organized by Pontiac happened in 1763.
By 1769, Chief Pontiac was dead, slain with a hatchet wielded by a fellow Native American.
It's no surprise to me, however, that there is much more to the story than the marker reveals and the story of Pontiac's life and death varies a bit, depending on which source you consult.
Sources don't always agree on his birthplace and birth date, for example, although most seem to say that he was born closer to 1720, rather than the 1712 date on the marker, and there is some debate as to whether his birthplace was in Defiance or closer to Detroit, Michigan.
It's also entertaining to see how disparate sources characterize the Chief.
Michigan's City of Pontiac site tells the story of Chief Pontiac as that of "a man of power and strength, a man of peace, a man whose word was his bond". The site goes on to say that he was "rugged, yet charismatic; strong yet gentle; a warrior, as well as a diplomat".
The Pontiac city site in Michigan seems to agree on the Chief's birth date as happening closer to 1720 and cites his work unifying all tribes in the middle of the United States in the common cause of resisting the British advance and takeover of the Native Americans' former hunting grounds. It also notes that he lost his battles but showed legendary courage while doing so.
I do remember hearing stories about Chief Pontiac as a fearsome warrior and how the Native Americans and British soldiers of the time both engaged in telling some questionably factual tales as they waged war for control of the land in the middle of the United States.
Seeking a source that seemed a little more balanced and well-researched, I looked up Chief Pontiac at the Ohio History Connection site, which offers a wealth of encyclopedic articles in a digital library created from a variety of history collections from more than 360 cultural heritage collections and institutions from across the state.
The Ohio History Connection agrees that Pontiac was born around 1720, although it curiously fails to specify exactly where the chief was born.
Pontiac, raised as a member of the Ottawa tribe by his father (an Ottawa) and his mother (a Chippewa), became an important Ottawa leader by 1755.
The young Pontiac believed in the views of his father, which held that Native Americans suffered so much because their adoption, of and reliance on, English ways and customs infuriated the Native American gods.
Pontiac further believed that the Native Americans needed to remain militarily strong in order to drive the Brits out of their lands. This led him to encourage the tribes to unite and rise up against the English incursion into their lands.
The Treaty of Paris resulted in seeing the French turnover their claim to lands in mid-America, and the Native Americans feared that losing their strongest ally would serve to further drive them away from their homes and hunting grounds.
Pontiac continued to resist further advancement into Native American lands, but he finally surrendered in 1766 after the British promised not to harm him if he agreed to never wage war against them again.
Pontiac retired to live with his family on the banks of the Maumee until his murder.
It was never clear if the Chief's murder happened because the English paid to have him killed, or if other Native Americans killed him because of his surrender.
Today, Pontiac Park in Defiance is one of a number of places named for the chief that include at least a half-dozen cities in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New York and Rhode Island and, of course, the Pontiac automobiles from General Motors.
A number of historic markers, a fountain, access to boating, walkways and landscaping make Defiance's newly revitalized park a pleasant place to visit, get a good view of the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers, or gather for major events like fireworks, car shows and historical re-enactments along the river front.
Want to learn more about Chief Pontiac and the Native American uprising in 1763? Check out A Most Troublesome Situation: The British Military and the Pontiac Indian Uprising of 1763 -1764 by Timothy J. Todish and Todd E. Harburn.
To learn more about Defiance, Ohio and its history check out my stories Historic Fort Defiance in northwestern Ohio and Learn about canal history in Defiance, Ohio.
© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved
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